Strength-based coaching

You’ve probably heard at least once how you can become anything if you believe in yourself enough. This is only partially true – belief alone is not enough, in order to succeed we must have some foundation for what we want to be good at. That foundation is our talents. It is important to know ourselves and our strengths so that we can reach our full potential. Each of us is unique – we are built by a number of different talents and each of us develops best in a unique direction. Our talents are what set us apart from others – we are innate to behave following them, but sometimes we need a little help to develop them fully. Once we get to know our talents, we will discover new horizons and enable ourselves to achieve our best possible version.

Strength-based development is unique in that and it builds on areas of our greatest potential, rather than overcoming weaknesses.

Most often, people focus on their weaknesses – this prevents them from growing and they invest too much energy into solving something that is not innate to us. The best way to progress is to focus on your talents. Instead of forcing an area that we are not good at, we should make an effort to develop an area of talent. According to Gallup, the world’s largest public opinion research company, working on your talents is the best way to grow and develop. The idea is that by recognizing what makes us unique and identifying areas where we can develop the most, we enable ourselves to make further progress. Strength comes from working with talents, and from that strength all the potential of a person is visible. This is something innate to us – talents show who we are, what we feel and think, and the sooner we recognize and focus on them, the more effective we will be.

Gallup developed a talent recognition test – the so-called Clifton Strengths Finder. In it, through 34 areas of talent and 177 questions over the Internet, areas of your talent can be identified. Strengths, as Gallup defines them, are divided into 4 domains: strategic thinking, building relationships, influences, and execution. As a result, the questionnaire itself will present you top five areas in which you can best develop. This test is useful in strength-based coaching because it gives us a basis for what needs to be worked on, and the person has a clear impression of what to focus on.

Your best chance of success lies in building who you already are, not in trying to become someone you are not.

This is the core idea of strength-based coaching. Instead of focusing on flaws, we deal with your strengths. Rarely will anyone be incredibly successful in an area that doesn’t come naturally – yes, putting in work is important, but talent is the foundation that serves as a springboard. Therefore, in this principle, we do not focus only on recognizing talents, but on teaching people how to apply them. Working on talents here is an investment (primarily time investment, but also mental) that is needed to develop talents.

Success formula: TALENT x INVESTMENT = STRENGTH

Talent: A natural way of thinking, feeling, and behaving.

Investment: Time spent practicing, developing your skills, and building a knowledge base.

Strength: Ability to consistently deliver near-perfect performances.

From the above formula, it is clear what makes someone’s strength – talent and investment are mandatory components to fulfill your potential, and my role is to help you identify and develop both of those components.

In my work so far, I have encountered different coaching approaches and different personality type tests. Gallup’s approach has proven to be the most effective because it supports people on how to maximize their infinite potential. To understand not only who they are, but also who they can become! My approach is based on this principle – I am here to, together with you, discover your talents and help you develop them and fulfill your full potential. Remember, both talent and investment are mandatory parts of building our forces.