Come to Me When: Communicating Strengths with Confidence

When we start a new role, there’s often a rush to prove ourselves… to fit in, pick things up quickly, and start delivering. But what if one of the most impactful things we could do early on is actually something far more human?

What if we simply got clear on our strengths - and then shared them?

Learning What Makes You Tick

As part of my onboarding at Cisco, I had the chance to take the StandOut assessment. I’ve done my fair share of personality tests and strengths tools over the years, but this one struck a nerve in the best way.

My top two roles were identified as Teacher and Connector. Reading the report felt like holding up a mirror to the way I’ve instinctively shown up throughout my career. It didn’t just describe what I do, it captured how I work, why I care, and what energises me most.

• As a Teacher, I’m passionate about helping people learn, grow, and succeed. I thrive on seeing others have “aha” moments. I break things down, ask the right questions, and meet people where they are - whether I’m leading a campaign, mentoring a marketer, or guiding a team through a new strategy.

• As a Connector, I instinctively see patterns between people, ideas, and opportunities. I love bringing the right people together, not just for the sake of collaboration, but because I know they’ll create something bigger than they could alone.

  
  

When I looked back over my career, from transforming brand strategies and mentoring teams to launching new innovation products, it made complete sense. These strengths have always been there. They’re the through-line in every job, every achievement, every challenge.

Making Strengths Visible, Not Assumed

But knowing your strengths isn’t enough. I’ve come to believe we have to communicate them clearly - not as a sales pitch, but as an invitation.

We all work better when we know what makes our colleagues tick. We move faster, we collaborate more smoothly, and we create space for others to step in with their strengths too. That’s why I created a set of simple, human “Come to Me When…” statements, designed to help new colleagues understand how to get the best out of working with me.

Here they are:

💡 Come to me when...you need to turn a complex challenge into a clear, actionable plan - we’ll break it down and build it back better, together.

🤝 Come to me when...you’re looking to connect people, teams or ideas - I love linking the right minds to create something bigger than the sum of its parts.

🚀 Come to me when...you want to grow your skills or confidence - I’ll meet you where you are and help you take the next step with clarity and support.

Simple? Yes. But also powerful. These statements aren’t just about tasks; they’re about trust. They say: “This is what I care about. This is where I can help. And this is how I like to show up.”

Creating a Culture of Strength-Sharing

Imagine if every team had this kind of visibility from day one. Imagine if we normalised sharing our strengths, not just our CVs. What if we ditched the assumption that people will figure us out eventually, and just gave them the key?

Strength-based cultures start with self-awareness, but they come alive through communication. And communication doesn’t always mean performance reviews or org charts. Sometimes it means standing up and saying, “Here’s what lights me up. Here’s how I love to contribute. Come to me when…”

So whether you’re new in role or ten years into your journey, I encourage you to pause, reflect, and ask:

✨ What are my real strengths?

✨ What do I want people to know about how I work best?

✨ And how can I make that clearer to others?

It might be the most human - and helpful - thing you do this week.