Do you usually think about how to overcome your weaknesses, as opposed to leveraging your strengths? This is the wrong way to think about work performance. Instead of focusing on our weaknesses, we need to spend more time leveraging our strengths.

1. SPEND YOUR TIME FOCUSING ON YOUR
STRENGTHS, NOT OVERCOMING YOUR WEAKNESSES
HERE’S WHY…
Create Your Career Path
HallieCrawford.com, LLC
www.halliecrawford.com
Copyright 2013

2. STRENGTHS VERSUS WEAKNESSES
 Do you usually think about how to overcome your weaknesses,
as opposed to leveraging your strengths?
 Are your performance reviews structured around how to
improve challenges you have, instead of how to capitalize on
your strengths?
For many people this is case – me included! However, it’s the wrong way
to think about work performance. Instead of focusing on our weaknesses,
we actually need to spend more time leveraging our strengths.
©2002-2013 HallieCrawford.com

3. IMPROVE YOUR SUCCESS
 Check out this video by Marcus Buckingham about how to
focus on our strengths instead of focusing on improving our
weaknesses: Watch Video Here
 He shares that focusing on fixing something bad just makes it
less bad. While focusing on strengths/our positive traits, can
dramatically improve our success.
Leveraging strengths truly is the key to success, and to implement those
changes, you first have to know what your strengths are.
©2002-2013 HallieCrawford.com

4. THE 4 SIGNS OF A STRENGTH
Source: Marcus Buckingham
Go Put Your Strengths to Work
©2002-2013 HallieCrawford.com

5. W H AT A R E Y O U R T O P 5 S T R E N G T H S ?
“Most Americans do not know what their strengths are. When you ask
them, they look at you with a blank stare, or they respond in terms of
subject knowledge, which is the wrong answer.” ~ Peter Drucker
Using “The 4 signs of a strength” as a guide, make a list of your
top 5 strengths. Then answer these questions…
 What are some examples of how you are applying your strengths in
your current job and in your life?
 Which ones do you need to leverage more and how can you do so?
©2002-2013 HallieCrawford.com

6. A REAS TO IMPROVE
It’s not just in our own personal lives where we should practice focusing
on strengths. To really see a difference you have to adjust your
mindset in all areas of your life. For example:
 Spend more time focusing on your children’s strengths in school or
their good behaviors, and not their mistakes.
 Try managing your staff by holding team meetings where you discuss
what they’re doing right, instead of focusing on what they’re doing
wrong or their weaknesses.
 If you are part of a team of employees, try giving encouraging positive
feedback about specific strengths they have.
©2002-2013 HallieCrawford.com

7. C R E AT E Y O U R C A R E E R PAT H C A R E E R
COACHING
If you think your organization would be interested in a
Strengthsfinder Workshop to enhance team and
employee performance based on these principles,
please contact Hallie Crawford at 877-298-6444 or
admin@halliecrawford.com.
Katie Weiser
Certified Coach and Associate,
Create Your Career Path
©2002-2013 HallieCrawford.com

8. A B O U T C R E AT E Y O U R C A R E E R PAT H
Create Your Career Path was founded by certified career coach, speaker and
author Hallie Crawford. Crawford has served on the Board of the Georgia Coach
Association, and is regularly featured as a career expert on CNN, Fox Business News
Forbes.com, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo HotJobs, and Entrepreneur Magazine.
Create Your Career Path is a boutique career coaching firm known for their personal
attention, commitment to clients and a blend of dreaming and being practical in
achieving career goals. Since 2002, they’ve helped hundreds of clients all over the
world find and succeed in their dream job.
Each of their coaches are certified coaches with specific career coaching experience
and training. They cater to professional men and women, management level and
higher, in mid-career transition. Their success rate is 97%, measured by the number of
people who have gotten what they wanted out of coaching. The coaches use a
specific tried and tested process and tools developed by Hallie Crawford over the
years.
Contact us for a complimentary consultation: www.halliecrawford.com/contact.html.
©2002-2013 HallieCrawford.com