From Talents to Strengths

Important Assumptions

• Each person’s strengths are enduring and unique

Important Assumptions

• Each person’s greatest room for growth is the areas of his or her greatest strength

Talent

• Naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling, or behavior.

Talent Theme

• What StrengthsFinder measures (…)

Knowledge

• Facts and lessons learned

Skills

• The steps of an activity

Knowledge + Skills + Talent

Discussion

Your Talents

• Reflecting on one or more areas of talent, consider a time in recent memory when you have really used one of these themes in a work or personal situation.

Building on Themes

• Now, consider what you may need to do to move from a talent theme toward "consistent, near perfect performance" (a strength). This would likely be an application of knowledge, skills, or practice in combination with your talent.

Putting it into Action

• What are the opportunities to use your themes and talents each day?

What about Weaknesses?

Weakness:

5 Strategies

1. Get a Little Better at It.

2. Design a Support System.

3. Use a Strong Theme to Overwhelm Your Weakness.

4. Find a Partner.

5. Just Stop Doing It.

Individualization

What Can We Do with Individualization?

Develop Teams that Work

Draw out the Best

Team Members Strong in Individualization

• Claudia Montoya (1)
• Sarah Marschall (2)
• Pete Marschall (3)
• Sarah Boxx (6)

Supporting "Individualizers"

• Help to select new staff
• Assist in figuring out the right roles within the organization
• Help to design performance programs
• Understanding perspectives of others at organization or team
• Teaching or mentoring (with a focus on how people learn differently)

From Talent to Strength

• Use your talents to help create partnerships, teams and groups that complement each other

From Talent to Strength

• Become an expert at describing your own strengths and style. Answer questions like, how do you learn best? What is the best praise you ever recieved?
• Then, ask thse questions of your colleagues and friends. Help them design a future based on what they do best.

From Talent to Strength

• Study successful people to discover the uniqueness that made them successful.
• Make your colleagues aware of each person's unique strengths and motivations.

Learner

What Can We Do with "Learners"?

Taking In New Facts

Practicing New Skills

Team Members Strong as "Learners"

• Sarah Boxx (1)
• Crystal Duarte (1)
• Kelly Marschall (2)
• Claudia Montoya (2)
• Sarah Yeats Patrick (4)
• Marika Baren (4)

Supporting "Learners"

• Position them in roles that require they stay current in changing fields
• Provide many opportunties to learn
• Help track progress and milestones achieved, and celebrate
• Encourge them to become 'resident experts' in particular fields

Supporting "Learners"

• Have this person work alongside a master or expert that will push him or her to learn more
• Ask him or her to conduct internal discussion groups or presentations (teaching is learning)
• Help him or her secure financial support to continue education

From Talent to Strength

• Understand and refine how you learn.
• Designate yourself as an early adopter for new technology or systems.

From Talent to Strength

• Honor your need to learn. Sign up for courses through work or your community.
• Be a catalyst for change. Others may struggle with change (new rules, skills, circumstances). Your willingness to soak up newness helps others to engage.

Intellection

What Can We Do with "Intellection"?

Solve Problems

New Ideas

Team Members Strong in Intellection

• Pete Marschall (1)
• Sarah Boxx (2)
• Andrew Park (4)
• Lisa Watson (6)

Supporting "Intellection"

• Thinking energizes this person; ask her to think a problem through and then provide a perfect explanation
• Don't be afraid to challenge thinking as part of dialogue
• Provide time for thinking
• Ask them to read and report

Supporting "Intellection"

• Have detailed discussion regarding strengths
• Give the opportunity to present thinking; this will help to refine and calify
• Pair with activator when needed to help move the thoughts and ideas to actions

From Talent to Strength

• Set aside a few minuntes every day to collect your thoughts.
• Take time to consider big projects before they begin. Your insights will help to anticipate problems.
• Identify peers for intellectual discussion.

From Talent to Strength

• Take time to write your thoughts and ideas.
• Explain to others why you need time for itnrospection.

Responsibility

Getting Things Done!

Follow Through to Completion

Team Members Strong in Responsibility

• Marika Baren (1)
• Crystal Duarte (2)
• Sarah YP (6)

Supporting "Responsibility"

• Needs to work with people that follow through on committments
• Defines herself by quality of work; can't be rushed if it impacts quality
• Talk about quality of work first
• Self starter who requires little supervision

From Talent to Strength

• .
• .

Supporting "Responsibility"

• Put in positions that require unimpeachable ethics
• Ask about what new responsibilities she would like to assume; give opportunities to volunteer
• Protect her from taking on too much, especially if 'discipline' isn't a top theme
• Prefers to do a job him or herself than be responsible for someone else's work

Harmony

Team Members Strong in Harmony

• Sarah Yeats-Patrick (1)
• Andrew Park (3)
• Crystal Duarte (3)

What Can We Do with "Harmony"?

Find Areas of Agreement

From Talent to Strength

• When working with others, stress the value of reaching consensus. Build a network of people with differing perspectives on whom you can rely when you need expertise. Your openness to other viewpoints will help you learn.

From Talent to Strength

• Accept the responsibilities of being a good team member. Your willingness to adjust and your tolerance for differing views can become significant strengths.

From Talent to Strength

• When people argue, ask others in the group to share their thoughts. By increasing the number of voices in the conversation, you are more likely to find areas where all parties can agree. You can draw people together. •

From Talent to Strength

• Polish your talents by taking a conflict-resolution course in an area such as nonverbal communication. The skills and knowledge you gain will combine with your talents to give you strength in handling conflicts.. •

Hold Conflict to a Minimum

Supporting "Harmony"

• As much as possible steer them from conflict.
• Self starter who requires little supervision
• Surround with others strong in harmony.
• Don't debate. Isntead keep discussions focused on practical matters.

Supporting "Harmony"

• Don't expect disagreement even when you are a wrong. For the sake of harmony he may nod despite judging your idea a poor one.
• Self starter who requires little supervision
• Sometimes when others are locked in disagreement she can unlock them, helping to find common ground.
• Help him find authoritative backup for actions he takes or when he needs to take a stand.

Analytical

Team Members Strong in "Analytical"

• Sarah YP (3)
• Andrew Park (5)
• Sarah Marschall (5)
• Marika Baren (6)

What Can We Do with "Analytical"?

Uncover Patterns and Connections

Strengthen Logic and Rigor

From Talent to Strength

• Take the time to identify credible sources you can rely on. Determine the most helpful books, websites, or other sources that can serve as references.

From Talent to Strength

• Choose assignments or work in which you are able to analyze data, find patterns, or organize ideas.

From Talent to Strength

• When you are working with a group to plan a new initiative or project, be involved in the early stages. You will be able to assess the feasibility and direction of the plan before it gets too far into the process.

From Talent to Strength

• Develop your analytical skills by sharing ideas with outstanding analysts who specialize in your area.

From Talent to Strength

• Accept that at times you will need to move before all the facts are in place.

Supporting "Analytical"

• Whenever this person is involved with an important decision take time to think through the issues with her. She will want to know all of the factors.

Supporting "Analytical"

• If you are explaining a decision that has already been made, always remember to lay out the logic of the decision very clearly. This is needed for her to commit to the decision.

Supporting "Analytical"

• Because accuracy is important, getting a task done correctly may be more important that meeting ad deadline. As a deadline draws near, check in to ensure that she has the necessary time to do it right.
• .

Supporting "Analytical"

• Give opportunities to discover patterns and explain them.
• You may not always agree, but take her point of view seriously; points have probably been thought out carefully.

Supporting "Analytical"

• Praise and recognize the person's reasoning ability.
• When defending a decision or principle, show supporting numbers. Remember these should be exact / well-researched.

Where We've Been

• Discovering our Individual Strengths
• Creating Awareness of our Team Strengths
• From Talents to Strengths

Proposed Next Steps

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