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Making the Most of Your

Strengths

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 ihy Do Self-
Self-Assessment?
Powerful personal development tool
when used correctly
Reflection and self-
self-knowledge are
cornerstones of leadership development
Others are assessing you anyway!!

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 ihy Use This Particular
Assessment?
Assessment is scientifically sound
Good ideas to accompany the assessment
Focuses on the positive
Is quick and inexpensive

h
 Underlying Assumptions
Building from strengths is more efficient
and effective than working on weaknesses
Understanding your strengths can help
you find ³good fits´ in your life
Your strengths shed light on who you are
Understanding your strengths can help
you become a better leader

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 A Crucial Difference
Skills: thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that you
can learn and / or do

Skills are fairly easily acquired

Skills quickly degrade without frequent
reinforcement

Talents: any recurring pattern of thought,

feeling, or behavior that can be productively
applied

Talents are unique and enduring

Talents are your ³T1 lines´; spontaneous, top-
top-of-
of-
ß
mind reactions to situations
 A Quick Note
CONSISTENCY = FAIRNESS in book

INCLUDER = INCLUSIVENESS in
book


Exercise: Making Sense of Themes

1. irite down your top five themes (or

have your test output handy)
2. ID one of the themes that resonated
with you
3. Put the theme into your own words by
thinking of an example of when you
used the theme


 Your Signature Themes
StrengthsFinder Signature Themes:: these
are your five most dominant themes of
talent

In these areas, you have the greatest
potential for a strength.

Focusing on these themes is an efficient way
and effective to build from your strengths

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About Your Signature Themes
Represent top five areas for potential
strengths
Rank ordered from 1st to 5th in
dominance
Signature themes show consistency in
repeated tests and over time
Absence of theme does not necessairly
constitute weakness
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Exploring a Relevant Theme
Example of signature themes
1. Strategic
2. Learner
3. Futuristic
4. Achiever
5. Maximizer
Need to clearly understand the theme
Look for larger patterns
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Findings from Top Achievers
Top achievers build their lives around
talents & develop talents into strengths
Top achievers are highly aware of ³fit´ in
their life (they use strengths in roles that
best suit them)
Top achievers figure out creative ways to
use strengths when doing ³grunt work´

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 Using Your Themes
Read applicable book sections (p.83-
(p.83-116)
Highlight insightful and pertinent ideas
Look for talents underlying themes
Discern broad patterns in themes
Encourage others to take the
StrengthsFinder
Check for congruency and fit
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 Using Themes to Assess Fit
ihat do your themes tell you about your
choice of academic major?
Choice of university?
ihat about choice of profession?
And your leadership style?

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 Leadership Implications
Understand what Signature Themes say
about you
Self--knowledge is cornerstone of effective
Self
leadership
Actively reflect on themes and talents
Use talents and strengths to enhance your
leadership capacity

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 Leadership Implications
Understand what Signature Themes say
about others
People are unique
Effective leadership requires
individualization
Use book p. 117-
117-210 for insights on
leading others according to themes

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 Exercise: Your Greatest Hits
Think about your greatest successes and
triumphs. Briefly write down the answers to
the following three questions:
1. ihat has been your most successful
experience in an employment, service, or
volunteer work setting?
2. ihat has been your most successful
experience in an academic, learning, or
athletic setting?
3. ihat has been your greatest success in an
interpersonal relationship, leadership role,
club, team, or organization? |
 Putting it all Together
ihat are the patterns between your
greatest successes and your themes?
Do your themes shed light on fit²
fit²or lack
of fit²
fit²in your life?
How can your themes inform your
development?

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 StrengthsFinder Lessons
Know your strengths and organize your
life to best leverage them
Remember that the list is only top 5
Continually assess fit in your life
People bring different strengths to the
table

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