Applying Positive Psychology in Your Career, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Developed by Clifton and Buckingham, the new philosophy on how one can harness personal satisfaction and professional development has been developed using hundred of study cases. Modern organizations presume wrongly that a person, any person is necessarily competent in everything and that by overcoming ones strength, an individual can achieve his or her maximal potential. However, the theorists propose that an individual’s talents are unique and endure only in a particular setting not in everything and that the greatest room for an individual’s growth lies not in overcoming weaknesses by in fortifying strengths (Buckingham and Clifton 379 – 380).

As such, instead of companies to focus on helping employees overcome weaknesses through training, the best thing to do is to improve the employee’s strengths and harness them better. In this context, strength is defined as the consistent and near perfection performance; an individual can manage in a particular area of operation or in a particular career.

To develop the theory, the two authors interviewed over one million respondents. They draw conclusions from such respondents as Tiger Woods and Bill gates to confirm the practicality of positive psychology in the advancement of one’s career. This essay will review how the theory of positive psychology is applicable in ones career, right from the job search until promotion to the highest level is attained. In short, the essay reviews how positive psychology can help advance one’s career by simply focusing on strengths.

Case Studies of Positive Psychology

The theory of positive psychology affirms that when an individual focuses on developing and sharpening his or her talents, he or she becomes way better than anyone else in that particular field in which he or she is endowed with unique talents (Lopex and Snyder 117 – 119).  Tiger Woods became the number one golfer in the world, broke every record any golfer had made before him only because he concentrated in his strengths and perfected his talents and not because he overcame his weaknesses (Buckingham and Clifton 379 – 380). Advances in career are promised by improved strengths and not by overcome weaknesses.

The same applies with Bill gates whose experience in formal education was miserably poor. Yet instead of fighting to keep on doing what he was not talented in, he and his friend worked hard to build on what was indeed his strength and the results of that is Microsoft, a global leader in every right. That is what becomes when one focuses on amplifying his or her strengths (Buckingham and Clifton 379 – 380).

Applying a Positive Psychology in a Job Search

Experts advise that one should not use past skills to look for a new job. One of the mistakes that job seekers and hiring officers make is to fit talent to companies instead of to the job description. Individuals apply for a job because of the company and not because of the job itself parse (Maymin). Yet the job that one should look for is not the job he or she can do with a little training and orientation, but the job he or she can do best.

During a job search, one stands the best chance of advancing in the chosen career if he or she matched the job description with his or her talents (Maymin). One always advances when what he or she does is in perfect harmony with what he or she can do best. Research has shown that only about 20% of working Americans held jobs that exploited their talents (Buckingham and Clifton 379 – 380). The result of these is that very few of them ever progress to the maximal potential of their talents simply because those talents are not being used.

Martin Seligman, the American psychology Association president, was quoted in 1999 saying, “One should focus on the positive parts of his or her life in such areas as achievements, productivity and happiness” (Maymin). In essence, positive psychology emphasizes on matching a job description with the talents of an individual such that when the individual get the job, he or she will be better placed than anybody else to succeed. When one employs his or her unique talents in something, he or she faces almost no competitions since those talents are unique and his or her ability greater in that area than of anyone else.

A job search process therefore ought to start with identification of personal strengths (evaluation). Once the strengths are identified, the next step is to determine which job descriptions/careers will best employ those strengths as the core skills of performing daily responsibilities (targeting) (Maymin, 2007). Finally, the last step is to match the job description and or career to the companies with job openings such that your application for a job is motivated not by the company parse, but by the job they have to offer.  This will allow you to employ your talents and advance better if you do get the job (action).

Tapping into Strengths

Strengths are the intrinsic natural abilities than an individual is predisposed with in life (Peterson 117 – 119). Strengths are what make an individual excited in the job performance because they know they are good in it. While tapping into one’s strength, it requires no effort and no training to achieve perfection. In most cases, perfection in the areas of one’s strength is attained with utter simplicity and in novel ways. This can be contrasted to when an individual focuses on developing his or her weaknesses.

Even if an individual became good in performing at an area of his or her weaknesses, he or she will only be relying on training and beastly effort. Chances of achieving perfection are limited then. If Tiger Woods were to be trained to drive a Formula One racing car, he could manage to but he would never be as good as to become world number one. However, on the golf stretch, he has the potential of making it to the second and third Masters title without even having to try so hard.

To tap into ones strengths, the beginning point is always self-assessment to establish what one’s strengths are (Peterson 117 – 119). After the strengths have been assessed and identified, the next phase of action is to activate these strengths and to employ them in the doing of work. This will call for a choice of career and field of operation where the strengths are need during the actual work. The third step is to continually develop these strengths by learning new technologies, new ways to do things, shortcuts and theories in that field of operation.

The consequences of tapping into one’s strengths include personal satisfaction since the job is easier. One always enjoys what he or she can do best and with minimum effort. If everyone were given a job that agreed with his or her talents, then everyone would be happy with his job. Secondly, one advances better when strengths are employed in a particular career (Peterson 117 – 119). The key to career advancement and professional growth lies in using strengths since very few people in the work place can beat an individual whose work is in the area of his or her strength. Strengths are unique and individual based such that one’s achievement is also unique.

Job Specialization Based on Strengths

Bill Gates started out with a partner who was not very good in software development.  But from the very start, Bill Gates left the responsibility of running the business side of their engagement to his partner so that he could concentrate on the area of his strengths, software development. After identifying personal strengths, an individual should then try to match those strengths to particular careers. Instead of wasting time and effort on areas of weaknesses with hope of bettering performance, the same time and effort committed to areas of strength would make a great difference.

Buckingham and Clifton proposes three strategies that can help one focus on strengths and specialize his or her career on those strengths (Buckingham and Clifton 379 – 380). First, the important thing is to determine the areas of life where an individual can consistently and repeatedly do the same thing without ever getting bored. There are those tasks that an individual cannot always do with happiness and self satisfaction. Now, those are areas of strength than if the individual specialized in, he or she will be better off. Gates and software come close to that match.

Secondly, the area of specialization should demand as little of effort and strength application as possible. According to the theorists, one spends maximal time in areas that he or she has been trained in just to overcome weaknesses. But for those areas where an individual is naturally endowed, he or she can attain perfection effortlessly (Buckingham and Clifton 379 – 380). As such, individuals must identify and specialize in those areas of professional engagement that demand least of effort to perfect in performance, areas where they can enjoy the performance without being ever so keen to get it right.

Thirdly and finally, the theorists propose that an individual should specialize in those areas that allow him or her to improve on strengths.  When strengths are improved on, the individual is better placed than is his or her weaknesses were toned down. Tiger Woods stands a better chance of being world’s number one if he were to train consistently and progressively in golf, than if he was to spend time trying to learn basketball or tennis. Serena Williams will be a world champion only when in a tennis court and specializing in that makes her the best there is. But if she were to spend the time trying to learn golf, she will be a failure in both golf and tennis since her efforts have been spread all over until she is good in nothing specific.

The conclusion here is that when one spares all efforts and time to develop his or her strengths, he or she is better placed to excel than if the time and effort were used to overcome weaknesses. The maxim of positive psychology is to focus on strengths, to fortify the strengths and to specialize in areas that help amplify and exploit strengths in complete disregard to areas of weakness (Buckingham and Clifton 379 – 380).

Conclusion

Strengths are natural talents that only need to be discovered (Buckingham and Clifton 379 – 380). They need not be trained (acquired). Modern companies emphasize on ignoring strengths and seeking to train individuals in their weaknesses with the assumption that amplifying their employee’s potential involves helping them overcome their weaknesses. This essay has discussed that the theory of positive psychology emphasizes on fortifying strengths and making them better. When strengths arte focused on, developed to the best of their potential, an individual is better placed to achieve career growth and personal satisfaction than if the same individual ignored the strengths and tried to overcome his or her weaknesses.

Focusing on strengths ensures that one can consistently perform in a certain area with near perfection and with minimal effort (Lopex and Snyder 117 – 119). The best thing to do is to ensure that the job search itself is inspired by strengths and that an individual matches his strengths to certain career choices.

Works Cited

Buckingham, M. and Clifton, D. O. (2001). “Now, discover your strengths. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science.” Vol 36(3), pp. 376-379.

Lopex, S. and Snyder C. Handbook of Positive Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press. 2006.  pp. 117 – 119.

Maymin, Senia. “Using Your Strengths in the Job Search”. Positive Psychology News.  04 Nov. 2007. 15 Apr. 2010. <http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/senia-maymin/20070712337>.

Peterson, C. A primer in Positive Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.  pp. 117 – 119.