consistently superior, Nora admitted that she would often disregard her successes and second-guess her abilities.

As we began to identify the various steps she felt she needed to take to achieve her longer-term goal, Nora (quite by accident) identified one trait that made her stand apart from her colleagues. And while she didn't see this as being particularly unique or special, it was clear that Nora had a talent for figuring out the best possible win-win solution for keeping corporate clients happy while maintaining her company's bottom line. Nora's problem solving ability meant continued positive rapport with clients, which was ultimately good for business.

As Nora and I began to explore the occasions when she would use this gift, it became clear that she had completely downplayed her talent. She had diminished this innate ability by convincing herself that others in the law firm could also do the same. "I just assumed that everyone would have thought of the same resolution," she said.

After we deconstructed several of the situations in which Nora found herself offering strategic solutions, she began to recall the positive feedback from partners and colleagues. While she tended to disregard their praise, Nora began to think that perhaps others did not have this problem-solving ability. For the first time in her life, Nora decided to think about this ability as something that was special to her. We discussed how she could test this newly recognized gift by sharing it more often. Hearing her colleagues' positive comments and having senior partners acknowledge her valuable contribution helped Nora validate that this indeed was something that she brought to the group. Nora became more visible among the managing partners, and others increasingly looked to her for help. Seeing this talent as a gift and sharing it often essentially helped Nora highlight her value to the firm and was another step toward her goal of making senior partner.