Pre-Work: The Strengths Discovery Process
Begin by completing these two short exercises that together form the foundation of your strengths work: a peer survey and a personal reflection.
Your own reflection tells you what you experience from the inside. Peer feedback tells you what others witness from the outside. Together they reveal a more complete and often more surprising picture of your strengths than either could on its own.
Reach out to 8–12 people from different areas of your life. Don't limit this to current colleagues. Think broadly. Former bosses, old friends, people who knew you in a different context entirely. The diversity of perspective is what makes this valuable.
Ask each of them this one question: When have you seen me at my best?
A template email is below. Choose whichever version feels most natural, copy it, personalise the opening line, and send it.
When you receive responses, copy and paste them into the Survey Responses box below, these will be saved and appear in the next step of the process for your reference.
While you wait for responses, sit with these three questions. Write as much or as little as feels right.
These notes will be visible to you during your first session and will help you choose your equipment cards.
You're not being assessed. Write honestly, even if what comes up feels uncertain or incomplete.
- What do people consistently come to you for?
- What feels like play to you but looks like work to others?
- When have you been at your absolute best — what were the conditions and what were you doing?
Step 1: Discover Your Strengths
Your strengths are the equipment you carry on every journey. In this step, you'll gather evidence of your strengths, spot patterns, name them — and choose a card to represent each one.
- What do people consistently come to you for?
- What feels like play to you but looks like work to others?
- When have you been at your absolute best — what were the conditions and what were you doing?
Step 2: Map Your Journey
Now think of a project, goal or challenge that is important to you right now. The more specific the better. For example, a career transition, a business goal, a health related challenge.
Then use the terrain cards from the gallery below to represent and map out this project, goal or journey. Start by thinking where you want to go, then where you are now, and then map the terrain that lies in between.
Please fill all map tiles (0/12 filled)
Step 3: Apply Your Strengths
Whatever journey you are on, you always carry your strengths.
In this section, reflect on how you can use the strengths you have to navigate the journey you face. Drag your equipment cards onto the terrain tiles where you think those strengths will be most useful.
Reflect on how your strengths will help you navigate this journey. Aim for around 300 words.
0 / 300 wordsDefine three specific actions you will take, using your strengths.
Don't lose your work! Save your journey to the cloud so you can come back to it anytime.
Export your NarraWay journey as a beautifully designed PDF — ideal for reflection, sharing or printing.
Full report: 8-page A4 PDF with all your strengths, maps and strategy. Landscape maps: large visual-only prints of both maps.