What makes YOU powerful?
I hope that, if you’ve been in the habit of thinking that power comes in only one form or is a Bad Thing, you’ve started to re-consider. That will enable you to think about just how you can use your power to be of service to others—and your bank account.
Now the question becomes, Just how do you identify and claim the various strengths that are the core of your power?
One of the strengths I bring to client interactions is the humongous resource base I’ve accumulated over the years. (I used to describe myself as an information junkie, but when I realized that was not a particularly powerful description ☺, I changed it to “information resource”.) That’s why I can confidently recommend the following tools that will put a name to those strengths that make you so powerful. Naming is the first step to claiming, and it’s particularly important—and challenging—to step up and claim those strengths that, for you, come as easily as breathing or that you currently consider to be “no big deal”.
360-Degree Reach Assessment
Use this personal-branding tool to tell a more compelling story about how you help your ideal clients.
When you know how you’re perceived by those around you, you can use this information to more strategically and effectively paint a picture about your unique characteristics; this will set you apart from the competition.
In addition, if people do not mention a trait you consider to be a major strength, you can
take steps to figure out why and then change those perceptions. Similarly, if you’re perceived in a manner that’s not serving you well, you can take steps to change that around, too.
You may want to re-do the free assessment annually. This will verify that your strengths and positive attributes are becoming more visible, while negative attributes and weaknesses are becoming less so.
Intrigued? Want to explore this in more depth? One of my clients, Beth Kennedy, is certified to interpret this tool. You can learn more at her website.
The Fascination Advantage
I just discovered this a short time ago, thanks to my colleague Lori Nash Byron, and I found it to be…well…fascinating.
This assessment takes a different approach to uncovering how the world sees you. Creator Sally Hogshead identified seven “Advantages”, or modes of communication. Your primary and secondary Advantages, in combination, give you a unique set of problem-solving and communication skills.
This tool also provides the five adjectives that describe who you are when you’re operating at your best. As with the 360-Degree Reach assessment, you can use this information in crafting the Unique Selling Proposition that will distinguish you from other talented people in your field.
Curious? You can check this out for yourself at no charge. Just go to the website and enter the code BL-SteppingIntoBig. Create a user account with your name, password, and email address; complete the assessment (it only takes 5 minutes); and immediately receive your in-depth, custom report.
Use your power wisely and effectively.
StrengthsFinder
This assessment, originally developed by Donald Clifton and Marcus Buckingham, remains one of my very favorite resources.
Clifton and Buckingham define a strength as “consistent, near-perfect performance in an activity”, and they view it as having three key components:
- your talents (naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling, or behavior)
- your knowledge (the lessons and facts you’ve learned)
- your skills (the steps of any given activity)
Probably the most valuable thing I took away from this assessment is their recommendation on how to enhance your productivity, value, and satisfaction: Instead of slaving away to improve your weaknesses, focus instead on honing your existing strengths. While this doesn’t give you permission to ignore your weaknesses, it does encourage you to work on them just to the point where they don’t actively drag you down. This allows you more time to spend on the higher-ROI work of refining your strengths.
When you purchase a copy of StrengthsFinder 2.0, it will contain an access code you can use to take the online assessment. If you want to delve deeper, you can connect with my colleague Jean Nitchals at Discover Your Niche. Jean is trained to interpret your StrengthsFinder results and coach you on how to make best use of those strengths.
Ask.
This no-tech strength-identifying technique is extra powerful. It not only gives you more information you can use to effectively share your unique value with the people who need it most; it also gives you a chance to build your courage muscles by asking trusted friends, family, colleagues, and clients: “What do you think are my greatest strengths?”
To get the most out of this no-cost, high-return investment, be sure to follow these important rules:
- DON’T roll your eyes, argue, diminish, say “yes, but…”, or in any other way deflect the wonderful—and truthful—compliments that will come your way
- DO simply say, “Thank you.”
Try it. I dare you: Try any or all of these tools and tap the power to transform your business—and maybe your whole life.
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If you’re like me, you may have already done a great deal of self-assessment work, and these tools may or may not provide you with a lot of new insights. But perhaps you’re one of the many entrepreneurs who find that, despite having done work in this area, you’re still huffing and puffing to figure out a way to use all that great information to identify what you do better than your competitors, not to mention how to convey that USP in a powerful, compelling message.
If that sounds distressingly familiar, a good next step might be for you and me to spend some time on the phone exploring the possibility of working together. A 30- or 40-minute conversation would enable both of us to ask and answer questions to determine if we’re a good fit for each other.
Am I the right consultant for you? Are you the right client for me? I have no clue at this point, but I’d be curious to find out.
How ‘bout you? Is a little Q and A in order? If so, just call me at 319-270-1214 or email me with “time to power up” in the subject line. We’ll see what happens next.
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