Unrealised Strengths - Mission

Your mission (should you choose to accept it)...

This week, we’re moving to unrealised strengths. What is an unrealised strength? Surely you know your strengths, right? Well, not necessarily. Something we have found loads from using the Strengths Profile with clients is that they are always fascinated by their unrealised strengths. Sometimes they are a surprise and it’s through coaching that we seek to bring these strengths to the fore and use them more widely. Understanding the strengths you possess, but don’t recognise, can be really energising and can bring about a revived passion for your job as you look for opportunities to use these strengths.

So, what’s the most common unrecognised strength in the world?

It’s ‘mission’.
 
Those with 'mission' as their top unrealised strength are looking for purpose and meaning in what they do with their lives. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they want to leave the corporate world and work with animals suddenly (but what an amazing thing to do)! Meaning and purpose can be found in all jobs. For many, ‘mission’ is the desire to know that the work they engage in has a positive impact on others.
 
People with mission as an unrealised strength do not automatically see this as a strength, perhaps believing that it’s a by-product of their values or work ethic. When ‘mission’ is uncovered as an unrealised strength, it can lead to powerful conversations about what the individual wants in life, where they see their career going and how the strength of mission can help them to achieve that.
 
Interestingly, it appears that people entering the workforce for the first time and now in pursuit of meaning and purpose, more than ever before.  In a recent article for Forbes, Rodger Dean Duncan states that leaders are an integral part of supporting their staff in finding meaning.
 
“People find meaning when they see a clear connection between what they highly value and what they spend time doing. That connection is not always obvious, however. Leaders are in a great position to articulate the values a company is trying to enact and to shape the story of how today’s work connects with those values. This means sharing stories of how the company is making a difference for good in the lives of real people, including customers, employees, and communities”.

When does mission become a mission?
 
Mission comes from having a positive mindset. If you are not in the mindset, it is difficult to envisage a life and career with meaning and purpose.
 
Duncan indicates that “living with meaning and purpose is not easy. It may not make us happy in the moment. It requires self-reflection, effort, getting our hands dirty, and struggling with problems that can make us feel frustrated and inadequate”.
 
If you are not in the headspace where your career offers meaning and purpose, there are some tips to help you focus on the alternatives:

• Reflect - does your current role or organisation reflect your values and beliefs?
• Volunteer – this could be in your workplace or outside in another organisation (perhaps one you would like to work for!)
• Express gratitude – it makes you feel great.
• Get a plan of action! - working towards a goal can help you see that the end is in sight and meaning and purpose can be achieved.