by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
StrengthsFinder 2.0 (by Tom Rath) is Gallup's first major upgrade since Now, Discover Your Strengths, a blazing best-seller since publication. The blaze of this trail now burns brighter and broader. They included in their scope of application--everyone. They expanded application to include all personal applications... beyond just business.
Plus they added more insight to your personality (a birth set) and its affect on using your talents. Now, everyone can put their strengths to work and help others better sculpture theirs, while expanding who they are and can be exceptional at... husband and wife, parent to children, teacher to student, manager to associates, and friend to friend.
To bring you up to speed,
according to their research out of 10 million surveyed, 7 million still fall short at "what they do best". So most of us are still trying to figure out what we should be when we grow up. Even if you're older, be of good cheer, research also shows that you are wiser, more introspective, and have a better handle on your true DNA formed with an exceptionally gifted nuclei.
We have spent too much time in our culture trying to tone up weaknesses. When in fact we grow more by putting energy into developing strengths. "It's just not true you can do anything if you want to be if you try hard enough. You cannot be anything you want to be... but you can be a lot more of who you already are. "You are simply making yourself a very unhappy critter if you keep trying to do what's not you.
The StrengthsFinder has 34 talent themes. These themes can become strengths when you add knowledge, hone skills, and practice a lot... you create strengths. Simple formula, but the hardest part is the first and last parts.... knowing what natural core talents you have and diligently practicing. But when you do, it's the multiplier for your raw talent. Learn to manage weaknesses by partnering with those with strengths where you are weak.
Some times talents can blind side us by being so focused in them, we over look other areas we do need to give attention that could harm us. So StrengthsFinder, after millions of interviews, decided more help was needed to cultivate your exceptional potential.
When completing the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment you do on-line, you get:
--your top 5 talent themes
--plus each has 10 ideas for action
--a Strength Discovery Interview to help you build from experience, enhance skill, grow in knowledge to a strength
--and a Strength-Based action plan.
(In the StrengthsFinder 2.0 book is a sealed envelop with a personal code to assess this on-line.)
Part 2 of the book has descriptions of the 34 themes in
short, easy to follow, paragraphs (the definition of terms),
a "sounds like this" scenario (hypothetical example),
and then ideas for action.
They discovered two people with the same top 5 talents may have personality qualities that differ. These personality styles employee strengths differently. So StrengthsFinder takes this into consideration to make the applications about you more "precisely you" while being able to differ them from others. You get a more insightful, indepth, exacting look into who you really are. It's very thorough, comprehensive and "customized" just for you. They also included how to work with others and their talent themes.
Part 2 has 130 pages dedicated just to these areas... definition of terms, example of how it may be played out in real life, and action step suggestions. Their on-line system is the best strategy to make the most of StrengthsFinder 2.0.
Consider sharing these findings with your team, or those you value your interactions with, and help others fine-tune what makes them exceptional as a person. Just for fun, you may want to consider this. Go down the list of the 34 talent themes, rate yourself intuitively, and pick what you think are your top five natural talents themes.
Get together with friends and have a strengths finder's party. Share why you feel strong on these areas, tell others where you see natural talents in them, and in each give a story that impressed you that you have this talent.
The 34 talent themes are:
(Of course, have the StrengthsFinder 2.0 book with you so you can provide clarity for definition of the themes.)
Achiever, Activator, Adaptability,
Analytical, Arranger, Belief,
Command, Communication, Competition,
Connectedness, Consistency, Context,
Deliberate, Developer, Discipline,
Empathy, Focus, Futuristic,
Harmony, Ideation, Includer,
Individualization, Input, Intellection,
Learner, Maximizer, Positivity,
Relater, Responsibility, Restorative,
Self-assurance, Significance, Strategic,
Woo
To followup with each other, consider having another StrengthsFinder party. But before you get back together do the on-line StrengthsFinder assessment. Come together and share these results. See what it says with what you thought of yourself and others thought of you. Now set action goals with each other on your plans to develop skills, acquire additional knowledge, and what you plan to do to make it happen... blaze your trail to your Power Strength!
www.strengthsfinder.com
In Spirit, we are given gifts, through Spirit.
They are gifts of an extraordinary nature. But like natural talents they can become strengths. They must be nurtured as well. It takes knowledge, skill growth and use.
Jesus said of our talents... those who use what they have will be given more. So they will grow as we use them.
"Those who use well what they are given, even more will be given."
(Luke 19:26, NLT)
Andrew Murray in Abide in Christ points out that our Strength is the Power of Spirit in Christ that dwells in us. Part of our labor is not to labor. That we must become "nothing" to receive "everything" of Spirit Power. Be Still and Know His power is there... "Abide in Spirit."
"He must therefore cease entirely from his own doing, and wait for the working of God in him. As he ceases from self-effort, faith assures him that God does what He has undertaken, and works in him."
"He will reveal to you His Secrets, deeper insight into the truth, that as you sink low before Him in nothingness and helplessness, in silence and a stillness that seeks to catch the faintest whisper of His Love, teachings will come to you which you had never heard before for the rush and noise of your own thoughts and efforts."
"The heart occupied with its own plans and efforts for doing God's will, and securing the blessing of abiding in Jesus, must fail continually. God's work is hindered by our interference. He can do His work perfectly only when the soul ceases from its work."
(Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray)
The early disciples of Jesus waited in this state of non-activity. They waited for ten days. Jesus said wait, and I will send you my Power from on High... of Heaven, Universe shaking proportions.
They waited and the Power came.
During this time they obviously spent time reminiscing Jesus' ideas, prayed and worshiped God. In the Spirit of Prayer, reflection, reviewing the Words of God, they ceased from their labor. Then all Heaven broke lose. Power fell, immersed them, they then came out shaking up the world.
This time of labor in Prayer,
resting in Prayer,
and other times of reflections in Prayer,
produced a Life force that changed everything.
It began there.
It can grow from there.
That was just a beginning of much greater things to come,
of using Spirit talent, Gift of Spirit Strength.
When talents are cultivated, knowledge expanded and put to work In A Spirit Way, Great Power is released through all of us.
This is how the Power of Spirit, Gifts of Spirit are expanded. Expand what God has Given you in Spirit. Acquire the Power. Walk in the Power and go out walking and demonstrating the Power in the actions He, when you are in Spirit, directs you to Do.
Go... freely share what you have been given.
It will grow and Your Power will continue to increase to an unlimited Power!
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