A calendar of your strengths

‘Welcome to our organisation. We are delighted to have you join us. Just to tell you, it would be good if you can prepare a 90-day calendar of what you intend to do and show to your manager. It is something that he shall expect of you.’

If you are joining a new organisation, I am almost certain you must have heard these words from the HR. There is something diabolical about this 90-day calendar/plan that is expected of you. How do you work on this especially if you have moved to a new sector? What do you plan for when you don’t even know anyone out there except for your manager, the HR and your team members, who are still a blur? Yet, this is one important document that you must have and work on! Ironic, isn’t it? 

Professionally, communicators work on such calendars with their PR firms and expect a plan at the earliest!

Calendars and timetables are boring. It is like predicting the outcome of each day, so much so, that you can lose the zeal in living for the moment. And we all know that life is anything but, predictable. However, you cannot deny the utility of a calendar when it comes to organising your day and giving it a structured framework.

If you are the one who cannot stay without a plan and needs an updated calendar with various meetings all chalked out, then drawing out a calendar of your strengths should be a cake walk.

Calendar of your strengths

I remember in one focus group discussion that I was a part of (to arrive at innovative solutions to a recurring problem that the organisation faced) we were asked to write down something that we like about the person to our right and left. Many of us struggled to pen down that exact one point. Instead, the pens flew when we were asked to name one behavior of the person next to us that we would like to see worked upon. Guess, noticing flaws in others and even within ourselves is relatively easy than articulating what is good within us.

So, about making a 90-day plan of your strengths and sticking to it so that you can dip in and pick up any one on a day when you need resilience and support the most?

To begin with, list down your most prominent strengths. Look at what you have written. Pause and reflect on them. Draw strength from your strengths. This should give you a sense of comfort and calmness.

Across the days of the week jot down one activity/task that you intend to do that will directly feed into the strengths you have listed. Here is how it should like:

The outcome

When you calendarise your strengths and list down the activities that define your strengths, take a step back to reflect on what you see. Observe it carefully. There is so much of goodness in you! You possess strengths that make you a very unique person. You have identified for yourself innumerable activities that can further consolidate your skills and competencies.

This in turn can greatly enhance your productivity levels and performance in your professional setting. You will be able to harness your strengths in times of difficult situations or when a solution seems to elude you. So, take out your pen and make that calendar for yourself.

As a communicator you are used to working with calendars – it is time you spend time looking inwards to draw up a calendar of your strengths and use that to create a roadmap for the future.

The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Sarita Bahl

Sarita Bahl is an alumnus of Tata Institute of Social Sciences and the Swedish Institute of Management Program. An experienced and versatile leader, she comes with nearly four decades of professional experience. She has over the years successfully overseen the communications and public affairs function and led the corporate social responsibility strategy for Bayer South Asia, Pfizer, and Monsanto, among others. Sarita has held multiple roles across diverse industries, the public sector, trade associations, MNCs, and the not-for-profit sector. Her areas of interest include advocacy, stakeholder engagement, sustainability, and communications.

As an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) from the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and Senior Practitioner (Mentoring) from the European Council of Mentoring and Coaching (EMCC), Sarita specializes in career transition, inner engineering and life issues. Sarita enjoys writing and is passionate about animals, books, and movies.