Saturday, January 19

Finding Your Strengths

Much of my life, I focused on improving upon my weaknesses... probably so much so, that - other than the very obvious - I didn't really know what alot of my strengths were. After awhile, I realized that unless I stopped focusing on my weaknesses and began to capitalize on my strengths, not only would I ended up really frustrated... but there would also be areas of my life in which my talent would not have been significantly expanded upon. There were some strengths I just happened to stumble upon. Back in college, I had a fear of speaking in front of people... so I took an Intro to Public Speaking class... and ended up being one of the top presenters! And so, what started out as being a way to overcome a fear, turned into one of my strongest passions. But, for many of us, that doesn't always happen... and we spend the majority of our time spinning our wheels and wasting our energy on "improving" our weaknesses.

Well, just recently, I started learning more about StrengthsFinder - an assessment tool designed to help people discover what their strengths are (no mystery in that, huh?). I am so excited about this thing... we'll definitely start implementing this with our people at Mosaic! Here are my Top Five Strengths, along with a "shared theme description" of each (for those of you who know me well, you'll be like, "Yup... that's definitely D-PLUM!"):

1. Positivity: People who are especially talented in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.

2. Learner: People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.

3. Woo: People who are especially talented in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.

4. Futuristic: People who are especially talented in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be. They inspire others with their visions of the future.

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

Okay, I'd love to hear from any of you who've taken this assessment, especially church planters or leaders... what are the strength-themes of your life?

4 comments:

Eric Bryant said...

We share 4 of the same strengths (all but Learner - I have Belief instead). No wonder we connected so easily!

Great having you out here in L.A.!

Unknown said...

My top 5 are: Achiever, Individualization, Learner, Restorative, Belief. I have never been the same since I found out about Strengths Finder.

Anonymous said...

Hey, bro:

My strengths were Includer, Futuristic, Maximizer, Strategic, and Achiever. What's yours? Just kidding.

Steven Polk said...

I'm an INPUTer, LEARNER, MAXIMIZER, RELATOR, AND STRATEGIC. I discovered that they are the reason I naturally gravitated into my new church communications career - and LOVING it! My New Year's "good intention" was to develop my strengths - rather than resolve to change something. Thanks for sharing.