Hazy about your abilities?

Have you had someone pay you a compliment that’s stopped you in your tracks? 

A compliment that you thought was so huge and unexpected you wondered if they were talking about someone else, and not you.

We often don’t see how others view us, and we take our abilities for granted.  If a particular skill seems to come naturally to us, we can easily make the assumption that everyone can do it.  To help you value your skills and abilities you can ask for feedback.

This week I’ve been working with a client and helping him with his search for a new career.  To help raise his self-awareness and value his talents, I asked how he’d feel about asking 5 people he knew for feedback.  He said it would be a bit outside of his comfort zone, and I assured him that if that was the case, then it was the right thing to do.  This is what he agreed to do:

Ask 5 people from different areas of your life the following questions:

1. What is the first thing you think of when you think of me?
2. What do you think is the most interesting thing about me?
3. What do you think would be my ideal job/career?
4. What one thing could I change for my own benefit?
5. What do you think has been my greatest accomplishment?
6. What do you value most about me?
7. What do you perceive to be my greatest strength?

Chose those you trust and who you know would give their honest opinion, as this is about helping you in your own personal development.

When you look at your feedback, notice what patterns occur.  Do a few of the people you ask, say similar things about you?  It’s certainly worth taking the feedback on board if more than one person says the same thing.  Is there anything that surprises you?  Anything you had forgotten about?  Anything that you recognise and makes you smile? 

The huge compliment I received recently, at a business networking event, was that I am an inspirational public speaker.  To say that I was flabbergasted was an understatement, mainly because over the years I’d forgotten how far I’d come, and speaking in public is just something I do now!  Many years ago this would have felt a huge challenge.

Remind yourself of your skills, ask for that feedback, and you’ll feel more ready to meet your next challenge, whatever that may be.