Frankly, I wasn't originally impressed with the StrengthsFinder Assessment Tool. Having completed a lot of self-assessments tools during my professional career, I have had the opportunity to create a robust baseline of self-analysis and awareness.
My first experience with the tool occurred when I was transitioning jobs and I was encouraged to take the StrengthsFinder Assessment and read the book, StrengthsFinder 2.0. It was popular at that time to focus only on the Top 5, which were in my case:
Input
Restorative
Achiever
Individualization
Learner
Ok, I thought. No big surprise or new insight there - even after receiving some coaching from two different certified coaches. Given all of my other self-assessment work, my Top 5 and coaching experiences did not provide sufficient ROI.
BUT, after a series of unrelated events, I found myself taking the StrengthsFinder Coaching Certification Program where I was able to dive deeply into my full 34 Talent Theme Sequence Report. Wow! The power, nuance, and magic of Theme Dynamics became crystal clear to me. I learned how the assessment tool could provide a foundation for complex analysis with the right, deep-diving questions so my attitude toward the tool changed dramatically.
As a side benefit, I was also able to explore why my Top Five changed to the following:
1. Restorative
2. Achiever
3. Connectedness
4. Learner
5. Input
It was interesting to explore the life changes that caused my Individualization to drop from my #4 to my #8 and understand why my Connectedness rose to the #3 spot.
During the course, I also was able to understand a whole new language for exploring team dynamics.
Team Talent Theme Dynamics
I recently facilitated a retreat for a technology company and help them lay the foundation for a Strengths Based Culture.
I couldn't have asked for a better group to work with. They are already a high functioning team and are preparing to move into Q3/Q4 this year with a plan to 10X their revenue. As they tackle this goal, their team dynamic has to be bullet-proof and seamless to prepare to scale. We started with their Top 5 and plan to dive into the Full 34 in the next few weeks after they have digested the basics.
Stay tuned for an update regarding their progress!
Feel free to reach out to us to explore whether or not creating a Strengths based culture is right for your organization.
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