b'WHO DO I NEED TO BE, TO DO WHAT I NEED TO DO?R esearch from Harvard shows we operate Choosing more appropriate strengths to use can feel on autopilot almost 50% of the time, meaninguncomfortable and clunky at first. If you havent used we can become over reliant on our habitualthis strength for some time, it can feel least like you and core strengths, using the same tools all you may be fearful of it if youve experienced it being the time. overdone by someone else or you havent used it before. We rarely challenge how we do things until we hit a block.The challenge lies in understanding that a shift of Then, we may tell ourselves its because we dont havestrengths is required. those abilities or strengths. We may believe that successI recently coached a copywriter who left her successful only comes to those with natural talent, motivation andcareer to write her first novel.She felt a fraud, unable to ambition, holding ourselves back from what we are trulysay Im an author because she hasnt been published yet. capable of.In feeling a fraud, she wasnt making things happen. She But this simply isnt the case. Top achievers in life alwayslacked confidence and was fearful of rejection. seek to draw out their underdone strengths to improveIn considering who do I need to be, to be an author? she them in order to perform and achieve. They take fullidentified as confident, persuasive, methodical and flexible. responsibility for this, not an easy task but a necessary one. She then looked at ways to move towards being more When was the last time you consciously worked onconfident and learning to be more persuasive, how to developing the underdone areas in yourself?handle rejection to be more successful next time, what systems could help her to be more methodical, what she This can prove challenging but the good news is thatneeded to do to be flexiblefinding ways to be who she anyone can change and adaptif they really want theneeded to be to do what she needed to do. end result enough.When stuck, she can ask how does confident/persuasive To become who we need to be, we need to tap into theneed to show up for me today? Then she can behave underdone strengths and understand how to bring themdifferently to achieve that. into effective use.Asking yourself the question who do I need to be, 1. Consider what strengths you need to achieve yourto do what I need to do? at the outset, can be the goal? Examples are self confidence, ambitious, persuasive,difference between failure and success. quick to act, trusting, supportive, risk-taking, methodical,We all have varying levels of strengths. Some that come more persevering, flexible, adaptable, analytical, tolerant naturally to us and others are under-used. However, they can 2. Whats the reason for using this strength? all be finely tuned to give us a varied and powerful toolkit of 3. How will it help you to achieve your goal? strengths to draw on when different goals and challenges in 4. When or where will you use this strength?life and business appear.5. How will this strength show up for you each day? Now you can consider which ones of those are underdone within you and you can work onstrengthening these. Kate Southerby is a relationship intelligence and self-awareness expert, supporting entrepreneurs, businesses and corporate teams including Royal Marsden, Rothco & Publicis. She is a speaker and a certified facilitator of TotalSDI, MBTI, Korn Ferry leadership styles & climate & Situational Leadership.iammecoaching.com13'