From a young age I’ve known who I am. I am very comfortable with the idea of me. This mentality may come across as arrogant — I know that — and I apologize for frank statements. I have learned over the years that I can come off more serious, stern, and curt in person and in print more than I intend. With that written, let’s analyze the leadership strengths that is me.

Strengths Analysis

I can genuinely say that I am unsurprised by the analysis. Many of my strengths lay in the Relationship Building category. I am happy to read that it isn’t about how many different categories you are in, but how you foster the traits you have and not about cultivating new strengths. I am surprised by how some traits are presented and described — it made me reflect upon myself.

Restorative

Restorative is a strength in the Executing Theme that concerns problem solving. In the Strengths Based Leadership Guide I received a quote that stood out to me is — “You are apt to discover new ways to absorb a lot more information,” (2012, p. 2). When I bought Strengths in Leadership by Tom Rath I also bought a copy of How We Learn by Benedict Carey. I love learning about different input methods. I find it fascinating that different people learn in different manners, yet some aspects about humans are universal. By learning how we learn, I am gaining more ways to solve problems — I will have more resources to pool from. By always staying up to date on latest learning trends and neuroscience, I can help facilitate my career as a teacher.

I enjoy figuring out how to solve problems, but there is a downside to it. A quote from the guide stated, “Typically you aim to gain a working knowledge of unfamiliar subjects and acquire enough skill to produce acceptable results,” (2012, p. 1-2). I would agree I strive for acceptable results. Personally, being number one is nonessential; but professionally — it is. That is where I need to maximize my team. I enjoy figuring out the how, but when it comes to actually accomplishing tasks, I need team members who excel in Executing. I would need to find others whose dominating traits are: achiever, arranger, belief, consistency, deliberative, discipline, focus, and responsibility. These are leaders who get things done, like Wendy Kopp.

Individualization

Individualization is figuring out the differences in people and getting them to work together — a Relationship Building Theme. The guide suggested, “Chances are good that you embrace a wide array of people. You honor their differences with ease,” (2). I would say that I seek out different people. I believe this ties in with my need to find out how we learn. Different people naturally learn in different ways — this is obvious in different cultures. I am very comfortable in foreign countries — probably more so than being home. I relish learning new customs, traditions, and ideals. Learning about different backgrounds help me connect with people I live and work with. As teachers we learn about being sensitive with our students, but that needs to be extended to fellow teachers and other colleagues.

Individualization facilitates my professional performance because I can integrate into local cultures easily. I can also help bridge gaps between colleagues because of the cultural differences, “You position individuals in such a way that cooperation becomes the norm rather than the exception,” (2012, p. 2). I disapprove of hostile work environments and take it upon myself to get everyone to set aside differences so they may accomplish the tasks at hand. As teachers from different locales — we have different methods of teaching, but we share a common love for education. Sometimes it can be difficult to remember that and someone needs to corral everyone — I like doing the corralling.

Empathy

Another Relationship Builder — an Empathizer can image what another is feeling and can sense emotions. Empathy is a trait that I love that I possess; but it can be emotionally draining. I am always aware of the tension in a room or if something is “about to go down.” But it is very cathartic character to possess:

You help numerous people find ways to handle problems without sacrificing their self-respect or eroding the confidence others have in them. Chances are good that you are quite delighted when visionaries trust you enough to share their innovative ideas. You often sense when they simply need someone to listen as they think aloud. Driven by your talents, you yearn to be thought of affectionately by most people. This is why you search for ways to fill the lives of others with joy,” (2012, p. 2)

This ties in greatly with Individualization, both in Relationship Building domain. I enjoy being trusted both professionally and personally. I take great pride in my ability to honor a wish of discretion. I find value in myself when others view they can trust me. This is true in my personal life, professional, and with my students. I honestly believe that everyone will go through personal and professional hardships — and when they do, they will need someone by their side.

This can be extremely difficult for new teacher who never worked overseas before. I help cultivate this strength by reading up on intercultural relations as that is where numerous issues will arise. This issue can be because of cultural differences, language barriers, or stress relating to work — “You soothe the frayed nerves of individuals,” (2012, p. 2). People sometimes simply need help without questions asked. During excited situations — when I am not the focal point — I am usually calm. I like to observe and see how quickly we can bring the heightened emotional state back down to the norm so everyone can get back to business.

Adaptability

The trait that I list on all of my resumes; it is my third strength in the Relationship Building theme. I take pride in my ability to adapt in varying scenarios. People who are adaptable “go with the flow.” People with the adaptability trait, “can deal with and even thrive in settings where changes and surprises are the norm rather than the exception,” (2012, p. 3). This explains my choice of work. I love working overseas in different countries. I research the location before I go, but all travelers know that you cannot be prepared for everything. And that doesn’t bother me in the least.

But there is a downside to being adaptive that I never took into consideration:“Rushing from one activity or assignment to another can take a toll on you mentally, physically, or emotionally,” (2012, p. 2). I never realized that being adaptive is a resulted in exhaustion. This makes me think twice about putting it on my next resume. I do “go with the flow” — but because I also handle many different people’s emotions, I notice I do get exhausted at the end of the day, especially if emotions ran high. Overall I viewed being adaptive as positive, but it is also form of laziness, “Being cooperative is not only sensible and efficient, but also less exhausting,” (2012, p. 3). But what we learned from Switch is that “What looks like laziness is often exhaustion,” (Heath & Heath, 2010, p. 12). Because I am now aware of this cycle, I can find ways to personally cope with the exhaustion which will in turn help my work ethics.

Strategic

A strength in Strategic Thinking — strategic people discover various ways to accomplish tasks — “You are likely to generate multiple action plans before you choose the best one,” (2012, p. 3). Despite being a go-with-the-flow person; I have thought of not only Plan A and Plan B — also Plan X, Y, Z. I predict outcomes and have a plan of action. I also have a “worst case scenario” and come up with a plan for that. In our house we have the phrase, “There is a system in place for that.” Almost every action has other actions that will naturally follow — my job is to think critically and determine the best one for the current situation.

Strategic naturally fits in with my relationship skills. Because I can emotionally connect and assess individuals, I can find the “right man for the job.” To help forge my strength, I will read up on the different strengths in Strengths and Leadership. Being familiar will all the different types of strengths, the needs of those who possess them, and how to lead others who possess strengths I do not — I can be even more precise with my stratagems.

Missing Quality

One quality I think I possess is Harmony. After I read through all of the descriptions I identified with that one along with Developer. I read them off of the StrengthsQuest Reference Card — that is written in alphabetic order — I didn’t realize that both attributes where in the Relationship Building domain. I can see that I really value relationship building. I focus on building relationships with those around me. But after thinking about it, Harmony is an aspect of my personal life and not my work life. At work I can tolerate people not jiving because we come from different backgrounds — in my personal life I want as little “conflict” as possible.

I was surprised to find out that well-rounded leaders actually make poorer or weaker leaders. This was a relief when I saw that I possessed no traits in the Influencing Theme. I am unvexed and unsurprised that I lack any influencing traits. “Selling” makes me extremely uncomfortable — but I can recognize when others harbor influencing powers. I am in awe of their abilities. I now know that to help round out a leadership group, I will need to actively seek out others who have influencing, strategic, and executing attributes.

Invest in your Strengths for Your Future.

To invest in my strengths in need to invest in my emotional well being. Many of my strengths are relationship building — which I love to do — I love forging new relationships — and by investing in my emotional health I can be prepared to help others. I have compiled a list of books to read to help me on my journey. As I hone my skills I plan on journaling so I can reflect upon my predictions, the choices I will make, how I feel, and how others feel.

References

Gallup, I. (2012). Strengths-based leadership guide. Retrieved May 8, 2016, from https://strengths.gallup.com

Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2010). Switch: How to change things when change is hard. New York. New York, NY: Broadway Books.