Taking the Clifton StrengthsFinder Assessment started an exciting exploration in my personal and professional life. Working in an Executive Level position, I’ve had a delightful journey to get to where I am today. My hard work and dedication have always led me in a beneficial direction, but I often suffered from “Imposter Syndrome” doubting my abilities in this high-level position. I was excited to take StrengthsFinder to discover what I was good at in my professional life. I took the assessment, read my results and said: “What the heck?”
I went home to my husband that night, super frustrated, and disappointed that I still had no idea what I was good at in business. Here’s what my report said:
Empathy – I instantly know when something is wrong.
Developer – I see someone’s potential, even when they don’t.
Relator – I like meaningful relationships.
Achiever – I get a heck of a LOT of stuff done.
Consistency – I desire to make everything fair.
WHAT? Those are not Talents. I can tell when my kids are melting down; I make them do their homework; of course, I love them; I multi-task like none other, and I can cut peanut butter and jelly in two perfect halves. These are NOT Talents. This says I’m a MOM!!
I had the opportunity to participate in a Strengths Coaching Session with my team the following day. In that session, we saw all of our Strengths on a Team Grid. Guess what? I was super unique in our company! The other moms didn’t have the same talents as I did.
The other women didn’t even have the same talents as I did. In fact, I was the only person in the whole company that had Consistency. Consistency is the ability to keep things the same in the midst of chaos. (like our crazy little start-up)
Our CEO has recruited me to work with him, through 3 different companies because he calls me the Glue that holds us together. I always laugh, (and ask for a raise) but it wasn’t until StrengthsFinder that I finally understood what he meant. Let’s look at those Strengths again:
Empathy – I intuitively assess the feeling in the room at all times. I know instantly when company morale is struggling.
Developer – I can see the innate talents of people and push them to use those talents, or reassign roles to make those talents succeed.
Relator – Connecting on a deeper level is essential to me. I want our team to be connected and able to communicate, not just acquaintances.
Achiever – I still get a heck of a LOT of stuff done!! But now, with the power to drive my teams to success as well.
Consistency – Keeping consistency in the chaos is crucial to start-ups, as is my ability to create policies and procedures that protect our team from inequality.
Wow!! Looking at it like that, it made me realize the value of what I have to offer. These talents are such a part of who I am, every single day, that I couldn’t even see them. I incorrectly assumed everyone thought and acted as I did. It has been an eventful few years since I became a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, full of fantastic learning, growth, and development, all of which came about by understanding who I am and how I contribute to the world.
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If you didn’t catch the impactful coaching story I shared on the homepage, be sure to listen to that HERE:
I will continue to add more stories about my experiences here on my blog, and when you are inspired to find your own Strengths Journey, please contact me. I’d love to help you discover your Strengths.