Do you have any killer skills? “What are killer skills?” you may ask. Killer skills can be some of your best abilities; they could be skills that others-including your boss-ask you to use frequently. Killer skills are those abilities that you may perform well or competently but hate using. You can feel the energy draining out of you whenever you have to use them. They, therefore, “kill” your energy and enthusiasm for work (and life) and increase your stress level.
You can identify any potential “killer skills” by viewing your “transferable skill matrix” and identifying skills that are in the two disliked categories (“I Dislike Using These Skills” and “I Greatly Dislike Using These Skills”). Here is an example from a user’s matrix highlighting the skills Ben greatly dislikes using in his job as a nurse. He used “killer skills” daily to evaluate and provide medical care to his patients. Fortunately, Ben completed the Career Fit Test and used the Career Mastery Program to move into work he loves as a high school teacher, where he uses his top skills.
Here is another example. Beth was a labor relations attorney who excelled in her job. She received lots of positive feedback from her clients and other attorneys. Every day, however, she dreaded going to work because it meant putting herself into situations that involved rancorous, high-stakes bargaining. Beth completed the Career Fit Test and found that while she had a high skill level for the skills of “Negotiate” and “Influence/Persuade/Convince“, these were also skills that she placed in the “I Greatly Dislike Using These Skills” category. Beth saw that these were “Killer Skills” that she was applauded for using but were killing her emotionally and impacting her health.
In the same way, a web designer who dislikes programming “Write/fix computer programs,” teachers who don’t enjoy teaching “Teach/Train,” and salespeople who would instead do almost anything other than sell “Sell/Promote” are all examples of people in jobs that require spending a majority of their time using killer skills.
Suppose you use your killer skills a good percentage of your work time. In that case, you most likely have already experienced adverse effects on your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. You may only see minor stress-related symptoms such as headaches, stomach distress, or irritability. Still, if you don’t do something to reduce the amount of time you spend using your killer skills, your symptoms will probably get worse.
One study found that the number one time that people have heart attacks in our country is Monday at 9 am. Another study found that the most significant predictor of longevity is work satisfaction. Could it be that killer skills are responsible for many of the health issues people experience when they are in work that they dislike?
Thankfully, the flip side is also true: using skills you enjoy adds energy, positivity, and a sense of meaning to your life. Your “motivated skills” are ones that God has “wired” into you to enjoy using. Often, people lose track of time when using their motivated skills; they feel like they are in the “zone” or “flow,” fully engaged in what they are doing.
Can you find work that uses your motivated skills 100% of the time? Probably not, as work that fits you well may involve using a few killer skills. Your goal, however, should be to use killer skills for no more than 10-20% of your job, leaving 80-90% of your work time for using motivated skills that energize you and satisfy you!
Adapted from Live Your Calling (2005) by Kevin and Kay Marie Brennfleck. Used by permission of Jossey-Bass, a Wiley imprint.