In 2007, Gallup asked thousands of US workers a provocative question: "At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?" Shockingly, only 32% of people said that they did. Other countries were even worse. This represents a remarkable misallocation of talent: imagine the huge overall gain to productivity that would come from reshuffling everyone into roles they are suited for!

    Alas, no one can pick people up and shuffle them around by force; not Gallup, not the government, not even the Jolly Green Giant. Only the people themselves can do this. This means you. So if, on reflection, you discover you're one of the 68% that doesn't get the chance to use their true talents at work, here are a few reasons you might want to consider a change of career:

    1. Strengths contain your greatest potential for growth

    It's so intuitive - "I'm worst at tasks involving my weaknesses, so my greatest potential for development is in these areas. If I work on those things, I'll become rounded!" Too bad it's incorrect. Your strengths represent your natural ways of responding to the world; by going 'with the grain', instead of against it, you'll find it easier to perform the amount of practice necessary to reach expertise in your chosen field.

    2. Strengths lead to flow

    'Flow' is that special state, also called 'the zone', where you lose track of time, you become one with what you're doing, and your sense of self comes out stronger at the end. Activities involving your strengths are more likely to lead to this state. You'll produce better work, you'll do it more quickly, and of course, flow is also an enjoyable experience in itself.

    3. People who use their strengths become happier

    As mentioned before on Dumb Little Man, strengths-use leads to happiness. Achieving this happiness means both finding tasks that are suited to your strengths, and finding ways to involve your strengths into the tasks that you do.

    4. You'll make a better leader

    The idea that there's a specific mold people must fit to be a great leader is old-fashioned, and unsupported by recent research. Effective leaders are conscious of their own strengths, and build their teams around them. This creates a working environment that's more productive, and that's more conducive to collaboration.

    Do you believe the idea that you can do whatever you set your mind to? Well, maybe you can. But this perspective only refers to results of your labor and says nothing about the quality of it. If you're not using your strengths, you're in for a long and hard journey. On the other hand, strengths-use is inherently fulfilling - it feels natural, and right. And on top of that, you've got the potential to go further with your natural strengths than you do with your weaknesses.

    2007年，蓋洛普民意調查向幾千位美國的工作者提出了一個發人深思的問題："在每天的工作中，你有機會能做自己最擅長的事嗎？"令人驚訝的是，只有32%的人回答是肯定的。這一比例在其他國家甚至更低。這說明了在人力資源的分配上出現了嚴重的錯位：設想一下，如果重新分配，讓每個人各司所長，這將會產生多么巨大的生產力啊！

    咳，但沒人能把大家像撲克一樣重新洗牌，蓋洛普做不到，政府也做不到，就算是喬力綠色巨人也無能為力。只有人們自己能拯救自己。這就是說，你得自救。所以，如果回頭想想，如果你是在工作中無法施展才華的那68%中的一員，以下有一些能讓你鼓起信心換份工作的原因：

    1. 你的能力中有發展的巨大潛力

    這確實很有啟發性 - "如果工作涉及到我的弱點，因此我發展的潛力就是在這些領域里。如果換成別的工作，那么我將毫無出彩之處。" 這樣的想法簡直大錯特錯。 你的能力是你對外界反應所做出的最自然的方式；只有"順應"它，而不是與它背道而馳，你會發現達到職業的頂點更加容易。

    2. 長處使你的工作如行云流水般順暢

    '行云流水'是一種特別的狀態，也叫做'你的地盤',達到這種狀態你不會覺得度秒如年，你會覺得干什么都特帶勁兒，成就感超強。能讓你發揮長處的活動會引領你進入這種狀態。你發現工作更順手了，反應也飛快了，當然，這種行云流水般的工作狀態也會讓你樂在其中滴。

    3. 能發揮所長的人會更快樂

    正如之前《默默無聞的小任務》一書中提到的，發揮長處能讓人更幸福快樂。達到這種快樂需要你既要找到施展之地，也要找尋方法讓你的長處得到最大程度的發揮。

    4. 你會成為一個更出色的領導者

    認為好領導都是天生的想法已經老掉牙了，并且也不被最新的研究所看好。效率高的領導者了解自己的能力，并且讓團隊緊密相連。這就創造了一個高產且對團隊合作有益的工作環境。

    你相信只要你用心去做沒有做不到的事么？嗯，或許你能。但這是建立在你的勞動和不涉及工作的質量的前提上的。如果你未能充分運用你的長項，你的工作將是漫長難熬的。另外，能力的運用是內在的 - 即你會感覺到那是自然的，正確的。最重要的是，你的長處給你的發展的潛力，而你不用在不擅長的領域里苦苦掙扎尋求發展。