chapter 11,12,13 assignments

Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and

Donald O. Clifton

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN ACHIEVER Help him measure what he gets done.

If promoting to a higher role isn’t available, pinpoint him to other themes and strengths, and look

for opportunities for him to do more of what he does well.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN ACTIVATOR (person who strives for

action) Let her know that you know she is a person who can make things happen. Your expectations will

energize her.

Assign her to a team that is bogged down and talks more than it performs. She will stir them into

action.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN ADAPTABILITY He will be most productive on short-term assignments that require immediate action.

With his flexible nature, he’s good at adjusting to the new circumstances and try to make

progress.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN ANALYTICAL If you are explaining a decision that has already been made, always remember to lay out the

logic of the decision very clearly.

Getting a task done correctly may be more important to her than meeting a deadline. Therefore,

as the deadline draws near, keep checking with her to ensure that she has the necessary time to

do it right.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN ARRANGER This person will thrive on responsibility, so give him as much as you are able, according to his

knowledge and skill levels.

When you are launching a project, give him the opportunity to choose and position the members

of the project team.

He is excited by complex, multifaceted assignments.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN BELIEF This person will have a passion about something. Discover her passion and tie it to the work to

be done.

Learn about her family and community. You will need to understand, appreciate, and honor these

commitments, and she will respect you for it.

Realize that she may place more value on opportunities to provide greater levels of service than

on opportunities to make more money

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN COMMAND Always ask him for evaluations of what is happening in your organization. He is most likely to

give you a straight answer.

This person may intimidate others with his up-front, assertive style. Rather than pushing him to

learn how to be empathic and polite, your time may be better spent helping his colleagues

understand that his assertiveness

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN COMMUNICATION Discuss your plans with her for your organization’s social events. She is likely to have good

ideas both for entertainment and for what should be communicated at the event.

Take the time to hear about her life and experiences. She will enjoy the telling. You will enjoy

the listening. And your relationship will be closer because of it.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN COMPETITION Talk about talents with him. Like all competitors he knows that it takes talent to be a winner.

Name his talents.

Use competitive language with this person. For example, achieving a goal is winning and

missing a goal is losing. When you need to engage him in planning or problem solving, use the

competitive word “outsmart.”

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN CONNECTEDNESS Properly positioned, she can be a team builder in your company.

She may be very receptive to thinking about the mission for your organization. She likes to feel

part of something larger than herself.

She is likely to have a spiritual orientation and perhaps a strong faith. Acknowledge it.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN CONTEXT When you ask this person to do something, take time to explain the thinking that led to this

action. He needs to understand the background for a course of action before he can commit to it.

He thinks in terms of case studies, that is, when did we meet a similar situation, what did we do,

what happened, what did we learn? You can expect him to use this talent to help others learn

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN DELIBERATIVE Do not position this person in a role that requires snap judgments.

She is likely to be a rigorous thinker, and cautious. She excels in situations such as legal or

contract negotiation.

Do not ask her to be a greeter

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN DEVELOPER Position him so that he can help others within the organization grow. He is a candidate for

supervisor, team lead.

Be aware that he may protect a struggling performer long past the time when she should have

been moved or terminated

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN DISCIPLINE Give this person the opportunity to bring structure to a haphazard or chaotic situation

Always give her advance notice of deadlines. Don’t surprise her with sudden changes in plan and

priority. Surprises are distressing to her.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN EMPATHY He is sensitive to the emotions of others. Before securing his commitment to a particular course

of action, ask him how he feels and how other people feel about the issues involved.

Ask this person to help you know how certain people within your organization are feeling.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN FAIRNESS When it comes time to recognize the team after the completion of a project, ask this person to

pinpoint each person’s contribution

She has a practical bent and thus will tend to prefer getting tasks accomplished and decisions

made rather than more abstract work such as brainstorming or long-range planning.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN FOCUS Set goals with timelines and then let this person figure out how to achieve them. He will work

best in an environment where he can control his work events.

Do not always expect him to be sensitive to the feelings of others because getting his work done

often takes priority over feelings

He does not revel in situations of constant change. To manage this, use language that he can

understand when describing the change. For example, talk about change in terms of “new goals”

and “new measures of success.” Terms like this give the change trajectory and purpose.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN FUTURISTIC Put her on the organization’s planning committee. Stimulate her by talking with her often about

what could be. Ask lots of questions.

When the organization needs its people to embrace change, ask her to put these changes in the

context of the organization’s future needs. Have her make a presentation or write an internal

article that puts these changes in perspective

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN HARMONY Don’t waste your time discussing controversial subjects with this person. He will not enjoy the

debate for its own sake.

But when others are locked in disagreement, he can unlock them.

He wants to feel sure about what he is doing. Help him find expert opinion for the actions he

takes.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN IDEATION She will be particularly effective as a designer. Since she thrives on ideas, try to feed her new

ideas that lie within the focus of your organization.

She needs to know that everything fits together. When decisions are made, take time to show her

how each decision is rooted in the same theory or concept.

On those few occasions when a particular decision does not fit, explain to her that this decision is

an exception or an experiment.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN INCLUSIVENESS This person is interested in making everyone feel part of the team. Ask him to work on an

orientation program for new employees

Ask him to lead a task force to recruit minority persons into your organization.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN INDIVIDUALIZATION She will probably be a very good judge of each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN INPUT Position him in roles with a heavy research component. He enjoys the knowledge that comes

from research.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN INTELLECTION Have a detailed discussion with her regarding her strengths. She will probably enjoy the

introspection and self-discovery.

Give her pure thinking time. For some people pure thinking time is not productive behavior, but

for her it is. She will have more clarity and self-confidence as a result.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN LEARNER Position this person in roles that require him to stay current in a fast-changing field. He will

enjoy the challenge of maintaining his competency.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN MAXIMIZER This person is interested in taking something that works and figuring out ways to maximize its

performance. She may not be particularly interested in fixing things that are broken.

Avoid positioning her in roles that demand continual problem solving.

Ask her to lead a task force to investigate the best practices within your organization

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN POSITIVITY This person brings drama and energy to the workplace. Find ways to position him as close to

your customers as possible

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN RELATOR (relates to people, generous) Ask her to build genuine trusting relationships with the critical people that you want to retain.

She can be one of the human ties that bind good people to your organization.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN RESPONSIBILITY This person defines himself by his ability to live up to his commitments. It will be intensely

frustrating for him to work around people who don’t.

He dislikes sacrificing quality for speed.

He may well impress you with his ability to deliver time and again. You may be so impressed

that you decide to promote him to management. Be careful. He may much prefer to do a job

himself than be responsible for someone else’s work, in which case he will find management

frustrating

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN RESTORATIVE Position her where she is paid to solve problems for your best customers. She enjoys the

challenge of discovering and removing the obstacles.

Regularly ask her in what ways she would like to improve.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN SELF-ASSURANCE Help him know that his decisions and actions do produce outcomes. He is at his most effective

when he believes he is in control of his world.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN SIGNIFICANCE Be aware of this person’s need for independence. Do not overmanage her.

Give her the opportunity to stand out, to be known. She enjoys the pressure of being the focal

point of attention. Arrange for her to stand out for the right reasons,

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN STRATEGIC Position this person on the leading edge of your organization. His ability to anticipate problems

and their solutions will be valuable.

This person is likely to have a strength for putting his ideas and thoughts into words.

HOW TO MANAGE A PERSON STRONG IN WOO (to dazzle other people) Position this person in a role where she has a chance to meet new people every day. Strangers

energize her.

Do not expect her to enjoy a role where she is asked to build close relationships with your

customers. Instead, she may well prefer to meet and greet, win over, and move on to the next