Throughout my two decades of leadership in the corporate, hospitality, and not-for-profit sectors, I’ve learned that crafting a fulfilling career isn’t about walking down a predetermined path. Instead, it’s about creating a career that truly resonates with your unique strengths and passions.
Marcus Buckingham, a pioneer in strengths and performance research, articulates this in his latest book Love+Work. He argues that to build a career that brings us fulfilment, we must first discover our unique strengths and build our careers around them.
This notion aligns perfectly with my own experience and philosophy. The secret to a fulfilling career is not in addressing our weaknesses, but in embracing and leveraging our strengths. This is a far more empowering approach that uncovers the best of you and fuels your professional growth.
Buckingham’s definition of strength “is an activity that makes you feel strong. And a weakness is an activity that makes you feel weak. Even if you’re good at it, if it drains you, that’s a weakness.” It’s not about what you are good at, but about what strengthens you. This is a potent shift in focus.
One of the lies of work is that we must focus on our developmental needs instead of our strengths. But focusing on our weaknesses can lead to mediocrity at best. By contrast, if we tap into our strengths, we unleash our potential for greatness.
In my role as a Career Transition Coach, I utilise the Strengthscope assessment, a tool that draws on positive psychology to reveal an individual’s unique strengths. This allows me to help my clients build more diverse, resilient, and agile careers.
Building a fulfilling career is not about fitting yourself into a pre-existing mould, but about shaping that mould to fit you. It’s about finding what you love and moulding your work to fit into that framework. It’s about placing your life at the centre and shaping your career around it, not the other way around.
As Buckingham says, love has been systematically drained from our lives, especially our work. It’s time we brought love back in. If these insights resonate with you, let’s start a dialogue. Let’s uncover your strengths and help craft a career path that is fulfilling and meaningful to you. Feel free to reach out for a no-obligation 30-minute conversation.
Remember, your career should not only be a source of income but a source of joy, fulfilment, and personal growth. It’s not only about ‘doing’ but about ‘being’ – being fulfilled, being excited, and being you.
