Strategies to Build on Personal Strengths

Personal Strengths

Each of us has preferences for how we want to think and get things done as well as how we would like to receive or deliver information. The LIFO Method helps people identify their strengths and behavioral styles, as well as how to best manage and make most out of these strengths. There are four styles based on the four basic ways human interact.

Being aware of one’s strengths and behavioral preference and those of others helps individuals, teams and organizations to be more efficient and successful.
By having this knowledge, you will be equipped with a clearer and more objective window into others’ communication preference and different personal dynamics. This will provide greater understanding and opportunities to develop better strategies towards achieving the best outcomes in both your professional and personal lives.

Six Strategies to stay in the Effective Zone

The LIFO Method is a very powerful tool for assessing individuals and groups, as well as for offering strategies to empower people to work more effectively with others. Once an individual’s preferences are identified by this method it is possible to utilize the six LIFO Method strategies to address the different barriers to effectiveness that many groups suffer from. Also, it is important to know that the objective of these strategies is not to change the individual, but to help them move their behaviors and strengths towards greater effectiveness.

Know Yourself
Increase your self-awareness.

Apply Strengths
Seek situations that bring out the best in you, make the most of your strengths.

Do Less
Learn not to overuse your strengths.

Get Help
Leverage other people’s strengths that differ from yours.

Do More
Learn to do more of the strengths you underuse.

Build Relations
Improve your communication with people who are different from you.

Understanding Strengths: Strength-Weakness Paradox

People often describe behavior in terms of good or bad, right or wrong. Though popular to perceive things this way, it is more accurate and useful to think that behavior exist on a continuum, where the poles/extremes are too little at one end and too much at the other. Between those two extremes lies what is termed the zone of greatest productivity. This zone is the sweet spot where one uses the right amount of strength to accomplish what is desired most efficiently/effectively.

Source: Dr. Erich Fromm (1900-1980) - Man for Himself

This model explains how one’s greatest strength can become their greatest weakness when overused.

Most people tend to rely heavily on, or overuse, those strengths they have found to be productive. Additionally, when strengths are overused it is likely that other strengths/behavioral styles are underused.