Making Positive Psychology Work

#62 - RYAN NIEMIEC CHEAT SHEET

Dr. Ryan Niemiec is the Education Director of the VIA Institute on Character a global nonprofit
organization that advances the latest science and practical applications of character strengths. He’s a
leading researcher, teacher and practitioner in the field, and in his latest book Character Strengths
Interventions: A Field Guide for Practitioners he shares an amazing seventy interventions to apply your
character strengths more each day. Here are my take-aways from my interview with Ryan:

• We each have several different types of strengths: talents are what we do naturally well; skills are
what we train ourselves to do; interests are what we choose to do; interests reflect our passions
and the things we are inherently drawn to; values reflect what we internally hold dear; and
resources are the external supports we draw upon. But it’s character strengths – the core
qualities that are essential to our identity – that are the fuel to make the other strengths rise.
Character strengths enable us to put our values, what’s in our head and hearts, into action.

• When you tap into your character strengths you are being your authentic self and expressing your
best qualities. This can help you take your other strengths to the next level. For example you
might you may have an incredible talent for athletics, but you need the character strengths of
perseverance and self-regulation to become an Olympian. Studies have found that the
development of our character strengths come with many benefits including improvements in our
engagement, creativity and satisfaction with work.

• Your power zone is the place where use your strengths for optimal benefit. This requires bringing
your different types of strengths together– character, talents, resources, and interests - to focus on
a task. When you’re in the power zone you’re more likely to feel like you’re flourishing, and
succeeding with fulfillment and meaning.

• Your signature strengths - generally your top five character strengths - are most central to who you
are and best capture your uniqueness or essence. They are also likely to more energizing to use
and more natural to express.

• Across several studies in different cultures, the strengths of zest, hope, love, gratitude and
curiosity are most correlated with life satisfaction and are often referred to as the happiness
strengths.

• Your lesser strengths, or bottom strengths - typically your bottom 4 - 7 strengths - are not viewed
as weaknesses but as strengths that are either underdeveloped, unrealized, not as valued as
other strengths, or at least less used compared to other strengths.

• As stress and anxiety will quickly pull you away from your strengths, you may find that you need
constant reminders of what your strengths are ways you can embed them each day as you go
about your work.

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What Can You Try?
Once you have identified your character strengths by taking the free VIA Character Strengths
Survey, Ryan shared three of his favorite interventions for you to try:

• Subtract a signature strength – Choose one of your signature strengths and picture it in
action, noticing how important it has been in your life. Now imagine that you're not
allowed to use that strength for the next month. For example, if you choose curiosity you
can't explore or investigate new ideas, places or activities, ask questions, try new
experiences, new foods, or search the Internet. Consider what your life would be like,
and how you would feel. Note down your observations to help you truly appreciate what
this strengths bring to your life.

• Character strengths appreciation – Identify three character strengths in a colleague,

and write about a recent admirable incident in which they displayed each of these
strengths. How were you seeing these strengths expressed? Share what you've written
with them and explain why your value the way they use their character strengths at work.

• Strengths alignment – List the five things that you do most frequently at work, it could be
filing, leading team meetings or emailing clients. Write down one way you can use your
top five character strengths for each of the five work tasks. For example, it might be
using creativity to lead a team meeting by ending it with a new quote each time.

Where Might You Start?

How can you use your strengths more consistently at work each day?

Where Can You Learn More?

• Visit the VIA Character Strength website

• Grab a copy of Ryan’s latest book: Character Strengths Interventions

• Listen to our earlier podcast with Ryan on Mindfulness and Strengths

• Watch Ryan’s TEDxTalk on A Universal Language that Describes What’s Best in Us

• Grab our free ebook: How To Put Your Strengths To Work

www.michellemcquaid.com/podcast