ARE YOU playing to your strengths?

What are you good at?

No I mean REALLY good at? What comes natural to you? What do you do with ease? Better than most?

What if we started there in our businesses instead of trying to be all things to all people?

Let’s face it, for most of us we have competition. Others in our industry, folks who are deemed better than us, more experienced, more skilled maybe, and therefore it would be easy to feel like “What’s the point?” like you are just playing catch up, maybe you even get emotionally triggered by their success, and feel somehow that success like that is not available to you?

We can’t compete. We don’t need to. There is a better way.

Our businesses grow not when we try to emulate others, but when we get over our insecurities and move forward in our own unique way bringing our strengths to the fore, our qualities, our personality.

But back to strengths.

I am one of those people who think she’s good at a lot of things. Some would describe me as a “Jill of all trades”, I have a pretty broad skillset and knowledge base. I have done a lot of things in my career, worked in a lot of different sectors and industries…and plus I am an avid learner…so yes I know a little about a lot.

But you know what I am a bloody genius at?

Bringing folks together around an idea…getting them to take fearless action, and making them feel awesome in the process.

You can’t put that on a CV though can you?

FUCK it nobody needs a CV these days anyway, well not when you are an entrepreneur, your marketing materials and digital assets should do the job of showcasing your skills, experience and qualifications. So make sure you sprinkle your messaging with the stuff you are good at, learn to brag, learn to boast, learn to share what your zones of genius are, without shame, embarrassment or worse still comparisonitis.

Stand up and say,

“I am Julie Creffield and I a mother fucking ideas genius”

Or words to that effect LOL

I have 5 key strengths that I rave about….

1. Ideation – I have ideas that are genius, I also gift them to my clients, I never run out of good quality ideas, and I am often able to unlock success in clients who have been struggling with an issue for years, with a name, a concept, a way of positioning them

2. Activation – I get people taking action, tens of thousands of people. I know how to get people to do things that often they don’t even want to do….but know they will thank me for it afterwards, its why there is a #iblamejulie hashtag lol

3. Futuristic – I am great at predicting trends, I am great at long term planning, I am great at creating business structures that have longevity

4. Woo (Winning people over) – AKA as influence. I have an ability to bring people with me, and I teach this to my clients…to become influencer in their field, to learn the art of ethical pursuasion, to use this in their marketing and comms

5. Significance – I help people focus on the stuff that matters, the stuff that is important. I help my clients to feel significant and to create significance via their businesses. 

These are my top 5 strengths as dictated by the Clifton Strengths Finder Process, my next 5 are Strategic, Command, Focus, Input and Communication…which are perhaps not as sexy, but just as important as a business coach.

What are your strengths and are you playing to them?