Strengths…. about Jodi Gersh USA TODAY believes strongly in the Gallup Organization's Strengthfinder Program. Every USA TODAY employee takes the Strengthfinder test and the company reviews these results to better match employees to their strengths. Below are my results and the brief view of the report from Gallup. Clifton
StrengthsFinder My 5 signature themes are:
ACHIEVER What makes you stand out? Instinctively, you often are described as an industrious, no-nonsense person. When you have a goal, you aim to reach it. When you have a problem to solve, you first break it into parts. When you have a major decision to make, you study all the facts from a variety of angles. Perhaps you take over projects that must be done meticulously and accurately. Occasionally you feel you are the only person who can produce the right outcomes. Why? You likely set high standards of excellence for yourself and others. Often you trust only yourself to reach them. Driven by your talents, you often work overtime and do more than is required to be well-received by others. Chances are good that you might become enthused about beginning new jobs, new assignments, new courses of study, or new hobbies. Perhaps the early stages of an endeavor motivate you to upgrade or perfect certain things. SIGNIFICANCE What makes you stand out? It’s very likely that you periodically want to direct, influence, and guide people. In other instances, you are happy to be a follower. By nature, you may desire to be an influential person. Perhaps you yearn to be the one in charge of certain types of groups or projects. You sometimes concentrate exclusively on the things you need to perfect, upgrade, or do a little bit better. Chances are good that you exhibit a strong work ethic. Work probably gives your life a sense of purpose it would otherwise lack.
What makes you stand out? It’s very likely that you periodically enter contests for fun or to spend time with friends. In the process, you might find yourself part of something larger, like building team spirit or raising funds for a worthy cause. Perhaps this sense of being linked to other people means more to you than finishing first or claiming an award. By nature, you want your life to really matter. You sense you can be an influence for good in the world. Driven by your talents, you are naturally inclined to make sacrifices that benefit someone else. You enjoy being generous with your time, knowledge, skills, experiences, resources, or possessions. Instinctively, you tend to be zealous -- that is, fervent and enthusiastic -- about solving problems that affect the quality of your life. Because of your strengths, you throw yourself into your work even when you are personally inconvenienced. You usually place the well-being of others above your own. STRATEGIC What makes you stand out? Because of your strengths, you may generate numerous ways to enhance, upgrade, revise, correct, or revamp certain processes, action plans, or itineraries. Sometimes your suggestions influence how a project will unfold in the coming months, years, or decades. You might find fault with your own or another person's talents, skills, or knowledge. To some extent, fixing people or things ranks in the top half of your list of favorite activities. Instinctively, you may be viewed by some people as an innovative and original thinker. Perhaps your ability to generate options causes others to see there is more than one way to attain an objective. Now and then, you help certain individuals select the best alternative after having weighed the pros and cons in light of prevailing circumstances or available resources. It’s very likely that you might enjoy a group problem-solving technique that involves the spontaneous contribution of ideas from all participants. When you have acquired specialized skills or possess specific knowledge, perhaps you can suggest alternative solutions for certain issues. Now and then, your expertise excites your own or others' imaginations. Maybe this occurs when you are encouraged to think what will be possible weeks, months, or even years from today. By nature, you select the right combination of words to convey your ideas or feelings. In the middle of discussions, your vocabulary provides you with precise phrases and terminology. You probably express yourself with ease and grace. Chances are good that you may have acquired expertise in specific areas. Occasionally you spend time considering several courses of action before choosing one. Perhaps you invent original or innovative techniques for dealing with expected or unexpected challenges. Maybe you use the same approach to take advantage of promising opportunities. FOCUS What makes you stand out? Instinctively, you may enjoy pondering what you can revise, correct, renovate, upgrade, or relocate. When you are curious about a person, event, topic, project, activity, or idea, you probably devote a bit more energy and time to studying it. Driven by your talents, you might prefer mapping paths toward specific long-term goals. You occasionally create orderly or detailed tactics to secure particular objectives. Once in a while, you are energized by what you can accomplish. It’s very likely that you may have mastered some tactics for establishing your weekly goals. Perhaps you are more productive when you know exactly what deserves your attention over the next seven days. Because of your strengths, you occasionally establish weekly performance targets for yourself. You may also organize or plan new projects. This partially explains why you know where you are headed, how you plan to proceed, and when you might reach your goal. To some extent, pushing hard for desired results excites you. Chances are good that you may attempt to govern events or manage activities. You try to be in charge of your life. You periodically pause to think about what you need to upgrade or perfect. Sometimes you generate good ideas for doing specific things better. |