Don Clifton, author of Strengths Finder, said "There is no more effective way to empower people than to see each person in terms of his or her strengths."
When I began my internship 9 months ago, I was given a book to use as a guide when taking a strengths finders course. I felt lucky to take this quiz, because I know the tests are not cheap. When I began my quiz, I was shocked to see the lengthy questions which took me about 30 minutes total to answer. At the end of the test this is what was revealed to me, my top strengths are;
1) Consistency
2) Harmony
3) Input
4) Arranger
5) Discipline
The thing I like about the quiz is that it is all about the positives when labeling, but it can still tell you where you need to improve. The strength of Harmony is described as such: “People with the strength of Harmony look for areas of agreement and are particularly aware of conflict and dissonance. People with Harmony can see how people can come together or find agreement even when, especially when, they are in conflict. This drives people with Harmony to seek peace, common ground and cooperation” says LeadershipVisualConsulting.com. People with the strength of Harmony can then tend to be labeled “pushovers.” This is good to know because it is now something I can keep track of. For example, if I am getting in a conflict with scheduling a meeting with someone at work I can step back and say “Am I only pushing this meeting to avoid conflict or am will pushing this meeting benefit the team?”
Here are three reasons Strengths Finder is one of the most valuable tools I took from my internship:
1) Its everywhere! Once you do this quiz, you will notice so many businesses have their employees listing their strengths, and its an awesome way to connect with people who have similar strengths to you as well as drawing on the assets of those who are different than you.
2) It is the best tool for projects in the workplace. I am aware that the reason my bosses and I succeed in different areas of my job is because we all hold different strengths. This is how we end up grouping projects and ultimately getting better work done in a more efficient manner.
3) It’s a way to get to know people. I made some wonderful friends at work who have very similar strengths to mine. One of my best friends and collaborators has Consistency as her top trait, and I believe it was something that connected us at the start of the internship.
If you think taking Strengths Finder could be beneficial to your professional life, visit Clifton Strengths Finder for more information.