I heard about the Stand-Out test on the LDRLB podcast, and when Martin described the 9 categories, I remember distinctly thinking two of them were lame, and definitely not me.

I then took the test, and lo-and-behold, those two were my top two.  Not all the "cool" strenghts I'd figured I'd get.

So, I created an account here to complain.  But before I did, I checked out some of the other people complaining, thinking I'd find some comrades-in-arms.

But then I decided not to complain.  More out of lazyness, and not wanting to say something lame on a public website, rather than out of some change of heart.

So, I took the print out, and did what Martin suggested.  Went through and highlighted the parts that seemed most relevant to me.

There was definitely some fluffy language that was turning me off, but when I got into things like the "immediate impact" section and "taking performance to the next level," there was some really super-relevant, eye-opening stuff in there.  Most of all, the section on the combination of the two strenghts really spoke to me.

What I realized over the next couple days was that I have strengths that I didn't really count as strengths -- and let me take that a step further -- I also didn't respect these strenghts.  I think sometimes we have blinders to our own strenghts.  If it comes easy or naturally to us, we think it is just a commodity that everyone has.  What I always think of as "cool" strengths are areas where I ranked literally 3, 4, and 5 on my list.  Clearly, these are things I respect, and I work hard at, and can do pretty well.  But perhaps part of my respect for these "secondary" strengths is because I have to work at them to do them well, so I respect myself when I pull them off, and respect others who do this well.

But when I look back at the BEST things I do, it TOTALLY speaks to my top two strenghts. 

So, I'm diving in full force now, with more clarity about what assignments at work I should go after, and where to take my career next.

So, I figured after my near complaint incident, I owed it to you all to tell the full truth about what happened as a result of my test, and send you my thanks!  I have a copy right here, and glance at it once or twice a day to remind myself of my special "powers" - to respect them, and most importantly, to use them.