The quiet power of strengths and why they matter for our careers

Credit John Thomas on Unsplash

Do you remember your first-ever job interview? The questions you were asked?

I do. It was over 25 years ago, but it’s still clear in my memory. The first question was about my strengths and weaknesses. The second was about where I saw myself in the future. Simple questions on the surface, yet I remember them not because of their content, but because of how hard they were to answer.

It felt like being asked to explain who I was—before I had the language to do so.

Years later while I was having some coaching at a time where I felt stuck in my career, I find myself exploring that first question and getting a grasp for the very first time of what my strengths were and why it mattered to know them.

Strengths don’t just matter, they are the root of who you are

Strengths are more than personality traits and nice-to-have qualities. They’re the roots of how we move through the world, how we connect with others, how we solve problems, and how we find fulfilment.

When we truly understand our strengths, we become more confident, grounded, and intentional. We're no longer just reacting to life—we're participating in it with clarity.

But there’s a catch: we often don’t see our strengths clearly.

And yet, that’s exactly what makes the journey of discovering them so powerful.

Strengths might be invisible to us but they’re obvious to others

Here’s the paradox—our greatest strengths are often hidden in plain sight.

Why? Because they come so naturally to us that we barely notice them.

That’s why I encourage my clients to gather feedback from people they trust. And find out what they do best and how they bring value to that person.

You’ll start to see patterns—qualities you may have dismissed or undervalued because they didn’t require effort. You will no longer start seeing yourself as ‘being different’, you will start appreciating and embracing your differences. And that in life, at job interviews is what will make all the difference.

A subtle but crucial difference

However, we often confuse strengths with skills. But they’re not the same.

A skill is learned. With time and practice, we acquire it, refine it, and eventually master it.

A strength is innate. It’s the gift we received at birth. It’s an inner talent—an orientation toward the world.

Take two people playing piano: one becomes an excellent 'technician' through years of disciplined practice. The other seems to feel the music without being taught—they have the gift of it. Both are skilled. One also has a natural talent.

Understanding this difference helps us appreciate the natural energy behind our strengths—and also why we might downplay them.

What about weaknesses?

Still, when I begin coaching conversations about strengths, many people want to go straight to their weaknesses. There’s almost a comfort in focusing on what’s broken.

But I rarely use the word weakness. I prefer areas for improvement — because it acknowledges something critical: the potential for change and growth.

In fact, many of our “weaknesses” are just overused strengths.

I always believed one of my strengths was being organised. And it is. But when I looked deeper, I saw the real strength: I’m methodical. I think in systems and steps. That helps me stay calm in chaos. That’s what helped me create all of my roles from a blank page.

But when I overuse that strength—when I become too rigid or controlling—it backfires. It’s no longer a strength, it’s a barrier.

That’s the work: learning not just what our strengths are, but how to balance them.

Where there is light, there’s shadow.

Every strength has a shadow.

When a strength is underused, we miss opportunities. When it's overused, we create friction. The art lies in finding the right equilibrium—knowing when to dial it up, when to soften it, and when to partner it with a complementary trait.

That’s where growth happens.

And just as we learn to balance our strengths, we also begin to notice something deeper—Their full expression isn’t always immediate. It unfolds gradually.

When you’re ready to flow

There’s a concept from Gay Hendricks’ book The Big Leap that I often think about—the idea of the Zone of Genius.

Most of us operate in our Zone of Competence or Zone of Excellence—we do things we’re good at, things we’re trained to do. But the Zone of Genius is different. It’s where we do what only we can do. It’s where we’re in flow.

You know you’re in your Zone of Genius when time dissolves, energy flows, and you feel most yourself.

For me, discovering my Zone of Genius meant recognising which of my strengths had been quietly waiting in the background.

For years, I operated in my zone of excellence. I did what I was good at—creating and delivering structure. But it was only when I leaned into my deeper strengths—like curiosity, intuition, and connection—that I started to feel truly fulfilled.

That shift wasn’t about doing more. It was about doing differently—from the inside out. It was about bringing more of who I am.

Your strengths are not another tool in your tool kit box, they are the reflection and expression of who and how you are.

So take the time to explore them.

• What comes naturally to you?

• What do people thank you for? What do people come to you for?

• What energises you?

  
  

Because when you know your strengths—really know them—you stop trying to become someone else.

And you start becoming more of yourself.

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**Book a discovery call if you want to know more about how we can work together, know more how to use your strengths or just start a conversation about the coaching process.