Amplifying Strengths is Critical to Your Work
In your role as a coach, consultant, teacher or manager, you are tasked with helping others perform at their best and lead fulfilling lives. Research shows recognizing and appreciating a person’s character strengths is a key element in helping people find more enjoyment, productivity and engagement at school or in their work. Bottom line: when a person feels seen for their unique strengths they are happier and can achieve more, both personally and professionally.
Get Help with a Science-Based Strengths Survey
Individual VIA Survey results show that each person possesses different strengths in a different degree and order.
Using a VIA Pro Site you can invite your clients, students and employees to take the free VIA Survey and you will gain access to each person’s unique list of strengths. You can also purchase in-depth VIA Reports, such as the Total 24 Report + Interpretation and Insights Guide, to help you further analyze their results.
Encourage Them to Explore Their Results
As you will see after each person completes the VIA Survey and their results are added to your Pro Account, everyone has a different set of natural strengths!
Now, here’s your chance to make this work meaningful for each person you work with.
5 Questions to Dive Deeper Into Strengths
Help each person explore their strengths with these questions. These can be asked in a 1-on-1 setting or with a group as open discussion or writing activity.
- What was your reaction to your VIA Survey results (your rank order listing of character strengths)? Reflect on why you felt this way.
- Choose one of your top 5 character strengths. Why is this strength meaningful and important to your life?
- What are some ways in your job, at school, or in your personal life that you use your top character strengths?
- Which strengths would you like to use more often?
- Can you think of new ways to use your strengths going forward?
And Remember, Good Leaders: Know Thyself
Quick check-in! When was the last time you asked yourself these 5 questions?
Impactful leaders know who they are, their strong points and their weak points. After you completed the VIA Survey, did you take time to reflect on your results? Keep your strengths list close by, and even memorize your top 5 signature strengths. Explore how you have used your top strengths in many ways in your life and how you might “better lead” others with your signature strengths at the forefront!
Next Steps with Strengths
These questions are just a jumping off point for your work with character strengths. It’s important to encourage each person to explore how their unique strengths impact their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. You have the power to see and celebrate the goodness in yourself and every person you work with.
