Using Your Strengths

[Dbarker]

How many members have taken the StrengthsFinder assessment? There are several books out there about developing your strengths to achieve excellence (Now, Discover Your Strengths, How Full is Your Bucket, among others.)

I am very sold on the idea as I have seen relationships grow by focusing on strengths and managing weaknesses as opposed to focusing on weaknesses. Is there anyone out there who has had success with developing their strengths? What advice would you give on how to do that better?

My top 5 are:
Ideation, Learner, Futuristic, Strategic, Competition.

[JeffS]

Sounds interesting...is the assessment available anywhere online? I'm not familiar with it.

[trekr5]

I think you have to buy the Strengthsfinder book (authored by Marcus Buckingham) first, get a code from the lining of the book and then plug it into the online test. That's the only way you will be able to retrieve the results. However I have heard that if you mail the Gallup organisation and ask them very nicely, they'll give you the code and you'll be able to take the test without buying the book first.

Meanwhile my strengths are:

Ideation, Intellectualism, Strategic, Focus and Futuristic

Myers-Briggs personality type: INTJ

and yes I don't live on Planet Earth a lot of the time and relate much better to ideas than people

[ViceVirtue]

I've taken the StrengthsFinder test twice, about a year apart, from reading the two aforementioned books. My results were vastly different. I can't find them right now, but there was only one strength that was in my top 5 in both tests. So, either I'm really bad at answering those questions accurately, or this test is highly subject to your mentality when taking it.

I think the key to focusing on your strengths is finding the little activities that you do that make you feel good and invigorated inside - even if you aren't actually good at them. Avoid activities that make you feel drained - even if you are good at them. Be conscious of this and slowly steer yourself and your responsibilities to doing more activites that make you feel good.

Check out Buckingham's "Trombone Player Wanted" as well.

[elliot42]

I've had a hell of a time trying to figure out what to *do* with my strengths, or even how to tell whether they're engaged. I can't tell whether it's just because my strengths lie in "impractical" things, or whether these tests are just a little bit too abstract to be useful.

In any case, if you accept that these strengths tests are neat and valid, here are some more good ones:

:: Authentic Happiness :: Using the new Positive Psychology

The guy in charge of these tests (Martin Seligman) is apparently a respected psychologist in the field, though I have no personally researched his methods. They're probably about as good as the Gallup tests.

Anyway, my personal stuff...

Gallup: Input, Intellection, Futuristic, Connectedness, Ideation
Meyers-Briggs: INFP
Authentic Happiness: Learning, Citizenship, Kindness

I find it reassuring that there is a little bit of cross-test reliability. Anyway, I don't know what to do with these things---it seems like they are all about thinking or talking, and not *doing* too much myself.

The most useful thing I have found so far---and this has been echoed by many people before I actually tried it---is to just *try* different things, and even if you don't find what you like, you can find out what you dislike. My experience has been that knowing the *feeling* of satisfaction or dissatisfaction in an activity has been a much stronger indicator than the *intellectual* idea that a given activity matches or doesn't match my strengths.

Finally, a good social psychology book related to the topic:

Strangers to Ourselves, by Tim Wilson.

If you are skimming in the bookstore trying to decide whether or not to buy, try skipping to chapter 8 or chapter 10, they're pretty neat.

[Dbarker]

Originally Posted by elliot42

The guy in charge of these tests (Martin Seligman) is apparently a respected psychologist in the field, though I have no personally researched his methods.

I've heard of Seligman as well. He's doing quite a bit of research on Positive Psychology.

Trekr5
"and yes I don't live on Planet Earth a lot of the time and relate much better to ideas than people."

I understand perfectly well. I'm working on getting the ideas out into the world. Have to build up my Activator or find someone who can do it.

[ekalaivan]

Hi,
I am new to this forum.
I've taken the Gallup test. My signature themes are: Harmony, Deliberative, Input, Learner, Restorative.
I am currently working as a copy editor in India. What are the ways I can fully tap my potential?

Ideas and suggestions please.

Thanks,
Prabu!

[SeanYuriua]

I've taken this test after reading Now Discover Your Strenghts book. Book refers to version 1.0, but there is newer 2.0 version available, to pass it you need to buy book StrenghtFinder 2.0 ($13 at amazon).
Personally I'm 80% agree with results that I've got and overall test looked good. Restorative was my primary strengths. I'm software developer so I fix bugs daily, test was right
Too bad it doesn't let you see your next 5 strengths (i.e. from 5 to 10) etc.

[robertanthony]

I live in England and at this time positive psychology is being used in schools. Also our two main national psychotherapy/counselling bodies are now training themselves in positive psychology. I recommend that people check their strenghts and play to them. The positive psychology centre has the free tests.

[Christian223]

What are the ways I can fully tap my potential?

"The answer is in the question" My teacher used to say... and the answer is: by tapping!, use EFT, it has been a great tool for my personal growth, even though it loks to easy or too ridiculous, it simply works, it has made me more productive, more motivated, more free than before and with less personal obstacles, and thats what eft does for you, check it out, seriously, it works, the link is at my sig.

More preciselly, here is what you should read: Palace of Possibilities - Using EFT to achieve one's potential