PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS
Strengths Insight and Action-Planning Guide
447530519 (Mary DiBiasio)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
SURVEY COMPLETION DATE: 06-21-2013
Mary DiBiasio
Your Top 5 Themes
-Achiever
-Ideation
-Relator
-Focus
-Learner
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 from others with the same theme in their top five
Questions for you to answer to increase your awareness of your talents
Section II: Application
Ideas for Action for each of your top five themes
Questions for you to answer to help you apply your talents
Section I: Awareness
Achiever
Shared Theme Description
People who are especially talented in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.
What makes you stand out?
Because of your strengths, you frequently point out to people the things that are correct, accurate, and/or appropriate. You prefer to pay close attention to quality rather than mediocrity. You often conclude that today’s successes are simply the byproduct of having done everything right yesterday. It’s very likely that you can be scholarly if you have a desirable goal to reach. Perhaps you are willing to examine certain topics for extended periods of time. This might satisfy your need for knowledge or your desire to make measurable progress. Instinctively, you occasionally establish weekly
performance targets for yourself. You may also organize or plan new projects. This partially explains why you know where you are headed, how you plan to proceed, and when you might reach your goal. To some extent, pushing hard for desired results excites you. By nature, you critically examine the essential elements of the current condition. You toil tirelessly to identify the basic parts of various plans, problems, opportunities, processes, or ideas. Driven by your talents, you can sometimes concentrate for hours at a time, especially to deepen your understanding or generate unique ideas by examining new information. The zest this adds to your life may explain why you are determined to acquire additional knowledge or skills at each opportunity.
Ideation
Shared Theme Description
People who are especially talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.
What makes you stand out?
Driven by your talents, you may be delighted when you can generate new and innovative ideas for doing certain tasks or projects. Perhaps you lose enthusiasm or become bored when you are forced to follow standard operating procedures. Periodically you wonder if you are in the right job or course of study when your creativity is stifled. Maybe you are frustrated by people who conclude that your inventive suggestions are forms of criticism or insubordination — that is, refusal to submit to authority. Chances are good that you sometimes feel comfortable sharing your original ideas with groups. Perhaps they welcome your innovations. Maybe they realize you suggest novel ways of doing things they would never have considered. By nature, you might generate certain types of ideas quickly. Occasionally you draw links between facts, events, people, problems, or solutions. You may present numerous options for consideration. Perhaps your innovative thinking fosters ongoing dialogue between and among associates, committee members, teammates, or classmates. It’s very likely that you may select unusual words to describe your ideas or feelings. Perhaps your extensive vocabulary allows you to capture people’s interest. Instinctively, you occasionally feel a need to update, upgrade, or renovate. Perhaps few things please you more than devising original tactics, inventing new
processes, designing useful tools, or proposing innovative solutions.
Relator
Shared Theme Description
People who are especially talented in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
What makes you stand out?
Chances are good that you periodically consider skills you might upgrade to be a better trainer or coach. Perhaps you derive some satisfaction from helping individuals improve personally or professionally. Instinctively, you are occasionally willing to be vulnerable. Perhaps you claim your talents or admit your weaknesses. Your openness may help some people know you better as a person. Your straightforward style may convince others you are honest, dependable, and reliable. Driven by your talents, you sometimes are honest with yourself about yourself. You might be candid about your limitations when you are talking with certain individuals. Perhaps you are comfortable admitting you need to do some things better, more completely, or more perfectly. By nature, you occasionally make the complex easy to understand. Perhaps you have a gift for making the intricate seem simple. It’s very likely that you may instruct, guide, train, or tutor certain types of individuals. Perhaps you choose to stay within your area of specialization, however. People may notice that you become more confident when you can share your knowledge or demonstrate your skills.
Focus
Shared Theme Description
People who are especially talented in the Focus theme can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. They prioritize, then act.
What makes you stand out?
Because of your strengths, you prefer to concentrate on activities, problems, opportunities, or subjects that really intrigue you. Each time you acquire new information, you feel you can help people who need the same information. By nature, you may like to participate in discussions where decisions are
made about what an individual or group needs to accomplish in the near-term or the long-term. Chances are good that you periodically devote your energy, intellect, or time to making improvements in yourself or in what you do. Perhaps you concentrate on your shortcomings. Maybe you feel this
approach increases your chances of reaching certain goals in the future. Driven by your talents, you now and then desire to advance personally or professionally. To meet your high expectations, you might identify specific things about yourself or a project that you want to upgrade or do better.
Instinctively, you sometimes set goals for the week. These might prevent you from being drawn off course by each day’s demands.
Learner
Shared Theme Description
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.
What makes you stand out?
It’s very likely that you occasionally buy books or check them out of the library because you enjoy reading. Your investigative mind may sometimes be a bit restless until you have collected enough information to produce answers. Maybe you read about topics of personal or professional interest.
These might range from history to science, from politics to mathematics, from entertainment to sports, or from art to law. Instinctively, you may sometimes seek to acquire additional knowledge. Your desire to study may enable you to talk about a variety of topics with newcomers or outsiders. Maybe knowing more increases the likelihood of having something in common to talk about with strangers. By nature, you may diligently examine what needs to be revamped, revised, modified, or fixed. Periodically you
give all your attention to a single problem. It might be related to your personal life, your job, or your studies. Chances are good that you may insert intricate or theoretical words into your academic or professional conversations and writings. Your interest in language partially explains why you enjoy mastering specific types of words and their definitions. While some individuals are required to memorize new terms in classes or seminars, perhaps you automatically commit specific words to memory. Occasionally you describe this experience as pleasurable. Because of your strengths, you might register for high level courses or honors classes. Why? Perhaps you are attracted to subjects that are not easy to comprehend. Occasionally you trust yourself enough to test your mental endurance and agility.
Section II: Application
Achiever
Ideas for Action:
Select jobs that allow you to have the leeway to work as hard as you want and in which you are encouraged to measure your own productivity. You will feel challenged and alive in these environments. As an achiever, you relish the feeling of being busy, yet you also need to know when you are “done.” Attach timelines and measurement to goals so that effort leads to defined progress and tangible outcomes.
Remember to build celebration and recognition into your life. Achievers tend to move on to the next challenge without acknowledging their successes. Counter this impulse by creating regular opportunities to enjoy your progress and accomplishments. Your drive for action might cause you to find meetings a bit boring. If that’s the case, appeal to your Achiever talents by learning the objectives of each meeting ahead of time and by taking notes about progress toward those objectives during the meeting. You can
help ensure that meetings are productive and efficient. Continue your education by attaining certifications in your area or specialty in addition to
attending conferences and other programs. This will give you even more goals to achieve and will push your existing boundaries of accomplishment.
You do not require much motivation from others. Take advantage of your self-motivation by setting challenging goals. Set a more demanding goal every time you finish a project. Partner with other hard workers. Share your goals with them so they can help you to get more done.
Count personal achievements in your scoring “system.” This will help you direct your Achiever talents toward family and friends as well as toward work. More work excites you. The prospect of what lies ahead is infinitely more motivating than what has been completed. Launch initiatives and new projects. Your seemingly endless reserve of energy will create enthusiasm and momentum. Make sure that in your eagerness to do more at work, you do not skimp on quality. Create measurable outcome standards to guarantee that increased productivity is matched by enhanced quality.
Ideation
Ideas for Action:
Seek a career in which you will be given credit for and paid for your ideas, such as marketing, advertising, journalism, design, or new product development. You are likely to get bored quickly, so make some small changes in your work or home life. Experiment. Play mental games with yourself. All of these will help keep you stimulated. Finish your thoughts and ideas before communicating them. Lacking your Ideation talents, others might not be able to “join the dots” of an interesting but incomplete idea and thus might dismiss it. Not all your ideas will be equally practical or serviceable. Learn to edit your ideas, or find a trusted friend or colleague who can “proof” your ideas and identify potential pitfalls. Understand the fuel for your Ideation talents: When do you get your best ideas? When you’re talking with people? When you’re reading? When you’re simply listening or
observing? Take note of the circumstances that seem to produce your best ideas, and recreate them. Schedule time to read, because the ideas and experiences of others can become your raw material for new ideas. Schedule time to think, because thinking energizes you. You are a natural fit with research and development; you appreciate the mindset of visionaries and dreamers. Spend time with imaginative peers, and sit in on their
brainstorming sessions. Partner with someone with strong Analytical talents. This person will question you and challenge you, therefore strengthening your ideas. Sometimes you lose others’ interest because they cannot follow your abstract and conceptual thinking style. Make your ideas more concrete by drawing pictures, using analogies or metaphors, or simply explaining your concepts step by step. Feed your Ideation talents by gathering knowledge. Study fields and industries different from your own. Apply ideas from outside, and link disparate ideas to generate new ones.
Relator
Ideas for Action:
Find a workplace in which friendships are encouraged. You will not do well in an overly formal organization. In job interviews, ask about work styles and company culture. Deliberately learn as much as you can about the people you meet. You like knowing about people, and other people like being known. By doing this, you will act as a catalyst for trusting relationships.
Let it be known that you are more interested in the character and personality of others than in their status or job title. This is one of your greatest talents and can serve as a model for others. Let your caring show. For example, find people in your company to mentor, help your colleagues get to know each other better, or extend your relationships beyond the office. No matter how busy you are, stay in contact with your friends. They are your fuel. Be honest with your friends. True caring means helping the other person be successful and fulfilled. Giving honest feedback or encouraging your friend to move out of a role in which he or she is struggling is a compassionate act.
You probably prefer to be seen as a person, an equal, or a friend, rather than as a function, a superior, or a title. Let people know that they can address you by your first name, rather than formally. You might tend to withhold the most engaging aspects of your personality until you have
sensed openness from another person. Remember, building relationships is not a one- way street. Proactively “put yourself out there.” Others will quickly see you for the genuine individual you are, and you will create many more opportunities to cultivate strong, long-lasting connections. Make time for family and close friends. You need to spend quality moments with those you
love in order to “feed” your Relator talents. Schedule activities that allow you to get even closer to the people who keep you grounded and happy.
Make an effort to socialize with your colleagues and team members outside of work. It can be as simple as lunch or coffee together. This will help you forge more connected relationships at work, which in turn can facilitate more effective teamwork and cooperation.
Focus
Ideas for Action:
When you set goals, discipline yourself to include timelines and measurements. These will provide regular proof that you are indeed making progress. Seek roles in which you can function independently. With your dominant Focus talents, you will be able to stay on track with little supervision. Your greatest worth as a team member might be helping others set goals. At the end of meetings, take responsibility for summarizing what was decided, for defining when these decisions will be acted on, and for setting a date when the group will reconvene. Others will think, act, and talk less efficiently than you do. Pay attention. Sometimes their “detours” will lead to discoveries and delights. Stretch your goal setting beyond work. If you find yourself becoming too focused on work goals, set goals for your personal life. They will give weight to your personal priorities and thereby help create balance in your life. Hours can disappear when you are intent on a task; you lose track of time. Make sure that all of your objectives are met and all of your priorities are followed by scheduling your efforts and sticking to that schedule. You function best when you can concentrate on a few well-defined initiatives and demands. Give yourself permission to reject projects or tasks that do not align with your overall mission. This will help you concentrate your efforts on your most important priorities — and will help others appreciate your need for focus. Take the time to write down your aspirations, and refer to them often. You will feel more in control of your life.
At work, be sure to tell your manager your mid-term and short-term goals. This might well give your manager the confidence to give you the room you need. Make sure that the focus points you set for yourself take into consideration both quantity and quality. The integrity of your objectives will ensure that the application of your Focus talents leads to solid and long-lasting success.
Learner
Ideas for Action:
Refine how you learn. For example, you might learn best by teaching; if so, seek out opportunities to present to others. You might learn best through quiet reflection; if so, find this quiet time. Develop ways to track the progress of your learning. If there are distinct levels or stages of learning within a discipline or skill, take a moment to celebrate your progression from one
level to the next. If no such levels exist, create them for yourself (e.g., reading five books on the subject or making three presentations on the subject). Be a catalyst for change. Others might be intimidated by new rules, new skills, or new circumstances. Your willingness to soak up this newness can calm their fears and spur them to action. Take this responsibility seriously. Seek roles that require some form of technical competence. You will enjoy the process of acquiring and maintaining this expertise. As far as possible, shift your career toward a field with constantly changing technologies or regulations. You will be energized by the challenge of keeping up. Because you are not threatened by unfamiliar information, you might excel in a consulting role (either internal or external) in which you are paid to go into new situations and pick up new competencies or languages quickly. Research supports the link between learning and performance. When people have the opportunity to learn and grow, they are more productive and loyal. Look for ways to measure the degree to which you and others feel that your learning needs are being met, to create individualized learning milestones, and to reward achievements in learning.
At work, take advantage of programs that subsidize your learning. Your organization may be willing to pay for part or all of your instructional coursework or for certifications. Ask your manager for information about scholarships and other educational opportunities. Honor your desire to learn. Take advantage of adult educational opportunities in your community. Discipline yourself to sign up for at least one new academic or adult learning
course each year. Time disappears and your attention intensifies when you are immersed in studying or learning. Allow yourself to “follow the trail” by scheduling learning sessions during periods of time that will not be interrupted by pressing engagements.
