Using Strengths Finder 2.

 In society and education, we spend much time trying to identify and remediate weaknesses

Instead of spending the same energy focusing on strengths !

Talents can be defined as:

1. a special natural ability or aptitude 2. a capacity for achievement or success; ability
(dictionary.com)

3. The natural endowments of a person

(merriam-webster.com)

Strengths are:
1. mental power, force, or vigor. 2. moral power, firmness, or courage.
(dictionary.com)

3. the quality or state of being strong: capacity for

exertion or endurance

(merriam-webster.com)

Strengths can be seen as talents applied!

This based on the idea that: You have a group of talents within you. Your greatest talents hold the key to high achievement, success, and progress at levels of personal excellence.

Becoming aware of your talents builds confidence and provides a basis for achievement.
Learning how to develop and apply strengths will improve your levels of achievement. Each of your talents can be applied in many areas including relationships, learning, academics, leadership, service, and careers. As you develop and apply strengths, your achievements will increase and you will experience greater and more frequent successes.

It all comes down to a simple philosophy:

Find out what you do well and do more of it. Find out what you dont do well, and stop doing it
(Clifton and Nelson, 1992).

I was wrong !

-Dr. Edward Chip Anderson, The Gallup Organization

Spent the first part of his career studying, and helping students focus on, weaknesses, in order to help them overcome them. Then came to understand that students have a greater chance of success, and go further, by discovering and using strengths. Together with Donald Clifton, they determined that top achievers build academic and personal lives, and careers, on strengths and they set out to study this. To Produce excellence, you must study excellence

The Strengths-Based Approach: Develop talents in to strengths, and apply those strengths, while managing weaknesses

Strengths begin with Talents

Talent is a naturally recurring pattern of thought, feeling or behavior that can be

productively applied

(Clifton and Anderson, 2002, P. 6)

Talent represents a capacity to

do something! (P. 6)

Your talents empower you. They make it possible for you to move to higher levels of excellence, and fulfill your potential (Clifton and
Anderson, 2002, P. 6)

Talent can often be applied to multiple areas of achievement.

Turning Talents in to Strengths

Talents naturally exist within.

Skills and knowledge can be acquired.

Strengths are talents developed refined by Knowledge and Skill

Developing Your Strengths

Knowledge, skills, and practice are important parts of strength. Without basic facts and skills, talents can go untapped. (Clifton
and Anderson, 2002, P. 18)

Practice and hard work are necessary, just as if you were developing physical strength. (P.19) Talent x Investment = Strength
(P. 20)

Strategies for managing your weaknesses:

Get a little better at it Design a support system or develop a crutch to reduce your weakness

Use one of your strongest themes to overwhelm your weakness

Find a partner Just stop doing it

You are unique !

Each person has a unique and profound set and combination of talents and strengths that are developed and used to differing degrees. This combination of talents and strengths makes each person like no other. (Clifton and Anderson, 2002, P. 8)

The best part of focusing on strengths is that you are focusing on who you already are!

The seeds of your personal greatness your talents are already in you. Therefore, your Strengths Quest is really a quest to discover, develop and apply who you truly are.
(Clifton and Anderson, 2002, P. 14)

Discovering Your Strengths

Using Strengths Finder 2.0
Internet-based assessment 177 paired items, classified in to 34 themes. Top 5 themes, or strength areas, are identified
-Achiever -Belief -Consistency -Empathy -Includer -Maximizer -Self-Assurance -Activator -Command -Context -Focus -Individualization -Positivity -Significance -Adaptability -Communication -Deliberative -Futuristic -Input -Relator -Strategic -Analytical -Competition -Developer -Harmony -Intellection -Responsibility -Woo -Arranger -Connectedness -Discipline -Ideation -Learner -Restorative

And lastly The answer to a very important question If a theme is not among my Top 5, does it mean it is a weakness??
The answer is NO it just means that other themes are more dominant!

Now Lets Discover Our Strengths !

Resources:
Buckingham, Marcus and Clifton, Donald O. (2001). Now, Discover Your Strengths. Washington, DC: The Gallup Organization. Rath, Tom. (2007). Strengths Finder 2.0. Washington, DC: The Gallup Organization. Clifton, Donald O. and Nelson, Paula. (1992). Soar With Your Strengths. New York, NY: The Dell Publishing Group.

Clifton, Donald O. and Anderson, Edward. (2002). Strengths Quest: Discover

and Develop Your Strengths in Academics, Career, and Beyond.

Washington, DC: The Gallup Organization.