I'm Bulking Up

I have asked my team at work to read a book, Now Discover Your Strengths (which you will notice in my What I am Reading Now list of my sidebar). The book proposes that we acheive the greatest potential and can succeed the most if we nurture our natural talents rather than focus on improving our weaknesses.

I am also reading it and this past weekend I took the online assessment provided by purchasing the book. This assessment, known as the Strengths Finder, helps you identify your 5 greatest talent themes, which if nurtured, will provide the greatest opportunity for success - because they are the areas you are naturally, intrinsically good at.

Well, I have to say that this book and the assessment are both very interesting! If you are interested in personal development, I highly recommend it. So, after taking the assessment (which is arranged through the Gallup organization - lahdidah), I was told my greatest themes, in order, are:

Communication: People strong in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.

Harmony: People strong in the Harmony theme look for consensus. They don't enjoy conflict; rather, they seek areas of agreement.

Consistency: People strong in the Consistency theme are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same. They try to treat everyone in the world with consistency by setting up clear rules and adhering to them.

Adaptability: People strong in the Adaptability theme prefer to "go with the flow." They tend to be "now" people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.

Positivity: People strong in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.

There are 34 themes they account for and these are my five. Not bad, eh? But all 34 are really cool sounding things. So now, I get to spend some time figuring out if I am utilizing these themes in my work, and if not, figure out how I can.