Most of us know our weaknesses, and at some point may have tried to work on improving them. But the fact remains, and evidence confirms that you’re more likely to be successful in your career doing things that utilize your natural talents and play to your strengths. This is why it’s important to focus on your strengths.

In a study conducted by Gallup, the results of strength-based management practices revealed that as a result of strengths-based interventions and development, sales increased, profits increased, customer engagement increased employee engagement increased and there were fewer safety incidents. This, from a study which involved 1.2 million employees across 22 organizations in 7 industries across 45 countries. Read more on the study here.

How can you increase your performance?

So what do these results mean for you and what should you be doing to make sure that you’re increasing your performance and productivity for success?

We are all too aware of our weaknesses and the things we need to improve. But part of that self-improvement comes from having self-awareness, just because you’re not good at something, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to start working on ironing it out in order to get that promotion or to be the best person for that job.

The best results are most likely to come from honing the skills you’re good at and making them great. Being aware of your weaknesses means you can choose to join forces with others for whom these are their strengths and create powerful collaborations in the office or in your business, leading to greater productivity and more engagement and enjoyment all around.

Choose to do work that utilizes and enhances your strengths. Remember, what might be a strength in one role may act as a weakness in another. Build an understanding of how you can best apply your personal strengths within different situations, and understand where you will likely need assistance or support.