Strengths coach Murray Guest shared a powerful reminder in our July 2025 Ninja Skill Booster
“Even your greatest strengths can become a barrier if they’re not managed well.”
We all want to make the most of our talents, yet sometimes what helps us succeed can also hold us back. The real skill is learning to recognise when a strength is in overdrive and how to bring it back into balance.
Through his years of coaching thousands of people, Murray has seen how overusing our strengths can lead to frustration, stress and lower productivity. The key is knowing when to dial them up and when to dial them down — something anyone can learn to do with practice and awareness.
The Dimmer Switch Analogy
“Think about those top strengths you have as a light in your ceiling with a dimmer switch,” Murray explained.
“We don’t want to turn our strengths off with an on/off switch — because then we’re not being ourselves. It’s about the brightness. How bright do we dial them up or dial them down?”
Your strengths are part of who you are — but like light, they need the right balance to fit the moment.
Finding that balance is how you stay energised, effective and aligned with what matters most.
A Real Example: Responsibility
Murray shared how this plays out in his own work:
“Responsibility is one of my top five strengths. I love taking responsibility for my actions and making sure I get things done. But what that can also do is lead to not letting things go or delegating as well.”
That insight lands for many of us.
A strength like Responsibility helps you deliver — but it can also lead to overload if you’re not careful.
Learning to pause, delegate or say no protects your energy and keeps you effective for the long run.
Why Awareness Matters
When you recognise how your strengths show up — and sometimes overshow up — you can make better choices about how you work.
It’s not about changing who you are, but about being conscious and intentional.
Murray encouraged everyone to ask:
“What am I saying yes to?
What am I saying yes and to?
What am I saying no to?”
These simple questions help you use your strengths with clarity instead of compulsion — turning self-awareness into a genuine productivity tool.
Balancing Strengths Through Partnerships
No one has to do it all.
Throughout the session, Murray and Matt both emphasised how valuable partnerships are — combining different strengths to balance blind spots and boost collaboration.
When you understand your own strengths, you start to appreciate how others approach work differently.
That perspective builds stronger teamwork and more meaningful results.
Be Kind to Yourself
The workshop ended with a reminder that struck a chord:
“We have strengths in some areas and not in others — and that’s okay,” Murray said. “Let’s be kind to ourselves around that.”
Real productivity isn’t about being well-rounded; it’s about using what you naturally do best and managing what drains you.
It’s about finding calm, clarity and focus — so you can enjoy your work more and bring your best self to it.
Key Takeaway
Your strengths are your power source, but they work best when you know how to manage their brightness.
Notice when you’re in overdrive, pause, and make a conscious adjustment. That small act of awareness can make all the difference between being productive and being overwhelmed.
If you’d like to explore more practical ways to work with your strengths, Think Productive’s workshops create space to reflect, reset and reconnect with what matters, helping you build habits that make work feel lighter, not harder.
A small shift in awareness can change how you feel about your work, and that’s where lasting productivity truly begins.
