Jeff Bezos wanted to be a physicist until he realized he was good, but not great. So instead he founded Amazon. That is the short version of a much longer story with a few more steps until he became the richest man in the world. But the essence of his path is one that all of us can apply. Too often we think we only need to work harder (or longer, or faster, or smarter), when we really need to work more in our strengths.
Instead of trying to figure out what we’re really great at doing—and gives us joy, we try to compensate by fixing our weaknesses because we think that is the path to success. When we really learn what we do well, and where we should steer clear, we can excel. One of the best ways to get those insights is to use assessments. They provide an impartial, outside perspective and often open our eyes to talents we take for granted.
Even if we do know our strengths we often don’t have language to describe them. When you can say, with confidence, what you do well, you have a much great chance of creating your success.
Read more about Jeff Bezo’s story here.