Discovering

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Discovering Putting Our Strengths to work
2008 Cabinet Retreat Division of Student
Affairs Northern Illinois University
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What is Strengthfinder?

• Strengthfinder is a tool to seek out your
  dominant strengths and a program to focus on
  capitalizing on these strengths.
• Two books
• Now, Discover Your Strengths
• Go Put Your Strengths to Work

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Consistent, near perfect performance in an
activity
What is a strength?
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What is his strength?
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What is his strength?
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Conventional wisdom

• tells us that we learn from our mistakes.
• The strength movement says that all we learn from
  mistakes are the characteristics of mistakes.
• If we want to learn about our successes, we must
  study success.

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Putting the Themes to Work

• We need to learn how to take our existing job and
  reshape it around our themes make our jobs play
  to our strengths.
• Make the best of our jobs the most of our jobs.
• Establish a new framework for work
• 1.) Pinpoint what invigorates what depletes you
• 2.) Stay in control of your hours
• 3.) Explain what you are doing
• 4.) Address change with a clear head

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6 Step Process

• Bust the Myths
• Get Clear
• Free Your Strengths
• Stop Your Weaknesses
• Speak Up
• Build Strong Habits

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The MYTHS
POOF The myths are gone!

• As you grow, personality changes.
• You will grow the most in your areas of greatest
  weakness.

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Time to Get Clear

• Strengthfinder gives you themes not strengths
  help you discern strengths
• Strengths are the things you do consistently
  near perfectly
• Strengths have three ingredients
• Talents, skills knowledge

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Success Instinct Growth Needs
Signs of a Strength
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Lack of Success Instinct Growth Needs
Signs of a Weakness
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Questions

• Are there any obstacles to building my strengths?
• Why focus on these themes?
• Is there significance to the order?
• What if I dont feel they apply?
• Are there theme opposites?
• Will I become too narrow if I focus on just my
  signature themes?

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Getting Clear Exercise
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StrenghtsFinder themes

• Achiever
• Activator
• Adaptability
• Analytical
• Arranger
• Belief
• Command
• Communication
• Competition
• Connectedness
• Context

• Deliberative
• Developer
• Discipline
• Empathy
• Fairness
• Focus
• Futuristic
• Harmony
• Ideation
• Inclusiveness
• Individualization
• Input

• Intellection
• Learner
• Maximizer
• Positivity
• Relator
• Responsibility
• Restorative
• Self-Assurance
• Significance
• Strategic
• Woo

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Exploring our Strengths Exercises

• Gather in groups of 3-4 individuals
• Avoid gathering with too many fellow
• COPers we will work later as COPs
• Complete the two-part exercise
• Sharing your Reaction Reflections
• Feedback from Others

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StrenghtsFinder themes

• Achiever
• Activator
• Adaptability
• Analytical
• Arranger
• Belief
• Command
• Communication
• Competition
• Connectedness
• Context

• Deliberative
• Developer
• Discipline
• Empathy
• Fairness
• Focus
• Futuristic
• Harmony
• Ideation
• Inclusiveness
• Individualization
• Input

• Intellection
• Learner
• Maximizer
• Positivity
• Relator
• Responsibility
• Restorative
• Self-Assurance
• Significance
• Strategic
• Woo

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Now, Discover Your StrengthsReactions
Reflection Exercise

• First Reactions? Agree/Disagree? Surprises?
• Which themes fit you best?
• Which themes hold the strengths you use most?
  
• How does each theme help you in your work
  role?
• Which themes do you most want to develop?

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Now, Discover Your StrengthsFeedback Exercise

• Do you see this theme in me?
• Provide an example
• What surprises you?
• Which of the five themes do you notice most in
  me?
• Are there any additional themes of talent that
  you see in me?

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Free Your Strengths

• FOCUS
• Identify how this strength/theme helps you in
  your current role
• RELEASE
• Find missed opportunities in your role
• EDUCATE
• Learn new skills related to this strength
• EXPAND
• Build your job around this strength

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Stop Your Weaknesses

• STOP
• Simply eliminate the activity
• TEAM UP
• Partner with others who are strengthened by the
  activity
• OFFER UP
• Volunteer your strength and steer your job
  toward it
• PERCEIVE
• Look at your weaknesses from a different
  perspective

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Speak Up

• This discipline presents the concept of frequent
  dialogue in the workplace about strengths and
  weaknesses
• Continually voicing the concept of strength-based
  leadership will lead to greater utilization of
  the principles
• Discuss strengths when assigning roles
  responsibilities
• REMEMBER The goal is to approach your work the
  majority of the time from a strength perspective
  attempting this all of the time is likely
  unattainable

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Speak UpExercise
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Giving Voice to our Strengths

• Gather with the members of your COP.
• Complete the worksheet provided and discuss the
  questions at the end.
• Please be prepared to summarize your discussion
  of the questions with the larger group.

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Building Strong Habits

• Go Put Your Strengths to Work, provides daily,
  weekly, and annual exercises you can use to build
  the habit
• Apply these themes throughout the year as we
  interact with one another
• Explore your themes further define your
  strengths before taking this further

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A Visual for the 6 Step Process
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Moving beyond YOUR Strengths

• Now, Discover Your Strengths offers great ideas
  about managing strengths in your department (this
  section may even give you better insight into
  yourself!)
• Models for Strength-based Organizations

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Managing Strengths

• What is the difference between checkers chess?
• Mediocre managers play checkers with their
  people. They assume (or hope) that their
  employees will be motivated by the same things,
  driven by the same goals, desire the same kinds
  of relationships, and learn in roughly the same
  ways.

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• What percentage of the US
• workforce is actively engaged at
• work and believe they are doing
• what they do best?
• 16
• What about your staff?
• Remember our peoples strengths are our greatest
  asset!

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Teaching Strengths

• Models for student-centered programs common
  reading, advising/retention purposes, mentoring
  programs, employment programs, etc.
• Students possess groups of talents before they
  enter our hallways
• These talents form the basis of how they learn,
  achieve, and persist
• Potential to enhance person-environment
  interaction, as well as cognitive affective
  development

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Questions? Comments?