Strengths are talents with development. Over the course of my last two years I have learned about Strengths and learned to utilize knowledge of my strengths and the strengths of others to become a better leader in many roles. The following are my strengths as evaluated by Strengths Quest, an inventory by Gallup that has allowed me to really articulate where my talents are. Through development I have learned about my talents and have come up with ways in which I can develop my talents into strengths.
My Top 5 Strengths
WOO
People who are especially talented in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.
My interpretation of this talent is that I love and are really great at networking. This is my number one strength because it is probably the deepest part of who I am, especially to others. I am great at making connections between people, I get my energy from those connections. To continue to develop this strength I will make sure that in my next job I have the opportunity to meet new people often and can connect people. This is a strength that I utilize in my life of work as a student affairs professional, whether I am in my office or sitting on a committee I am constantly making connections because I always build rapport with many people.
INDIVIDUALIZATION
People who are especially talented in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.
I believe that this talent very much interacts with my Woo talent but also my view on Leadership. I love the unique things about people and like to get to know lots of people on a personal level. I figure out what makes them tick, what their communication style is and what motivates them and help them to find pride in those things. Because I believe that in every group and situation there is a place for the unique talents of people. If people really know who they are and what they are good at, they can be more successful in leadership and are more happy and productive. I will continue to develop this strength in a leadership capacity by learning more ways to work it into advising and supervising. Ever sense I have discovered this talent that I have, I have felt like there is less pressure to find a universal supervising method that works for me, because supervising has nothing to do with me and everything to do with empowering others to do their best work through discovery of their talents. As a supervisor I can help them to develop talents into strengths.
LEARNER
People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
This is a great strength of mine, it is the reason that I love doing research! It is probably also the reason that I wanted to do a blog for this portfolio. I like to engage in the learning process and use my knowledge to improve myself as a professional student, student professional. It is important for me to learn new things to stay current in the profession. I will continue to develop this strength by creating places for me to learn, like this blog. Also creating times in my week as I embark on a professional role to learn. I will also continue to learn about students individually. I will do lots more research and because I am a Woo I will probably spread my new knowledge around. :)
IDEATION
People who are especially talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.
Ideation is a talent that I always knew that I had. I have always been creative and love to come up with big ideas. I love new ideas, I am at my best when I can be creative and innovative. This is a strength that for me needs little explanation and is easy for me to develop. Wherever I go next, in my career and through my leadership journey, I will find new ideas and come up with new ways of doing and thinking about things making a contribution of creativity and fresh ideas to my department.
ACTIVATOR
People who are especially talented in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.
This is my strength that I am really proud of but requires a lot of thought and development. I can always make things happen, I take risks and can summarize and turn thoughts into action when it is needed the most. This also means that I don't always think things through, without a verbal sounding board before I take action I make a lot of mistakes. Through exploration I have learned that I really need someone around that can balance this trait out. Someone that I can talk my actions through with before I get carried away. Another thing I've learned through exploration is that I can use this talent to finish things that I start. If I make little deadlines along the way for big projects then I can use my talent to spring myself into action to complete the next stage on the way to the finish line.
Below you can comment and post your own strengths, ask for advice on how to use your strengths best and post any resources about discovering your strengths.
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