Thursday, January 26, 2012

My Strengthsfinder Results are in & Spot on!

For my Leadership class at the U, we had to read "Now, Discover Your Strengths" by Buckingham & Clifton. After we read the book, we had to take the strengthsfinder test from the Gallup Organization. I was curious to see if this multiple choice test could really tell the person I was - it claimed to be able to identify your top 5 "themes" in a matter of 30 minutes. It's taken me 22 years to figure out who I am and they were claiming they could do it in 30 minutes?! I wasn't a believer. I was shocked by my results - Gallup lived up to it's claims. It was as if this company knew who I was better than I knew myself. My five strongest "themes" - they literally described the exact person I was.


Futuristic - loves to have a vision
  • The future fascinates you. It inspires you.
  • When the present proves too frustrating and the people around you too pragmatic, you conjure up your visions of the future & they energize you
  • Your mind allows you to venture beyond the commonplace, the familiar, or the obvious - you are a dreamer of visions & cherish these visions
  • Bringing your ideas to life is an exciting proposition for you - you sense you have the power to transform whatever you think is possible into tangible outcomes
  • You enjoy freeing from traditional and creating a new future
  • You make your solutions for the future so real and vivid to others they have no choice but to believe you

Focus - loves to reach destination
  • You need a clear destination - lacking one will make you frustrated
  • Each year, month, and week you set goals which help you determine priorities
  • You use "To Do" lists and planners almost daily
  • You instinctively evaluate whether or not a particular action will move you toward a goal - those that don't, you ignore
  • You are impatient with delays, obstacles, even tangents, no matter how intriguing they are
  • Your focus reminds a group that if something is not helping you move toward your destination, it's not important - if it's not important, it's a waste of time

Achiever - loves to be challenged
  • Constant need for achievement
  • By the end of each day, you need to accomplish something tangible in order to feel good about yourself
  • You have an internal fire within you - to do more, to achieve more. After each accomplishment is reached, the fire dies for only a moment before it rekindles and pushes you toward the next achievement
  • You enjoy being busy
  • Your constant need for achievement may not be logical or focused - but it will always be with you
  • It enables you to work on a project for long hours without getting burned out
  • It can make you feel as though you've never reached your goal. It can keep you running uphill at 70 miles an hour for your whole life - there's always something more to do

Maximizer - loves strength & excellence
  • Transforming something average to superb, although requiring a great deal of effort, is thrilling and rewarding
  • You reject using a one-size-fits all approach when influencing people - instead you discover each person's special talents, skills, and strengths
  • You are more upbeat when you spend time on your talents rather than your limitations
  • You tend to avoid those who want to fix you and make you well rounded. You don't want to spend your life dwelling on the things you lack. You would much rather capitalize on the gifts you are blessed with
  • You help people focus on attributes they like about themselves and develop these strengths

Significance - loves to make a difference
  • You want to stand out. You want to be heard. You want to be known. You refuse to live a meaningless existence
  • You feel the need to be seen as credible, professional, and successful & you want to associate with others who are seen as credible, professional and successful
  • You want your work to be a way of life rather than just a job
  • You aspire to leadership roles & realize the importance of backing loyal individuals
  • Your life is filled with goals, achievements, and qualifications that you crave
It's so me...

  • I spend more time thinking "five years from now" than I think about the present.
  • I make AT LEAST 2 "To Do" lists every day...and I have 2 different planners
  • I hate wasting group discussion time on "small talk." If we aren't working to achieve the ultimate goal, I'll probably cut you off....
  • I ALWAYS need to be working on a goal. Once I achieve it, I'm satisfied for maybe an hour before I begin to look for another goal
  • My life has always been hectic and busy - I hate not having anything to do or think about...and tend to have way more to do than hours to do them
  • I really do avoid people who try to "fix" me!! Sure I may have my flaws and weaknesses, but why focus on them? It's such a downer! I couldn't help but laugh out loud - this is SO true!
  • I enjoy transforming things from average to awesome - it's like a game for me....
  • Finding out people's talents & strengths intrigues me. It enables me to connect with them on a different level - I know what words to say, what will persuade them, and the best way to get through to people. I hate having "one way" to talk to everyone
Has anyone else taken the strengthsfinder test? What were your top themes? Do you agree or disagree?