Spotting your own potential when you can't see it yet

In many cases, people are better at noticing potential in others than in themselves. Whether it's recognizing strengths in a friend that seem underdeveloped, or a first impression when onboarding a new hire, it can be easier to see the skills in someone else than it is to see that within yourself. When we try to evaluate our own potential, the doubts and comparisons come into play and there is a tendency to get bogged down in minor details as opposed to focusing on the big picture.

I'm going to address some reasons why this happens, and provide some solutions of how you can think differently about it. It's not just about believing in your potential, but rather, finding the evidence to support that brief with the skills and experiences you already have.

Why your own potential is hard to see

There are a few reasons the view is obstructed, and it helps to name them.

The first is closeness. You have a perspective of yourself that is unique to you because you have been inside your own head your entire life. You have witnessed every mistake, heard every hesitation, and remembered every failure. While others see only the results, you have had a front row seat to the whole messy process. You grade yourself on that process (which rarely looks impressive) instead of the outcome.

The second is discounting what comes easily. If a task feels simple to you, you can tend to underappreciate its value, and continue searching for your potential with something that feels more difficult to achieve. However, the things you do easily are often exactly where your ability thrives. That ease is a skill worth noting rather than a reason to look elsewhere.

The third is comparison. When you isolate an area of personal skill or achievement, and then see someone else who appears to have more skill or achievement in that area, it make you feel uncertain about it. The challenge here is you are evaluating your inside journey with someone else's outside outcome, which is not an equal assessment.

Practical ways to find it

Here are a few tips that can lead you to recognize the skills and abilities that contribute to your potential.

• Notice what people ask you for help with. Pay attention to the requests that come to you again and again. When the same kind of request keeps arriving, that is a hint that other people are telling you they see your abilities in this area. You may not recognize it because it is so routine. Make note of these experiences.
• Look at what you do without being told. There are tasks you take on because no one else will, or because you cannot stand to see them done poorly. The work you reach for on your own, without a manager or a deadline pushing you, points to a genuine interest and often a genuine strength.
• Keep a record of small wins. Instead of relying on memory to serve you, keep a short list of things that went well, no matter how minor they may seem. It's easy to forget small wins that show a skill, and when you feel gloomy about your potential, a record of small achievements can help you maintain a positive judgment on your abilities.
• Ask a few trusted people what they see in you. Choose two or three people who know you and who you trust to provide an honest assessment, and ask them plainly what they think you're good at. The more specific you are in asking for their input, the better the answer you will receive in return. Take their answers seriously even if they surprise you.
• Treat effort as a test, not a verdict. When you try something new, your tendency can be to make a quick final judgment on whether you are capable or adept at this situation. That's too much weight for one try. Treat effort as a test you are running on yourself where you are gathering data rather than proving your worth.

What this looks like in practice

This can take some training to recognize, so here's how it might look in practice.

Perhaps you are unsure of your aptitude in the customer service side of your work. You may be far more comfortable with product knowledge than people skills, which may lead you to compare those two elements. However, this is an opportunity to collect evidence.ou to compare those two elements.

For example, you may notice that customers keep coming back to you specifically with their questions, and that you answer those inquiries promptly, which they appreciate. You start keeping track of the interactions and the customer's feedback. You ask a colleague how they view your customer interactions, and they reply that you are the reason two accounts stayed with the company. This information is evidence of your customer service skills, and can dissuade any personal thoughts about not being adept in this area.

Potential can become more visible when you use additional information from sources outside of your own thoughts. You can also track improvements over time, which moves you into a position of growing those skills. Much of this information is already around you with how you communicate with others and handle situations, you just may not have noticed it. Now that you know what to look for, the picture of your potential might be clearer than you originally thought.