When applying for leadership roles, preparation goes beyond showcasing your track record. To gain a true competitive edge, focus on articulating your unique leadership strengths. Clearly demonstrating how your strengths translate into impact and future potential will set you apart from other candidates.
To get the most from this approach, you’ll need to invest in a Strengths profile.
Alternatively, you can take a look through this Strengths Dictionary and try to identify your Strengths yourself.
Your Strengths Profile: A Unique Fingerprint
On completion of the Strengths questionnaire, you’ll receive a report, identifying your unique combination of strengths from a list of 60 possibilities. These are presented in a quadrant.
Realised Strengths
Your Realised Strengths are those things you’re good at, which energise you, and which you have the opportunity to use.
Unrealised Strengths
You’ll also discover your Unrealised Strengths—things you would be good at and enjoy, if only you had the chance to use them. Together, with your Realised Strengths, these form your personal strengths DNA. Actively seeking opportunities to apply your Unrealised Strengths will make your work more fulfilling.
Learned Behaviours
Learned Behaviours capture those things you’re perfectly proficient at- but which drain your energy. I call these your ‘duty’ strengths. Inevitably, you’ll need to draw on these sometimes. However, you may find that the tasks that slip to the bottom of your ‘to do’ list are those requiring your Learned Behaviours. Try to moderate their use.
Weaknesses
Everyone has weaknesses. These are the things you’re neither good at nor enjoy. You’ll never find more than three identified weaknesses in you profile. The emphasis is always on where you flourish and shine- your Realised and Unrealised Strengths.
You could invest time trying to improve a weakness. However, it’s unlikely to ever become a Realised Strength. The chances are, it may make your ‘Learned Behaviours’ quadrant if you put a lot of effort in. It may become a ‘can do’ but it’s unlikely to become a ‘love to do.’ The advice with weaknesses; be aware of them and use them as little as possible. Invest your time in things that energise, rather than drain your batteries.
Where the Magic Happens
The real power lies in exploring the power of your strengths when combined. Play around with different trios from your top Realised Strengths and you’ll start to see the unique qualities you bring to leadership. This is where your profile transforms from a simple list into a compelling narrative about who you are as a leader.
An Example
Three of my Realised Strengths are Rapport Builder, Connector, and Mission. In combination, these mean I’m good at getting to know people, bringing them together to collaborate and work towards a common goal. That’s a valuable combination when you’re working across teams and need to bring people on board.
Leadership Strengths in Action
Understanding your strengths isn’t just theoretical—it drives real impact.
- Collaboration: By appreciating your own and others’ strengths, you can work more effectively together.
- Authenticity: When you play to your strengths, you become more visible and show up as your best self.
- Creativity: Ideas flow more easily when you’re energised, confident, and operating from your strengths.
Real-World Scenarios
- Catalysts love to motivate and inspire others. You’re energised when leading a new project.
- If you have the strength of Narrator (you enjoy storytelling and using it to convey insights), you would make a compelling case when trying to secure additional resources.
- As an Improver, you’re constantly seeks better ways of doing things, driving up quality and standards across the board.
Preparing for Your Next Role
Build Your Evidence Base
Start qualifying your Realised Strengths with tangible examples of how you’ve used yours successfully. Focus on the positive impact you’ve made. This evidence becomes invaluable when applying for promotional posts.
Activate Your Unrealised Strengths
Be intentional about seeking opportunities to use your Unrealised Strengths. Sometimes all it takes is raising your hand to lead on work that stretches you in new directions.
Craft Your Leadership Narrative
Connect your strengths to institutional impact. Use them to tell your story in a way that resonates with the roles you’re pursuing and which align with the organisation’s strategic direction.
Mind the Gap
Looking at your profile, what strengths might be useful to cultivate for your next role? Strengths evolve as our contexts change, so a new position may provide an opportunity to develop. Why not look ahead and identify 2-3 new strengths that would serve you well in your next role?
How to Develop New Strengths
- Observe others who have a strength you admire. Flatter them. People love sharing what they do well, and you’ll gain valuable insights.
- Seek external perspectives: Ask 2-3 people who know you well to select your top 7 strengths from the list of 60 in the Strengths dictionary, with examples. Compare their choices to your profile. We all have blind spots. Your strengths can feel so natural that you may not notice when you’re using them. Others will. If they identify strengths you’d overlooked, add them to your list.
Craft Your Personal Statement
Create a concise statement using 3-4 of your top Realised Strengths and place it at the top of your CV. Tailor this for each role you’re applying for.
Examples:
- “An empathic leader, motivated to get the best from people by accepting others unconditionally while setting high standards.” (Realised Strengths: Empathic, Unconditionality, Pride).
- “A persuasive leader with a clear mission, persistent in the face of challenges, who gets things done.” (Realised Strengths: Persuasion, Mission, Action).
Notice how these statements reflect very different leadership styles. Both are valid, both powerful.
Leadership Questions to Reflect On
The following may help you prepare for leadership interviews.
- What unique strengths would you bring to a leadership role?
- How have you dealt with a particularly challenging scenario?
- Thinking of a key challenge in this (new) role, what would your approach be?
Final Thought
As a Strengths practitioner. why not book an appointment with me to explore your profile and look in depth at how you can harness your Strengths to succeed in a leadership role.
“When we operate in our strengths, we don’t just do better work—we become better versions of ourselves.”