DISCOVERING & PUTTING OUR STRENGTHS TO WORK Modified from a Presentation of the Division of Student Affairs Northern Illinois University Critical CAPM Study Topic Part 1 and

Mission Strategy Goals Projects Roles: What, Who, How

Conventional wisdom… says we learn from our mistakes. The strength movement says that all we learn from mistakes are the characteristics of mistakes. If we want to learn about our successes, we must study success.

Gallup and the Study of Strengths The Gallup Organization ◦ Founded in 1969 ◦ Studies focused on “the best of the best” ◦ 500+ Colleges and Universities have implemented Strengths-based education ◦ Strengthsfinder has been used with over 10 million people in 17 languages ◦ Facebook and other companies require team members/employees to have been evaluated and they customize their employee development plans accordingly.

What is a strength? Consistent, excellent performance in an activity Strength = Natural Talent + Experience

What makes you unique…? The combination and the order of the 34 talent themes measured by StrengthsFinder lead to more than 33,700,000 possible unique sets of Signature Themes Among the first 800,000 people who took Strengthsfinder, less than 20 people had the same top five themes, without considering the order of the themes

Strengths Connect with Four Key Motivational Drives, or Themes THINKING RELATING IMPACTING STRIVING

STRENGTHSFINDER THEMES Achiever Activator Adaptability Analytical Arranger Belief Command Communication Competition Connectedness Context Deliberative Developer Discipline Empathy Fairness Focus Futuristic Harmony Ideation Inclusiveness Individualization Input Intellection Learner Maximizer Positivity Relator Responsibility Restorative Self-Assurance Significance Strategic Woo

Relating Themes Communication Empathy Harmony Includer Individualization Relator Responsibility

Impacting Themes Command Competition Developer Maximizer Positivity Woo

Striving Themes Achiever Self Assurance Significance Activator Belief Discipline Focus Restorative

Thinking Themes Analytical Arranger Connectedness Consistency Context Deliberative Futuristic Ideation Input Intellection Learner Strategic

Strengths are tools… Your tool bag is full, but you have to get a good handle on the tools you have Trying to work on a project with the wrong tools is frustrating Find projects that your tools fit Find people who have tools you don’t have to collaborate with

But What About My Weaknesses? The beauty of the strengths approach is that by developing your strengths, you have a new approach for managing your weaknesses Apply your strengths to challenging tasks or areas in need of improvement Partner with others who have strengths outside of your own natural themes

Those who fulfill their own, unique best purpose… Spend most of their time in their areas of strength Focus on developing and applying their strengths as they manage their weaknesses Know the strengths of people around them Empower the people around them to use their strengths