When clients come to me for coaching, perhaps because they are doing ok but want to do better, or perhaps they are feeling stuck, often a focus on values is a good place to start. This is because without knowing our values, we are without a compass.

However, alongside values awareness, having a clear understanding of our character strengths can also have a real, measurable impact on our wellbeing.

Character strengths are the strengths we need at any particular time to get into a state of flow. They are the strengths that make us feel engaged and authentic. 

If you are feeling stuck at work, or not as engaged or challenged as you used to be, but are not sure what to do about it, making time to actively use your strengths can provide space for you to experiment and re-engage.  To discover new possibilities.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. Nobody I know loves 100% of their work 100% of the time. But even spending 10 minutes a day could have an impact.  

For example, say your top strength is learning, you might devote just 10 minutes each day to learning something new.

For lawyers, at work, this might be updating yourself on a particular legal development or learning a new skill - for example improving your negotiation or emotional regulation skills. But it might also mean using your spare time to learn a new skill just for the joy of learning - whether it be running or learning how to knit.

Research* has demonstrated that that are several benefits that flow from identifying and nurturing your strengths. The process can boost confidence, reduce stress, help you accomplish goals and improve work performance. It may also increase levels of satisfaction and happiness, providing a framework for you to build meaning and purpose in your private and professional life. 

For example one of my top 5 character strengths is appreciation of beauty and excellence.  Once I became aware of this, I suddenly understood why things such as walks in nature, attending the theatre, or watching humans perform at their peak were so important to me.  During the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, to help me maintain my wellbeing, I specifically sought out opportunities to exercise this strength - for example, walks where I sought to notice different things, or engaging in art (such as concerts) online.  

Often your character strengths will be the same strengths as your most important values - for example, one of my top values is also my top character strength - love of learning.

When clients are wanting change but are feeling stuck, a tool I often use is the VIA character strengths assessment.

Indeed, I've sometimes asked clients to complete the test before we even commence our coaching relationship because it provides such richness for exploration. A whole coaching engagement could easily be based around this assessment.

This assessment can be done in around 10 minutes and ranks 24 different character strengths.

If you are interested in exploring this further I encourage you to take the test and if you'd like to dig a bit deeper, please contact me by return email for your complimentary coaching conversation - there will be no sales, we'll get straight to coaching you on your VIA results.

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*source: https://www.viacharacter.org