“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do...." - Rikki Rogers
Updated: Jan 30
We often talk about how "strong" people are when we describing them or assessing them, be it recruiting, choosing who we wish to work with, or evaluating our team mates.
Strength of character.
Strength of resolve.
Strength of knowledge.
Strength of experience.
Commercial strength.
and so on....
In many ways this "strength" assessment is usually a perception or judgement of others, and not necessarily a fact based assessment.
When candidates are being assessed for a job it is common or them to be asked "What are your strengths?" Tough question and pretty pointless if you ask me. Better questions would be "What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?" or "What skills or attributes would you like to develop and how do you plan on doing so?"
Whilst reflecting on what we mean when we ask about strengths I discovered this quote from Rikki Rogers.
“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.” – Rikki Rogers
I read it once, and then I read it again. It's absolutely true, and it aligns with one of the questions I like to ask candidates during an interview. When reviewing a candidate's suitability I like to explore how they approach adversity, how they respond to failure and how they continue to develop their skills. I rate attitude and aptitude very highly.
If a candidate can relate a situation where they weren't up to a job, and they went away and developed their skills to ensure that they would be able next time the job came up - that shows real strength. Committing to overcoming a weakness and defining their own destiny immediately ranks them as a quality candidate.
Take some time out with a coffee and reflect on the trials and tribulations you have overcome in life, sport, education and career. Think of how you tackled them and overcame them. How good did the sense of achievement make you feel?
Now look at what challenges you have today.... how are you going to smash those roadblocks and propel yourself forward to achieve your goals?
What is it you really want to do, but haven't been able to achieve? Is it a new skill? Learn a new language? A new job? Run a marathon? Learn yoga? Whatever it is, have you set a plan that will get you there? If so, have you committed to it?
Make this week the week you set your sights on identifying one thing you want to overcome, solve or conquer. Set your plan. Commit to the plan. And then make it happen.
Your time is now!
Have a great week!
Image attribution:
Strong photo by Heather Ford on Unsplash
Do Something Great by Clark Tibbs on Unsplash