A Porsche Fan’s Musings

This blog is called “Welcome Home, PORSCHE,” but lately, my posts have turned into the musings of a Porsche-loving professional who’s wrestling with a few things. Today, I’ve got another little dilemma on my mind.

It’s hard to recognize your own strengths. That’s because they often show up without us even realizing it. The things we do almost effortlessly, or the things that bring results without requiring much effort, are often where our strengths lie.

Since we don’t feel like we’re trying very hard, we may not feel much sense of accomplishment either. In other words, we rarely give those strengths much thought, so they remain hidden from view. Even when someone says, “You’re really great at ◯◯,” we might brush it off with, “No, I’m not!”

Instead, we’re more likely to fixate on what we lack, wishing we had abilities we don’t.

How Can You Recognize Your Strengths?

So how do we identify our strengths? I think, in the end, the only way is through comparison with others.

Take Porsche, for example. Its strengths become clear when you compare it with other cars: precise steering, responsive acceleration and braking, and stability at speed and a surefooted connection to the road.

There are all kinds of cars made by all kinds of manufacturers. It’s only because we’ve experienced other cars that we can appreciate Porsche’s strengths so keenly. Porsche has stayed true to its philosophy and continues to lead the global sports-car market. That’s possible, in part, because it has rivals.

If Porsche were the only carmaker in the world, it might have overlooked—and perhaps even let go of—some of its most important strengths (though I can’t imagine Ferdinand Porsche doing that…). And who knows? The Porsche we know today might never have existed.

When you think about it, Porsche owes something to Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Ferrari, and Japanese automakers, too. The company is shaped by the presence of all those other manufacturers.

So it’s not about Porsche winning at everyone else’s expense. The stronger its rivals are, the more Porsche can keep being Porsche. I hope every automaker continues to push itself to the limit. (Listen to me, talking like I’m above it all…)

I Almost Threw My Strength Away

Recently, I had a chance to take a closer look at my own strengths. I’ve studied career development to a certain extent and thought I knew a thing or two about how to identify strengths. But the other day, I realized something:

I had absolutely no idea what my own strengths were…!!

Not only did I fail to recognize them—I almost threw one of my strengths away entirely. Yikes… What helped me realize it was comparing myself with others.

…Anyway, what am I even talking about? Back to work!