1 Assess your strengths

The first step is to assess your strengths and understand how they influence your decision-making style. You can use various tools and frameworks, such as the CliftonStrengths assessment, the VIA Character Strengths survey, or the StrengthsFinder 2.0 book, to discover your top strengths and how they relate to your personality, motivation, and goals. Alternatively, you can also reflect on your past experiences and achievements, and ask for feedback from others, to identify your strengths and areas of improvement.

2 Align your strengths with your decisions

The second step is to align your strengths with your decisions and use them as a guide and a resource. For example, if you have a strength in strategic thinking, you can use it to analyze different options and scenarios, and anticipate potential outcomes and risks. If you have a strength in communication, you can use it to express your opinions clearly and persuasively, and listen to others' perspectives and feedback. If you have a strength in creativity, you can use it to generate innovative and original solutions, and overcome obstacles and challenges.

3 Balance your strengths with other factors

The third step is to balance your strengths with other factors that affect your decision-making, such as your emotions, biases, values, and context. Sometimes, your strengths can also become weaknesses or blind spots, if you overuse or misuse them, or if they clash with the situation or the people involved. For example, if you have a strength in optimism, you might overlook or minimize the negative aspects or consequences of a decision, or if you have a strength in harmony, you might avoid or compromise on a decision that might cause conflict or disagreement. Therefore, you need to be aware of your strengths and their limits, and seek to complement them with other sources of information, evidence, and input.

4 Develop your strengths and learn from your decisions

The fourth step is to develop your strengths and learn from your decisions. You can do this by seeking feedback, reflecting on your actions and outcomes, and identifying areas of growth and improvement. You can also look for opportunities to apply your strengths in different situations and contexts, and challenge yourself to try new and different approaches and methods. By doing this, you can enhance your decision-making agility and confidence, and achieve better results and satisfaction.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?