CORE StrengthsFinder overview

What did you think about the assessment?

Don Clifton

“What will happen when we think about what is right with people rather than fixating on what is wrong with them?"

The most potential for growth and development lies in the areas where you have natural talent to start with. The more time you spend building on who you already are, the faster you will grow! Focus is on positivity and growth!

Strengths-Based Theory

Unpopular Reality:

Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak

“Despite the American myth, I cannot be or do whatever I desire .... There are some roles and relationships in which we thrive and others in which we wither and die.”

Some of these work, sometimes.

• training seminars
• one-on-one coaching
• mentoring
• evaluations and follow-ups

When employees aren't performing well, we try really hard to fix it.

ACTIVITY TIME!

ACTIVITY TIME!

ACTIVITY TIME!

ACTIVITY TIME!

Weakness-Fixing Approach

Some of these work, sometimes.

• training seminars
• one-on-one coaching
• mentoring
• evaluations and follow-ups

When we (or our employees) aren't performing well, we try really hard to fix it.

Weakness-Fixing Approach

someone is unhappy and frustrated

Weakness-Fixing Approach

Strengths Approach

Tom Rath

“You cannot be anything you want to be …but you can be a lot more of who you already are.”

DISCUSSION: Think about your professional experience. Why might a strengths-based approach be better than a weakness fixing approach (for you, for your team, and for your employer)?

• You have a group of natural talents within you.
• Your greatest talents hold the key to success, progress, and personal excellence.
• Becoming aware of your talents builds confidence and provides a basis for achievement.
• Learning how to develop and apply your strengths will allow you to duplicate success.
• Each of your talents can be applied in many areas including relationships, learning, academics, leadership, service, and careers.
• Recognizing, appreciating, and embracing the talents of others on your team leads to a more productive, positive, and energized work environment!
• There are 34 Strengths included in this assessment.

Things to Know:

Our focus today?

Talents: natural, recurring patterns of thoughts, feelings, or behaviors.

• The talents found in your results are things you do naturally
• Like breathing, you can’t not do them

Strengths: the ability to provide consistent, near perfect performance in a given activity

Talents vs. Strengths

Talents Can Become Strengths

(in yourself and others)

WHAT DO YOU DO BEST?

• Rapid Learning - picking up new skills quickly
• Flow - easy progress
• Glimpses of Excellence - greater success than expected
• Yearning - interest in doing more in a particular area
• Satisfaction - feeling of accomplishment/pride

Clues to Talent

Connect your most important work tasks/responsibilities to general characteristics of your personality or work style.

What You Do Best Activity

What do you notice? Consider characteristics that you marked multiple times - were you aware of these connections? Do these line up in any way with your Top 5 Strengths?

What You Do Best

1. In your Top 5 Report, page 3
2. Mark any words, phrases, or lines stand out to you
3. What would you like for others to see most in you (from this top strength)?
4. Share!

Reviewing Individual Strengths

The 4 Domains of Leadership Strength

The 4 Domains of Leadership Strength

The 4 Domains of Leadership Strength

The 4 Domains of Leadership Strength

• Individuals do not need to be good at everything!
• Teams should be well-rounded and diverse!
• The most cohesive and successful teams are made up of individuals with strengths in a variety of areas

The Power of Team Strengths

What do you notice about your team? What might this mean about how you work together? What might get in the way of your success as a team? How can you use this information to advance your team's success? What is missing and how can you compensate?

• Know your individual talents and practice them
• Know your team strengths and maximize them

Strength-Based Teams Reminders

1. List tasks related to your goal
2. Determine whose strengths would best fit each task (and discuss why).
3. Check in to determine if others can jump in to support.

Using Strengths to Approach Team Goals

Questions?

What have you learned about yourself today? What is one observation you have of your team? How might you use this information as you look to hire your next team member (or restructure your current team)?

Thoughts?