StrengthsFinder 2.0 2010 Ryan Roberts

StrengthsFinder 2.0 Report

© 2000, 2006-2008 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ryan Roberts

Your Top 5 Themes

IdeationIndividualizationInputConnectednessEmpathy

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 fromothers with the same theme in their top five

Questions for you to answer to increase your awareness of your talentsSection II: Application

10 Ideas for Action for each of your top five themes

Questions for you to answer to help you apply your talentsSection III: Achievement

Examples of what each of your top five themes "sounds like" -- real quotes frompeople who also have the theme in their top five

Steps for you to take to help you leverage your talents for achievement

Strengths Insight and Action-Planning Guide

180151772 (Ryan Roberts) © 2000, 2006-2008 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Section I: AwarenessIdeation

Shared Theme Description

People who are especially talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They areable to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.

Your Personalized Strengths Insights

What makes you stand out?

Because of your strengths, you occasionally generate novel ideas for campaigns, businessventures, initiatives, or special events. Chances are good that you now and then takeadvantage of opportunities that allow you to generate original ideas. Instinctively, you usuallyfind novel and fresh ways to do things. People turn to you when they find themselvesstruggling to generate ideas. It’s very likely that 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. Driven byyour talents, you may consider yourself an idea person. Perhaps your job, studies, or life ingeneral feels a bit more exciting when people ask you to think up novel assignments,activities, or campaigns.

Questions

1. As you read your personalized strengths insights, what words, phrases, or lines standout to you?

2. Out of all the talents in this insight, what would you like for others to see most inyou?



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Individualization


People who are especially talented in the Individualization theme are intrigued with theunique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who aredifferent can work together productively.



Instinctively, you embrace a wide array of people. You honor their differences with ease. Youidentify specific things each one does quite well. These insights help you mix and match oneperson’s talents, skills, and knowledge with those of others in the group. Ultimately, youposition individuals in such a way that cooperation becomes the norm rather than theexception. By nature, you occasionally offer people useful suggestions about what needs tobe fixed, upgraded, renovated, or done better. Chances are good that you might assist certainindividuals by sharing with them information you have acquired, skills you have mastered, orexperiences you have had. In some situations, you may claim to be a good instructor, tutor, ortrainer. Driven by your talents, you might identify situations where you can assist people byusing your talents. To some degree, you want to concentrate on doing what you do well.Perhaps this is your pathway to success. Because of your strengths, you now and then delightin helping people. Perhaps you hope they find your companionship pleasant and choose tospend more time with you.

Questions





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Input


People who are especially talented in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Oftenthey like to collect and archive all kinds of information.



Chances are good that you exhibit a yearning to collect information about topics of specialinterest and/or entirely unrelated subjects. Whatever your ultimate goal, you usually locatespecialists to help you ask the right questions so you obtain the right answers. Rather thanleap into action unprepared, you prefer to uncover facts, data, itineraries, costs, or productspecifications. By nature, you have a strong need to know that you are taking the propercourse of action before you begin. Without a doubt, your hunger for evidence, data, orbackground information is immense. Whether your sources of knowledge are people, classes,books, the Internet, or discussions, you are hardwired to be as informed as you possibly canbe prior to starting most ventures. You probably prefer to be overly prepared rather than riskbeing poorly prepared. Because of your strengths, you occasionally enjoy the company ofcertain forward-looking individuals. They may think about what the world will be like in thecoming years, decades, or centuries. Perhaps you read as much as you can about these people.Maybe you have even studied in detail a few of the books or articles they have authored. It’svery likely that you sometimes absorb the written word like a sponge absorbs water. Youmight revel in an opportunity to lose yourself in a book. Time may seem to float by when youare the grateful guest of an entertaining or informative author. Perhaps your only choice is tofinish the book as quickly as possible. Instinctively, you probably started asking peoplequestions as a child and continue to do so today. Others quickly notice you are genuinelyinterested in what they say. Your inquiries turn tense frowns into relaxed smiles. The warmthof your presence can transform a timid person into a talkative one. You intentionally offercompliments. Few things delight you as much as hearing a stranger say, “I really like you —and I’ve just met you!”

Questions





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Connectedness


People who are especially talented in the Connectedness theme have faith in the linksbetween all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has areason.



Driven by your talents, you accept individuals as they are, not as you want, wish, or expectthem to be. You sense that a bond exists between and among all people. This bond extendsacross time and space, and includes people you know and people you will never meet. Theapparent and subtle links among members of the human family influences many of yourchoices. Instinctively, you rely on your awareness of others’ feelings, thoughts, and needs toguide you into and through partnerships. You consider various ways to initiate, nurture, andsustain the linkages between individuals and groups. You bring people together. You helpthem discover reasons to cooperate and support one another. Chances are good that you mayfeel more confident about yourself and life in general when your words and deeds align withyour fundamental values. By nature, you sense you are not all alone in the world. Youprobably feel linked with every person and living thing. This openness explains why youinvite a vast array of people to participate in conversations, activities, social events, orgroups. Because of your strengths, you choose to associate with people whose philosophicalperspective gives them both balance and courage in the face of adversity.

Questions





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Empathy


People who are especially talented in the Empathy theme can sense the feelings of otherpeople by imagining themselves in others’ lives or others’ situations.



By nature, you are acutely aware of what it feels like not to belong. You probably understandthe sensations that accompany not being accepted. You regularly go out of your way towelcome individuals whom others ignore. Chances are good that you spontaneously tune in tothe emotions and needs of individuals. Your intuitive insights tell you when a person needs tobe cheered up, offered support, or given approval. This special gift of yours helps peoplegrow personally and professionally. It also frees them to feel good about themselves and whatthey can do. Instinctively, you might be able to tune in to the mood of your group or interpretthe emotions that certain members of the team are experiencing. It’s very likely that yourecognize that people feel most visible and valued when another human being puts everythingaside to hear what they have to say. Actually, the importance you attach to heeding thespoken word causes many individuals to think, “Finally, someone understands me!” Drivenby your talents, you comprehend the needs, feelings, hopes, and/or problems of others,especially those who seek your advice. Without saying a word, your attentiveness tells themyou really care.

Questions





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Questions

1. How does this information help you better understand your unique talents?2. How can you use this understanding to add value to your role?3. How can you apply this knowledge to add value to your team, workgroup,

department, or division?4. How will this understanding help you add value to your organization?5. What will you do differently tomorrow as a result of this report?



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Section II: ApplicationIdeation

Ideas for Action:

Seek a career in which you will be given credit for and paid for your ideas, such asmarketing, advertising, journalism, design, or new product development.You are likely to get bored quickly, so make some small changes in your work or homelife. Experiment. Play mental games with yourself. All of these will help keep youstimulated.Finish your thoughts and ideas before communicating them. Lacking your Ideationtalents, others might not be able to “join the dots” of an interesting but incomplete ideaand thus might dismiss it.Not all your ideas will be equally practical or serviceable. Learn to edit your ideas, orfind a trusted friend or colleague who can “proof” your ideas and identify potentialpitfalls.Understand the fuel for your Ideation talents: When do you get your best ideas? Whenyou’re talking with people? When you’re reading? When you’re simply listening orobserving? Take note of the circumstances that seem to produce your best ideas, andrecreate them.Schedule time to read, because the ideas and experiences of others can become your rawmaterial for new ideas. Schedule time to think, because thinking energizes you.You are a natural fit with research and development; you appreciate the mindset ofvisionaries and dreamers. Spend time with imaginative peers, and sit in on theirbrainstorming sessions.Partner with someone with strong Analytical talents. This person will question you andchallenge you, therefore strengthening your ideas.Sometimes you lose others’ interest because they cannot follow your abstract andconceptual thinking style. Make your ideas more concrete by drawing pictures, usinganalogies or metaphors, or simply explaining your concepts step by step.Feed your Ideation talents by gathering knowledge. Study fields and industries differentfrom your own. Apply ideas from outside, and link disparate ideas to generate new ones.

Questions

1. Which of these action items speak to you? Highlight the actions that you are mostlikely to take.

2. How will you commit to taking action? Write your own personalized action item thatyou will take in the next 30 days.



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Individualization

Ideas for Action:

Select a vocation in which your Individualization talents can be both used andappreciated, such as counseling, supervising, teaching, writing human interest articles,or selling. Your ability to see people as unique individuals is a special talent.Become an expert in describing your own strengths and style. For example, answerquestions such as: What is the best praise you ever received? How often do you like tocheck in with your manager? What is your best method for building relationships? Howdo you learn best? Then ask your colleagues and friends these same questions. Helpthem plan their future by starting with their strengths, then designing a future based onwhat they do best.Help others understand that true diversity can be found in the subtle differences betweeneach individual — regardless of race, sex, or nationality.Explain that it is appropriate, just, and effective to treat each person differently. Thosewithout strong Individualization talents might not see the differences among individualsand might insist that individualization is unequal and therefore unfair. You will need todescribe your perspective in detail to be persuasive.Figure out what every person on your team does best. Then help them capitalize on theirtalents, skills, and knowledge. You may need to explain your rationale and yourphilosophy so people understand that you have their best interests in mind.You have an awareness and appreciation of others’ likes and dislikes and an ability topersonalize. This puts you in a unique position. Use your Individualization talents tohelp identify areas where one size does not fit all.Make your colleagues and friends aware of each person’s unique needs. Soon peoplewill look to you to explain other people’s motivations and actions.Your presentations and speaking opportunities will be most engaging when you relateyour topic to the experiences of individuals in the audience. Use your Individualizationtalents to gather and share real-life stories that will make your points much better thanwould generic information or theories.You move comfortably among a broad range of styles and cultures, and you intuitivelypersonalize your interactions. Consciously and proactively make full use of these talentsby leading diversity and community efforts.Your Individualization talents can help you take a different approach to interpretingdata. While others are looking for similarities, make a point of identifyingdistinctiveness. Your interpretations will add a valuable perspective.

Questions




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Input

Ideas for Action:

Look for jobs in which you are charged with acquiring new information each day, suchas teaching, research, or journalism.Devise a system to store and easily locate information. This can be as simple as a file forall the articles you have clipped or as sophisticated as a computer database.Partner with someone with dominant Focus or Discipline talents. This person will helpyou stay on track when your inquisitiveness leads you down intriguing but distractingavenues.Your mind is open and absorbent. You naturally soak up information in the same waythat a sponge soaks up water. But just as the primary purpose of the sponge is not topermanently contain what it absorbs, neither should your mind simply store information.Input without output can lead to stagnation. As you gather and absorb information, beaware of the individuals and groups that can most benefit from your knowledge, and beintentional about sharing with them.You might naturally be an exceptional repository of facts, data, and ideas. If that’s thecase, don’t be afraid to position yourself as an expert. By simply following your Inputtalents, you could become known as the authority in your field.Remember that you must be more than just a collector of information. At some point,you’ll need to leverage this knowledge and turn it into action. Make a point ofidentifying the facts and data that would be most valuable to others, and use thisinformation to their advantage.Identify your areas of specialization, and actively seek more information about them.

Schedule time to read books and articles that stimulate you.

Deliberately increase your vocabulary. Collect new words, and learn the meaning ofeach of them.Identify situations in which you can share the information you have collected with otherpeople. Also make sure to let your friends and colleagues know that you enjoyanswering their questions.

Questions





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Connectedness

Ideas for Action:

Consider roles in which you listen and counsel. You can become adept at helping otherpeople see connection and purpose in everyday occurrences.Explore specific ways to expand your sense of connection, such as starting a book club,attending a retreat, or joining an organization that puts Connectedness into practice.Within your organization, help your colleagues understand how their efforts fit in thelarger picture. You can be a leader in building teams and helping people feel important.You are aware of the boundaries and borders created within organizations andcommunities, but you treat these as seamless and fluid. Use your Connectedness talentsto break down silos that prevent shared knowledge.Help people see the connections among their talents, their actions, their mission, andtheir successes. When people believe in what they are doing and feel like they are partof something bigger, commitment to achievement is enhanced.Partner with someone with strong Communication talents. This person can help youwith the words you need to describe vivid examples of connection in the real world.Don’t spend too much time attempting to persuade others to see the world as a linkedweb. Be aware that your sense of connection is intuitive. If others don’t share yourintuition, rational argument will not persuade them.Your philosophy of life compels you to move beyond your own self-interests and theinterests of your immediate constituency and sphere of influence. As such, you see thebroader implications for your community and the world. Explore ways to communicatethese insights to others.Seek out global or cross-cultural responsibilities that capitalize on your understanding ofthe commonalities inherent in humanity. Build universal capability, and change themindset of those who think in terms of “us” and “them.”Connectedness talents can help you look past the outer shell of a person to embrace hisor her humanity. Be particularly aware of this when you work with someone whosebackground is very different from yours. You can naturally look past the labels andfocus on his or her essential needs.

Questions





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Empathy

Ideas for Action:

Help your friends and colleagues be more aware when one of your peers is having adifficult time. Remember, most people do not have your ability to pick up on sensitivesituations.Act quickly and firmly when others behave in a way that is unhealthy for themselves orothers. Understanding someone’s emotional state does not mean that you must excusethis behavior. Be aware that when your empathy turns to sympathy, others might seeyou as a “bleeding heart.”Partner with someone with strong Command or Activator talents. This person will helpyou take needed action, even though people’s feelings might suffer as a result.Consider serving others as a confidante or mentor. Because trust is paramount to you,people are likely to feel comfortable approaching you with any need. Your discretionand desire to be genuinely helpful will be greatly valued.At times, your empathy for others may overwhelm you. Create some rituals that you canuse at the end of your day to signal that work is over. This will help buffer youremotions and prevent burnout.Identify a friend who has strong Empathy talents, and check your observations with himor her.Sensitive to the feelings of others, you readily gauge the emotional tone of a room. Useyour talents to forge a bridge of understanding and mutual support. Your empathy willbe especially important during trying times because it will demonstrate your concern,thereby building loyalty.Witnessing the happiness of others brings you pleasure. Consequently, you are likely tobe attuned to opportunities to underscore others’ successes and positively reinforce theirachievements. At each opportunity, deliver a kind word of appreciation or recognition.In doing so, you are likely to make a profound and engaging impression.Because you are observant of how others are feeling, you are likely to intuit what isabout to happen before it becomes common knowledge. Although your intuitions may attimes seem nothing more than ‘hunches’, take conscious note of them. They may turnout to be valuable assets.Sometimes empathy does not require words at all. A kind gesture may be all someoneneeds to be reassured. Use your Empathy talents to nonverbally comfort others with aglance, a smile, or a pat on the arm.

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Section III: Achievement

Look for signs of achievement as you read these real quotes from people who share your topfive themes.

Ideation sounds like this:

Mark B., writer: “My mind works by finding connections between things. When I washunting down the Mona Lisa in the Louvre museum, I turned a corner and was blinded by theflashing of a thousand cameras snapping the tiny picture. For some reason, I stored that visualimage away. Then I noticed a ‘No Flash Photography’ sign, and I stored that away too. Ithought it was odd because I remembered reading that flash photography can harm paintings.Then about six months later, I read that the Mona Lisa has been stolen at least twice in thiscentury. And suddenly I put it all together. The only explanation for all these facts is that thereal Mona Lisa is not on display in the Louvre. The real Mona Lisa has been stolen, and themuseum, afraid to admit their carelessness, has installed a fake. I don’t know if it’s true, ofcourse, but what a great story.”

Andrea H., interior designer: “I have the kind of mind where everything has to fit together orI start to feel very odd. For me, every piece of furniture represents an idea. It serves a discretefunction both independently and in concert with every other piece. The ‘idea’ of each piece isso powerful in my mind, it must be obeyed. If I am sitting in a room where the chairs aresomehow not fulfilling their discrete function — they’re the wrong kind of chairs or they’refacing the wrong way or they're pushed up too close to the coffee table — I find myselfgetting physically uncomfortable and mentally distracted. Later, I won’t be able to get it outof my mind. I’ll find myself awake at 3:00 a.m., and I walk through the person’s house in mymind’s eye, rearranging the furniture and repainting the walls. This started happening when Iwas very young, say seven years old.”



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Individualization sounds like this:

Les T., hospitality manager: “Carl is one of our best performers, but he still has to see meevery week. He just wants a little encouragement and to check in, and he gets fired up a littlebit after that meeting. Greg doesn’t like to meet very often, so there’s no need for me tobother him. And when we do meet, it’s really for me, not for him.”

Marsha D., publishing executive: “Sometimes I would walk out of my office and — youknow how cartoon characters have those balloons over their head? I would see these littleballoons over everyone’s head telling me what was in their minds. It sounds weird, doesn’t it?But it happens all the time.”

Andrea H., interior designer: “When you ask people what their style is, they find it hard todescribe, so I just ask them, ‘What is your favorite spot in the house?’ And when I ask that,their faces light up, and they know just where to take me. From that one spot, I can begin topiece together the kind of people they are and what their style is.”



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Input sounds like this:

Ellen K., writer: “Even as a child, I found myself wanting to know everything. I would makea game of my questions. ‘What is my question today?’ I would think up these outrageousquestions, and then I would go looking for the books that would answer them. I often got inway over my head, deep into books that I didn’t have a clue about, but I read them becausethey had my answer someplace. My questions became my tool for leading me from one pieceof information to another.”

John F., human resources executive: “I’m one of those people who thinks that the Internet isthe greatest thing since sliced bread. I used to feel so frustrated, but now if I want to knowwhat the stock market is doing in a certain area or the rules of a certain game or what theGNP of Spain is or other different things, I just go to the computer, start looking, andeventually find it.”

Kevin F., salesperson: “I am amazed at some of the garbage that collects in my mind, and Ilove playing Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit and anything like that. I don’t mind throwing thingsaway as long as they’re material things, but I hate wasting knowledge or accumulatedknowledge or not being able to read something fully if I enjoy it.”



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Connectedness sounds like this:

Mandy M., homemaker: “Humility is the essence of Connectedness. You have to know whoyou are and who you aren’t. I have a piece of the wisdom. I don’t have much of it, but what Ido have is real. This isn’t grandiosity. This is real humility. You have confidence in yourgifts, real confidence, but you know you don’t have all the answers. You start to feelconnected to others because you know they have wisdom that you don’t. You can’t feelconnected if you think you have everything.”

Rose T., psychologist: “Sometimes I look at my bowl of cereal in the morning and thinkabout those hundreds of people who were involved in bringing me my bowl of cereal: thefarmers in the field, the biochemists who made the pesticides, the warehouse workers at thefood preparation plants, even the marketers who somehow persuaded me to buy this box ofcereal and not a different one sitting next to it on the shelf. I know it sounds strange, but Igive thanks to these people, and just doing that makes me feel more involved with life, moreconnected to things, less alone.”

Chuck M., teacher: “I tend to be very black and white about things, but when it comes tounderstanding the mysteries of life, for some reason, I am much more open. I have a biginterest in learning about all different religions. I am reading a book right now that talks aboutJudaism versus Christianity versus the religion of the Canaanites. Buddhism, Greekmythology — it’s really interesting how all of these tie together in some way.”



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Empathy sounds like this:

Alyce J., administrator: “Recently, I was in a meeting of trustees where one of the individualswas presenting a new idea that was critical to her and to the life of this group. When she wasfinished, no one heard her opinion, no one really heard her. It was a powerfully demoralizingmoment for her. I could see it in her face, and she wasn’t herself for a day or two afterward. Ifinally raised the issue with her and used words that helped describe how she was feeling. Isaid, ‘Something’s wrong,’ and she started to talk. I said, ‘I really understand. I know howimportant this was for you, and you don’t seem like yourself,’ and so on. And she finally gavewords to what was going on inside her. She said, ‘You’re the only one who heard me andwho has said one word to me about it.’”

Brian H., administrator: “When my team is making decisions, what I like to do is say, ‘Okay,what will this person say about this? What will that person say about it?’ In other words, putyourself in their position. Let’s think about the arguments from their perspective so that wecan all be more persuasive.”

Janet P., schoolteacher: “I never played basketball because they didn’t have it for womenwhen I was a kid, but I believe I can tell at a basketball game when the momentum ischanging, and I want to go to the coach and say, ‘Get them revved up. You are losing them.’Empathy also works in large groups; you can feel the crowd.”



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Questions

1. Talk to friends or coworkers to hear how they have used their talents to achieve.

2. How will you use your talents to achieve?



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