Chapter 1 · Strengths Map: stop trying to be good at everything

For many years we were taught to fix our weaknesses. At school, the student who excelled at math had to improve at language. At work, the employee with outstanding leadership had to correct analytical shortcomings. In life, we spend much of our time trying to fix what we do poorly.

There is a problem with this logic: improving a weakness will hardly make anyone extraordinary. Developing a natural talent, on the other hand, can take someone from average to excellent.

The power of strengths

Strengths are abilities we use naturally and consistently. When we work in line with them, we produce more, learn faster, feel less worn out and find more satisfaction.

In the private sector

Picture two salespeople: one highly communicative, the other extremely analytical. If the company forces both to work in exactly the same way, the result is frustration. When individual talents are respected, productivity grows.

In the public sector

Civil servants have diverse talents: some excel at dealing with citizens, others at planning, oversight or technical analysis. Making the right use of these talents increases institutional efficiency without requiring new funding.

In personal life

• Choose a career more wisely.
• Improve relationships.
• Boost self-esteem.
• Set goals aligned with your own identity.

This chapter matches Month 1 of INTMP's Well-Being and Self-Knowledge Program, free for citizens: the tool is taken on a mobile phone via a QR code, and the individual report goes only to the participant.