WHAT ARE YOUR STRENGHTS?

David Adeoye, CFA

David is the Team Lead, Transaction Advisory Services, MBC Capital Limited

One often misunderstood aspect of human performance is differences in results among people with similar background and experience. Yet two persons with identical strengths usually will produce very similar results. For example, the African continent has produced a few soccer players we can consider to be both significant and unusual in their talents and contribution to team results. Some fairly recent examples include Samuel Eto’o Phils (Cameroun), Didier Drogba (Coted’Ivoire) Sunday Oliseh (Nigeria), Finidi George (Nigeria), and Abubakar Titi Camara (Guinea).

While some of these individuals may not look like extraordinary talent by global standards, what they all have in common is the presence of some definite abilities that provide their respective national teams and clubs a definite advantage over opposing teams. If you ever saw them play, you could tell what those strengths are.

According to Peter Drucker, “the only way to discover your strengths is through feedback analysis. Whenever you make a key decision, write down what you expect will happen. Nine or 12 months later, compare the results with your expectations”

Drucker outlines a few things we can do based on the outcome of a feedback analysis: “First and foremost, concentrate on your strengths. Put yourself where your strengths will produce results.

“Second, work on improving your strengths. Analysis will rapidly show where you need to improve (your) skills or acquire new ones. “Third, discover where your intellectual arrogance is causing disabling ignorance, and overcome it. Far too many people… believe that being bright is a substitute for knowledge”

Finally, Drucker advises “it is equally essential to remedy your bad habits- the things you do or fail to do that inhibit your effectiveness and performance. For example, a planner may find that his beautiful plans fail because he does not follow through on them. Like so many people, he believes that ideas move mountains. But bulldozers move mountains; ideas show where the bulldozers should go to work.”

Let’s remember, we can only build on strength and not on weakness. Have you ever seen a successful clergy man who does not pray and fast often? Or a renowned professor who does not enjoy studying? Or a great footballer who does not enjoying kicking the round leather? Or a fantastic journalist who hates writing?

We must identify our real strengths and build on those strengths by improving how we learn, how we perform and develop complementary skills that give our strengths expression and commercial value.

Follow me on twitter @fritova

Note: References are from Peter F. Drucker, Managing Oneself (Harvard Business Review, March-April, 1999)

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