Developing Talents. in which Tom Rath stated that people who have the opportunity to focus on their strengths are three

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1 Trostle 1 Kacey Trostle 22 October 2013 Dr. Gribble BUSI 3200 Developing Talents One sentence in StrengthsFinder 2.0 that caught my attention more than any other was the one in which Tom Rath stated that people who have the opportunity to focus on their strengths are three times more likely to report having an excellent quality of life. I was astounded at this fact and almost did not believe it at first. However, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Focusing on developing someone s strengths is very encouraging. It can be used as a tool to help motivate people by getting them excited about what they are doing. Constantly focusing on a person s weaknesses and beating them down can sometimes make them feel like they are worthless. After reading the book, I now see why it has been translated into more than twenty languages and sold in over 100 nations around the world. Building people up is much more advantageous than tearing them down. To develop someone s strengths however, one must first know what those strengths are. The StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment is an invaluable tool that can be used to accomplish this task. The assessment developed by Donald Clifton, Tom Rath, and the rest of their team of Gallup scientists focuses on discovering a person s talents. It then gives the user a plan of action to develop these talents into strengths. The assessment, personalized guide, and action plan encourage people by showing them what kind of person or leader they have the potential to be. It goes without saying that knowledge, practice, and hard work are needed to develop these talents and it is up to the user to find the motivation to accomplish this. However, I found Rath s positive reinforcement to be very encouraging and imagine that most others would also. I found the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment to be very useful when evaluating my strengths. When reading about my top five strengths, I realized that

2 Trostle 2 just about everything presented was an accurate reflection of my personality. It didn t previously occur to me that these qualities I possessed could be of great use to me in the business world. I always knew in the back of my mind that I had some of these qualities, I just thought of them more as a part of my character and the way I handled myself in social situations than a tool I could utilize in becoming a more effective leader. The action planning guide gave me ample amount of insight into how my top five strengths, which are positivity, relator, achiever, adaptability, and input, could be used to accomplish tasks and motivate others to do the same. Rath also articulates the need to recognize that these strengths or talents that we possess could result in something he calls blind spots. The majority of this assessment focuses on how the user s talents could have a positive effect on their life. But it is important to recognize that these talents also present some limitations that the user should be aware of and have some kind of insight on how to work around or overcome them. It was of no surprise to me that positivity turned out to be my number one strength. I am rarely, if ever, in a bad mood. I tend to focus much more on the positive things that happen in my day than the negative events that occur. Although some negative things that happen need to be attended to, it is my opinion that worrying all day about these things can cause way too much stress and bring a person down. We ve only got one life to live, and when I come to the end of mine I for one want to be able to say that I was happy. The strengths insight and action planning guide helped me to realie that this enthusiasm and passion I have for life is contagious. After I graduate and am working in a management position, my positivity will help me to become a great leader because it will rub off onto people I am managing. How can someone be in a bad mood when somebody standing right next to them is positively encouraging them and giving them praise? Rath says that coworkers of mine will look to me when for motivation when they are discouraged. Some of the happiest times of my day are those in

3 Trostle 3 which I can turn someone else s day around. Nothing makes me happier than putting a smile on someone else s face. My positivity can also present a challenge for me in future leadership roles that I might fill. Being so happy-go-lucky all the time may give the impression to coworkers or subordinates that I am naïve to bad things happening. I am going to have to express to them that I recognize that these challenges exist while also communicating my reasons for being optimistic about the situation. When my second talent, relator, popped up, I have to admit I was a tad bit shocked. My first impression was that this meant I could closely relate and share thoughts with a wide array of people. I am a very social and friendly person but choose to share my personal thoughts with only close friends. After reading the explanation of what this term actually means, I realize that it does accurately reflect my personality. Rath describes a relator as someone who desires a very close relationship with people that they find to be genuine and hold close to their hearts. They care deeply about true friendship and find great pleasure in mentoring others. It is easy for people to open up to relators once they realize that we are interested in the character of a person more than their job or social status. Being an easy person to open up to is an essential quality for a leader to have. However, since relators value genuine relationships with others and trust these people, it implies a certain amount of risk. Because of their trusting nature, it is very easy for relators to be taken advantage of. In the future, I need to keep in mind that some people are only out to get what they want and will step on anyone to get where they want to go. I plan to pay close attention to character traits of the people I trust to minimize this risk. I believe that the first two strengths the assessment presented to me fit my personality to a T. I feel like these raw talents that I possess have already been developed into traits that I can now call strengths. The third, achiever, is a different story. I have always been a very driven person and have never needed anyone to push me to do things. I tend to motivate myself pretty well. I m not one who can lie around on the couch all day doing nothing and be satisfied. This isn t to say that I don t have a

4 Trostle 4 lazy Sunday every now and again. But during that lazy Sunday, I feel the need to do at least one load of laundry or clean up my kitchen so that I can say that I at least accomplished something at the end of the day. However, I do realize that most of the time I tend to only get the things done that I enjoy doing, like running or folding laundry for example. I will put off the things that I would rather not do, i.e. writing a paper or studying for a test, until the very last minute. I enjoy the feeling of relief I reap after finishing these projects, I just dread the thought of doing them. After reading all the positive things that Rath had to say about achievers, I recognize how beneficial it could be to me if I were to spend time developing this natural talent of mine into a strength that I possess. I need to place more emphasis on the feeling I get after accomplishing a task rather than thinking about how much I am going to dislike doing the work. This could lead to me being able to set the pace for employees that I oversee. This drive for achievement could also hinder me in leadership roles in certain ways. It is possible that I am going to care so much about getting lots of things done and not pay attention to the quality of work that I am presenting to my bosses. It is important that I remember that quality is just as, if not more, important than the amount of work I get done. How is getting a lot of work done going to be beneficial for the company I work for if the work I offer them isn t going to help them in any way? I also need to communicate this principle to people working for me so that their quality of work is up to par as well. Adaptability is the fourth strength that the assessment found I have the greatest potential to develop. This trait also came of no surprise to me. I am what most would call a go-with-the-flow type of person. I have a daily planner and write all my assignments and things I have to accomplish during the week down in it. However, if something comes up in the middle of the week, I don t panic. I figure out a way to move my schedule around so that I can still accomplish all the tasks I had previously planned on getting done, along with the new development. Sometimes the unplanned event arises out of my desire for spontaneity every once in a while. This trait will help me in future business endeavors

5 Trostle 5 by helping me to stay positive when the work I need to do seems to be pulling me in all different directions. I can also be a source of soothing energy for worried coworkers or subordinates and help to calm them down by assuring them that everything is going to be alright and presenting different solutions to the problem that has arisen. It is also possible that my adaptive qualities could be a source of stress for me in my future career or personal life. Because I am a person that doesn t mind switching things around and I generally want to please people, it is hard for me to say no to most people. Rath notes that it is important that I remember not to bend to every desire of others. Doing so could cause me to become overwhelmed and possibly even overwhelm other associates or employees of mine. The last, but most definitely not least, raw talent that the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment presented to me was input. Rath describes people who possess this quality as being very inquisitive. We have a thirst for knowledge and are always striving to learn more. This trait of mine caused me to be somewhat of a pest to my mother when I was younger. She tells me that from the time I could talk, everything she told me rendered a response of But why? or How does that work? Apparently nothing has changed in the last twenty years because the same questions still come out of my mouth almost daily. When a friend or classmate mentions a topic that I don t know much about, I often whip out my smartphone and google the topic they are discussing. One of the things I most enjoy doing is having intelligent conversations or debates with others that know what they are talking about. However, these debates rarely turn into heated arguments. I d like to think that this is because I am not a very defensive person and am open to new ideas. These kinds of conversations in my future career with other professionals in my field could be a great source of growth for the company I work for. It is almost impossible for growth to occur without some type of conflict. A company can only benefit from having open minded employees with a thirst for knowledge.

6 Trostle 6 It needs to be said that a person with such an inquisitive nature must possess enough reason and be logical enough to decipher which information absorbed is worth sending along to someone else. If I end up doing working for some sort of research firm after I graduate, it is important for me to remember to focus on one task at a time. This passion of mine to know everything there is to know might possibly cause me to get off track and end up never getting anything accomplished. It is also possible that my inquisitive nature could cause trouble if I were to end up in some sort of leadership role. If I were to express my opinion without a request too often, it could cause followers of mine to view me as a sort of know it all. This could in turn lead to them no longer desiring my input and my raw talent will be wasted. All in all, I found the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment and action guide to be a very beneficial tool for me. I admit that I already knew that I possessed most of these qualities. I did not know, however, how to use my talents to encourage and motivate others to use their strengths. I am certain that if I work hard at developing these strengths further, encouraging others will become second nature to me and I could become a great leader in the business world. Different people possess different talents. I agree with Rath s principle of forming teams of people that possess a variety of qualities and focusing on building those talents rather than on weaknesses. This type of attitude could lead to an astounding amount of growth for companies across the globe.