Do You Believe in StrengthsFinder?

Last week in Chicago, my team completed the StrengthsFinder assessment and discussed our results. It was remarkable to see the variety of strengths between the eight of us. We covered almost all of the 34 categories and no two people had more than two strengths the same. This team activity sparked my interest in StrengthsFinder and made me want to share my findings.

StrengthsFinder is an assessment that asks you a series of questions and requires you to respond in an instance. The timing is intentional so that people do not over think their answers. As its name implies, the assessment focuses on a person’s strengths not their weaknesses. Their research found the a strengths-based approach increases a worker’s confidence, direction, hope and kindness towards others. You receive your top five strengths after you finish the assessment.

I’ve done the test in college and completed it again right before Chicago. Shockingly or not, my results were the same as previous times. Below is a brief description of each of my top 5 strengths.

• Achiever: You must accomplish something every day and have more drive than more people. You have a fire burning inside of you that causes a relentless pursuit of your goals.
• Developer: You see potential in all people, believing that each is a work in progress. Your goal is always to help people experience success.
• Restorative: You are energized by solving problems, practical or conceptual. You enjoy bringing things/people back to life.
• Empathy: You can sense the emotions of those around and are able to see the world from their perspective.
• Input: You are inquisitive and collect things. You are curious about the world and are interested in continuing to learn about it.

My strengths literally hit the nail on the head. When I read the descriptions and calls to action, I could not believe how accurate they were. Each of my strengths plays a role in my personal and professional life. Knowing them and how they can become weaknesses has been extremely helpful. Any group of people, whether it be a team at work or a set of friends, should take the StrengthsFinder assessment. It helps each person understand themselves and those around them better. The assessment also cites what strengths work best with other strengths. Tips are given on how to work with all 34 types as well.

The StrengthsFinder assessment is only one of many tools to help individuals cultivate their strengths. I found it to be very beneficial and am glad my team discussed the results. Do you have any experience with StrengthsFinder? Did you find it helpful? Share your thoughts!

Tagged: Assessment, Chicago, Research, Strengths, StrengthsFinder, Team Building