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Your Strengths Are NOT Your Unique Genius

 
As a faculty member, do you wonder how to align your career with your strengths?
 
You've been trained to think….
 
…I should do “what I’m good at”….

 

…I’ll be happy if I use my “strengths”…

 

…I’ll succeed if I focus on my “talents”…

 

So you try to get clear: 
 
…What am I good at??

 …What are my strengths??

 …I need to identify my talents!!
 
Have you noticed even with all this thinking rock-solid crystal clarity eludes you?
 

Or perhaps it gets confusing, especially if….

  • what you’re good at seems irrelevant to your current job
  • you couldn’t fulfill your job if you only offered your strengths
  • you think what you’re “good at” isn’t valued
  • your strengths suggest a career move that you aren’t sure you want

 

So perhaps you get an outsider’s view by asking colleagues, other faculty members, friends, and mentors:

What do you think my strengths are?

  

Although your colleagues, friends and mentors know you well, they provide vague compliments or can’t put their thumb accurately to articulate your “strengths, talents, what you’re good at” in a way that brings crystal clarity as a foundation for making perfect choices for your career.

 

So you go back to overthinking and trying to “get clear”, and wonder….
 
Why can’t I figure this out??
 
Why aren’t I perfectly clear on my strengths, and what I’m good at?
 
How could this possibly be so hard???

  

The reason is:
 
Identifying your strengths alone will NEVER get you the clarity you seek.
 

Here’s Why: There is a massive distinction between Strengths and Unique Genius.

  1. Strengths are subjective. They are defined by the structures that happen to surround you.  In one job, a certain characteristic is a strength, in another job it’s a weakness.  In one family, a characteristic is a weakness, in another family, it’s a strength.  How can you define your “strengths” if you are influenced – almost randomly – by what you are socialized to think is a strength?  There is no solid footing. On the other hand, unique genius is not subjective.  It does not waiver based on where you are, what you are doing, or who you are with.  Once you have fully discovered your unique genius, you can steer your work to utilize it. When you are clear on your unique genius, it is not subjective.  You are ‘un-messable with’.

  2. Focussing on strengths will cause you to walk right past your Unique Genius. There are things you are, and things you do, that are clues pointing straight to your unique genius, but because you don’t think of them as “strengths”, or you don’t value them, or you assume they are irrelevant or not welcome in your work, you will walk right past all the clues pointing to your actual unique genius.

  3. Strengths are not ALL of who you are. Your strengths are only a fraction of who you are. As only a fraction of the picture, they will never lead to ultimate, rock solid clarity on your unique genius.  Your unique genius represents ALL of who you are at your core and is un-moveable.

 

In other words….
Your strengths are NOT your unique genius. 
 
Your strengths are CLUES to your unique genius 
 
Faculty members we coach to rock-solid crystal clarity understand three things:
  1. Once you discover your unique genius, you will never address it as your “strength” again, you will recognize the complete difference between “strengths” and unique genius

  2. The clues are all over your life. In your quirks, what drives you nuts, what you love, what you’re good at, what you suck at. All clues provide value. The skill and magic is the rigour we follow in discovering, valuing, and utilizing the patterns of your unique genius.

  3. Once you find your unique genius, you can see with crystal clarity the exact steps to create your career around your unique contribution.

 

For example, a faculty member on the tenure track came to us because she was seeking clarity for some key career decisions.

She said:

“Sometimes I wonder if a non-tenure track, research focused job would be a better fit for my strengths, or if there was a way to adjust how I’m currently working to better fit my strengths.”

 

After a Breakthrough Call with us, she realized what she really was looking for, was to align her career with ALL of who she is at her core – not just part of herself.

She chose to work with us, and we started where we always start, which was our rigorous methodology to find her unique genius.

Quite quickly, she realized we are not looking for “strengths”.  We are looking for patterns that are who you are at your core, to uncover your unique genius.

After discovering her unique genius and getting crystal clear on how to create her career as an extension of who she is at her core, she sent us this note:

 
“It’s exciting to feel clear about finding and forging my own path.  I’m excited to create a life that aligns with my unique genius”
 
NOW YOU:
 
If you are a faculty member and have been trying to get clear by asking “what am I good at?”, “what are my strengths?”, I encourage you to stop asking those questions for the moment.

Instead, ask:

Do I want my work to be an extension of my unique genius – ALL of who I am at my core?
 
Do I want to be crystal clear about my unique genius?
 
Then listen for your true answer.

And, if you are ready to create your career as an extension of your unique genius, I encourage you to book your free Breakthrough Call.

On the call, we will get to the source of what is blocking you from crystal clarity, so you can discover for yourself, the next action that is right for you.

The call is 100% free, and there is no catch.

But, it’s not for everyone.

The call is for faculty members who:

  • want to focus your time to be aligned with what you’re good at, what your values are, and your authentic self
  • want to clearly and powerfully articulate who you uniquely are, in a way that is a contribution and benefit to your department, university, and discipline.
  • are tired of trying to “get clear” on your own, and you want this clarity now.
  • are action takers.  You push through and get the job done.

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