Enjoyment-Skill-Feedback Strength Audit
Find work you enjoy, test your talent, and correct blind spots with advisers
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 95%
This audit starts with enjoyment because sustained fulfilment requires more than being capable at a task. It then tests that signal against evidence of intrinsic ability: where does performance repeatedly come more naturally or produce strong results? The mismatch matters. A person can be skilled at work they dislike, so competence alone should not dictate a career. Because individuals are often poor judges of themselves, the method adds observations from family, colleagues, mentors, sponsors, or an informal board of advisers. Look for repeated patterns rather than accepting one person's opinion. Finally, choose advisers suited to the current challenge and rotate them as the work changes. The output is a working view of energising strengths, draining competencies, development gaps, and roles that offer a better fit.
Origin
Nicola Mendelsohn explained her approach to strengths and an informal board of advisers on The Diary of a CEO.
Core principles
- 01Enjoyment and competence are different signals
- 02Being good at unwanted work does not guarantee fulfilment
- 03Self-assessment needs outside evidence
- 04Advisers should match the current challenge
- 05A strength is useful when the role lets you exercise it
How to run it
- 1
Map enjoyment
List the activities and responsibilities that consistently energise or engage you.
Pro tip Use recent examples rather than an idealised job description.
- 2
Test for skill
Find evidence of where you perform strongly or learn unusually quickly.
Pro tip Use outcomes and repeated feedback, not confidence alone.
Watch out Enjoyment does not automatically prove competence.
- 3
Find the mismatch
Mark work you do well but do not enjoy, and work you enjoy but still need to develop.
Watch out Do not let praise trap you in draining work.
- 4
Gather outside views
Ask trusted people what you do well, where you struggle, and when they have seen each pattern.
Pro tip Request examples so the feedback stays behavioural.
Watch out One person's preference is not a complete assessment.
- 5
Build the right advisory circle
Seek people a few steps ahead who can advise on the challenge you currently face.
Pro tip Change the group when the challenge changes.
In the wild
A senior specialist enjoys solving client problems and has strong outcome data, but feels drained by direct people management. Colleagues confirm the pattern. An adviser familiar with senior individual-contributor careers helps the specialist pursue greater scope without assuming management is the only route upward.
→ The next role uses demonstrated strengths without forcing an unwanted definition of progression.
Common mistakes
Equating skill with enjoyment
Strong performance can keep someone in work that steadily drains them.
Using a static advisory board
Advisers who helped with one stage may not have the perspective needed for the next.
Is it for you?
Best for
People deciding which strengths to develop, which work to pursue, or where their self-image may be incomplete.
Not ideal for
Anyone seeking a permanent personality label rather than evidence that can evolve.
From the transcript
“actually sometimes people are good at things but don't enjoy it”
“often you're not the best judge of yourself”
From the episode
VP Of Meta: Running A Trillion Dollar Business With An Incurable Illness: Nicola Mendelsohn