Assignment: Strengths Finder ****** Please use the attached Gallups Strengths Finder Results ******
Danielle Curtis
Strengths Insight and Action-Planning Guide SURVEY COMPLETION DATE: 12-08-2019
DON CLIFTON
Father of Strengths Psychology and Inventor of CliftonStrengths
(Danielle Curtis) © 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Danielle Curtis SURVEY COMPLETION DATE: 12-08-2019
YOUR TOP 5 THEMES
1. Consistency
2. Responsibility
3. Maximizer
4. Achiever
5. Relator
1232840715 (Danielle Curtis) © 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
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What's in This Guide?
SECTION I: AWARENESS
A brief Shared Theme Description for each of your top five themes
Your Personalized Strengths Insights, which describe what makes you stand out from others with the same theme in their top five
Questions for you to answer to increase your awareness of your talents
SECTION II: APPLICATION
10 Ideas for Action for each of your top five themes
Questions for you to answer to help you apply your talents
SECTION III: ACHIEVEMENT
Examples of what each of your top five themes "sounds like" -- real quotes from people who also have the theme in their top five
Steps for you to take to help you leverage your talents for achievement
1232840715 (Danielle Curtis) © 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Section I: Awareness
Consistency
SHARED THEME DESCRIPTION
People exceptionally talented in the Consistency theme are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same. They crave stable routines and clear rules and procedures that everyone can follow.
YOUR PERSONALIZED STRENGTHS INSIGHTS
What makes you stand out?
Instinctively, you naturally are aware of the way things really are. You emphasize facts and point others in the direction of truth. You wake up those who are deluded — that is, easily misled, deceived, or tricked. Your honest, direct, and plainspoken approach cuts through individuals’ delusions so they see things clearly. Your matter-of-fact style helps people identify common ground. In the process, consensus — that is, complete agreement — becomes possible. Chances are good that you are content to do the best you possibly can. You refuse to chide — that is, scold — yourself for not accomplishing more. You are satisfied with the discoveries you make by reducing mechanisms, programs, agendas, plans, proposals, and/or project specifications to their basic parts. You examine every component and step to determine its purpose. You see where each one fits. Then you identify what precedes and follows it. “What more can I do?” you ask. “Nothing” is often your reply. It’s very likely that you work industriously to finish all your daily assignments. You derive a great deal of satisfaction from reaching goals others have set for you. Meeting their expectations for the day undoubtedly is one of your top priorities. By nature, you welcome opportunities to acquire additional knowledge and new skills. From a practical perspective, ongoing education allows you to take advantage of experiences or engage in activities for the first time. You are comfortable knowing that others are informed about these training sessions. Not making this news available to everyone probably strikes you as unjust or elitist — that is, snobbish. Because of your strengths, you matter-of- factly engage others in friendly conversation when the situation demands it. In your opinion, being uniformly sociable and responsive to everyone is purely practical.
QUESTIONS
1. As you read your personalized strengths insights, what words, phrases, or lines stand out to you?
2. Out of all the talents in this insight, what would you like for others to see most in you?
Depending on the order of your themes and how you responded to the assessment, some of your themes may share identical insight statements. If this occurs, the lower ranked theme will not display insight statements to avoid duplication on your report.
1232840715 (Danielle Curtis) © 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Responsibility
SHARED THEME DESCRIPTION
People exceptionally talented in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.
YOUR PERSONALIZED STRENGTHS INSIGHTS
What makes you stand out?
Instinctively, you likely are described by your teammates as someone who keeps promises. People trust you so much they do not keep checking on your progress. They probably have discovered over time that you honor your commitments. Driven by your talents, you are quite comfortable being honest about yourself with others. You harbor very few illusions about who you really are. Furthermore, you can openly acknowledge your mistakes and shortcomings. This is apt to distinguish you from most people. Because of your strengths, you are comfortable being open and honest about who you are. Often you intentionally avoid people who are less than truthful. You prefer to spend time with individuals who speak as candidly as you do about their strengths, shortcomings, hopes, disappointments, failures, or successes. By nature, you do much more than just try to live up to your commitments. You persist working until you can deliver on your promises. This certainly enhances your reputation for being trustworthy, reliable, and dependable. Chances are good that you are a person upon whom others can depend. When you make a promise, you keep it. You feel obligated to honor your commitments. You do things correctly, accurately, and properly.
QUESTIONS
1. As you read your personalized strengths insights, what words, phrases, or lines stand out to you?
2. Out of all the talents in this insight, what would you like for others to see most in you?
Depending on the order of your themes and how you responded to the assessment, some of your themes may share identical insight statements. If this occurs, the lower ranked theme will not display insight statements to avoid duplication on your report.
1232840715 (Danielle Curtis) © 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Maximizer
SHARED THEME DESCRIPTION
People exceptionally talented in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.
YOUR PERSONALIZED STRENGTHS INSIGHTS
What makes you stand out?
It’s very likely that you recognize you are very attentive to the person who is speaking. You probably become annoyed with individuals who prevent you from hearing what is being said. Because of your strengths, you recognize your ability to involve different sorts of individuals in your life. Many people recall that you were the first person to welcome them with open arms, an open heart, or an open mind. By nature, you reflect upon your talents a lot. You probably dedicate less time to studying your limitations. You routinely make discoveries about your most powerful gifts. Sharpening these abilities is your path to excellence. You have found this is a healthy, exhilarating, fulfilling, and productive approach. You are likely to ignore advisers who urge you to concentrate your efforts on overcoming your flaws. Chances are good that you routinely produce top-notch outcomes. This implies that you know what you do well. It also suggests that you intentionally engage in activities that match your unique talents. Driven by your talents, you take full advantage of your talents. This is how you move toward your goals.
QUESTIONS
1. As you read your personalized strengths insights, what words, phrases, or lines stand out to you?
2. Out of all the talents in this insight, what would you like for others to see most in you?
Depending on the order of your themes and how you responded to the assessment, some of your themes may share identical insight statements. If this occurs, the lower ranked theme will not display insight statements to avoid duplication on your report.
1232840715 (Danielle Curtis) © 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Achiever
SHARED THEME DESCRIPTION
People exceptionally talented in the Achiever theme work hard and possess a great deal of stamina. They take immense satisfaction in being busy and productive.
YOUR PERSONALIZED STRENGTHS INSIGHTS
What makes you stand out?
By nature, you make an effort to be friendly and talkative whenever the situation demands. Even so, you treasure your work or study time. Why? You yearn to produce tangible results each day. Socializing, while important, fails to provide outcomes to which you can point and measure. As a result, you likely resist devoting time to activities that impede progress, compromise productivity, or waste precious time. Chances are good that you work diligently to discover how something functions. You probably enjoy studying various problems, processes, or mechanisms for hours. Why? They simply fascinate you. You certainly find this research mentally stimulating. Because of your strengths, you work with much more intensity in the evening. This awareness probably allows you to increase your productivity, improve the quality of your outcomes, enhance your efficiency, and better manage your priorities. Driven by your talents, you probably are much more willing to start something new when you know for sure it is the right thing to do. You usually work with greater intensity and confidence after you have studied the matter in depth and received someone’s approval. It’s very likely that you argue that hard work influences the course of your life more than anything else. You make your own good fortune by preparing yourself to take advantage of opportunities as they arise. Each time you are successful, you can outline exactly what you did to reach a goal. You link together facts, incidents, conversations, or available resources to understand your accomplishments. You resist the notion that life is nothing more than a game of chance.
QUESTIONS
1. As you read your personalized strengths insights, what words, phrases, or lines stand out to you?
2. Out of all the talents in this insight, what would you like for others to see most in you?
Depending on the order of your themes and how you responded to the assessment, some of your themes may share identical insight statements. If this occurs, the lower ranked theme will not display insight statements to avoid duplication on your report.
1232840715 (Danielle Curtis) © 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Relator
SHARED THEME DESCRIPTION
People exceptionally talented in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
YOUR PERSONALIZED STRENGTHS INSIGHTS
What makes you stand out?
By nature, you notice that individuals or groups often solicit your point of view on selected topics or issues. Why? You have acquired knowledge or gained skills in one or more specialized field of study. What you know about these subjects far exceeds the general public’s understanding of many situations, opportunities, problems, possible solutions, or predictable consequences. It’s very likely that you welcome the questions and concerns others voice. These afford you an opportunity to listen compassionately and offer counsel. People tend to seek you out because your insights are helpful and often lead them to think in new ways. Instinctively, you are naturally open and honest about who you are, what you have done, what you can do, and what you cannot do. Your straightforward explanations and stories help listeners see you as you see yourself. You reveal your strengths and limitations. You are forthright and plainspoken. People generally seek your company and want to work with you. Many are impelled to move into action by your words and examples. Because of your strengths, you are regularly sought out by others for your expert counsel. A variety of people ask for your opinions and suggestions. Once individuals realize you possess the precise knowledge and skills they need, they come to you for guidance. Chances are good that you normally want to know a lot about the hopes and objectives of each group member. The more you understand someone, the easier it is for you to establish and sustain a personal partnership with that individual.
QUESTIONS
1. As you read your personalized strengths insights, what words, phrases, or lines stand out to you?
2. Out of all the talents in this insight, what would you like for others to see most in you?
Depending on the order of your themes and how you responded to the assessment, some of your themes may share identical insight statements. If this occurs, the lower ranked theme will not display insight statements to avoid duplication on your report.
1232840715 (Danielle Curtis) © 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Questions
1. How does this information help you better understand your unique talents?
2. How can you use this understanding to add value to your role?
3. How can you apply this knowledge to add value to your team, workgroup, department, or division?
4. How will this understanding help you add value to your organization?
5. What will you do differently tomorrow as a result of this report?
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Section II: Application
Consistency
IDEAS FOR ACTION:
Make a list of the rules of consistency by which you can live. These rules might be based on certain values that you have or on certain policies that you consider “non-negotiables.” Counterintuitively, the more clear you are about these rules, the more comfortable you will be with individuality within these boundaries.
Seek roles in which you can be a force for leveling the playing field. At work or in your community, become a leader in helping provide disadvantaged people with the platform they need to show their true potential.
Cultivate a reputation for pinpointing those who really deserve credit. Make sure that respect is always given to those who truly performed the work. You can become known as the conscience of your organization or group.
Find a role in which you can enforce compliance to a set of standards. Always be ready to challenge people who break the rules or “grease the wheels” to earn an unfair advantage for themselves.
Keep your focus on performance. Your Consistency talents might occasionally lead you to overemphasize how someone gets work done, and ignore what he or she gets done.
Because you value equality, you find it hard to deal with individuals who bend the rules to fit their situation. Your Consistency talents can help you clarify rules, policies, and procedures in ways that will ensure that they are applied uniformly across the board. Consider drafting protocols to make sure that these rules are clearly stated.
Partner with someone with powerful Maximizer or Individualization talents. This person can remind you when it is appropriate to accommodate individual differences.
Always practice what you preach. This sets the tone for equality and encourages peaceful compliance.
Others will appreciate your natural commitment to consistency between what you have promised and what you will deliver. Always stand up for what you believe, even in the face of strong resistance. You will reap long-lasting benefits.
Leverage your Consistency talents when you have to communicate “not so pleasant” news. You can be naturally adept at helping others appreciate the rationale behind decisions, which will make the situation easier on them — and you.
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QUESTIONS
1. Which of these action items speak to you? Highlight the actions that you are most likely to take.
2. How will you commit to taking action? Write your own personalized action item that you will take in
the next 30 days.
Responsibility
IDEAS FOR ACTION:
Emphasize your sense of responsibility when job hunting. During interviews, describe your desire to be held fully accountable for the success or failure of projects, your intense dislike of unfinished work, and your need to “make it right” if a commitment is not met.
Keep volunteering for more responsibility than your experience seems to warrant. You thrive on responsibility, and you can deal with it very effectively.
Align yourself with others who share your sense of responsibility. You will flourish when working with people who share your determination to get things done.
Tell your manager that you work best when given the freedom to follow through on your commitments — that you don’t need to check in during a project, just at the end. You can be trusted to get it done.
Push yourself to say no. Because you are instinctively responsible, it might sometimes be difficult to refuse opportunities. For this reason, you must be selective. Ask for more responsibility in only the areas that matter most to you.
You naturally take ownership of every project you are involved in. Make sure that your capacity to own does not keep you from sharing responsibility. Allow others the opportunity to experience the challenges of ownership. In doing so, you will contribute to their growth and development.
Learn to manage your Responsibility talents by considering whether you really are the person who should be handling a particular issue. Defer to your existing responsibilities and goals before undertaking additional burdens, as you may end up skimping on quality if you have too many tasks or competing demands.
Partner with someone especially talented in Discipline or Focus. This person can help you stay on track and prevent you from becoming overloaded.
Working with a like-minded, responsible colleague is satisfying for you. Be sure to clarify expectations and boundaries so that each person can feel ownership for his or her particular tasks — without stepping on each other’s toes.
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Responsible individuals like to know they have “delivered” on their commitments, so create metrics and goals to gauge how effectively you meet your obligations. Also, make sure you have explicit and concrete expectations so that there is no question regarding quality outcomes and so that you can hit the mark as promised.
QUESTIONS
1. Which of these action items speak to you? Highlight the actions that you are most likely to take.
2. How will you commit to taking action? Write your own personalized action item that you will take in
the next 30 days.
Maximizer
IDEAS FOR ACTION:
Once you have identified your own greatest talents, stay focused on them. Refine your skills. Acquire new knowledge. Practice. Keep working toward strength in a few areas.
Develop a plan to use your most powerful talents outside of work. In doing so, consider how your talents relate to the mission in your life and how they might benefit your family or the community.
Problem solving might drain your energy and enthusiasm. Look for a restorative partner who can be your chief troubleshooter and problem solver. Let that person know how important your partnership is to your success.
Study success. Deliberately spend time with people who have discovered their strengths. The more you understand how marshaling strengths leads to success, the more likely you will be to create success in your own life.
Explain to others why you spend more time building on great talent rather than fixing weaknesses. Initially, they might confuse what you are doing with complacency.
Don’t let your Maximizer talents be stifled by conventional wisdom, which says you should find what is broken and fix it. Identify and invest in the parts of your organization or community that are working. Make sure that most of your resources are spent in the build-up and build-out of these pockets of excellence.
Keep your focus on long-term relationships and goals. Many make a career out of picking the low- hanging fruit of short-term success, but your Maximizer talents will be most energized and effective as
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you turn top potential into true and lasting greatness.
See if you can make some of your weaknesses irrelevant. For example, find a partner, devise a support system, or use one of your stronger talents to compensate for one of your weaker ones.
Seek roles in which you are helping people succeed. In coaching, managing, mentoring, or teaching roles, your focus on strengths will prove particularly beneficial to others. Because most people find it difficult to describe what they do best, start by arming them with vivid descriptions.
Devise ways to measure your performance and the performance of others. These measures will help you spot strengths, because the best way to identify a strength is to look for sustained levels of excellent performance.
QUESTIONS
1. Which of these action items speak to you? Highlight the actions that you are most likely to take.
2. How will you commit to taking action? Write your own personalized action item that you will take in
the next 30 days.
Achiever
IDEAS FOR ACTION:
Select jobs that allow you to have the leeway to work as hard as you want and in which you are encouraged to measure your own productivity. You will feel challenged and alive in these environments.
As an achiever, you relish the feeling of being busy, yet you also need to know when you are “done.” Attach timelines and measurement to goals so that effort leads to defined progress and tangible outcomes.
Remember to build celebration and recognition into your life. Achievers tend to move on to the next challenge without acknowledging their successes. Counter this impulse by creating regular opportunities to enjoy your progress and accomplishments.
Your drive for action might cause you to find meetings a bit boring. If that’s the case, appeal to your Achiever talents by learning the objectives of each meeting ahead of time and by taking notes about progress toward those objectives during the meeting. You can help ensure that meetings are productive and efficient.
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Continue your education by attaining certifications in your area or specialty in addition to attending conferences and other programs. This will give you even more goals to achieve and will push your existing boundaries of accomplishment.
You do not require much motivation from others. Take advantage of your self-motivation by setting challenging goals. Set a more demanding goal every time you finish a project.
Partner with other hard workers. Share your goals with them so they can help you to get more done.
Count personal achievements in your scoring “system.” This will help you direct your Achiever talents toward family and friends as well as toward work.
More work excites you. The prospect of what lies ahead is infinitely more motivating than what has been completed. Launch initiatives and new projects. Your seemingly endless reserve of energy will create enthusiasm and momentum.
Make sure that in your eagerness to do more at work, you do not skimp on quality. Create measurable outcome standards to guarantee that increased productivity is matched by enhanced quality.
QUESTIONS
1. Which of these action items speak to you? Highlight the actions that you are most likely to take.
2. How will you commit to taking action? Write your own personalized action item that you will take in
the next 30 days.
Relator
IDEAS FOR ACTION:
Find a workplace in which friendships are encouraged. You will not do well in an overly formal organization. In job interviews, ask about work styles and company culture.
Deliberately learn as much as you can about the people you meet. You like knowing about people, and other people like being known. By doing this, you will act as a catalyst for trusting relationships.
Let it be known that you are more interested in the character and personality of others than in their status or job title. This is one of your greatest talents and can serve as a model for others.
Let your caring show. For example, find people in your company to mentor, help your colleagues get to know each other better, or extend your relationships beyond the office.
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No matter how busy you are, stay in contact with your friends. They are your fuel.
Be honest with your friends. True caring means helping the other person be successful and fulfilled. Giving honest feedback or encouraging your friend to move out of a role in which he or she is struggling is a compassionate act.
You probably prefer to be seen as a person, an equal, or a friend, rather than as a function, a superior, or a title. Let people know that they can address you by your first name, rather than formally.
You might tend to withhold the most engaging aspects of your personality until you have sensed openness from another person. Remember, building relationships is not a one-way street. Proactively “put yourself out there.” Others will quickly see you for the genuine individual you are, and you will create many more opportunities to cultivate strong, long-lasting connections.
Make time for family and close friends. You need to spend quality moments with those you love in order to “feed” your Relator talents. Schedule activities that allow you to get even closer to the people who keep you grounded and happy.
Make an effort to socialize with your colleagues and team members outside of work. It can be as simple as lunch or coffee together. This will help you forge more connected relationships at work, which in turn can facilitate more effective teamwork and cooperation.
QUESTIONS
1. Which of these action items speak to you? Highlight the actions that you are most likely to take.
2. How will you commit to taking action? Write your own personalized action item that you will take in
the next 30 days.
1232840715 (Danielle Curtis) © 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Section III: Achievement
Look for signs of achievement as you read these real quotes from people who share your top five themes.
CONSISTENCY SOUNDS LIKE THIS:
Simon H., hotel general manager: “I often remind my senior managers that they shouldn’t be abusing their parking privileges or using their position to take golf tee times when there are guests waiting. They hate my drawing attention to this, but I am just the kind of person who dislikes people abusing their perks. I also spend a great deal of time with our hourly employees. I have tremendous respect for them.”
Jamie K., magazine editor: “I am the person who always roots for the underdog. I hate it when people don’t get a fair shot because of some circumstance in their life that they couldn’t control. To put some teeth to this, I am going to set up a scholarship at my alma mater so that journalism students of limited means can do internships in the real world without having to keep paying for their college tuition. I was lucky. When I was an intern in New York at NBC, my family could afford it. Some families can’t, but those students should still get a fair shot.”
Ben F., operations manager: “Always give credit where credit is due; that’s my motto. If I am in a meeting and I bring up an idea that one of my staff actually came up with, I make sure to publicly attribute the idea to that person. Why? Because my bosses always did that with me, and now it seems like the only fair and proper thing to do.”
RESPONSIBILITY SOUNDS LIKE THIS:
Nigel T., sales executive: “I used to think that there was a piece of metal in my hand and a magnet on the ceiling. I would just volunteer for everything. I have had to learn how to manage that because not only would I end up with too much on my plate, but I would also wind up thinking that everything was my fault. I realize now that I can’t be responsible for everything in the world — that’s God’s job.”
Kelly G., operations manager: “The country manager in Sweden called me in November and said, ‘Kelly, could you please not ship my inventory until January 1.’ I said, ‘Sure. Sounds like a good plan.’ I told my people about the plan and thought I had all the bases covered. On December 31, however, when I was checking my messages while on a ski slope, making sure everything was hunky-dory, I saw that his order had already been shipped and invoiced. I had to call immediately and tell him what happened. He’s a nice man, so he didn’t use any four-letter words, but he was very angry and very disappointed. I felt terrible. An apology wasn’t enough. I needed to fix it. I called our controller from the chalet, and that afternoon we figured out a way to put the value of his inventory back on our books
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and clean it off his. It took most of the weekend, but it was the right thing to do.”
Harry B., outplacement consultant: “I was just a young bank manager in one of the branches when the president of the company decided that he wanted to foreclose on a property. I said, ‘That’s fine, but we have a responsibility to give the people full value for their property.’ He didn’t see it that way. He wanted to sell the property to a friend of his for what was owed, and he said my problem was that I couldn’t separate my business ethics from my personal ethics. I told him that was correct. I couldn’t because I didn’t believe — and still don’t believe — that you can have two standards. So I quit the firm and went back to earning five dollars an hour working for the forestry service picking up trash. Since my wife and I were trying to support our two kids and make ends meet, it was a hard decision for me to make. But looking back, on one level, it really wasn’t hard at all. I simply couldn’t function in an organization with those kinds of ethics.”
MAXIMIZER SOUNDS LIKE THIS:
Gavin T., flight attendant: “I taught aerobics for ten years, and I made a point of asking people to focus on what they liked about themselves. We all have parts of our body that we would like to change or that we would like to see differently, but to focus on that can be so destructive. It becomes a vicious cycle. So I would say, ‘Look, you don’t need to be doing that. Instead, let’s focus on the attribute you like about yourself, and then we’ll all feel better about expending all of this energy.’”
Amy T., magazine editor: “There is nothing I hate more than having to fix a poorly written piece. If I have given the writer a clear focus and she comes back with a piece that is completely off the mark, I almost can’t bring myself to write comments on it. I’m more inclined to just hand it back to her and say, ‘Just please start again.’ On the other hand, what I love to do is take a piece that is so close and then refine it to make it perfect. You know, just the right word here, a little cut there, and suddenly it’s a brilliant piece.”
Marshall G., marketing executive: “I am really good at setting a focus for people and then building a sense of team spirit as we all march forward. But I am not so good at strategic thinking. Fortunately, I have a boss who understands that about me. We have been working together for quite a few years. He has found people who play the strategic role, and at the same time, stretches me to be even better at the focus and team-building role. I’m so lucky to have a boss who thinks this way. It’s made me more secure and made me charge ahead much faster, knowing that my boss knows what I am good at and what I’m not good at; he doesn’t bother me with the latter.”
ACHIEVER SOUNDS LIKE THIS:
Melanie K., ER nurse: “I have to rack up points every day to feel successful. Today I’ve been here only half an hour, but I’ve probably racked up thirty points already. I ordered equipment for the ER, I had equipment repaired, I had a meeting with my charge nurse, and I brainstormed with my secretary
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about improving our computerized logbook. So on my list of ninety things, I have thirty done already. I’m feeling pretty good about myself right now.”
Ted S., salesperson: “Last year I was salesperson of the year out of my company’s three hundred salespeople. It felt good for a day, but sure enough, later that week, it was as if it never happened. I was back at zero again. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t an achiever because it can lead me away from a balanced life and toward obsession. I used to think I could change myself, but now I know I am just wired this way. This theme is truly a double-edged sword. It helps me achieve my goals, but on the other hand, I wish I could just turn it off and on at will. But, hey, I can’t. I can manage it and avoid work obsession by focusing on achieving in all parts of my life, not just work.”
Sara L., writer: “This theme is a weird one. First, it’s good because you live in pursuit of the perpetual challenge. But in the second place, you never feel as though you’ve reached your goal. It can keep you running uphill at seventy miles an hour for your whole life. You never rest because there’s always more to do. But, on balance, I think I would rather have it than not. I call it my ‘divine restlessness,’ and if it makes me feel as if I owe the present everything I have, then so be it. I can live with that.”
RELATOR SOUNDS LIKE THIS:
Gavin T., flight attendant: “I have many wonderful acquaintances, but as for true friends that I hold dear, not very many. And I’m real okay with that. My best times are spent with the people I’m tightest with, like my family. We are a very tight-knit Irish Catholic family, and we get together every chance we can. It’s a large family — I have five brothers and sisters and ten nieces and nephews — but we all get together about once a month and yuk it up. I’m the catalyst. When I’m back in Chicago, even if there is no birthday or anniversary or whatever, I become the excuse for getting together and hanging out for three or four days. We really enjoy one another’s company.”
Tony D., pilot: “I used to fly in the Marines, and, boy, you had better be comfortable with the word ‘friend’ in the Marines. You had better feel good about trusting someone else. I can’t tell you how many times I put my life in someone else’s hands. I was flying off my friend’s wing, and I’d be dead if he couldn’t get me back safely.”
Jamie T., entrepreneur: “I’m definitely selective about my relationships. When I first meet people, I don’t want to give them very much of my time. I don’t know them; they don’t know me — so let’s just be pleasant and leave it at that. But if circumstances make it so that we get to know each other better, it seems like a threshold is reached where I suddenly start wanting to invest more. I’ll share more of myself, put myself out for them, do things for them that will bring us a little closer, and show that I care. It’s funny because I am not looking for any more friends in my life. I have enough. And yet with each new person I meet, as soon as that threshold is reached, I feel compelled to go deeper and deeper. Now I have ten people working for me, and I would call each of them my very good friend.”
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QUESTIONS
1. Talk to friends or coworkers to hear how they have used their talents to achieve.
2. How will you use your talents to achieve?
1232840715 (Danielle Curtis) © 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
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