strengthsfinder report.PDF

StrengthsFinder 2.0 Report

© 2000, 2006-2008 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

Don Nieman

Your Top 5 Themes

StrategicSignificanceIdeationCommunicationAdaptability

What's in This Guide?

Section I: Awareness

A brief Shared Theme Description for each of your top five themes

Your Personalized Strengths Insights, which describe what makes you stand out fromothers with the same theme in their top five

Questions for you to answer to increase your awareness of your talentsSection II: Application

10 Ideas for Action for each of your top five themes

Questions for you to answer to help you apply your talentsSection III: Achievement

Examples of what each of your top five themes "sounds like" -- real quotes frompeople who also have the theme in their top five

Steps for you to take to help you leverage your talents for achievement

Strengths Insight and Action-Planning Guide

204963343 (Don Nieman) © 2000, 2006-2008 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Section I: Awareness

Strategic

Shared Theme Description

People who are especially talented in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed.Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.

Your Personalized Strengths Insights

What makes you stand out?

Because of your strengths, you are innovative, inventive, original, and resourceful. Yourmind allows you to venture beyond the commonplace, the familiar, or the obvious. Youentertain ideas about the best ways to reach a goal, increase productivity, or solve a problem.First, you think of alternatives. Then you choose the best option. By nature, you sometimesacknowledge you have an ability to identify specific types of obstacles, difficulties, ordilemmas. You might respond to questions others refuse to consider. Perhaps you recognizeanswers or solutions as they evolve naturally. Instinctively, you occasionally opt to work byyourself. Perhaps you trust your talents, knowledge, and skills in identifying problems. Youmight consider numerous solutions before you pinpoint an appropriate course of action.Sometimes questions and answers materialize without much effort on your part. It’s verylikely that you may see solutions before other people know there is a problem. You mightstart formulating answers before your teammates, coworkers, or classmates understand thequestion. Sometimes you generate numerous ideas before sorting to the one that makes themost sense in a particular situation. Driven by your talents, you generate ideas quickly. Youdraw clever linkages between facts, events, people, problems, or solutions. You presentothers with numerous options at a pace some find dizzying. Your innovative thinking tends tofoster ongoing dialogue between and among the group’s participants.

Questions

1. As you read your personalized strengths insights, what words, phrases, or lines standout to you?

2. Out of all the talents in this insight, what would you like for others to see most inyou?



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Significance


People who are especially talented in the Significance theme want to be very important in theeyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.



By nature, you reveal to certain people your deep-seated desire to succeed. Perhaps you are abit more intentional than some individuals about striving for promotions, fame, or financialgain. Maybe you showcase your natural or acquired abilities. You might handle particularactivities with apparent ease. Instinctively, you are sometimes quite industrious. You mightwork diligently to produce good outcomes. Perhaps you are motivated by a desire forpersonal or professional advancement . Because of your strengths, you may yearn to beindependently successful. Sometimes you rely on your results to build your reputation as anaccomplished and competent professional or student. Chances are good that you might enjoyspeaking when you sense your audience is open-minded enough to consider your ideas. It’svery likely that you might be pleased if certain people grasp what you are thinking or feeling.Perhaps you want to be recognized for your giftedness or appreciated for your contributions.Occasionally you want people to regard you as a person of importance or influence. Maybeyou hope this causes people to become your followers.

Questions





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Ideation


People who are especially talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They areable to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.



It’s very likely that you now and then take advantage of opportunities that allow you togenerate original ideas. Because of your strengths, you might be proficient — that is, have ahigh degree of ability — at devising different ways to do certain tasks. Perhaps you providethe creative intelligence for original undertakings of a personal or a professional nature.Instinctively, you regard yourself as logical and reasonable. You spontaneously reducemechanisms, processes, proposals, ideas, or formulas to their basic parts. You figure out howthe pieces interrelate. Your discoveries tell you why something does or does not function theway it should. Chances are good that you occasionally generate novel ideas for campaigns,business ventures, initiatives, or special events. Driven by your talents, you occasionallyfigure out how to get ahead and stay ahead of others. You usually generate more new ideasthan anyone else in the group. Sometimes your brainpower gives you the advantage you needto succeed.

Questions





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Communication


People who are especially talented in the Communication theme generally find it easy to puttheir thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.



Because of your strengths, you feel forlorn — that is, miserable or deprived — when you areseparated from someone who is dear to you. You yearn to spend time with your friends. Theirabsence saddens you. Chances are good that you may feel comfortable speaking to a varietyof individuals or audiences. By nature, you sometimes enjoy surrounding yourself withcompanions rather than being alone. Instinctively, you sometimes can admit that youparticipate in friendly rivalries for fun. Perhaps you are comfortable letting certain peopleknow what you do and do not value. Driven by your talents, you attempt to surround yourselfwith thinkers. When you encounter them, you might share a few of your latest theories,concepts, or philosophies. You might place a special value on these conversations.Occasionally they might supply you with a new idea or a fresh perspective. Perhaps yougather information, store it in your mind, or somehow document it. You may not know at thatmoment how something you have heard, read, or observed will lead you to another discoveryor insight.

Questions





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Adaptability


People who are especially talented 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 dayat a time.



Driven by your talents, you exhibit a certain degree of awareness about the beautysurrounding you. Sometimes you even pause to consider all the loveliness you can see, touch,hear, smell, or taste. Chances are good that you sometimes monitor progress and adjust yourplans for the coming months, years, or decades. Perhaps you expect the unexpected. Youmight prepare for the future by taking time to think about it. You may be a flexible ratherthan rigid organizer. Some people might admire your ability to reach long-term objectiveswith apparent ease. It’s very likely that you may feel impelled to coordinate particular detailsof your life. To some degree, you consciously avoid chaotic situations. Occasionally youmentally rehearse how you will maneuver around expected or unexpected situations. First,you might outline steps for reaching goals. Second, you might make whatever adjustmentsare needed as conditions change. You might refuse to lose sight of what you want toaccomplish in the coming months, years, or decades. Because of your strengths, you now andthen picture events or situations you might find yourself facing in the coming months, years,or decades. Sometimes you consider ways you might react when these circumstancesmaterialize. Instinctively, you occasionally rely on your intuition to make the right decisionsas events unfold. To some degree, the present — not the future and the past — captures yourattention. Perhaps you monitor and adjust what you are doing or how you are doing it ascircumstances change, people join and leave the group, problems arise, or new resourcesbecome available.

Questions





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Questions

1. How does this information help you better understand your unique talents?2. How can you use this understanding to add value to your role?3. How can you apply this knowledge to add value to your team, workgroup,

department, or division?4. How will this understanding help you add value to your organization?5. What will you do differently tomorrow as a result of this report?



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Section II: Application

Strategic

Ideas for Action:

Take the time to fully reflect or muse about a goal that you want to achieve until therelated patterns and issues emerge for you. Remember that this musing time is essentialto strategic thinking.You can see repercussions more clearly than others can. Take advantage of this abilityby planning your range of responses in detail. There is little point in knowing whereevents will lead if you are not ready when you get there.Find a group that you think does important work, and contribute your strategic thinking.You can be a leader with your ideas.Your strategic thinking will be necessary to keep a vivid vision from deteriorating intoan ordinary pipe dream. Fully consider all possible paths toward making the vision areality. Wise forethought can remove obstacles before they appear.Make yourself known as a resource for consultation with those who are stumped by aparticular problem or hindered by a particular obstacle or barrier. By naturally seeing away when others are convinced there is no way, you will lead them to success.You are likely to anticipate potential issues more easily than others. Though yourawareness of possible danger might be viewed as negativity by some, you must shareyour insights if you are going to avoid these pitfalls. To prevent misperception of yourintent, point out not only the future obstacle, but also a way to prevent or overcome it.Trust your insights, and use them to ensure the success of your efforts.Help others understand that your strategic thinking is not an attempt to belittle theirideas, but is instead a natural propensity to consider all the facets of a plan objectively.Rather than being a naysayer, you are actually trying to examine ways to ensure that thegoal is accomplished, come what may. Your talents will allow you to consider others’perspectives while keeping your end goal in sight.Trust your intuitive insights as often as possible. Even though you might not be able toexplain them rationally, your intuitions are created by a brain that instinctivelyanticipates and projects. Have confidence in these perceptions.Partner with someone with strong Activator talents. With this person’s need for actionand your need for anticipation, you can forge a powerful partnership.Make sure that you are involved in the front end of new initiatives or enterprises. Yourinnovative yet procedural approach will be critical to the genesis of a new venturebecause it will keep its creators from developing deadly tunnel vision.

Questions

1. Which of these action items speak to you? Highlight the actions that you are mostlikely to take.



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2. How will you commit to taking action? Write your own personalized action item thatyou will take in the next 30 days.



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Significance

Ideas for Action:

Choose jobs or positions in which you can determine your own tasks and actions. Youwill enjoy the exposure that comes with independence.Your reputation is important to you, so decide what it should be and tend to it in thesmallest detail. For example, identify and earn a designation that will add to yourcredibility, write an article that will give you visibility, or volunteer to speak in front ofa group who will admire your achievements.Share your dreams and goals with your family or closest friends and colleagues. Theirexpectations will keep you reaching.Stay focused on performance. Your Significance talents will drive you to claimoutstanding goals. Your performance had better match those goals, or others might labelyou as a big talker.You will perform best when your performance is visible. Look for opportunities that putyou on center stage. Stay away from roles that hide you behind the scenes.Leading crucial teams or significant projects brings out your best. Your greatestmotivation may come when the stakes are at their highest. Let others know that whenthe game is on the line, you want the ball.Make a list of the goals, achievements, and qualifications you crave, and post themwhere you will see them every day. Use this list to inspire yourself.Identify your best moment of recognition or praise. What was it for? Who gave it toyou? Who was the audience? What do you have to do to recreate that moment?Unless you also possess dominant Self-Assurance talents, accept that you might fearfailure. Don’t let this fear prevent you from staking claims to excellence. Instead, use itto focus on ensuring that your performance matches your claims.You might have a natural awareness of what other people think of you. You may have aspecific audience that you want to like you, and you will do whatever it takes to wintheir approval and applause. Be aware that while reliance on the approval of otherscould be problematic, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be liked or admired by thekey people in your life.

Questions





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Ideation

Ideas for Action:

Seek a career in which you will be given credit for and paid for your ideas, such asmarketing, advertising, journalism, design, or new product development.You are likely to get bored quickly, so make some small changes in your work or homelife. Experiment. Play mental games with yourself. All of these will help keep youstimulated.Finish your thoughts and ideas before communicating them. Lacking your Ideationtalents, others might not be able to “join the dots” of an interesting but incomplete ideaand thus might dismiss it.Not all your ideas will be equally practical or serviceable. Learn to edit your ideas, orfind a trusted friend or colleague who can “proof” your ideas and identify potentialpitfalls.Understand the fuel for your Ideation talents: When do you get your best ideas? Whenyou’re talking with people? When you’re reading? When you’re simply listening orobserving? Take note of the circumstances that seem to produce your best ideas, andrecreate them.Schedule time to read, because the ideas and experiences of others can become your rawmaterial for new ideas. Schedule time to think, because thinking energizes you.You are a natural fit with research and development; you appreciate the mindset ofvisionaries and dreamers. Spend time with imaginative peers, and sit in on theirbrainstorming sessions.Partner with someone with strong Analytical talents. This person will question you andchallenge you, therefore strengthening your ideas.Sometimes you lose others’ interest because they cannot follow your abstract andconceptual thinking style. Make your ideas more concrete by drawing pictures, usinganalogies or metaphors, or simply explaining your concepts step by step.Feed your Ideation talents by gathering knowledge. Study fields and industries differentfrom your own. Apply ideas from outside, and link disparate ideas to generate new ones.

Questions





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Communication

Ideas for Action:

You will always do well in roles that require you to capture people’s attention. Thinkabout a career in teaching, sales, marketing, ministry, or the media. YourCommunication talents are likely to flourish in these areas.Start a collection of stories or phrases that resonate with you. For example, cut outmagazine articles that move you, or write down powerful word combinations. Practicetelling these stories or saying these words out loud, by yourself. Listen to yourselfactually saying the words. Refine.When you are presenting, pay close attention to your audience. Watch their reactions toeach part of your presentation. You will notice that some parts are especially engaging.Afterwards, take time to identify the moments that particularly caught the audience’sattention. Draft your next presentation around these highlights.Practice. Improvisation has a certain appeal, but in general, an audience will respondbest to a presenter who knows where he or she is headed. Counterintuitively, the moreprepared you are, the more natural your improvisations will appear.Identify your most beneficial sounding boards and audiences — the listeners who seemto bring out your best communication. Examine these individuals or groups to learn whyyou are so good when you speak with them or to them, and look for the same qualities inpotential partners and audiences.Keep getting smarter about the words you use. They are a critical currency. Spend themwisely, and monitor their impact.Your Communication talents can be highly effective when your message has substance.Don’t rely on your talents alone; take your communication to the level of strength bydeveloping your knowledge and expertise in specific areas.You are gifted in fostering dialogue among peers and colleagues. Use yourCommunication talents to summarize the various points in a meeting and to buildconsensus by helping others see what they have in common.If you enjoy writing, consider publishing your work. If you enjoy public speaking, makea presentation at a professional meeting or convention. In either case, yourCommunication talents will serve to assist you in finding just the right way to frameyour ideas and state your purpose. You delight in sharing your thoughts with others, sofind the medium that best fits your voice and message.Volunteer for opportunities to present. You can become known as someone who helpspeople express their thoughts and ambitions in a captivating way.

Questions




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Adaptability

Ideas for Action:

Cultivate your reputation as a calm and reassuring person when others become upset bydaily events.Avoid roles that demand structure and predictability. These roles will quickly frustrateyou, make you feel inadequate, and stifle your independence.When the pressure is on, help your hesitant friends, colleagues, and clients find ways tocollect themselves and take control of the situation. Explain that adaptability is aboutmore than simply rolling with the punches; it is about calmly, intelligently, and readilyresponding to circumstances.Don’t let others abuse your inherent flexibility. Though your Adaptability talents serveyou well, don’t compromise your long-term success by bending to every whim, desire,and demand of others. Use smart guidelines to help you decide when to flex and when tostand firm.Seek roles in which success depends on responding to constantly changingcircumstances. Consider career areas such as journalism, live television production,emergency healthcare, and customer service. In these roles, the best react the fastest andstay levelheaded.Fine-tune your responsiveness. For example, if your job demands unanticipated travel,learn how to pack and leave in 30 minutes. If your work pressure comes in unpredictablespurts, practice the first three moves you will always make when the pressure hits.Look to others for planning. People who have strong Focus, Strategic, or Belief talentscan help you shape your long-term goals, leaving you to excel at dealing with the day-to-day variations.Your Adaptability talents give you an even-keel mindset that lets you ride the ups anddowns without becoming an emotional volcano. Your “don’t cry over spilled milk”approach will help you quickly recover from setbacks. Recognize this aspect of yournature, and help your friends and colleagues understand that it is productive flexibilityrather than an “I don’t care” attitude.Avoid tasks that are too structured and stifle your need for variety. If given a list of tasksto complete, try to indulge your desire for flexibility by making a game of that list. Seeif you can be creative or make the tasks more fun in some way.Openly use your reassuring demeanor to soothe disgruntled friends or coworkers. Thinkabout the approach you used, and remember to apply it again when the situation presentsitself.

Questions




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Section III: Achievement

Look for signs of achievement as you read these real quotes from people who share your topfive themes.

Strategic sounds like this:

Liam C., manufacturing plant manager: “It seems as if I can always see the consequencesbefore anyone else can. I have to say to people, ‘Lift up your eyes; look down the road aways. Let’s talk about where we are going to be next year so that when we get to this timenext year, we don’t have the same problems.’ It seems obvious to me, but some people arejust too focused on this month’s numbers, and everything is driven by that.”

Vivian T., television producer: “I used to love logic problems when I was a kid — you know,the ones where ‘if A implies B, and B equals C, does A equal C?’ Still today, I am alwaysplaying out repercussions, seeing where things lead. I think it makes me a great interviewer. Iknow that nothing is an accident; every sign, every word, every tone of voice hassignificance. So I watch for these clues and play them out in my head, see where they lead,and then plan my questions to take advantage of what I have seen in my head.”

Simon T., human resources executive: “We really needed to take the union on at some stage,and I saw an opportunity — a very good issue to take them on. I could see that they weregoing in a direction that would lead them into all kinds of trouble if they continued followingit. Lo and behold, they did continue following it, and when they arrived, there I was, readyand waiting. I suppose it just comes naturally to me to predict what someone else is going todo. And then when that person reacts, I can respond immediately because I have sat down andsaid, ‘Okay, if they do this, we’ll do this. If they do that, then we’ll do this other thing.’ It’slike when you tack in a sailboat. You head in one direction, but you jinx one way, thenanother, planning and reacting, planning and reacting.”



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Significance sounds like this:

Mary P., healthcare executive: “Women are told almost from day one, ‘Don’t be too proud.Don’t stand tall.’ That kind of thing. But I’ve learned that it’s okay to have power, it’s okayto have pride, and it’s okay to have a big ego — and also that I need to manage it and drive itin the right directions.”

Kathie J., partner in a law firm: “Ever since I can remember, I have had the feeling that I wasspecial, that I could take charge and make things happen. Back in the ‘60s, I was the firstwoman partner in my firm, and I can still recall walking into boardroom after boardroom andbeing the only woman. It’s strange, thinking back. It was tough, but I actually think I enjoyedthe pressure of standing out. I enjoyed being the ‘woman’ partner. Why? Because I knew thatI would be very hard to forget. I knew everyone would notice me and pay attention to me.”

John L., physician: “All through my life, I felt that I was onstage. I am always aware of anaudience. If I am sitting with a patient, I want the patient to see me as the best doctor he orshe has ever had. If I am teaching medical students, I want to stand out as the best medicaleducator they have ever had. I want to win the Educator of the Year award. My boss is a bigaudience for me. Disappointing her would kill me. It’s scary to think that part of my self-esteem is in other people’s hands, but then again, it keeps me on my toes.”



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Ideation sounds like this:

Mark B., writer: “My mind works by finding connections between things. When I washunting down the Mona Lisa in the Louvre museum, I turned a corner and was blinded by theflashing of a thousand cameras snapping the tiny picture. For some reason, I stored that visualimage away. Then I noticed a ‘No Flash Photography’ sign, and I stored that away too. Ithought it was odd because I remembered reading that flash photography can harm paintings.Then about six months later, I read that the Mona Lisa has been stolen at least twice in thiscentury. And suddenly I put it all together. The only explanation for all these facts is that thereal Mona Lisa is not on display in the Louvre. The real Mona Lisa has been stolen, and themuseum, afraid to admit their carelessness, has installed a fake. I don’t know if it’s true, ofcourse, but what a great story.”

Andrea H., interior designer: “I have the kind of mind where everything has to fit together orI start to feel very odd. For me, every piece of furniture represents an idea. It serves a discretefunction both independently and in concert with every other piece. The ‘idea’ of each piece isso powerful in my mind, it must be obeyed. If I am sitting in a room where the chairs aresomehow not fulfilling their discrete function — they’re the wrong kind of chairs or they’refacing the wrong way or they're pushed up too close to the coffee table — I find myselfgetting physically uncomfortable and mentally distracted. Later, I won’t be able to get it outof my mind. I’ll find myself awake at 3:00 a.m., and I walk through the person’s house in mymind’s eye, rearranging the furniture and repainting the walls. This started happening when Iwas very young, say seven years old.”



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Communication sounds like this:

Sheila K., general manager of a theme park: “Stories are the best way to make my point.Yesterday I wanted to show my executive committee the impact we can have on our guests,so I shared this story with them: One of our employees brought her father to the flag-raisingceremony we have for Veterans Day here at the theme park. He was disabled during WorldWar II, and he now has a rare form of cancer and has had a lot of surgery. He’s dying. At thestart of the ceremony, one of our employees said to the group, ‘This man is a World War IIveteran. Can we give him a hand?’ Everybody cheered, and his daughter started crying. Herdad took off his hat. He never takes off his hat because of the scars on his head from the warand the cancer surgery, but when the national anthem started, he took off his hat and bowedhis head. His daughter told me later that it was the best day he’s had in years.”

Tom P., banking executive: “My most recent client thought that the flow of capital towardInternet stocks was just a passing phase. I tried using a rational argument to change his mind,but he couldn’t or wouldn’t be convinced. In the end, as I often do when faced with a client indenial, I resorted to imagery. I told him that he was like a person sitting on a beach with hisback to the sea. The Internet was like a fast-rising tide. No matter how comfortable he feltright now, the tide was rising with each crashing wave, and very soon, one of those waveswould come crashing down over his head and engulf him. He got the point.”

Margret D., marketing director: “I once read a book about giving speeches that gave twosuggestions: Talk only about things you’re really passionate about, and always use personalexamples. I immediately started doing that, and I found lots of stories because I have kids andgrandkids and a husband. I build my stories around my personal experiences becauseeveryone can relate to them.”



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Adaptability sounds like this:

Marie T., television producer: “I love live TV because you never know what is going tohappen. One minute, I might be putting together a segment on the best teenage holiday gifts,and the next, I will be doing the pre-interview for a presidential candidate. I guess I havealways been this way. I live in the moment. If someone asks me, ‘What are you doingtomorrow?’ my answer is always, ‘I don’t know. Depends what I’m in the mood for.’ I drivemy boyfriend crazy because he’ll plan for us to go to the antique market on Sundayafternoon, and then right at the last minute, I’ll change my mind and say, ‘Nah, let’s go homeand read the Sunday papers.’ Annoying, right? Yeah, but on the positive side, it does meanthat I’m up for anything.”

Linda G., project manager: “Where I work, I am the calmest person I know. When someonecomes in and says, ‘We didn’t plan right. We need this turned around by tomorrow,’ mycolleagues seem to tense up and freeze. Somehow that doesn’t happen to me. I like thatpressure, that need for instant response. It makes me feel alive.”

Peter F., corporate trainer: “I think I deal with life better than most people. Last week, I foundthat my car window had been smashed and the stereo stolen. I was annoyed, of course, but itdidn’t throw me off my day one bit. I just cleared it, mentally moved on, and went right onwith the other things I had to get done that day.”



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Questions

1. Talk to friends or coworkers to hear how they have used their talents to achieve.

2. How will you use your talents to achieve?



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strengthsfinder report.PDF

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