Strengths? or Weaknesses?

The next step in coaching was really talking through some of my strengths. If you have not read "Now, Discover Your Strengths" by Buckingham and Clifton I would highly recommend this book. Not only does it help you learn about your own unique strengths but it will help you learn about those around you as well. This has been so beneficial to our team. It is wonderful to know o.k. this person is really strong in this area- this would be a great task for this person. Yes, sometimes it may be a weakness as well! We first looked at our strengths back in 2008 as an entire ministry staff. Since then, in several different staff days, we have looked at what these strengths bring to the team and how to utilize our strengths as a team.

Individually, I know that my themes are Woo, Input, Positivity, Context and Arranger (as discovered on the StrengthsFinder Profile). However, how can my talents become strengths and be utilized for success not only in my personal life but in my ministry as well.

With this in mind, my coach had me give a copy of all my themes to several people close to me in my work place as well as my husband. The idea was to have those close to me highlight any key words or phrases that stuck out to them in the descriptions of my themes. This is a difficult assignment as it opens up conversations about how those around you really see you. Not always easy to hear! But I did talk through my themes w/ four people close to me. It was definitely a win. A couple of people including my husband did let me know how they could see some of my strengths become weaknesses. This was good to hear!

The following is a synopsis of those statements that stood out to the four people close to me in each theme along with the feedback.

Woo
Highlights: meeting new people, strangers rarely intimidate, drawn to strangers and want to learn about them and finds some area of common interest, once a connection is made want to wrap it up and move on, there are no strangers, only friends that have not been met yet.

Comments: You love talking with anybody. You can talk to anyone. You capture them get to know them briefly and then are good to go. They fall in love with you. Woo is so your mentality. "Work" is anywhere! This works well with meeting new volunteers or 1x families and working with other staff and departments.

Input
Highlights: You collect information- words, facts, books. You collect it because it interests you. Your mind finds so many thing interesting. Like to add more information to your archives.Keep acquiring and compiling and filing stuff aways. It keeps your mind fresh. And perhaps one day some of it will prove valuable. Identify situations in which you can share the information you have collected with other people.

Comments: Love studying and reading. Love to read articles, books, attend conferences and go on Facebook. See this here at the office with ministry- collecting books, articles, just getting any and all info you can so that you can read it and have it. You know and read so much. You always want to be in the know of whats going on. Your shelves in your office are testament- tons of books.

Positivity
Highlights: Generous with praise, quick to smile, always on the lookout for the positive in the situation. lighthearted. People want to be around you. Rarely dragged down. Enthusiasm is contagious. Inject drama into every project. Conviction that it is good to be alive, that work can be fun, and no matter what the setbacks, one must never lose one's sense of humor.

Comments: See this in meetings. You are always smiling and live life like nothing is every wrong. Your positive attitude is contagious especially your smile. you are bubbly and uplifting of other's . People do love to be around you because of your outlook on life. Positivity always at work but not necessarily at home. Even if you do open up and share a difficult situation- you are smiling and fighting back tears- you seriously look happy crying.

Context
Highlights: Look back to understand the present. The present is unstable. The earlier time was simpler time. You make better decisions because you sense the underlying structure. You become a better partner because you understand how your colleagues came to be who they are. You must discipline yourself to ask the questions and allow the blueprints to emerge because no matter what the situation, if you haven't seen the blueprints, you will have less confidence in your decisions.

Comments: While in banking, earlier time was structured- could easily use Franklin Planner but now in ministry calendar is subject to change at any moment. Your first time through something, you lack confidence- this is gained with repetition. I can see this flowing into your input- they work well together. I have seen you want to know where, or the philosophy behind or wanting to know the history of program's/event's that we do. Need to know the "why" and not just the idea. You want to know back story.

Arranger
Highlights: Are a conductor. Enjoy managing all the variables, aligning and realigning until you are sure you have arranged them in the most productive configuration possible. Figure out the best way to get things done. Effective flexibility. Always looking for the perfect configuration. Mull over the right combination of people and resources to accomplish a new project. Jump into the confusion. Devise new options, hunt for new paths of least resistance. Figure out new partnerships.

Comments: Constantly rearranging and managing- see micromanaging at home. Effective flexibility when you have control or it makes sense. See this when building the structure of a program. I do see you always trying to figure out if the way something is done is the best way to do it.


(All statements from themes taken from the Clifton StrengthsFinder published by the Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ)

5.10.2010