Insights from StrengthsFinder Results Michael Monroe 28 Oct 2018 16:39 UTC

My top 5 results were:

1.  Achiever - 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.
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.  Restorative - People who are especially talented in the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it.
4.  Deliberative - People who are especially talented in the Deliberative theme are best described by the serious care they take in making decisions or choices. They anticipate the obstacles.
5.  Strategic - People who are especially talented in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.

Honestly, after taking the assessment my mind immediately skipped over my top 5, and went to "what are my bottom five 'strengths'" (i.e., what are my weaknesses).  And then I found myself starting to dissect my top 5...analyzing how even my "top" strengths can be weaknesses, before I realized that I was missing the point of the assignment, i.e., what are my top 5 strengths and which resonate most.

None of the "Top 5" results surprised me.  The two that made me think most were Restorative and Strategic.

Re: Restorative, for many years I have often answered the question "so, what do you actually do all day" with a tongue-in-cheek response of "I solve other people's problems." So it was somewhat revelatory to see just how fundamental that is to how I operate and how I see my contribution and value.

As for Strategic, this is one that I have to focus and push myself on.  I can too easily become rigid and closed in my thinking, as has been pointed out to me even recently in soliciting feedback from colleagues.  I think that actually relates to one of my strengths - restorative/problem solving.  "You have a problem; I can help you -- here's a solution...now let's get it fixed, and sooner rather than later."  But that approach can fail to be (or at the least, come across as being) less than strategic.  I am increasingly aware of that, and as a result am learning to catch myself and be more open and intentionally more strategic about staying focused on the key objective(s), identifying the various ways to get there, analyzing them, etc.  Not always easy for me, and as I see from this, some of my strengths are sometimes battling against some of my other strengths.

All in all this exercise has been helpful to remind me that there are things on the positive side of the ledger with which to work and build upon; and that I would do well to intentionally focus on those things more as an essential part of developing, growing, and improving.

Michael