STRENGTHSFINDER 101: UTILIZING STRENGTHS TO

ENHANCE VETERINARY CARE

TARAN CARDONE

IDEATION * INTELLECTION * CONNECTEDNESS *MAXIMIZER * ACHIEVER

Primary Care Veterinary Educators’ Symposium

Overview

¨ Part I: Overview of a Strengths-Based Philosophyn Connect ideas to yourselfn Connect ideas to your educational practice

¨ Part II: Application of Strengths-Based Philosophy To Your Primary Care Practice

n Train the trainern Networking & community-building

Learning Outcomes

¨ Become familiar with a strengths-based philosophy¨ Identify personal strengths and connect those to your

life personally and professionally¨ Learn new techniques to apply within your primary

care practice to encourage strengths-based learning¨ Practice new techniques within this workshop¨ Network with colleagues and peers¨ Other hopes for this session?

Strengths Beginnings

¨ The Gallup Organization

¨ Don Clifton, Nebraska faculty turned CEO

¨ 250,000 interviews of high achieving individuals

Gallup’s Research on High Achievers

¨ Spend most of their time in areas of strength

¨ Have learned to delegate or partner with someone to tackle areas that are not strengths

¨ Apply their strengths to overcome obstacles

¨ Invent ways of capitalizing on their strengths in new situations

Gallup StrengthsFinder Statistics

A strengths orientation is

about a perspective, not

the tool.

Aspirations for Student Learning

Two basic premises:Individuals already have within themselves what

they need to succeed.

“Individuals gain more when they build on their talents, than when they make comparable efforts

to improve their areas of weakness.”Clifton & Harter, 2003, p. 112

What is a strengths perspective?

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

TimeOne

90

TimeTwo

150

TimeOne

350

Average Reader

Above Average Reader

TimeTwo

2,900

Copyright © 2006 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.

Greatness Comes from Building on Natural Talents

Writing Challenge

What is a Talent?

“A talent is a naturally reoccurring pattern of thought, feeling or behavior that can be

productively applied.”

What is a talent?

A talent theme is a group of similar talents

Achiever

Enjoying  hard  work

Having  internal  motivation

Desire  to  achieve

A  tendency  to  push  hard  to  complete  tasks

Finding  satisfaction  in  getting  things  done

Talents vs. Strengths

¨ Talent = A naturally recurring pattern of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied.

¨ Strength = The ability to provide consistent, near-perfect performance in a given activity.

Talent X = StrengthInvestment

Predisposition DevelopedRequires Effort

Talent x Investment = Strength &

Competence

Investment is a MULTIPLIER of talent!Investment includes time spent practicing, developing skills, & building knowledge

Competence & Strengths

What do you notice first?

Strengths perspective is counter-cultural

Current paradigm is deficit-based:

– Leaders spend most of their time working with the weakest performers and zeroing in on mistakes.

– We focus on students’ lower grades rather than on their highest.

Weakness fixing prevents failure – strengths building promotes success

Why THIS Matters

Strength Building

Take what’s right and build that area

Develop your way of approaching class/work/problem by utilizing your strengths

Manage weaknesses by:Partnering with othersDelegating to others

process information

experience others

view time and structure

accommodate change

communicate

Our strengths affect the way we:

So what?

What does this have to do with you?

What am I good at?

¨ Let’s Share

¤ Now, what are you really good at?

¤ What do you enjoy doing?

Four domains of strengths leadership

Executing RelationshipBuilding

Strategic Thinking Influencing

ConsistencyDeliberativeDiscipline

Executing

AchieverArrangerBelief

FocusResponsibilityRestorative

Knowing how to make things happen

Relationship Building

AdaptabilityDeveloper

ConnectednessEmpathyHarmonyIncluderIndividualizationPositivityRelator

The glue that holds the team together

Influencing

ActivatorCommand

CommunicationCompetitionMaximizerSelf-AssuranceSignificanceWoo

Reaching a broader audience

Strategic Thinking

AnalyticalContextFuturisticIdeation

Keeping us focused on what could be

InputIntellectionLearnerStrategic

Understanding Self

What Makes You Stand Out?

Understanding Others

Theme Dynamics

Law of Differences

Judging

Valuing TRUST

FEAR

Productivity

Passivity or Aggressiveness

Difference

Using Strengths To Examine Purpose

Based on your strengths, why did you choose this work?

Applying Strengths In Your Life

¨ Research & Practice¨ Networking & Employment¨ Personal Life

How can each of yourstrengths contribute tothese areas of your life?

Coffee Break

Reflection Question: What are you still curious about?

Session Two: Overview

¨ Small Group Practice with Team Talent Maps¨ Shadow Side of Strengths¨ Connecting Strengths to Student Competencies within

Primary Care Practice Work

Strengths in Relationship to Each Other

Primary Care Veterinarian

Students’ Strengths

Human Clients’ Strengths

Animal Clients’ Strengths

Primary Care Veterinarian Educators’ Strengths

Team Talent Map

¨ Top 5 talents of each group member¨ 4 Domains of Strengths Leadership¨ Top 5 talents of the group overall ¨ Various methods to create a team talent map¨ Use throughout points of the year

https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com

Team Talent Map Application

¨ Tell the group about yourself.¨ Share your strengths with the group.¨ Which domains are represented within the group?¨ What strengths are you missing? What domains are

missing?¨ Other observations?

Shadow Sides of Strengths

¨ Maxing out our innate talents¨ Strengths as “near perfect positive performance”¨ Identify where we “over-do it”¨ See the positive aspects where we can pivot¨ Negative application à positive and productive

application

“It’s nearly impossible for someone to ‘tone down’ their top talent themes.” – Dr. Brian Brim

Building Blocks for Strengths

Talent Theme

Acceptance – Talents Connected to Your Theme1.2.34.

Application – Ideas for Development1.2.

Accentuation – Ideas for Recognition1.2.

Source: Gallup Mentoring & Advising Workbook

Building Blocks for Strengths

Ideation

Acceptance – Talents Connected to Your Theme1. Enjoys the brainstorming process2. Likes connecting disparate things across different contexts3. Always contributes an enthusiasm for innovation4. Easily entertained by the world

Application – Ideas for Development1. Prioritize ideas that should be completed first2. Communicate when an idea is just an idea

Accentuation – Ideas for Recognition1. Show this person useful tools to collect their ideas2. Give this person a creative project

Critical Competencies

¨ Feedback – How might this strength interpret feedback?

¨ Resilience – What barriers and vantage points does this strength have for resilience?

¨ Care & Technique – How might this strength approach care and technique?

¨ Customer Service & Business –How might this strength approach customer service and business?

Ideation

Acceptance – Talents Connected to Your Theme1. Enjoys the brainstorming process2. Likes connecting disparate things across different contexts3. Always contributes an enthusiasm for innovation4. Easily entertained by the world

Application – Ideas for Development1. Prioritize ideas that should be completed first2. Communicate when an idea is just an idea

Accentuation – Ideas for Recognition1. Show this person useful tools to collect their ideas2. Give this person a creative project

Large Group Takeaways

E-mail your Top 5 report to a family member, friend, and to a colleague

Create a plan to develop one of your talents

Insight report challenge – compare your strengths with those you work with

Check out the StrengthsQuest Resource Center:

http://www.strengthsquest.com/home.aspx

Next Steps

Taran Cardone

Director of Strengths-Based Learning & Program Director for the Thrive Living-Learning Communitytcardone@vt.edu; 540-231-1842Ideation / Intellection / Connectedness / Maximizer / Achiever

Pritchard Hall Living Learning Center, Office L3C

Thank You!