StrengthsQuest

As a member of Virginia Tech's Student Conduct Committee, one of the educational sanctions that I would occasionally give to students who would benefit from such an activity would be to take StrengthsQuest and to fill out an activity workbook to help them understand what their results meant, how it applied to them, and how it could help them learn about themselves.  In order to fully comprehend the sanction that I would potentially have been giving out, I took the quiz and completed the workbook myself.  This is much more useful than simply providing a cut and paste definition of my top 5 strengths.  However, since the workbook is centered around the assumption that the person completed it violated a university policy, and I completed it under different circumstances as explained above, some of the questions aren't fully answered since they didn't apply to me.  They are still helpful to include as you can imagine how they would be answered if there was a particular situation involved.


EXPLORING your Strengths
ACTIVITY WORKBOOK

Name:  Gabriel Brown                                                                                   Hokie Passport number:                              
Case number:    Committee Member                                                                      Hearing Officer:                                                               


Please write your top five signature themes in order in the grid below:


Signature Theme #1: Competition

Signature Theme #2: Individualization

Signature Theme #3: Ideation

Signature Theme #4: Analytical

Signature Theme #5: Achiever

The activities in the Exploring Your Strengths Activity Workbook were adapted from the StrengthsQuest Activity Workbook.  Use of these activities should only be used in conjunction with the “Exploring Your Strengths” sanction or by those whose have purchased a StrengthsQuest passcode.


Copyright © 2008 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved. Can only be used in conjunction with StrengthQuest  SQ ActivityWkbk ENUS_02.08
Activity 1.2: At First Glance
Activity 1.3: StrengthsFinder Reflection
The Clifton StrengthsFinder is comprised of 34 themes.  These themes emerged in Gallup’s study of successful people over decades of research. Each theme contains several talents. These talents are natural, recurring patterns of thoughts, feelings, or behaviors.  The talents found in your Signature Themes are things you do naturally — like breathing. You can’t not do them. You actually do them without even trying.   A strength, on the other hand, is the ability to consistently produce a nearly perfect positive outcome in a specific task.

Read through the long descriptions for each of your Signature Themes. Highlight the words and/or sentences that best describe you.  Then, answer the following questions (each response should be reflective and substantial i.e. at least 5 sentences).

·         What is your first reaction to these terms? What do they mean to you at this point?
At first, reading the titles, I wasn’t sure these described me very well.  But actually, after reading the detailed description I do most of these things regularly.  I can definitely see that focusing on these specific talents could help a person learn how to excel.  I would like to think I’ve been fairly aware of my themes for a while.  As such, I look forward to delving deeper into them and learning what I can personally do to help build on these themes.


·         Does anything in the report surprise you? What? Why?

Initially, individualization surprised me.  I always thought I treated everyone the same.  But, when reading the description I realized that I am actually very consistent in the use of this theme.  The best example was the birthday presents.  I always spend quite a while thinking about what I’ll get each person for their birthday.  Additionally, my residents (I’m an RA) always come to me and ask me for academic, personal life and relationship advice.  I always wondered why because they all know my personal life is usually non-existent and my attempts at relationships could very well sell out a comedy venue.  When I asked one of them, she said, I don’t know, you don’t have the most experience, but you know how to talk to me to help me see the situation better.  So in a sense, I guess I’ve been inadvertently individualizing for a while now.

·         How well do you feel your Signature Themes describe the ways in which you most                                naturally, think, feel, and behave as a unique individual?

I think the signature themes describe me fairly well.  I’m extremely competitive and I’ve known this for a while.  Knowing this has helped me evade the pitfalls that come along with having competition as your top theme.  Hopefully, getting to know more about the themes I’m not so aware of will not only help me strengthen their positives about also to avoid their negatives in the future.  Of course, there’s probably a point or two in each theme that doesn’t fit with me at all.  I don’t think that devaluates the test results, I just think it’s extremely difficult to perfectly fit each person’s behavior into boxes (AKA themes).


·         Which of your Signature Themes describe you best? Why?

I think achiever describes me best.  I choose this theme because it really is like an obsession to me.  I have to always be doing something.  I am most content when I get up in the morning and know I have a tight schedule which will require a lot of multi-tasking.  This has become the most noticeable to me in the summer.  For example, this summer I am working as an intern for the Red Cross.  The catch is that I wanted to work with a specific subpopulation which required me to work at a branch in the Caribbean.  The majority of people here believe in a much more relaxed (un-achieving) lifestyle.  2 hour lunch breaks are killing me!  I can’t wait for the school year to start again, and with it my  16 hour workdays!

               
·         Which of your Signature Themes do you use most frequently? Why/ How so?
               
I believe the theme I use most frequently, even though until this test I didn’t even realize it, is individualization.  I innately read people when I meet them and continue to do so as I get to know them.  This probably helps explain why I am able to work as an RA without my residents hating me.  It also explains why when I’m at the Rescue Squad I somehow know which patients I need to be brutally honest with and which ones respond better to a nurturing demeanor.  In short, I think I’ve been using this theme on some level with every human interaction I have.


               
·         With whom will you share your results? Why have you chosen these individuals?

I chose to share my results with my mother, father and little brother.  I chose them because they’re the three people that have known me the longest/best.  Two of them lived with me for over 18 years and the other for almost 17 years (over 10 years of sharing a bedroom).  I think both my parents share the achiever theme with me so it’ll be interesting to see how many similarities we note.  I expect, on the other hand, to see mostly opposites from my little brother.  I doubt he’ll associate with any of my themes, though I’m sure he’ll be quick to point out the pitfalls of the themes that I show.
Activity 1.1: At My Best
Complete the following statements.  Each response should be reflective and substantial (at least 5 sentences).
·         A time when I was at my best was…when I first moved to the United States.  I felt like that was a time where I improved the most.  I started off the year in English as Second Language classes.  By the end of the first semester I was in advanced English.  By the end of the school year I had the highest reading level in the school and I won the award for having the most AR points (points you got for taking quizzes of books you read).  That was probably the first time I remember feeling truly accomplished.


·         The best thing about me is…my ability to figure out what is needed of me.  In groups, there are certain roles that have to be filled.  Not every person can be acting as the leader.  Then again, not every person can just be a follower.  I think that often I can realize which aspect is missing in a group.  Then I can try my best to fill that role.  I believe that because of that, oftentimes the groups I work in are successful.


·         What I enjoy doing the most is…reading.  I enjoy reading mostly fiction because I like the lack of barrier.  You can’t predict what will happen next because the only rules are the ones the author has.  I think I often get a lot of ideas that can be applied to the real world by reading about something “impossible” that happens in fiction.  Of course, non-fiction also has its place.  Most of the nonfiction I read is reflective (self-help, autobiography, etc.).  That’s because you get to directly see the insight of the author without having it obscured by a story.


·         My most fulfilling experience was… probably the same as when I was at my best.  Going from ESL to the top reader was remarkably fulfilling for me.  It was probably when I first started thinking of myself, not too sound arrogant, as smart.  It is when I started believing in myself and realizing that hard work really does pay off.  Since that year, I have never doubted what could be accomplished with hard work.


·         I earn my best grades when I…don’t have a social life.  When I’m alone I earn my best work because I can focus on exactly what needs to be done to get the grade.  I love my friends, but forging and maintaining relationships takes a lot of time and energy.  As a result, I just have less time for schoolwork.  But I think I just have to find the perfect balance.  During the school year I constantly crave to have more time to myself and during the summer I constantly wish my friends were around.


·         The best job or project I ever had was…being an RA.  It is the perfect job for me at this stage in my life.  There aren’t many set work hours which allows me to plan the tangible work into my schedule.  My main job is interacting with others and making them feel at home on campus.  I’m by far not the nurturing type but I’ve found that college students prefer my straightforwardness.  I’m hoping that at the end of this year I’ll have the same feelings towards working with this office in regards to the human interactions I’ll have.


·         The things I like best about myself are…my uniqueness.  I find that often my view on the world is very different from the majority.  I find it interesting that I can discuss a topic with two people that seem to have polar opposite viewpoints and then agree with both of them.  I see this in most areas of stereotyping or whenever someone tries to fit a topic into categories or extremes.  The world isn’t black and white and oftentimes polar opposite ideas are rooted in similar ideas and only by exposing those roots can people learn to have their own ideas instead of merely choosing between two extremes presented to them.






ACTIVITY 3.4: I Do it With Ease
In the space below, identify two tasks in each domain that you do with ease.  Then, identify which of your five themes allows you to complete these tasks and how.
Domain
·         Academically – Related to your to academic and learning endeavors
·         Professionally – Related to past, present, and future work and career experiences
·         Socially/ Interpersonally – Related to the interactions and connections you have with others

Tasks I Do With Ease
Signature Theme and How
Academically/ Professionally
1.       Research papers


2.       Group Discussions



  1. Competition: It’s very easy to see who wrote the better research paper based on the grade.  I also see the rubric always provided as quite the inside track to ensure a top grade.
  2. Ideation: “You revel in taking the world we all know and turning it around so we can view it from a strange but strangely enlightening angle”.  Sums it up perfectly.  I love leaving a discussion knowing I made everyone there consider an idea they never had before.  And I think people enjoy the feeling of having their eyes opened.
Personally
1.       reading


2.       multi-tasking



  1.  Ideation:  reading always gives me different insight on how an author views the world.  Personally, I love seeing the similarities and being able to tie them together to realize how a simple concept can explain the most complex of ideas.  For example, I plan to read the bible from the Masonic viewpoint that it is a giant metaphor for the human mind. A theory (albeit a radical one) presented in one of the books I recently read.
  2. Achiever: Having to achieve something tangible each day.  I do feel that need every day and multi-tasking helps me to fit in more things into one day.  I’m rarely ever doing one thing at a time and in fact, I see it as a waste of time to do so in most situations.
Socially/ Interpersonally
1.       Personal Discussion



2.       Ideological discussion



  1. Individualization:  Once I get to know someone reasonably well, it is not uncommon for me to drop in just to say hi and then staying for hours having a deep conversation.  Once I know how someone thinks, how they tick, I can have a comfortable conversation with that person that feels as if we’ve known each other for years.  On the negative side, if I can’t figure you out or don’t know you that well, I find my conversation to be dreadfully boring, repetitive and shallow.
  2. Analytical:  This theme allows me to have objective, dispassionate, at times hyper-rational discussion on topics most people don’t consider ‘polite’ to discuss (such as religion and politics).  I think it’s the analytical theme that allows me to be able to have a discussion filled with disagreement but never animosity.








ACTIVITY 3.4: I Tend to Struggle
Now, identify two tasks in each domain with which you struggle.  From your top five themes, choose one or two that you could apply in this situation to help achieve the task with greater success.  Describe specifically how you could use the theme in each situation. 
Domains
·         Academically – Related to your to academic and learning endeavors
·         Professionally – Related to past, present, and future work and career experiences
·         Socially/ Interpersonally – Related to the interactions and connections you have with others

Tasks With Which I Struggle
Signature Theme and How
Academically/ Professionally
1.       downtime

2.       accepting orders without an explanation from a superior/boss


  1. Achiever- I can use this skill set to redefine the group’s pace and efficiency to eliminate downtime.
  2. Individualization- Learn how to approach a boss in a respectful way to get a reasoning behind why I have to do something.
Personally
1.       Going with the flow

2.       Exercising


  1. Individualization: Know how to approach different people and talk to them to explain why I may not to be able to go with the flow.
  2. Ideation: Find enough ideas and supporting facts to have the ideas connecting exercising and better health.  Knowing that would be an encouragement to actually exercise more.
Socially/ Interpersonally
1.       Being stubborn

2.       Coming  across as rude


  1. Analytical- learning to apply my analytical theme on myself instead of just on the ideas of others.  It can help me see if I’m being stubborn or objective.
  2. Individualization: learn how different people must be approached differently to explain a concept when there is disagreement.








USING YOUR STRENGTHS IN THE TEAM SETTING:
THE LEADERSHIP STRENGTHS GRID

Now that you have reviewed your strengths and understand how they play a role in your own life. It is time to reflect on how your strengths can be used in a team setting.  Each of your strengths are categorized into four spheres of influence; executing, relationship building, strategic thinking and influencing. These spheres of influence describe how your strengths can work in a team setting.
Below you will see the Leadership Strengths Grid.  Identify your five strengths in the four spheres of influence and then answer the following questions. (each response should be reflective and substantial i.e. at least 5 sentences).
1.       Which sphere(s) of influence do your strengths belong?
Achiever is in the Executing sphere.  Individualization is the Relationship Building sphere.  Analytical is in the Strategic Thinking sphere.  Ideation is also in the Strategic Thinking sphere.  Competition is in the Influencing sphere.


2.       Do the sphere(s) of influence (s) surprise you? Why or Why not?
No, as I mentioned before, I’ve always been really good at seeing which area a group is missing.  Then I try to fit into that role, so it isn’t surprising to me that I have a theme in each sphere of influence.  However, inefficiency   has always annoyed me to no end.  I’m always the person stopping the group from straying off track and getting us to get back to the task at hand.  So on that front I’m not surprised that that I have two themes in the Strategic Thinking sphere.



3.       How can understanding where your talents belong on the spheres of influence leadership grid be beneficial to you in a team setting?  
It seems fairly obvious, but if you know what role you are best at filling in a group, you can build on your themes to strengthen the group.  If you’re good at executing then you should be focusing on being that group leader.  If relationship building is your top skill you should focus on the internal workings of the group.  Influencing is probably better suited to work on the group’s external relationships.  And the strategic thinkers are the people that keep the group’s actual goals in mind.




4.       Think of a group project that you have recently been involved in. Please explain the group project and how you saw your strengths help or hinder the group in completing the project. Please write five to seven sentences.

I remember when I was still a probationary member of the German Club.  One of our tasks was, as a probationary class, to throw a party, create 3 dimensional decorations and cover every inch of the basement with decorations we made ourselves.  We had one person that was extremely strong in relationship building; he kept everyone happy with his goofy demeanor.  The executing side was taken care of because the VP of membership was overseeing our project.  The rest of the group was worried about how the end result would compare to past classes and whether the club members would like what we did; they had the influence part of the sphere under control.  But, we were behind on our work, there was more discussion than work happening.  So, I managed to get the group back on track by basically asking each person what they were working on, what still needed to be worked on and how quickly they thought it could be accomplished.  This put us all on the same page and the work progressed quickly from there.  At the time however, I didn’t know what I was doing.  Knowing the different spheres can help the next  group project I’m involved in be certain success since I’ll actually know what I’m doing.










RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
The glue that holds the team together

Adaptability
Developer
Connectedness
Empathy
Harmony
Includer
Individualization
Positivity
Relator

 
Executing
Knowing how to make things happen

Achiever
Arranger
Belief
Consistency
Deliberative
Discipline
Focus
Responsibility
Restorative

 
THE spheres of influence LEADERSHIP STRENGTHS GRID







STRATEGIC THINKING
Keeping us focused on what could be

Analytical
Context
Futuristic
Ideation
Input
Intellectualization
Learner
Strategic

 
INFLUENCING
Reaching a broader audience

Activator
Command
Communication
Competition
Maximizer
Self-Assurance
Significance
Woo


 
 




















ACTIVITY 5.4: Is There a Shadow Side to a Strengths-Based Perspective?

Strengths-based approach helps people see themselves and others as they really are.  When we maximize out innate talents, we can make powerful, positive contributions that can drive positive outcomes.
A shadow-side to a strengths-based perspective analyzes the implications to applying your natural talents in a negative way.  Simplistically, it is the other side of the same coin.
As you read the case study below, reflect on how the shadow side to Susan’s strengths is prevalent.


Susan is a researcher at a consulting firm.  Analytical is one of her top talents themes. Susan loves to probe problems and ask many questions.  Her colleagues say that Susan continually peels back the onion. This is a tremendous asset to her organization, as her in-depth analyses add real value for the company’s clients.

The downside is that she sometimes doesn’t know when to quit, and she can drive her colleagues crazy with what they perceive as her endless questions.  It also doesn’t help that her e-mail messages, filled with data and analysis, can run many pages.

When thinking about Susan’s talents from the strengths-based perspective, it’s helpful to return to our original question: “Is there a bad side, or a dark side, to strengths?  Again, if you look at Gallup’s definition of strength—the ability to consistently produce a nearly perfect positive outcome in a specific task—the answer is no, because a strength is about producing “a nearly perfect positive outcome.”

On the flip side, if you were to wonder whether Susan was applying her talents in a negative way, the answer is clearly yes.  Again, Gallup’s definition of talent—a natural way of thinking, feeling, or behaving---helps clarify this.  If Susan’s Analytical talents lead her to wear people out with her persistent questioning, then she is applying those talents in a negative way.

                         Brian Brim, “Probing the Dark Side of Employees’ Strengths,” Gallup Management Journal, February 8, 2007                                                                                                
Identify one of your Signature Themes in which you see a “shadow side,” and answer the following questions: (each response should be reflective and substantial i.e. at least 5 sentences).
·         Which theme did you identify as having a potential shadow side?

Actually, analytical is also my potential shadow side.

·         How is the shadow side of this theme exhibited in your life?

“You do not necessarily want to destroy other people’s ideas”.  That’s a quote from my theme.  However, I feel like that sometimes I can be brutally honest when I don’t think someone has a sound theory behind an opinion or idea.  Though I am not trying to destroy their idea for the sake of destroying their idea, I am sometimes unable to let what I perceive as a bad idea to go by unchallenged.  This results in people taking my questioning as a personal attack.  An in the case where someone did something that they perceive as being a favor to me they can end up feeling as if I’m ungrateful towards them for their actions.

·         What knowledge and skills do you need to acquire in order to develop this theme and employ it as strength? 
I think I have to remember not to rely on a single theme at a time.  When I am completely analytical, I can definitely show the shadow side of the theme.  However, if I remember to balance analytical with individualization it works out nicely.  I fulfill my need to question things.  But I approach it in a manner that doesn’t leave people bristled and feeling the need to defend themselves.  Instead, it leaves them willing to discuss potential downsides to their ideas and how it can be bettered.  That is the balance I seek.



     Revisiting your incident through the eyes of your strengths

You have spent some time reflecting, understanding, and writing about your strengths and how they play a role in your life.  Now, take some time to think back to the incident that brought you into the Student Conduct office.

Now, provide a five to seven sentence synopsis of your incident. Then answer the questions below regarding your strengths and the incident (each response should be reflective and substantial i.e. at least 5 sentences).             
Incident Synopsis:

I’m a panel member




1.       How were your strengths present directly before, during, or directly after your incident?

I’m  panel member



2.       Where did you fail to use your strengths directly before, during, or directly after your incident?

I’m a panel member



3.       Do you think your strengths could have helped you doing the incident? Why or why not?


I’m a panel member



4.       Do you see any of your strengths as “shadow strengths” during the incident?

I’m a panel member

 ACTIVITY 5.6 Moving beyond barrier labels
In the previous activity, you were asked to consider the implications to the application of talents in a negative way.  In this activity, you are asked to consider if you discount your talents and the potential strengths of others.
·         Great talents are often hidden behind negative labels.
o   Have you ever mistaken a powerful talent for a weakness?  Has anyone used unflattering terms to describe the ways in which you most naturally think, feel, and behave---your greatest talents? How do we sometimes create barriers that hide the value of our talents? 
o   How can we manage our talents so that they don’t become a barrier?  How can we create opportunities to use our greatest talents by presenting them in a positive way?

·         A weakness-seeking mindset or simple unfamiliarity can easily lead a person to misidentify and        undervalue exceptional talents.
o   Think about it:  We all have known a person with great “Learning” talents who was brushed off by some as “just a bookworm.”  It is also likely that we have all known a person with tremendous “Positivity” talents who was discounted as “naïve” or “fake” or “ditzy”
o   Those are barrier labels----terms used when talent is mistakenly devalued and dismissed as weakness.
o   These barrier labels can be a clue to a great talent. 
o   When we don’t see each other for who we really are and our talents for the value they offer, we create barrier labels, and we lose opportunities to contribute and develop our most valuable talents.

·         This activity is designed to help you think about how you can maximize the positive nature of talents by managing the barrier labels that people often place upon talents.
o   Think about your Five Signature Themes. 
o   What are the talents that make up each talent theme?
o   Identify the barrier labels you or others might use to describe each of your talent themes. 
o   What are some common misperceptions that may cloud recognition of the valuable talents this person has to offer?
o   Can you think of anything that might be difficult about working with someone who has powerful talents in this theme?
o   What might drive you crazy if you worked with that person?

·         Then, they should consider the positive presentation of each talent theme:
o   Identify alternative words or phrases that they could use to describe a person that honors that talent theme.
o   What are the positive traits that a person who is especially talented in this theme might add to a partnership or team?
o   What are some words or phrases that characterize the positive nature and potential of the talents that comprise this theme?
o   What would be beneficial about working with someone who has powerful talents in this theme?
      
Identify the barrier labels you or others might use to describe an individual with each talent theme. Then, identify alternative words or phrases that you could use to describe a person that honors that


THEME

Barrier Label:
Instead of saying this . . .


Talent Enabler:
Say this . . .

Example: Significance

recognition hungry, self-focused,
needy

seeks outstanding performance, does things of importance, independent
Competition
Low self-esteem, always has to compare himself to others.
Unwilling to settle, always strives to be the best.
Individualization
Naïve, thinks everybody is special
Seeks to find what each person can be good at, strategically uses people to make perfect teams
Ideation
Likes to argue for no reason, looks down on people with conventional ideas, weird
Questions why everyone always puts ideas or decisions in black or white boxes, seeks to show the world that the grey area is so much more practical, albeit on unused.
Analytical
Stubborn, mean, ungrateful
Unwilling to back down from a topic because of emotional complications.  Seeks to find the exact, provable truth in any situation.
Achiever
Unhappy, don’t have time for people, always on the go
Seeks a fulfilling life and thinks of idle time as a waste of the gift of life.




ACTIVITY 2.5: The Talent Connection
Below, place your five Signature Themes in the first column. Then, think about what those Signature Themes allow you to do. Identify one specific example of when you have recently used each theme.  An example is provided for you (each response should be reflective and substantial).

THEME

WHAT THIS THEME ALLOWS ME TO DO


WHEN/WHERE I RECENTLY USED THIS THEME

Example: Restorative

I listen well and can provide suggestions that help others solve their problems.

A friend was having a disagreement with her boyfriend. I was able to understand the situation and give her advice on how she should handle the situation.
Competition
Allows me to put in 100 % effort towards being the best.
During a Res Life Olympics competition I managed to lift more weights (in repetition) than any other person to get points for my team.  I was fueled by competition because I was probably the weakest person out there.
Individualization
Allows me to know how to approach each person differently.
As an RA it has helped my residents feel comfortable to come and talk to me for any reason.
Ideation
It allows me to see things from what is usually an unheard of perspective.
I recently had a political discussion with two of my friends, one extremely liberal, and the other extremely conservative.  We all left the discussion with a better appreciation of the similarities between the two sides.
Achiever
It pushes me to keep going a little more than I should.
I recently stayed up the whole night, before a workday, to work on a report for school and the research thesis for my internship.  Neither of them was even due the next day but I felt like I hadn’t done anything that day yet.
Analytical
Allows me to dispassionately and objectively view ideas.
When talking to my friend about a business idea he had, I was able to help him discern between actual facts and the emotion/passion he had for the project.


ACTIVITY 5.7: Commit to Cultivate---
 Being of Service-using your Strengths

VT
Hokies
Ut Prosim
VT Engage
Hokies Respect
Invent the Future
Principles of Community
Orange Obligation & Maroon Mindset

These words are what we hear and are ingrained in our daily life as a Hokie. These words are powerful. How do you plan to use your Strengths to serve others?
When considering how to be of service, there are five important issues you must address.
1.       What is your mission?
2.       Whom will you serve?
3.       What needs, problems, or concerns will you try to address?
4.       What are some ways to serve in which you could use your strengths?
5.       How will you be of service?

Part One:  What Is Your Mission?
Having a mission refers to the difference you want to make---the effect you want to have.  Forming a mission is a demanding task.  You may want to revise or refocus your mission several times during your life, but you can begin the process now.
Ideally, you will have a lifestyle that works together with your sense of mission.  You might choose to “live out” your mission in the context of your family life, career, or leisure time activities. 
Text Box:  “A Personal mission is rare, so rare that when we
experience it, we refer to the person as having
‘It.’ The French even have a phrase for it, je ne
sais quoi, or ‘that certain something.’”
– Don Clifton & Paula Nelson, Soar With Your Strengths, Dell Publishing, 1992



 







Whatever the case may be, the questions below will help you focus your mission and think about the relationship between your life and your mission.
  • What social problems concern you most?
  • What kind of people (age, socioeconomic, ethic-culture group, problematic conditions, etc.) are you most concerned about?
  • How do you want to be remembered?  What will your lasting legacy be?


What is your mission? Consider beginning your mission statement by filling in the following blanks:
  • I want to make a difference in the lives of….the average person.
  • I want them to become……enlightened and unbound by the conventional.






Part Two:  Whom Will You Serve?
Given your sense of mission, whom do you want to serve?
I want to serve the average person.  It isn’t very specific but that’s just how I feel.  I’m an RA for that reason, I joined the committee for that reason, I run at the rescue squad for that reason and I want to get involved in healthcare for that same reason.  The specifics aren’t that important to me, as long as at the end of the day, I know that I made a difference, however small, in someone else’s life.




Part Three:  What Needs, Problems, or Concerns Will You Try to Address?
Now that you have identified whom you will serve, the next issue involves the particular needs, problems, or concerns you will be addressing.  So let’s be specific.  As you think about the individuals you want to serve, consider the following:
What are their needs?
I think the average person in the U.S. needs to be more open minded.

What are their problems?
I think the problem of the average person in the U.S. is that they are too bounded by the conventional, unwilling to stray from the two options of thought presented to them on any given issue.

What concerns are you trying to address?
I want people to stop only looking at the black and white.  No matter what the issue, I don’t think two people, let alone an entire nation, can be boiled down into either agreeing with it or disagreeing.  Where is the grey area? For example, why are people either for or against Obamacare?  Most people don’t even know the full details of the plan before they start spouting off an opinion.  I find it impossible to believe that with a plan that comprehensive every person can’t find one part they like and one part they dislike.

What resources are available to you to address their needs, problems and/ or concerns?
At this point in my life my resource is just myself.  I try to be in a position where I can make a difference and open someone’s eyes to start making pragmatic decisions of their own.  But all I have is my own voice to speak and myself to “walk the talk”.


Part Four: Using Your Strengths to Serve
Review your talents in light of the needs, problems, and concerns you have identified above. Think about how your individual talents might be leveraged to address one or more of the needs, problems, and concerns you identified.  Try to make some specific connections.

My strength in Competition                                                                                                                      could be used to
address                fight to see my theory seen as the top theory.                                                                                                                                                                                

My strength in                  Indivualization                                                                                                 could be used to
address                                how different people need to be approached on order to be able to have a serious conversation with them.                                                                                                                                                                        

My strength in Ideation                                                                                                                               could be used to
address                                The strange yet strangely enlightening angle that I want everyone to consider                                                                                                                                                                

My strength in analytical                                                                                                                            could be used to
address                                The facts, to make sure I keep myself on track and don’t stray towards emotional pleas; keeping only facts in the mix.                                                                                                                                                                    

My strength in Achiever                                                                                                                              could be used to
Address               A day by day, little by little expansion of my ideas.  I know that I won’t be happy unless I feel that I’m actually being productive.                                                                                                                                                                          

Part Five:  How Will You Be of Service?
By using your strengths in response to the needs, problems, or concerns of those you are serving, you are not only fulfilling a sense of purpose, but you are also developing your strengths.  As you answered the questions in parts 1-4, some ideas may have emerged.  Think about the times when you know you have helped particular individuals.  What did you do?  How did you serve them?  This simple process of reflection can give you considerable insight on how to serve in the present and the future.
Text Box:  “Mission, like exercise, is most effective when
experienced as often as possible.  A person exercising
His or her strengths on a daily basis is both developing
strengths and fulfilling a sense of purpose.” 
--Don Clifton & Paula Nelson, Soar With Your Strengths, Dell Publishing, 1992
 


                                               



               

Your challenge:  Help others become more aware of their natural talents.  Then, encourage them to develop their talents into strengths.  Encourage those you serve to apply their talents and strengths to the needs, problems, or concerns that they are confronting.

                               
Thank you for completing your Exploring Your Strengths activity worksheets!  Please proofread your work and make sure you have answered the questions completely. 
At this point, put your workbook into your Scholar dropbox (or email it to your hearing officer). 
After you have submitted your activity workbook you should contact your hearing officer to schedule your Exploring Your Strengths follow-up meeting.
At your follow-up meeting you and your hearing officer will discuss your assignment. 
Additionally, you will complete a follow-up survey.



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