(5 minutes to read)

If you could substantially increase your income and also be happier and more fulfilled in your work—how valuable would that be for you? Would it be worth the cost of $50 and a few hours of self-reflection? If so, learning the Unique Ability concept and framework may be a worthwhile investment. Especially if you are changing roles as a result of the silent tech job drought, are feeling stuck in your current position, or are just starting out in your career. Or even if you are doing well and simply want more.

The Unique Ability framework is an approach and mindset I’ve found to be energizing and liberating, enough that I’ve shared it with family, friends, and clients. So what is it and how do you utilize it?

Unique Ability is the concept created by Dan Sullivan for his entrepreneurial coaching program, Strategic Coach. It’s explained in the book Unique Ability, which comes with a workbook to take you through the process of discovering your Unique Ability.

This discovery is so worthwhile because one of your largest assets is your income-earning capacity, yet—like most people—you may have been progressing through your career without reflecting or expanding on the true gifts that can increase it. 

Making the most of your human capital is as important as properly managing your investment capital to ensure your financial future. Unlike pursuing another degree or certification, or learning new skills on the job, gaining a better understanding of your talents and how to apply them takes much less time and effort, and can generate larger results more quickly. And doing so is also likely to generate a lot of satisfaction. As described in the book, “Unique Ability is the essence of what you love to do and do best.”

The book goes on to describe the four characteristics of unique ability as superior skill, passion, energy, and never-ending improvement. Together, these qualities enable you to produce high-quality results, which keep getting better. When using your Unique Ability, you deliver enormous value to other people. And you enjoy yourself in the process; in fact, you know when you’re using it because you’ll be in the flow state, where time passes quickly, work feels effortless, everything is clicking, and you don’t want to stop.

Everyone has a Unique Ability. It’s hardwired—what comes naturally for you—and it typically can’t be changed. You can’t fake it and you can’t mimic those of others. To reach your full potential, you need to become aware of your own and embrace it.

There are two paths to discovering your Unique Ability described in the book and workbook: the Activities Path and the Naming Path. I found both useful and surprising.

With the Activities Path, you begin by keeping track of all your activities at work and in your personal life for at least a week. I wrote these down for a month because my weeks vary so much. For example, on your work list, you might write problem solving, emails, scheduling, giving presentations, customer meetings, team meetings, researching new ideas, training new hires, and so on. On your personal list, you might write paying bills, hosting dinner with friends, working out, clothes shopping, or walking the dog.

Once you have your activity inventory, you classify each activity. You’ll mark each of your activities with a U for Unique Ability, E for Excellent, C for Competent, and I for Incompetent. Unique Ability (U) means you’re good at it, passionate about it, and it gives you energy. Excellent (E) means you’re good at it, but it doesn’t give you energy. This is often where we get trapped, getting paid well for our skill but not really enjoying what we’re doing. Competent (C) means you’re meeting the minimum standards but not particularly good at it even though you may enjoy it. Incompetent (I) means you’re bad at it, and it probably gives you stress because you’re so bad at it.

Once you have all your activities classified, you group them together. This is really eye-opening. For most people, you will find you spend very little time on Unique Ability tasks and far too much time on Competent and even Incompetent activities. Your action plan from here is to take deliberate steps to stop doing the activities you’re incompetent at. Some of those tasks might not need doing at all, and you can just stop. Others might need to be delegated. Then move on to the Competent activities and decide if they need to be done, can be automated, or can be delegated. Gradually move to spending more and more time in your Unique Ability activities to deliver better and better results, make yourself more valuable to others, and derive greater satisfaction in your work. Excellent activities are usually the hardest to transition from. It’s a process that can take time, especially if your livelihood depends on them. But eventually, you will find ways to move away from these too and deeper into your Unique Ability activities—which will feel amazing.

The Naming Path is more involved. On the Naming Path, you will take assessments including Kolbe A, which measures your natural ways of solving problems and taking action, and CliftonStrengths, which measures your strengths across thirty-four areas. You will also ask people who know you to help you identify your Unique Abilities, because it’s often hard to recognize certain strengths when you’re so used to living with them. As part of this path, you’ll also do some reflection and writing to pull out the themes and synthesize your discoveries.

Using either the Activities Path or the Naming Path will help you begin to see your natural strengths. Using both and combining the results is even more powerful. Periodically, you can repeat the process to further refine your awareness of your natural gifts and stay motivated to center them more in your work and personal life.

This is life-changing stuff. Once you become aware of your Unique Abilities, it’s hard to go back to working on activities you’re not passionate about and that don’t give you energy. And that’s a good thing. Spending more and more time in your Unique Ability will make you more valuable in what you do, increasing your human capital and income-earning potential. You will also feel more fulfilled in your work to the point you might even stop thinking of it as work! For me, it’s been worth every moment of effort it takes. And I wouldn’t be surprised if you discover the same.

Parkworth Wealth Management provides holistic wealth management services including financial planning, equity compensation planning, investment management, tax planning, and others, on a fee-only basis and as a fiduciary, acting in clients’ best interests. If you’d like to talk about your income-earning capacity and how it affects your financial situation, schedule a complimentary consultation.