Am I in the role best suited for me?
What should be my next role?
How can I maximize my career potential?
Most of us have experienced these questions at some stage in our careers and some of us may even be thinking about them right now.
We may have even experimented around a bit, but invariably the questions seem to re-emerge sooner or later.
"I think I am stagnating in this role."
"I think my learning curve is beginning to plateau."
"There are days that I don't really look forward to going to work."
If the above state of mind sounds familiar to you, then here are two key questions I would encourage you to ask yourself:
Question 1: What am I best at?
Question 2: How much time in a usual workday do I do what I am best at?
The first question helps us to identify our top strengths. Our biggest strengths leave us feeling deeply energized and fulfilled. Picture the faces of a team of surgeons coming out of an 18-hour non-stop surgery, or a pit-crew in an F1 race achieving the minimum pit-stop time for their team at the end of the race, or a project team at work that just delivered a knock-out presentation to the company Board. If they are really playing to their strengths they will feel deeply energized and fulfilled, not drained & exhausted.
How do I know what I am best at? While there are several tools out there to help us identify our strengths, one simple question to ask ourselves is "What makes me feel deeply energized and fulfilled?"
The second question forces us to measure how much time of our day we are spending doing work that uses our best strengths. Notice that any job, be it of a surgeon, a pit crew member, or a project team member, in the above examples, is bound to be made up of different tasks. There is time that needs to be spent on learning, practicing or preparing, administrative work, and several other smaller aspects in each of the roles. And each team member in any organization will have different strengths - some are good at creative problem solving, others may be good at presenting solutions and yet others may be strongest in implementing them. Together, all of them need to bring their best for the team to win.
How much time do we need to spend using our strengths? While there are no fixed rules to answer this question, a good thumb-rule might be a minimum of 25% of our time playing to our strengths is likely to leave us super energized. That energy is usually enough to help us deal with the rest of the work that the role brings without making us feel too drained overall.
So, once we understand what we are best at, and how much time we are spending using our strengths, then the question to ask is, what is the career path that will help me consistently grow the amount of time I get to spend using my strengths? This can help us to find work and define a path that leaves us deeply energized and fulfilled every day!
The author, Anuj Chadha, is a Life & Executive Coach, Founder of Three Circles. At Three Circles, we build a deep understanding of what it takes to navigate the challenges that life throws at us. We partner with our clients, listen to their life aspirations, and support them to break through the obstacles that seem to be holding them back. Life is too precious to be unhappy, unsure, or unfulfilled. Partner with us as you re-imagine and re-create the Life that you Love!