I attended a virtual seminar this week that was about understanding my own strengths. Most of us like to focus on our weaknesses to become better, but this seminar was about understanding what our best features are so we can use them to our advantage.
The seminar will be held again end of the month and I think it´s a good opportunity to take a test that otherwise would cost money. As postdocs we get to take it free, courtesy of the Office of postdoctoral affairs at Stanford. Apart from taking the test (ahead of the seminar), participants get their very own strength profiles with proper descriptions of what they mean for the top 5 themes, as they are called. In total, there are 32 themes and if one is willing to pay some extra money, the whole profile can be obtained and read.
I decided not to pay for any more themes, but to be content with just the top 5. During the seminar we were to think more about these strengths and answer some questions related to them, like “how did your strengths contribute when you did something extraordinary?” and others to make us reflect on the strenths and what they mean, or what they could mean for us and our careers.
I enjoyed the seminar and the test. I enjoy taking tests anyhow, but getting an analysis of me from it is always fun. Sort of like reading horoscopes. Even if you don´t entirely believe them, there might be something in there that resonates with you.