We all have core skills that are natural strengths, and we perform excellently and efficiently. These strengths often come from the earliest development of neural pathways that create our more natural strengths at work. There are other technical skills that we develop because we run into a lack or inability. The skills you have not mastered aren’t easy, but they’re essential when you realize a weakness or run into a shortcoming. When we learn something “unnatural” to advance our purpose or the outcomes we want to achieve, we grow in our mastery.
Imagine being a true creative and wanting to run your own business. You are likely a natural-born problem-solver and think outside the box. But, you might notice some tendencies within themselves that don’t lend themselves to good practices, and there will be apparent skills they have yet to learn. They must force themselves to learn financial skills even though they might dislike them.
It’s important to note both your natural gifts and also the skills you’ve learned throughout life and work. This knowledge is for you, not a resume or LinkedIn. It’s valuable to document your areas of mastery for two reasons:
- Accurate self-awareness: Being honest with yourself and identifying your actual level of mastery of technical skills will give you the confidence to rely on your strengths in your work and provide the baseline to help others. Just because you have touched the skill type is not a level of mastery. You should be able to write a STAR experience or teach the skill to claim some mastery of the skill.
- Your development: Understanding where you want to improve is imperative to your growth. You will establish a development roadmap based on a “gap analysis” to further enhance your strengths and slowly strengthen your areas of weakness to improve your performance and attain a new level of success.
This is your CareerTruth and will bring clarity of purpose to your development. No matter your circumstance, let’s keep growing and learning.