Collecting Compliments Transforms Strengths Into Professional Capital

Key Quotes

"When she walked into interviews, she would have a ready list of strengths and examples that people told her of how she demonstrated them. Most of us won't have a good excuse to ask people about our strengths so formally. But still, people often tell us what we are good at, if we listen. By paying attention to compliments and not batting them off, we might be able to learn about ourselves and present ourselves in a positive way in the future."

Laura argues that actively listening to compliments can provide a concrete list of personal strengths and supporting examples. She suggests that this practice, even without a formal assignment, allows individuals to discover and articulate their capabilities effectively for future use.

"Maybe you give an important presentation and a colleague comments that you are a great presenter or that you are a natural at connecting with a crowd or that you respond the questions well. Write that down. Now you've got a strength and an example of how you showed that strength."

Laura highlights that specific feedback from colleagues after an event, such as a presentation, can directly identify a professional strength. She advises documenting these comments to create a clear link between a recognized strength and a real-world example of its application.

"Your boss might mention that she assigned you to lead a particular organizational change project because of your strengths in gathering stakeholder feedback. She just identified a strength. And when the project goes well, you can cite it as an example of how you excel at this."

Laura explains that a manager's rationale for assigning a task can reveal a specific strength. She notes that if the project is successful, this assignment and its positive outcome can serve as a documented example of that identified strength.

"These strengths will really be helpful for anyone crafting a personal reflective part of an annual performance review. Whatever you are presenting to your manager will definitely be aided by having the ability to quote her positive feedback back to her or the feedback from other people she respects."

Laura points out that documented strengths and feedback are invaluable for performance reviews. She suggests that being able to reference direct positive feedback from superiors or respected colleagues can significantly bolster self-assessments presented to management.

"And if you are job hunting, I know many of us have been tripped up in the moment when asked about our greatest strength. But if you have seen the skills required in the job posting and you are asked this question, and you have been making a list of strengths, you can mention the strength that most closely matches the job description. And then you can give an example from when you got this feedback."

Laura advises that a compiled list of strengths, gathered from compliments, is particularly useful during job searches. She recommends matching a documented strength to the requirements of a job posting and then providing a specific example of receiving feedback on that strength.