I have been on a interesting and challenging journey this year and thought that I would share this experience with you. It all started in Banff, Canada, on a retreat to get away from the busy-ness of life and focus on how and where I could best utilize my skills. I reflected on the thought that many of my conversations with my boss focused on areas where I needed improvement not on areas that came natural to me and that I really enjoyed. The discussions were like having someone tell you that because you are right handed, you need to improve your left handed-ness. I came to realize that my weaknesses are areas that need improving mainly because I just don't like doing those things. I thought, why not focus on developing my strengths and doing the things I like to do? So this is what I am doing!
We all have gifts and talents that need to be utilized, so I began to focus on my strengths.
When I look at my strengths, I am encouraged with the possibilities. This is where team building becomes essential to the whole. Teams of complementary skills are by far more effective than teams of similar strengths, especially in today's workforce. Aligning teams of individuals with complementary strengths untaps a whole new potential when building high performance teams. It's all about the power of the right fit. Strengths are the ability to provide consistent and near-perfect performance in a given area and guess what...building high performance teams is one of my strengths. I also answered the question of how to empower my workforce by building teams where everyone could utilize their strengths and feel positive about their contribution.
So after purchasing "Living your Strengths" by Winseman, Clifton, and Liesveld, I quickly went on-line to take the Clifton Strengths Assessment test to find out where I needed to focus my efforts.
After a 30 minute on-line test, these are my results:
I am a Achiever, Learner, Arranger, Maximizer, and Responsible which are listed in order of their significance. I guess these strengths complement my desire to find a position with a growing company that offers challenge, innovation, and teamwork in a collaborative customer centered environment.
As an Achiever, I derive satisfaction from my accomplishments, have a great deal of determination to achieve my goals, and push for higher levels of excellence.
As a Learner, I am drawn to the process of learning and have a strong desire to learn, improve, and master new skills. I found out that learning builds my confidence and allows me to learn new things in a very short time frame.
As an Arranger, when faced with complex situations involving many factors, I enjoy managing all of the variables, aligning and realigning them until I have arranged them in the most productive configuration possible. This also means that I am highly flexible and organized. I can multi-task and accomplish an enormous amount of work in a short period of time. It also provides me with a vision to see in multiple dimensions and question to the void.
As a Maximizer, excellence is my measure. Transforming businesses and organizations from meeting goals to consistently exceeding goals, customer, and stakeholder expectations is my norm. This strength also allows me to see the potential of other peoples talents and how they fit into an organization for the mutual benefit of the whole. No more focusing on improving weaknesses but constantly focusing on building teams of complementary strengths so that everyone in the organizations feels they are contributing to achieving the goal.
As Responsible, I deliver what I promise.
Discovering and living your strengths is a vantage point that I encourage you to consider. Focus on your strengths and enjoy who you are, what you have to contribute, and how you are wired.
Be your authentic you!
