Here’s an exercise I like to share with my clients: Take a blank piece of paper, draw a line right down the center. Jot your signature as many times as possible with your dominant hand for 15 seconds on one side of the paper. After that, do the same thing (only this time with your non-dominant hand) on the opposite side of the paper.

Unless you are among the 1 percent of the population that is truly ambidextrous, the two sides of the paper should look vastly different, with one side legible and the other side resembling a four year-old’s henpecking.

I use this exercise to demonstrate the power of identifying and honing our natural strengths and talents. Just as (almost) all of us struggle writing with the non-dominant hand, so will we struggle if we are in a job or organizational culture that requires us to apply primarilyour weaknesses, and doesn’t allow our strengths to shine or be refined.

That’s not to say we shouldn’t try to improve upon our weaknesses, but we have more opportunity for improvement when we build upon our innate talents. And, in most cases, these areas are also our areas of interest. So, not only will we have the most potential for rapid growth and improvement if we focus and play upon these talents, but we will also be more engaged in these areas—as, chances are, we are naturally drawn toward them.

Don’t expect to become a true Southpaw, ever, if you’ve written with your right hand since pre-K. Or vice versa. Doesn’t mean you can’t try to “perfect with the left,” but it’s more productive if you grow upon the beautiful signature you already have on the right.