What are your strengths?

Many of us are familiar with our shortcomings, which are frequently emphasized in evaluations and various assessments. However, our strengths are frequently not as clearly understood or recognized.

As coaches we seek the positive in our clients

Over the past ten years, Positive Psychology – which is not 'positive thinking', but rather, the science of effective functioning and optimal performance - has emerged in the coaching realm. Instead of concentrating on individuals' shortcomings, Positive Psychology aims to assist in the enhancement of their inherent strengths and positive attributes.

Values in Action

Various instruments are available for increasing awareness of strengths, with the VIA being one of them. The VIA Survey, available at no cost, is the leading instrument in positive psychology for evaluating an individual's character strengths.

VIA Character Strengths

WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE (creativity, curiosity, judgement, perspective, love of learning)

COURAGE (honesty, bravery, perseverance, zest)

HUMANITY (kindness, love, social intelligence)

JUSTICE (fairness, leadership, teamwork)

TEMPERANCE (forgiveness, humility, prudence, self-regulation)

TRANSCENDENCE (appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humour, spirituality)

Over 27 million individuals have already undertaken the assessment, which examines 24 fundamental human strengths and virtues identified in the groundbreaking study by Peterson and Seligman (2004).

The assessment is freely accessible to the public, and there is no fee for completing the inventory. To experience it, visit www.viacharacter.org, follow the VIA link, and take the 10-minute test. Following completion, you'll receive a short report on your top strength or a concise report highlighting your top five personal strengths, which might include some unexpected ones. Additionally, exploring further will allow you to generate a comprehensive report on your top 24 strengths. (The latter two options are not free.)

Uncovering your most significant strengths might be a good starting point to gaining a good understanding of yourself. Studies indicate that being aware of and applying these strengths can positively impact various aspects of your life, such as enhancing overall well-being, discovering meaning and purpose, strengthening relationships, effectively handling stress, to name only a few.

What is the ultimate aim of coaching?

The primary goal of a coach is to assist the client in discovering something new, ranging from basic insights to transformative, life-changing ideas. With the help of a coach, you can learn to understand yourself and others better, and to cooperate with other people more effectively.

Clients often complete the survey and bring the results back to their next coaching session as a starting point for discussion. Alternatively, you can use the online tool as a self-identification strengths worksheet.