Some years ago the Gallup Organization asked 200,000 employees spanning more than 35 different companies and 8000 diverse positions one very important question: At work do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day? The survey revealed some extremely alarming data. Only 20 percent of those surveyed felt that their strengths are being maximized most of the time at work. Only 20 percent! Is that as unsettling to you as it is to me? Think about it. That means that most companies are not capitalizing on the full potential of their workforce. Most online businesses are not taking advantage of the talents and skills that will propel their enterprise towards success. Many entrepreneurs have not been intentional in channeling their individual’s strengths and performances. Imagine if you would up that number to even 50 percent: you would inevitably experience increased productivity and customer loyalty as never before.
So how can you begin to achieve such a task? Well, to begin with there are some basic assumptions that need to be debunked. The first is the traditional definition of strength. If you were to ask most people to define what a strength is, they would define it as “those things that you are good at.” And although this isn’t a bad definition it is an incomplete one. The best way to define a strength is: “those things that you do that make you feel strong.” In other words, those activities that you engage in that make you feel so magnificent, that you cannot help but do them over and over; inevitably leading to consistent excellent performance. Is in it true that all of us have skills in areas, that when we do them, we feel drained not energized? The goal of any online business owner is to find ways to increase productivity by becoming fully engaged and fulfilled in the marketing tasks he or she participates in.
The second wrong assumption is that a person’s greatest growth will result from working on areas of weaknesses. Although one cannot neglect their own weaknesses, the most convincing evidence shows that the greatest growth and the most enduring performance is a result of working on your areas of strengths. Just as a Major league Baseball pitcher does not spend time learning how to play shortstop or outfield, but rather focuses on pitching and often specific pitches, so will any other professional find that he or she will add the greatest value to their organization if they work on becoming experts in their area of strengths.
One more myth that we need to consider and confront is the myth that you need to do whatever it takes to accomplish the job; to be all things to all people. Jack of all trades… of course you know how that ends… master of none. It is true that any one committed to make money online will sometimes be compelled to take on a task that does not play to his or her strengths. There are those moments when you have to respond to an email of a displeased client, yet those rare moments should not dictate the trend. What your clients really needs most of the time is for you to contribute your expertise. One’s greatest contribution to their clients is accomplished by adding value to them through their strengths.
If you begin by confronting each one of these false assumptions and act upon them, you will be well on your way to contributing the best version of yourself and helping unleash your legitimate online business in experiencing its greatest potential.
Go for it! You will be glad you did!
