Now, Discover Your Strengths
Analyzing “StrengthsFinder 2.0” by Tom Rath
In the framework of the Armenian Science and Technology Center project by TSD
“You cannot be anything whom you want to be – but you can be a whole lot more of who you already are,” says Tom Rath[1]. But who I am or how can I find who I can be? In 1998, the Father of Strengths Psychology, Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D. along with Tom Rath and a team of scientists at Gallup, created the StrengthsFinder assessment[2]. Based on Gallup’s 40-year study of human strengths, they created a language of the 34 most common talents and developed the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment to help people discover and describe their talents (Figure 1). As stated, parents and teachers reward excellence with apathy instead of investing more time in the areas where a child has the most potential for greatness[3]. Namely, people have several times more potential for growth when they invest energy in developing their strengths instead of correcting their deficiencies[4]. As was in Hector's case[5], when we are able to put most of our energy into developing our natural talents and strengthen our weak parts by cooperating with others. So, each person's greatest potential for growth is in the area of his or her greatest strength.
The Four Domains of Leadership
Gallup’s research of thousands of leadership teams discovered that while each member has his or her own unique strengths, the most cohesive and successful teams possess broader groupings of strengths. Four distinct domains of leadership strength namely (1) Executing[6], (2) Influencing[7], (3) Relationship Builder[8], and (4) Strategic Thinker[9] emerged from this study[10].
So, what did I understand from the above-mentioned statements? That, I need to exaggerate my strengths instead of fixing my flaws. Right? Why don’t I? Why don’t I do something I am good at? Why do I always want to become a person I am not and I ever can’t be? For example, if a hen wants to become an eagle, is it possible? But, maybe it is an eagle who lived like a hen, as in the breath-taking short story[11]?
“You never know, unless you try”[12]. To find out my strengths, I have taken high-ranking personality and strength finder tests like IPIP-NEO[13], HIGH 5 Test[14], and Color Career Counselor[15]. (I could not take StrengthsFinder assessment online, therefore having chosen these tests and I tried to compare the results with 34 most common talents suggested by Rath).
The idea of personality characters may be as old as the human language itself. Aristotle (384–322 BC), writing the Ethics in the fourth century BC, saw dispositions such as vanity, modesty, and cowardice as key determinants of moral and immoral behavior[16]. The way it evaluated now can be seen in today’s psychology, where five broad dimensions (the ‘Big Five’) also known as the five-factor model (FFM), are commonly used in the research and study of personality. Since the late 20th Century, these factors have been used to measure and develop a better understanding of individual differences in personality. The FFM has been defined as openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism, often represented by the acronyms OCEAN or CANOE (Figure 2)[17]:
IPIP-NEO report estimates the individual's level of each of the five broad personality domains of FFM. The description of each one of the five broad domains is followed by a more detailed description of personality according to the six subdomains that comprise each domain (Test results are scored from 0 to 99). Here, I present my results (Figure 3):
Finally, my Extraversion Score is high, indicating I am sociable, outgoing, energetic, and lively. I prefer to be around people much of the time. My Agreeableness Score is low, indicating less concern with others' needs than with my own. People see me as tough, critical, and uncompromising. My Conscientiousness Score is average. This means I am reasonably reliable, organized, and self-controlled. My Neuroticism Score is average, indicating that my level of emotional reactivity is typical of the general population. Stressful and frustrating situations are somewhat upsetting me, but I am generally able to get over these feelings and cope with these situations. My Openness Score to Experience is high, indicating I enjoy novelty, variety, and change. I am curious, imaginative, and creative.
My HIGH 5 test results estimate these results (Figure 4):
Career Indicator reveals my TOP two occupational categories (Figure 5):
To sum up, I compared the results of three psychology tests with repetitive sequences and spotted my TOP strengths suggested by Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment: Achiever, Activator, Connectedness, Analytical, Learner, and Woo. (This comparison is relative and spontaneous, which needs an additional check.) Well, in case these are my strengths, what I need to do then? As have realized, I need to start with a dominant talent and add extras, which will serve as multiplier[18]. Because if I concentrate on all talents at once, I could cut the connection between them. So, I need to know my talents step by step. First, what is talent? As explained by Rath, talent is “a natural way of thinking, feeling or behaving” where you invest your time practicing, developing your skills and building your knowledge base, which then makes your strength - “the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance” [19] (Figure 6).
So, let’s start by concentrating on the Achiever. Who is the Achiever? People who have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive[20]. As Churchill stated: “Success is walking from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm”. This is about the Achiever, where failure is a chance to learn. Now, how can I invest to transform this talent into a strength? What “Ideas for Action” does the StrengthsFinder suggest[21]?
1. Knowing when I am “done”. The feeling of accomplishment will lead to the next goal. Measuring my effort will lead to defined progress and tangible outcomes.
2. Acknowledging my successes. I need to counter this impulse by creating regular opportunities to enjoy my progress and accomplishments, otherwise I will feel devastated and exhausted.
3. Continuing my education. I need to attain certifications in my area or specialty in addition to attending conferences and other programs. This will give me even more goals to achieve and will push my existing boundaries of accomplishment.
4. Partnering with other hard workers. I need to share my goals with others so they can help me to get more done. Honestly, it is rather difficult for me to work in partners or have teamwork. Why? Because, during my school, university, and work period I have been a team-leader and where I did not, have made a team of MYSELF. How? I separate my abilities knowing exactly what ability can accomplish the task, distribute energy-shares for each task, and delegate it to the abilities. Afterward, I make a holistic picture to see what went wrong in the process, and where the strongest parts are. Then, I start working. However, I need to improve it, because I can start alone, but continue TOGETHER.
5. Creating measurable outcome standards. This will guarantee that increased productivity is matched by enhanced quality. Because I may work hard but there will be no result. In this case, the process cannot be productive than the outcome.
This was my first talent. I need to work on this, invest time and practice to transform it into a real strength, and then move on the next talents one by one. Afterward, I will connect these talents and make a working engine. All our talents have something in common – we just need to connect them and use them logically. However, this does not mean that I need to concentrate only on my strong parts. To balance this process I need to spot my weak parts or as defined lesser talents, and partner with someone who has more talent in the areas in which I am lacking[22]. Knowing my strengths will give me an opportunity to build balance but not to feel myself more.
“And when the moment in which you feel yourself more than the audience, immediately leave the scene! Go with the first charges in the vicinity of Paris. … There you will see many dancers like you – even more beautiful than you, and more proud of you. Glare from the spotlight of your theater no clue! The projector is for them the moon. Look, look good! Do not dance better than you? Admit it, my girl! Always someone who dances better!”[23] There is always someone who dances better, there is always someone who will do things better than me, but now if I cannot be anything whom I want to be, I can at least be a whole lot more of already who I am. I am whom I choose to be[24].
Sources
[1] Tom Rath might well be what most people consider a prodigy. In spite of being diagnosed with a rare disease called VHL at the age of 16, he still went on to become a successful psychologist, who, after 13 years of leading Gallup’s (the company who does all the polls) research and consulting for employee engagement, switched to an advisory role. Throughout his time at Gallup, he’s written 8 books, many of which have gone on to become bestsellers, and have sold over 5 million copies total. Strengthsfinder 2.0 is his most popular book and it’s all about, well, finding your strengths.
[2] In 2004, the assessment's name was formally changed to "Clifton StrengthsFinder" in honor of its chief designer.
[3] Tom Rath, “StrengthsFinder 2.0”. GALLUP PRESS, New York, 2007, p. 22.
[4] Imbd., p. 14.
[5] Imbd., pp. 22-23.
[6] Executing - Leaders with dominant strength in the Executing domain know how to make things happen. When you need someone to implement a solution, these are the people who will work tirelessly to get it done. Leaders with a strength to execute have the ability to “catch” an idea and make it a reality.
[7] Influencing - Those who are led by influencing, help their team reach a much broader audience. People with strength in this domain are always selling the team’s ideas inside and outside the organization. When you need someone to take charge, you speak up and make sure your group is heard and you look to someone with the strength to influence.
[8] Relationship Builder - Those who lead through Relationship Building are the essential glue that holds a team together. Without these strengths on a team, in many cases, the group is simply a composite of individuals. In contrast, leaders with exceptional Relationship Building strength have the unique ability to create groups and organizations that are much greater than the sum of their parts.
[9] Strategic Thinker - Leaders with great Strategic Thinking are the ones who keep us all focused on what could be. They are constantly absorbing and analyzing information and helping the team make better decisions. People with strength in this domain continually sketch our thinking for the future.
[10] J. Asplund, Sh. J. Lopez, T. Hodges, J. Harter, “The Clifton StrengthsFinder 2.0 Technical Report: Development and Validation”. The Gallup Organization, Princeton, February 2007
[11] “The Chicken and The Eagle” by Dr. Eldon Taylor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1fnnvQNqFU
[12] William Cobbett (1763-1835) was an English pamphleteer, farmer, journalist and member of parliament.
[13] The IPIP-NEO (International Personality Item Pool Representation of the NEO PI-R™) - five factor model of personality (FFM) test recommended by Business Insider http://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-online-personality-test-thats-scientifically-accurate-2015-10
[14] HIGH 5 Test is based on the pioneering latest positive psychology research demonstrating that using personal strengths on daily basis leads to higher life satisfaction. http://high5test.com/test
[15] The USA’s most popular career assessment. Experience what America’s Top CEO’s are saying about the Color Career Counselor and Color Career Indicator 4.1 This Career Counselor assessment indicates person’s personality type in the workplace. The next assessment in the series the Career Indicator 4.1, reveals your “Top 50 Most Enjoyable Occupations. http://deweytest.deweycolorsystem.com/colorprofile/en-US/
[16] Matthews, Gerald; Deary, Ian J.; Whiteman, Martha C. “Personality Traits”. (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press, 2003, pp. 28-32.
[17]“Five-Factor Model of Personality”. https://www.psychologistworld.com/personality/five-factor-model-big-five-personality
“5 Model of Personality”. https://sites.google.com/site/psychologyofpersonalityperiod8/home/type-and-trait-theories/the-five-factor-model-of-personality
[18] Tom Rath, “StrengthsFinder 2.0”. GALLUP PRESS, New York, 2007, pp. 26-27.
[19] Imbd.
[20]J. Asplund, Sh. J. Lopez, T. Hodges, J. Harter, “The Clifton StrengthsFinder 2.0 Technical Report: Development and Validation”. The Gallup Organization, Princeton, February 2007, p. 34.
[21] Tom Rath, “StrengthsFinder 2.0”. GALLUP PRESS, New York, 2007, pp. 39-41.
[22] Tom Rath, “StrengthsFinder 2.0”. GALLUP PRESS, New York, 2007, p. 27-28.
[23] “Charlie Chaplin letter to his daughter Geraldine”. An Armenian Journalist's Notes, November, 2011, https://blansh.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/charlie-chaplin-letter/
[24] Iron Giant (1999) – Animation movie about a young boy befriends a giant robot from outer space that a government agent wants to destroy. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0129167/?ref_=ttqt_qt_tt