Contents

Introduction................................................................................ 4
The benefits of learning our strengths.............................. 6
Start by identifying your strengths...................................... 10
Improve your happiness and wellbeing........................... 12
Get the career you want........................................................ 14
Build better relationships....................................................... 16
Combat imposter syndrome................................................. 18
Release your hidden potential............................................. 20
Build your resilience................................................................ 22
Know when to dial back your strengths............................ 24
Don’t let weaknesses hold you back................................. 26
Build an action plan to put your strengths to work........ 28
Further resources .................................................................... 30

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Introduction
By Trudy Bateman

As Director of Strengths Profile, I have made

it my mission to help people identify their
strengths, the things they’re naturally good at
and enjoy doing, and then find ways to bring
these strengths into their everyday life.
Strengths Profile was developed to give a holistic approach, to
reveal hidden potential, areas of low energy and of weakness.
This helps you make better decisions on what you choose to
work on and encourages you to focus on areas of growth that
excite you.
I’ve now been helping people play to their strengths since
2009 and I can honestly say, I feel I have the best job. I get
to use my strengths of Legacy, Counterpoint and Humour
every day!
When I work with individuals, coaches and organisations there
is one aim – to enable people to understand their strengths
and take action towards becoming their Best SELF. That may
sound simple, but we all know how hard action can be and not
just any action – ones that bring you success and joy.
Transformation happens when we take small steps that align
our tasks, goals, careers and hobbies with what we love to do.
We get to unlock our potential, perhaps in areas we’ve not felt
confident in before now or through new opportunities.
With the question in mind ‘What’s the smallest thing you can
do to make the greatest difference?’, we’ve put together our
practical top tips in helping you take the action that will not
only help you put your strengths to work, but enable you to
love what you do each day.
Now go put those amazing strengths to work and be your
Best SELF.

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 The benefits of learning
100
our strengths countries

Our strengths are our natural in-built resource tools, so

1 million
users
Strengths Profile has helped
more than a million people
across 100 countries to identify,
knowing what our strengths are is vital for maximising our understand and use their
potential and being happy in our work. strengths to transform their
personal and working lives.

When we use our strengths, we:

Feel happier: People who use their Achieve our goals: We are more likely to
Why 1 million people choose
strengths in new and different ways have achieve our goals when we align them Strengths Profile from
reported higher levels of happiness. to our strengths, because they become
Cappfinity
personally meaningful. Do your goals since
Have higher self-esteem: People who use
their strengths more often have reported
really reflect both your energies and your
priorities? As the strengths assessment reveals your 2005
higher levels of self-esteem. realised and unrealised strengths, learned
Improve our productivity: The use behaviours and weaknesses, it offers deep
Have higher confidence: People who use of strengths has been proven to insights into what you love to do, and what Cappfinity’s purpose has been
their strengths more reported higher levels substantially increase job performance drains you in your day-to-day life. ‘Strengthening the World’ –
of belief that they could achieve their aims. and productivity for companies. Strengths Profile is perfectly
Once you understand your strengths you
placed to do this each day.
Have more energy: The use of strengths Improve our team working ability: can truly start to transform the way you
is associated with high levels of positive Focusing on strengths in teams facilitates use your energy throughout the day.
energy and a buzz for life. efficient allocation of tasks, enables
greater role flexibility, and encourages
Build resilience: By using strengths, co-operation.
people have been able to overcome
obstacles that would have previously Increase our openness and ability to
hindered their use of strengths. deal with change: The use of strengths
generates positive emotions that broaden
Create a greater sense of wellbeing: people’s mindsets, encouraging them to
The use of strengths is positively linked discover new ways of thinking and acting,
with wellbeing and these three
psychological needs: autonomy,
and the ability to deal with the after-effects of
negative events.
60 30,000
strengths interviews
relatedness and competence.

Are more engaged: People who use

their strengths are six times more The 60 most prevalent strengths, some of which you may come
engaged at work. across in this paper and via your own Strengths Profile, were chosen by
evaluating more than 30,000 interviews as the source.

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 Ten Ways to Unlock
Your Potential with
Strengths

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 Tip 1
Start by identifying your strengths

It sounds quite simple, doesn’t it?

Identifying your strengths.
Research by Dr Tasha Erich revealed that 95% of people
“From the moment I opened think they are self-aware but it’s actually closer to just 15%.
it and realised I could actually We aren’t so bad at being able to talk about what we are
recognise myself in the results good at, usually because we have evidence of a job well
I was hooked” done. If we are lucky, others will spot our success and
give us some feedback. However, a strength is something
we are good at, and have energy in, so it starts to get
more difficult.

So where do you start? It’s much easier with a strengths

assessment and at Strengths Profile we have a free
Starter Profile to get you going. Our Profiles reveal your
realised and unrealised strengths, learned behaviours
and weaknesses to maximise potential and limit
anything that drains you.

To reveal your strengths, you could also ask yourself:

• What do you, your friends and family know you for?

• What are you doing when you feel you are at your
best?
• What tasks come naturally to you?
• What skills did you learn particularly quickly?
Identifying your strengths will make your language more
descriptive, helping you sound unique and giving you the
narrative to think about what you want to focus on. So,
instead of being ‘good with people’, you are now ‘able to
talk to anyone and put them at ease by finding common
connections to build deeper relationships’.

So, now you know your strengths, you can take action and
begin to put your strengths to work.

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 Tip 2
Improve your happiness and wellbeing

When we talk about strengths, Strengths side effects Pitfalls to avoid

we highlight the impact on We know that when you use your strengths, a Focusing on using your strengths to increase
performance and energy, but positive side effect is that your happiness and happiness and wellbeing is great, but be careful
wellbeing improve. Taking a moment to think, not to overplay them. If you utilise a strength too
there are additional benefits. it makes sense, because if you are using your
“It’s an exciting journey as
much, you run the risk of it being de-energising
I have also carved out time to
This is what excites us about strengths, i.e., doing activities that you do well and
work on passionate projects that
and becoming a learned behaviour.
enjoy doing, then why wouldn’t you be happier?
strengths and the potential tap into my strengths” To avoid this happening, be mindful of using the
Think about a time when you were enjoying appropriate strength at the appropriate time and
they have for us to flourish using a strength and you might just find there is – Emily Teng – in the appropriate measure.
and be our Best SELF. a smile on your face or a feeling of contentment. Superpower
Unlocker
Be creative
The best part is that there are Leading strengths researcher Dr Ryan Niemiec
some simple ways of using suggests that when people use their strengths in
novel ways it boosts their wellbeing. Instinctively,
our strengths that can achieve
our thoughts turn to unrealised strengths. These Choose what to do
a positive outcome in as little are the strengths that you perform well at and are
One of the biggest factors that determines your
as a week. energised by, but use less frequently.
happiness are the intentional activities you carry
At Cappfinity, we encourage people to explore out. So, if you choose to do things that you
ways of using their unrealised strengths more. enjoy it will make you happier. Fantastic!
Why not give this exercise a try?
To successfully improve your happiness, it
• Consider what you’ve got to do this week requires self-awareness of the activities that you
• Select one of your unrealised strengths that do and self-regulation about doing more things
you would like to use more that bring you joy. Take a strengths approach to
increasing your happiness:
• Be really creative in coming up with ways to
apply that unrealised strength in a new way • Write down 7 activities that make you happy
each day and you can do in the coming week
After the week, check in with yourself. Are • Choose one realised or unrealised strength
you feeling less stressed? Do you feel more for each activity
energised, more content, or maybe you are • Each day, carry out a different happiness
feeling like your Best SELF? activity and apply your chosen strength
Write down your happiness level before and
after each activity. Reflect on the differences
between the two for each activity and the
impact on your happiness.

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 Tip 3
Get the career you want

For those already enjoying what Career Guide and Your Potential suggestions. Is
they do there something there you could work on, talk to
someone about, or investigate more?
Even if you love your job, there is no doubt you
could be doing even more. Perhaps making it For promotion seekers
more purposeful, impactful, or reaching your Take time to consider what you want from this
goals quicker. next step of your career. Is it results, more money,
Consider taking on more responsibility in more autonomy, more joy?
the areas of your strengths. What could you Most people won’t say ‘I want to use my
volunteer for, purely for the love of it? strengths more’, but when we get to be our
If you have one of our Introductory or Expert authentic self we build trust as a leader and
Profiles, what did your Career Guide tell you effortlessly achieve our goals and results,
that intrigued you? Maybe management or IT is because we are doing what we do best.
something you could add to your repertoire or Often, we go for a promotion, which seems a
“Strengths Profile helped me support others with? Were there any suggestions natural next step in what we are already doing,
move into a new career” in the Your Potential advice that resonated? but consider your key strengths – the ones that
If your strengths use is at 70%, how could you always seem to make a difference – and use
– Charlotte BC – these even more, even better, with more skill and
make it 80%?
Sales Support, Coordinator energy – imagine the results then.
For those taking it easy
We don’t have to have all the answers Use your Profile to stimulate your thinking. What
It’s probably so tempting to stay as you are, Career Guide suggestions could you investigate
when it comes to our careers. Most of us we’ve all been there, it’s not bad, maybe even or combine? What unrealised strength would you
will stumble into a role or two at some good most of the time – but is it enough? It might love to use more of? Ensure that you are the one
point in our lives – and it wasn’t all that not take a lot to transform your energy in the role. driving your next role and promotion, not others.
Using your Strengths Profile, identify which
bad. However, we can be more conscious about Wherever you are in your career, make it a
learned behaviours you are using too much of. conscious one where you turn up every day
our decisions when we know our strengths. This is often the lightbulb moment for many. eager to use your strengths.
Which weaknesses do you have to compensate
When we think about having a great career, it for a bit too often and which strengths would you
love to use more of?
means going to work and loving what you do.
Ask yourself, ‘what am I known for?’ and ‘what
A third of our day is spent at work, so whatever do I want to be known for?’ – see the difference?
role you are in, you deserve a little time to We’ve all fallen into this trap.
review where you are. Share your Profile with your manager and try
some small changes to transform your enjoyment
of the role. Look for clues in your Profile in the

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 Tip 4
Build better relationships

When we relate well with others, Review our tips on fostering the best • Equality – If there is a group conflict, help
relationships at home and at work: mediate by ensuring that everyone is listened
people warm to us. We build to and do your best to obtain a fair outcome. “I have found the Team
trust and form solid relationships • Compassion – As well as showing you care
• Esteem Builder – Adapt your style according
Profile to be invaluable
deeply, move people onto an action they can in helping both new and
that can ultimately lead to more embrace that will support their recovery and
to your audience. You may need to be subtler
intact teams collaborate more
in some contexts to ensure you sound
rewarding interactions and healing.
sincere.
effectively”
greater success. • Connector – As you make connections, take
• Personalisation – Help new people fit in – Kristin Lowe –
time to grab a coffee with them or be sure to
through friendship groups or teams. Introduce Solros Development
To relate well, we must speak and act keep in touch. Take time to build relationships
them to others by way of their special Group
authentically by choosing a relating style that with those that reach out to you.
qualities.
comes naturally to us rather than forcing another • Emotional Awareness – Celebrate the
• Persuasion – Build positive relationships
style that doesn’t feel genuine. successes of people that others may
around you, as you never know when
Look at your Strengths Profile and see which have missed due to their humble or subtle
you might need people’s vote. Make
Relating strengths appear in your realised or announcement.
conversations two way – get to know people
unrealised strengths. If you don’t have the full • Empathic – Consider different ways to be and build their trust.
Profile, use the SP descriptions to see which ones empathetic based on the person. It may not
• Rapport Builder – As you build your many
you think you might have and go from there. take grand gestures, but simply sitting with
connections, jot down something unique
them could be enough.
about them. Bring this up the next time
• Enabler – Take new people under your you meet them to start to forge deeper
wing. Whether it’s at work or in your relationships.
hobbies, help them to hit the ground running
• Relationship Deepener – Make time to invest
by showing them the ropes, who’s who, and
in new relationships as well as continuing to
how to get ahead.
build on existing ones. Be social outside of
work and only invest in the most rewarding
relationships.
You don’t have to have most of them, you just
need a couple to focus on the impact you can
have on others and where you can make a
difference.

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 Tip 5
Combat imposter syndrome

Many of us will have heard After many years of experience, we’ve found Through framing confidence in a way that
that you don’t need to be a perfectionist, is built on choices that feed our passions, “Strengths Profile enables
people credit their sense of superhero or expert, you just need to use your energise us and play to our strengths, we can individuals to gain huge personal
self-belief as the key ingredient strengths and be your authentic Best SELF. turn the mystery of confidence into a journey of awareness, gives them a real confidence
worthwhile pursuits. boost and helps them to identify the
to their success, but from our You can’t tell someone you think they are great
strengths to achieve their goals and the
to try to increase their self-belief. We must Try using your realised strengths in new ways
strengths data we know that only believe it ourselves, feel it and have evidence to to test out new strengths and experiences. Try
actions they will take”
25% of us have Self-belief as a validate it. When we use our strengths, we are experimenting with your unrealised strengths,
– Julie McCall –
showing others how well we can perform and taking one at a time and finding one new way to
realised strength. are likely to be successful at what we are doing. put it to work. Do it with a buddy and give each
Executive Coach and Facilitator,
Fully Charged
other feedback so that you can prove success
A great job gets noticed, appreciated and
So how can we achieve this for in your journey.
rewarded, which increases our confidence
ourselves? and self-belief. The critical case for using our Now you know what your strengths are, try not to
Lack of confidence is linked to imposter weaknesses less is when we use them, we won’t give into self-doubt as it usually overrides reality.
syndrome, which is where we doubt our skills, perform well, and are therefore likely to get
talent and accomplishments. We’ve all felt this at negative feedback and see our confidence drop.
one time or another and for some it might be a
daily occurrence.

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 Tip 6
Release your hidden potential

“I loved my Strengths Profile

The quadrant that excites people Use your unrealised strengths to:
debrief and found it fascinating”
the most is the unrealised • Set exciting goals – Which of your unrealised
strengths excites you the most? What – Vicki Gill –
strengths or that ‘gold at the end Student
opportunities can you find to start using it
of the rainbow’ as we’ve heard it more? Try to set future goals that you are
referred to. really energised by and that develop the
potential inside of you.
Unrealised strengths tell us what we are at good • Compensate for your learned behaviours or
at and love to do but aren’t using as much. weaknesses – When something is draining
They can often be unused as we need to find in your Profile, could you look to use an
opportunities to release this potential. This all unrealised strength to support you instead?
starts with self-awareness of what sits in this • Share them – Remember others will not have
exciting area. seen these in action and may not know you
We can surprise ourselves with what greets have this hidden potential. Share with your
us here, so those we work with or share our manager or future employers to showcase
life with will most definitely struggle to see this your potential. Share with friends and family to
hidden treasure. collaborate on ideas together.
Once we know what our unrealised strengths • Make a plan – Know how you can make a
are, we can use them to take more ownership difference in the future and start working
of our career and life decisions and find towards getting the exposure, confidence
opportunities we were destined to be part of. and experience today. What do you need to
learn or who do you need to ask to start that
Whichever Profile you are using, we reveal your
journey?
unrealised strengths, and in the Introductory and
Expert Strengths Profiles you’ll have access to a Don’t delay in finding opportunities to unleash
feature called Your Potential that gives you tips those unrealised strengths and bring more
for putting those unrealised strengths into action. energy into your life.

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 Tip 7
Build your resilience

Just when you are beginning to Using your strengths builds

master your strengths and all is resilience to overcome obstacles
going well, life happens. However, Make a list of your current challenges and the
strengths you have that could help you move
during challenging times or when forward with them. You don’t need a long-term
your resilience is being truly plan, just a few clear steps to keep moving
forward with your current tasks or goals.
tested, we need our strengths
more than ever. Using your strengths can help you
feel less stressed
Over two decades of research has taught us Look at your realised and unrealised strengths
that when people know their strengths and and decide which ones you could use more to
actively use them, good things happen. They support you with today’s challenges or simply “It provided me with insight
are more fulfilled, more engaged, more resilient to help you have a happier more productive and advice to reflect and move
and better able to cope with stress. There are day. It’s important to find something to celebrate forward to grow during my time
many ways in which you can use your strengths each day. off work”
to support yourself and others.
Using strengths can help you Using your strengths helps your – Andrew Walter –
Using your strengths gives achieve your goals engagement IT Consultant
you energy
Your goals may be on hold for now, but it We are all finding it harder to focus with the
Try to balance the ‘should do’ tasks with doesn’t mean you can’t make and achieve small future being so uncertain, but strengths can
activities you enjoy, no matter how small or goals that will make a difference to you and your make a big difference to engagement in what
productive, to help keep up your momentum loved ones. This could be health and fitness you are doing. It will help you switch off for a
and morale. It may be tempting to just get related, a new skill, a new connection or starting short time when you have challenges.
through this challenging period, but you will a creative project. Resetting can bring new
recover quicker if you can inject strengths use in So, when life happens, show it what strengths
adventures for some added joy.
the middle of the chaos. you have.

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 Tip 8
Know when to dial back your strengths
“I find the insight from
Strengths Profile fascinating”

– Ian Ashbrook –
Student

The trick to becoming the master What does overuse look like? How can we avoid overusing our others to play to each of your Communicating
strengths? strengths and styles.
of our strengths, is knowing when If we overuse our strengths, we may find they
lose their energy over time. We can also upset With Thinking strengths, we often focus on the
to use them and when to dial them When it comes to your people strengths
detail or the bigger picture. Consider dialling
others – for example, a strength in Planner at its (Relating) sometimes it is okay to have time to
back slightly. best reveals someone who is proactive, forward yourself, to reflect and to grow. Learning to have
them up and down depending on what stage
thinking and has excellent time management a project is at. At the beginning it’s great to get
some time when you are not connecting with
Some of our strengths may stem from our skills. Planner at its extreme could reveal those together to consider the strategy and any
others will ensure you enjoy it when you do.
background; it may be hard to even contemplate someone who doesn’t take action, is insular and new ideas. After that, bring in the organisers and
When you are motivating others, try to ensure those with detail. You can’t do it all.
taking a step back as we feel we may dishonour even demanding.
you are using a range of other strengths so
who we are. However, the strengths rule is We can often become stuck in our ways when Think about your strengths like an orchestra
there is motive and communication as well as
‘the right strength, for the right task, in the right it comes to our values. How could I possibly rather than a soloist, and how you might use
the plan of action.
amount’. That way we get to dial up and down be less authentic or dial back my nature of them more wisely.
our strengths to suit our context – rather than When you communicate, we often get stuck
being unconditional? Try to view it more that
overusing our favourite strength! in one style, whether you are the storyteller,
other people may have different values and
the funny one or the writer. Vary your delivery
considering their beliefs will help you to stay
depending on the audience and buddy up with
open to others’ views.

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 Tip 9
Don’t let weaknesses hold you back
“I’ve taken Strengths Profile
three times and it’s been
useful each time”

– Lewis Williams –
Student

We know that everyone has A weakness is a weakness so don’t dress it up. develop to become good enough. Development if you’re not Competitive, you still can build
Let’s call it this and accept it so that you can get that is focused exclusively on weaknesses is meaningful relationships and provide great
weaknesses, just like everyone on with dealing with any impact it has on you, if of ineffective and will encourage feelings of failure service to win business.
has strengths, so let’s just be course it has any. – definitely not your Best SELF!
Finally, if you must, get good enough only.
honest and open about them and Don’t waste time working on your Having a weakness is not an escape route for not Learn to practice this weakness to a level of
doing something you don’t enjoy and it is likely competence. Accept that the weakness is not
get on with feeling more in control own weaknesses
we are all going to need to address one or two something you’re ever likely to do well in or be
of our work and lives. Avoid stress by asking for help when you need at some point. The trick is managing them in a energised by.
it and be honest about the work that you are way that minimises them and makes their impact
So, now you know how to manage your
When weaknesses are used, unsurprisingly, they and are not suited to. When teams celebrate irrelevant.
weaknesses, focus on developing what you love
lead to feelings of negativity, disengagement each other’s strengths and weaknesses, it opens
Take control of your weaknesses to do with your strengths.
and lack of motivation, not to mention the opportunities for those around you to dial up
obvious poor performance. Evolution has taught their strengths in the areas of your weaknesses, Try reshaping your role to use them less or
us to naturally attend to what’s wrong so don’t allowing others to shine in new areas. working in partnership with someone who loves
blame yourself, you can change the focus to Weaknesses are not an area for development. to do this. Use your strengths to compensate or
what is right. These should be something where you can reshape how you think about it – for example,

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 Tip 10
Build an action plan to put your strengths to work

Hopefully, you are now eager Make a life journey map Use the language
and excited to start making some Jot down significant moments in your life. Make the strengths approach part of everyday
action plans and do something Include job and education changes, house conversations with others. Explain you might not “The Strengths
moves, promotions, times of recognition and be the best person for the task, or volunteer by Profile is a fantastic tool to
rewarding with your Profile! challenges. Next to each event, list the strengths mentioning your strength that will add value. help identify both known and
that you were using to create your success. unknown strengths to help you
Strengthspot in yourself by thinking about how
Explore more results With any challenges, note the weaknesses or tasks make you feel and perhaps why you develop as an individual”
learned behaviours you were drawing on and put them off! And strengthspot in others – for
Either using your Introductory or Expert Profile, – Melissa Rattle–
any strengths that might have helped you. Use example, “Thanks Tom, I can see you really
or reviewing the full 60 strengths definitions to People and Culture
it to help you build a picture of your strengths owned that task with your strength in Detail”.
highlight more strengths you think you have, Business Partner
history and to support future life choices.
start reflecting: The Strengths Book will also give you many
What’s that one goal? ideas to develop each one of your strengths.
• Resonate with what most feels like you at
your best. Jot down why this is, what success A 10K run, a new career direction, focus on your
you’ve achieved and why you love doing it. wellbeing, finish that chapter? Plot your goal
• On areas that most excite you. What are you down and then work through:
most proud of? What would you love to be • What realised and unrealised strengths can
doing more of? Any ideas, jot them down! help you get to where you want to be? What
• On what you would like to do less of. Why is it action will you take now and in a couple of
draining? Are you overusing it? Who else can months?
help you and what strengths would help this • What learned behaviours or weaknesses
be less draining? might stop you achieving this goal? Who can
Get some feedback help with this, and which strengths might
overcome any challenges?
Share your Profile with a close colleague, family
member or friend, and ask them what they think
looks most like you. Get them to share how they
have seen you use your strengths and how they
may have benefited from you using them.
If appropriate, share the exercise you carried
out above and see if they have any ideas to
leverage your strengths further.

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 Further resources

Take a free Starter Profile → Upgrade your Profile →

Watch our latest webinars →

Find out more about Cappfinity →

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 +44 (0)121 726 5900
[email protected]
www.strengthsprofile.com

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