 What's your top 5?
Activator Communication Individualization Woo Learner How do you see them playing out in your life? All day every day!! I am a people and action person first and foremost ! I love to talk to and truly get to know people. I am truly fascinated by the unique qualities of every person and am able to get to the “root of” people through conversation very quickly. This is extremely helpful to me because I help manage a team of 25 people where this kind of communication is crucial. As a manager I am able to adapt my leadership to the different personalities on my team. The learner in me is constantly researching anything and EVERYTHING. Wikipedia is my best friend and I thoroughly enjoy the learning process even more so than becoming an actual expert at any one thing. In my work environment I am confident I can take on most things because the act of learning something new to me is so exciting . What's your favorite theme? Communication. I love to use words . I love describing, and explaining . I am always on the hunt for the most impactful way and choice of words to explain something. I naturally assume people have a short attention span so I pick the right words to make things interesting. I also love talking at length about pretty much any subject with anyone that is interested! What's the one theme that "gets in your way"? Definitely activator!!! Im very much a “whats next?” person which makes it hard for me to ever truly relax and appreciate all that I have sometimes. Im always thinking what else should I be doing. Also, I absolutely despise reading directions and instructions because I just want to “do it”!! I have messed up many recipes because of this. I can also be very impatient when others don’t take action as quickly as I would. It can also lead me to be an impulsive black and white thinker. How has knowing your top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life? I see my strengths as the the legacy that I will leave on this world. I know that when I utilize my 5 strengths that are so natural to me that I will make the biggest impact on others. Through learning my strengths I realize that my purpose is to inspire others into action through conversation .When leading people like I do everyday its SO important to know what you as a leader bring to the table so you are clear what you can offer each person. It is equally as important to know what the strengths of your team and how you can leverage each other. Want to be featured? We would love to showcase you! Haven't taken Strengths yet? Click here Like this post? Comment below!
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 What we love about Strengths work is that it is a universal tool. It is most widely used in professional development settings but also is highly effective as a communication tool with couples. What if we understood the filters our partner sees out of? What if the things your partner does that you just don’t get were actually their Strengths at work? At reCreate, we like to say that Strengths can also be a tool of grace. What was once seen as kooky or annoying, can actually be appreciate as the unique talents and Strengths that make your loved one special.
Take David and Gloria for example. They have a hard time making decisions together and often argue because they never seem to be on the same page. This can be with small things such as what type of furniture to buy to big things like what kind of school to put their kids in. David’s Strengths include: Strategic, Learner and Deliberative. Gloria’s Strengths include: Positivity, Activator and Restorative. Being Deliberative, David does not make decisions quickly. He is methodical, cautious and a mulls over every scenario until he has anticipated every obstacle. Being Learner and Strategic, he learns about all different possibilities and maps out every possible best route. As you can see, decisions are not simple for David. As an Activator, Gloria learns as she goes. She likes to dive into anything that seems reasonable and doesn’t have to give it much thought. With her Positivity, she believes things will work out and her Restorative motivates her to want to solve problems. She loves to take risks and is not afraid to make mistakes. As you can see, David and Gloria are coming from 2 opposite sides of the scale. After understanding their Strengths, they both are able to see that David’s caution is because he wants to be sure that he has weighed every option while Gloria is not reckless in her decision making, she feels like trying things out is the best way to grow and learn. They both have learned to appreciate each other’s style in decision making and have made adjustments in their communication in this area. Gloria now gives David a lot more time to think things over instead of springing things on him while David takes less time to come to decisions and gives Gloria more trust. If you are at a crossroads in a relationship issue, ask yourself what Strengths you may be misunderstanding from your partner and find ways to compromise. Appreciating each other’s Strengths for the valuable gifts they are is the first step in coming together on an issue. Want to understand your unique talents? Go to: www.gallupstrengthscenter.com Want a FREE 30-min intro session with a coach? Email us at [email protected]  What's your top 5?
Empathy Developer Restorative Positivity Includer How do you see them playing out in your life? I see them playing out in my life every day! I love people! I love being relational and building people up. I grew up as a military child which meant I moved around a lot. I basically had to learn how to be relational in order to make friends. I have always been empathic with people. I want people in my life to know I understand who they are and that I care about them. Growing up I wanted to be involved in everything and hated being left out of anything. My parents and family have always called me a social butterfly. Presently I am a teacher so everyday I am working with kids teaching them not only academics but social and emotional skills. I am teaching them how to be responsible and communicate with those around them. I am speaking into their life reminding them that they are unique, strong and still learning and growing. I am also speaking and sharing with their parents. I actually love this part of my job because I love seeing the growth and change of their children throughout the year. What's your favorite theme? My favorite theme is Includer! I don't want anyone to be left out and want everyone to feel loved, secure and accepted! What's the one theme that "gets in your way"? Empathy because I love being able to empathize with people but there are times when I have to take feelings out of situation and that is hard. I have to try really hard to not always "wear my emotions on my sleeves." How has knowing your top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life? Knowing my Top 5 has been amazing! It has empowered me to know that I am in the right profession and that I can utilize my top 5 to build relationships and succeed in my career. It has also allowed me to see the purpose in my own life. I know the things I am passionate about and what my strengths are so it's easier to know when i am in a team situation where I excel and how to communicate that to others. I highly recommend everyone to find out what their strengths are! Want to be featured? We would love to showcase you! Haven't taken Strengths yet? Click here Like this post? Comment below!  Let’s face it, transition is tough. Whether the change is forced upon us or something we intentionally choose, the unknown can be a scary place. A stable paycheck, feeling useful at a job, a stable living environment, knowing you will wake up next to the person you love, having a sense of purpose. These are just a few examples that give us a sense of security and safety in our worlds. When any of these things are taken away or we rock the boat by making intentional change, many times we question our purpose and even our identity.
Times of transition don’t have to be as dreaded as you may think. In some ways it could be the most exciting time of your life because you have the opportunity to know yourself in a new way and discover things you may have never had the chance to unlock. One of the ways to help during a season of transition is to understand your Strengths. Strengths are the natural way you think, feel and behave and understanding how these work in your life can help you realize your purpose. Some ways to help during transition: 1. Realize that it is just a moment in time and eventually the potentially negative feelings will pass and you will find your direction. 2. Take the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment to help you uncover what your innate talents are. 3. Ask other people in your life to give you feedback on how they see your Strengths playing out in your life. This may help you with the next step you need to take. 4. Volunteer, get involved in organizations that make a difference. Find a way to gain purpose in your life, even if it’s not getting paid for it. Use this time to recreate yourself and understand your unique gifts and talents in a new way. You may just discover that this time of transition was the best thing that ever happened to you. Want to understand your unique talents? Go to: www.gallupstrengthscenter.com Want a FREE 30-min intro session with a coach? Email us at [email protected]  What's your top 5?
Strategic Connectedness Belief Adaptability Communication How do you see them playing out in your life? When I look at my Top 5 Strengths and think about my life, it becomes clear that these strengths have helped me get to where I am today. As a strategic thinker, I am able to easily sort through the clutter that life can often give you and find what I think is the best way to approach an issue. This has come in handy in both my personal and professional life. Connectedness and Belief stem from my deep faith and my knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt that God is in control (even though sometimes I pretend I am!). I will plan, research, prepare, and work hard on things in my life, all the while knowing that I ultimately want His will to be done – even if it goes against what I think is best. Sometimes this is an easy lesson to learn, often it is a tough pill to swallow, but always it is the brilliant answer that so perfectly reflects His truth! And finally, I see communication as the answer to every problem. Communication with God, with peers, with co-workers, family, friends, and even strangers – if we really truly, actively listen and thoughtfully respond great things will happen! What's your favorite Strength? Picking a favorite is difficult, as I find them all interwoven so closely. If I have to isolate one, however, it would be Belief. My belief is my faith and this is the absolute cornerstone of my life. What's the one Strength that "get's in your way?" I would say that a combination of Strategic and Communication can often join together in causing me to say more than I should. I am a very honest person who, utilizing my Strategic thinking can hear of a friend’s problems and immediately see a solution. And due to my desire to Communicate, I will often offer my solution whether it has been solicited or not. I do this automatically and because I truly care and want to help, however, am working on slowing my train of thought in order to discern if this advice is warranted. How has knowing your top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life? Knowing my Top 5 Strengths has empowered and encouraged me to become a better person. Each of my strengths can easily be turned into a weakness if not used and cultivated properly. I feel that knowing these strengths has challenged me to use them to their full potential in pursuit of a successful career and a joyful life. reCreate's Strengths Mission For Strengths to come alive, we must have the opportunity to use them everyday and make them personal. We showcase our friends, family, clients and anyone who dares to show us the personal side to their Top 5. These post are meant to encourage, inspire and connect you to having a life well-lived in strengths. Want to be featured? We would love to showcase you!!! Haven't taken Strengths yet? Click here! Like this post? Comment below!  Where do we spend the most time in our adult life? Work. The average person spends 90,000 hours at their place of employment over a lifetime. Research shows that 80% of people are dissatisfied with their jobs. So bottom line is we spend most of our time and energy in the workplace and are pretty miserable while we’re there. Sounds pretty bleak but there is an answer to these depressing facts. That answer is knowing your Strengths and having an opportunity to use them consistently in the workplace.
What can you do if you are one of the 80% who spend the majority of your time daydreaming of when you are able to walk out the doors for the day or going broke buying lottery tickets? Before coming to the conclusion you are in the wrong job, ask yourself these questions:
Upon taking the Clifton StrengthsFinder Assessment the results revealed her top Strength as Achiever. An Achiever has to feel like they are constantly accomplishing something everyday and work very well making lists that they can check off. Every morning she put all her detailed tasks on a white board which helped her measure out her day efficiently. She soon began to feel much more satisfied in seeing what she was accomplishing throughout the day and became more organized and better at her job as a result. Understanding your Strengths and coming up with strategies to use them in your job may be the injection of life you need to bring purpose and excitement back into the workplace! That is, until you win the lottery. Want to understand your unique talents? Go to: www.gallupstrengthscenter.com Want a FREE 30-min intro session with a coach? Email us at [email protected]  What's your top 5?
Strategic Learner Positivity Responsibility Achiever How do you see them playing out in your life? I see my top 5 themes playing out directly and powerfully! I am constantly selecting the “best” course to take, adapting as necessary, making sure that it’s not just an experience, but a good one, making sure my word is my bond and checking things off the list of my day. My theme set very much keeps me in the present. I can become uncomfortable or agitated when looking too far back or too far forward. What's your favorite Strength? Strategic by far! The ability to anticipate, assess and respond accordingly is a pleasure for me. Packing a trunk, coming up with a plan of action, selecting the best route up a hill on a hike or selecting the most affective words to inspire a team always fires me up. Add a little espresso, and my mind can become a veritable super computer! That’s what I tell myself anyway. What's the one Strength that "get's in your way?" Responsibility. It is often hard for me to let something go which, even in passing, I’ve agreed to. Someone else can flippantly say, “Yeah, lets meet there tomorrow at 5” and to them that can mean, maybe that will happen. But I’ll be sitting there the next day at 4:45p and thinking, “Was I supposed to meet this guy?" How has knowing your top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life? I am certainly far more aware of when to press my advantage. I can remember prior to finding out my themes if my assessment was correct, or if I was wrong for wanting everything to be a good experience for everyone. I give myself a lot more grace now because I know the way that I lean naturally. I know it also causes me to be bold when necessary and when to allow someone else the lead because it’s not a time where my strengths are best utilized. reCreate's Strengths Mission For strengths to come alive, we must have the opportunity to use them everyday and make them personal. We showcase our friends, family, clients and anyone who dares to show us the personal side to their Top 5. These post are meant to encourage, inspire and connect you to having a life well-lived in strengths. Want to be featured? We would love to showcase you!!! Haven't taken Strengths yet?! Click here! Like this post?! Comment below!  What do you want to be when you grow up?
A question we’ve all likely been asked at some point in our lives. With the current college-aged generation, you will likely get a blank stare. 80% of college-bound students are undecided about a major by the time they apply for college. And of those who have chosen a major, 50% will change their majors at least 2-3 times during their college career. The 4-year degree is quickly becoming obsolete as 40% of college students are now taking 6+ years to graduate. In the book, Strengths Quest by Gallup, they discovered that many students leave college because of disillusionment, discouragement, or reduced motivation then because of lack of ability or dismissal by school administration. The conventional approach of making students well-rounded and focusing on improving their weaknesses does not seem to be producing excellence but ONLY discouragement and confusion. After studying human success for decades, Gallup believes that if the focus in our education system shifted from a weakness-fixing model to an emphasis on developing a student’s greatest talents, it would result in: · Development of personal qualities that promote achievement, civility, and personal wellbeing · More clarity on what career paths would compliment a person’s greatest talents · Less time and money spent on a college education · Overall, less frustrated and discouraged on the part of students and parents · New learning paradigms would emerge If you are a student feeling frustrated in not understanding what your unique talents are, ask yourself the following questions: 1. What has been your most successful experience in an academic, learning or athletic setting? 2. I am passionate about _____________ 3. I feel a sense of destiny when ______________ 4. I like to think about ________________ These questions can give you clues into where your talents lie and help you discover your passions. Knowing what you’re innately good at and developing them into Strengths can be the KEY to unlocking your life’s purpose and put an end to the blank stares. Want to understand your unique talents? Go to: www.gallupstrengthscenter.com Want a FREE 30-min intro session with a coach? Email us at [email protected] |
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Strengths-based Development (SBD) is our passion, commitment and life. Team reCreate is devoted to work that creates transformation, meaning and purpose in the lives of those we serve. This space is meant for you to get to know us, learn more about Strengths and hear from others in this line of work. Thanks for being on this journey with us! Archives
July 2015
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