Strengths Finder
I recently finished reading a book called Now, Discover Your Strengths. It's all about patterns that were found based on Gallup polls that they have been using for several decades. As with my previous post, its key message is that we can excel by focusing on our strengths instead of our weaknesses. It then takes that message one step further and relates it to our approach as business managers (or spiritual mentors, or teachers, etc.).
34 Strengths Finder Themes
There is an official online quiz but you have to buy the book to get access and even then, it's one-time access with only limited results. You have to pay a few hundred dollars for the full test. The simpler approach is to look through the descriptions of these 34 "themes." Based on that, I did my own analysis to figure out where my top strengths lie. I've listed my top five themes below, ordered alphabetically with exerpts from the descriptions on that web page.
Belief
"If you possess a strong Belief theme, you have certain core values that are enduring. Your friends call you dependable. Your Belief makes you easy to trust."
Obviously my faith in God is central to my life. Beyond that, though, I tend to have a lot of clear-cut ideas about family, mentoring and my chosen career as a software developer. These principles are things that I strongly hold to be true and I consciously live by them.
Command
"Command leads you to take charge. Unlike some people, you feel no discomfort with imposing your views on others. You are not frightened by confrontation; rather, you know that
confrontation is the first step toward resolution."
Back during my teenage years, I realized that this trait could very easily dominate almost any group situation. If there was some slight hesitation or if I thought that I had a better idea, I would immediately step up and lead the group. It works like a charm in my chosen career and as a worship leader.
My discomfort lay in the fact that this conflicts with the "Developer" theme below. If I become the focus and I am too controlling then others do not get the chance to grow and to speak up. So since that time, I have consciously chosen to hold the reins on my mouth at certain times so that I don't step all over everybody. Sometimes it looks like I'm way too quiet within a group setting but this may be intentional as I allow others space to contribute.
Deliberative
"You are careful. You are vigilant. You are a private person. You know that the world is an unpredictable place. Everything may seem in order, but beneath the surface you sense the
many risks. Rather than denying these risks, you draw each one out into the open."
I equate this to the "turtle" personality type that we used at AV-Base during my time there. I excelled at analyzing and breaking down all of the potential questions and problems with our ideas. Preparation was always important. The downside is that this can lead to doubt and delays, so this needs to be paired with someone who is a visionary full of new ideas.
Developer
"You see the potential in others. Very often, in fact, potential is all you see. In your view no individual is fully formed. On the contrary, each individual is a work in progress, alive with possibilities. And you are drawn toward people for this very reason."
So true. So very true. This perspective is key for me in the areas of discipleship and mentoring. Everyone has gifts and talents and God has a plan for each of us. I just want to help people acheive those goals and dreams.
I like to think that I can give an objective assessment about most things in life. For example, maybe someone has a bad singing voice. Sure, I can easily recognize that fact. More importantly, though, I will also note that they have a desire to sing, that they have a love for worship and that God loves a cheerful noise. I want to encourage that passion, not crush it because it's a little messy.
Intellection
"You like to think. You like mental activity. You like exercising the "muscles" of your
brain, stretching them in multiple directions. You are the kind of person who enjoys your time alone because it is your time for musing and reflection. You are introspective."
Heh. Yep, I'm thinking all the time about everything. That's part of the reason that I write my blog. Sometimes, I even practice conversations ahead of time as part of this process. I like to think about God, about my life, about some challenging science problem, about philosophy...I enjoy reading a tough book for much the same reason. As some of my friends can attest, I always have a list of things in my head that I have been thinking about in the past week.
I'm very curious to hear what the "Top Five Themes" are for other people. If you have time, go through that web page and scan the descriptions for the ones that stand out to you. I would love to hear some feedback on this.
4 comments:
Here are the 5 that ring true for me. There wasn't any other theme I could say truly applied to me other than this 5. I guess despite how I seem on the surface, I'm pretty uptight and serious.
1.Achiever
Your Achiever theme helps explain your drive. Achiever describes a constant need for achievement. You feel as if every day starts at zero. By the end of the day you must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about yourself. And by "every day" you mean every single day -- workdays, weekends, vacations.
2.Responsibility
Your Responsibility theme forces you to take psychological ownership for anything you commit to, and whether large or small, you feel emotionally bound to follow it through to completion.
3. Discipline
Your world needs to be predictable. It needs to be ordered and planned. So you instinctively impose structure on your world. You set up routines. You focus on timelines and deadlines. You break long-term projects into a series of specific short-term plans, and you work through each plan diligently.
4. Activator
"When can we start?" This is a recurring question in your life. You are impatient for action. You may concede that analysis has its uses or that debate and discussion can occasionally yield some valuable insights, but deep down you know that only action is real. Only action can make things happen.
5. Focus
"Where am I headed?" you ask yourself. You ask this question every day. Guided by this theme of Focus, you need a clear destination. Lacking one, your life and your work can quickly become frustrating. And so each year, each month, and even each week you set goals. These goals then serve as your compass, helping you determine priorities and make the necessary corrections to get back on course. Your Focus is powerful because it forces you to filter; you instinctively evaluate whether or not a particular action will help you move toward your goal.
These are the themes that seemed to jump out at me.
Am I the only one who has a really hard time pointing out my own strengths? I could tell you 5 areas of my life that need improvement no problem, but this was surprisingly difficult for me. Perhaps that's part of the idea behind the list...to cause a persom to intentionally only look at the positive aspects of themselves...In any case, here they are:
1. Belief
...your Belief theme causes you to be family-oriented, altruistic, even spiritual, and to value responsibility and high ethics -- both in yourself and others. These core values affect your behavior in many ways. Your Belief makes you easy to trust. It also demands that you find work that meshes with your values. Your work must be meaningful;
2. Connectedness
Things happen for a reason. You are sure of it. You are sure of it because in your soul you know that we are all connected. Yes, we are individuals, responsible for our own judgments and in possession of our own free will, but nonetheless we are part of something larger. You are considerate, caring, and accepting. Certain of the unity of humankind, you are a bridge builder for people of different cultures. Sensitive to the invisible hand, you can give others comfort that there is a purpose beyond our humdrum lives. The exact articles of your faith will depend on your upbringing and your culture, but your faith is strong. It sustains you and your close friends in the face of life's mysteries.
3. Developer
You see the potential in others. Very often, in fact, potential is all you see. In your view no individual is fully formed. On the contrary, each individual is a work in progress, alive with possibilities. And you are drawn toward people for this very reason. When you interact with others, your goal is to help them experience success. You look for ways to challenge them. You devise interesting experiences that can stretch them and help them grow.
4.Empathy
You can sense the emotions of those around you. You can feel what they are feeling as though their feelings are your own. Intuitively, you are able to see the world through their eyes and share their perspective. You do not necessarily condone the choices each person makes, but you do understand.
5. Includer
"Stretch the circle wider." This is the philosophy around which you orient your life. You want to include people and make them feel part of the group. You hate the sight of someone on the outside looking in. We are all equally important. Thus, no one should be ignored. Each of us should be included. It is the least we all deserve.
That's it? No one else wants to take the time to respond?
Lori, your themes make you quite the human dynamo, eh? Heh. Seriously, though, I don't think that these strengths preclude your sense of humour. They're not descriptions of personality types, really, they're just your motivations and strengths. You can probably devote yourself equally well to your work and to your personal time.
Ashleigh, I like how you pointed out that we have such a tough time identifying our strengths. We're so trained to look at our weakenesses instead.
I know, just two responses wow! lol. Agreed re: just stengths and not personality - true dat!
Post a Comment