Identifying and Building Strengths
Self-Awareness
One way to get to know yourself better is to work with your character strengths. You can explore this on your own to increase self-awareness, and you get even more out of this exploration by working with a strengths-informed coach.
A useful tool to explore character strengths is the VIA Classification of Character Strengths. This was developed by Psychologists Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman. The VIA Classification of Strengths is an inventory of 24 character strengths linked to six virtues (desirable qualities or values held by humans for living a “good” life). These virtues are wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance and transcendence. Each virtue contains a number of strengths that are examples of these human virtues, or values, in action.
Identifying and building on your character strengths is useful. Research has linked strengths use to a range of positive outcomes related to wellbeing and performance.
According to the theory we all have all of these characteristics because they are part of being human.
Strengths Exercise
If you are interested in identifying your character strengths have a look at the list of strengths and consider which ones feel most like you. These qualities are likely to come fairly naturally to you and will feel energising when you get to put them into action.
There is a free survey you can take to find out which strengths are your top strengths. It is not a personality test, but based on your answers it will give you a rank order of the 24 strengths for you at this time. You might be interested to look at those at the top (first 5 or so) to identify your signature strengths. The ones at the bottom are not weaknesses, they are simply strengths that are not as energising for you. Once you have your list it can be interesting to ask yourself if this feels like a meaningful way to describe yourself. It’s fine to disagree, remember it’s just a tool for getting a new perspective.
You can read descriptions of each of the character strengths using this link: Find Your 24 Character Strengths | Personal Strengths List | VIA Institute | VIA Institute (viacharacter.org).
Using Strengths
Strengths can be a useful tool to frame development goals and intentions. Leaning on your top strengths can help you achieve challenging goals and can be drawn on to support you when you are doing challenging tasks.
Building Strengths
Using your signature strengths in a new way, each day, for a week, is a simple activity that has been shown to be associated with benefits for psychological wellbeing.
Having a Different Conversation
Learning about our strengths and building on them, whatever language we use, can help us talk to and about ourselves differently and more positively. Connecting with our values and character strengths can deepen learning about ourselves and provide new ways to help us to set intentions and reach goals.
Looking out for other people’s strengths, sometimes called “strength spotting”, can also help you to get to know other people better and improve communication and relationships.
As a coach, I lean into the strengths that help me listen without judgement and be a better thinking partner, including: perspective, curiosity, creativity, honesty, and social intelligence.
Strengths Tools
Amongst other tools, I use strengths cards to support conversations about strengths when I am working with people as a coach. Get in touch if you would like to discuss how a coaching conversation might help you explore your strengths further.
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