Getting Work Done. Exploring the Executing Domain of Strength
The Four Domains of Strength are a great way to help you better understand the “type” or “category” your themes of strength fall in. Some people think they need to be well rounded, or have an equal dispersion of Strengths from each category. We have not found that to be the case. Leadership Vision helps teams understand how to leverage what they have, to accomplish whatever goals are in front of them. We focus on understanding the behaviors behind the talents that make up the themes of strength. This sheds light on how an individual or team is using their themes.
The themes in the Executing Domain of Strength tend to get things done, with speed, precision, and accuracy. These nine themes are the hardest working of the bunch. They put in the hard work now, so that when it’s time to move, they are ready. They can make things happen! Putting ideas into action is the power of this domain.
Watch as I teach the Executing Domain of Strength, and briefly explain what each of these themes mean. Or, keep reading the script below.
ACHIEVER
People with the strength of Achiever are known as EXTREMELY hard workers. Being productive and getting things done, can sometimes cause this person to lose track of time – buried in work until they suddenly realize it’s after midnight.
They aren’t work-a-holics per se, rather the momentum they get from crossing things off their list, propels them to cross the next thing off… and the next.. and the next… they may end up adding things that were never there in the first place.
People with the strength of Achiever are driven – and often get frustrated with those who aren’t. “Get on board or get out of my way!” is something I have heard more than once.
When this is finely tuned, on your team you will see someone getting the right work done on the right task.
People with Achiever have a knack for knowing what is most important.
ARRANGER
Someone with the strength of Arranger makes decisions from a birds eye view. In the midst of chaos and uncertainty, they float above the mess like a scene out of the Matrix, spin things around, and figure out what direction or decisions need to be made to move forward.
One woman we work with is like a symphony conductor – she knows how to make each of us sound better by fine tuning our sound to come out at just the right moment, with just the right volume.
Arrangers also have an ability to be flexible – to move and change and adapt to whatever is coming at them, while keeping the field in view. One women I was talking to recently said she can see both the big picture of what’s going on, while also seeing the details on the ground. This gives her the capacity to navigate and move, regardless of what is coming at her.
People with Arranger see the big picture and make decisions that have long lasting impact.
BELIEF
The strength of Belief looks like someone who has strong, unchanging, deeply held beliefs that guides their life. If you have this in your top 5, it is probably, most likely, a very strong theme.
I met a guy once who was adamant that he did not have this strength. He “believed” that people were inherently more complex, and more unique than any one test.
As he continued to passionately debate this, the rest of the group slowly started snickering, until someone finally said, “I think we’re seeing his belief right now!”
When the strength of belief is on in someone, it can be unlimited – maybe it’s religion, or politics, or environmental issues – or something more profound like a sports team, hobby or favorite craft beer.
Teams need to introduce new ideas or “beliefs” in light of an existing one – otherwise, someone with this strength may have a hard time accepting it.
People with the strength of Belief have core values that endure through time.
CONSISTENCY
People with the strength of consistency want to ensure people are treated the same. This is the person in the office who makes sure everyone gets the same size piece of cake at the company party.
I used to work with a person who had this theme. He was constantly making sure that everyone had an equal say in decisions being made. He felt like it was his duty to ensure nobody received special treatment, or had an unfair edge – even in something as trivial as which office coffee was being purchased that month.
If you think of the job of a referee – they are there to make sure everybody plays by the same rules. Once those have been set, and everyone is made aware of them, the game can go on.
People with Consistency are valuable on a team because they will be seeking balance in every situation.
DELIBERATIVE
Someone with the strength of deliberative wants to avoid risk when making decisions. We all have that one friend who thinks and thinks, hems and haws, reads reviews, asks for samples, and sits on making important decisions until they are certain they are picking the right one… and that’s just at Baskin Robbins!
This strength wants to make the correct decision the first time, and avoid making wrong decisions at all costs. Because of this, they might take FOREVER when deciding something, but once they have decided, it’s probably going to be awesome.
Sometimes people with the strength of deliberative prefer not to give their opinion in public because they haven’t had a chance to weigh it against other ideas. This is important for teams to understand because these people will need time and opportunity to express themselves.
People with the Strength of Deliberative make careful and cautious decisions that are well thought through.
DISCIPLINE
The strength of Discipline is like your parent who plans the family vacation six months in advance, right down to the minute. They need predictability in order to have fun, and in so doing, create an environment where others can flourish.
One woman I talked to with discipline actually likes spending time organizing her DVD’s, CD’s, knitting, and the pantry. She said it was cathartic for her – not necessarily the actual act of organizing, but knowing that those things would be easily accessible to her when she needed them.
The strength of discipline is exceptionally valuable on a team because these people provide organization, structure, and details so that others can work more efficiently and achieve their full potential.
People with the strength of Discipline are well organized and detailed, we all benefit from their input.
FOCUS
The strength of focus looks like this [stare into the camera for 10 seconds].
…In fact, sometimes, people with the strength of focus can be so consumed with what they are working on that they have no idea when people enter or leave the room.
I was recently talking with a colleague of mine who has this strength. At times, it’s extremely valuable because it can keep us on track, and focus on what is most important. On this day, I could tell his mind was elsewhere. I was telling him about something I had read that morning. About 5 minutes later, he told me about something he had read… it was the exact same thing!
A person with focus works best when there is alignment to a goal. This can be useful to a team in both the short and long term because they funnel the group’s attention and will re-focus people if necessary.
People with Focus are efficient at getting things done by pushing aside distractions.
RESPONSIBILITY
People with the strength of Responsibility are dependable and reliable. When they say yes, you can count on it getting done.
I work with someone who has this strength, and know that if I ask her to do something, and she agrees, she will get it done – no matter what! I have also come to know that if she says no, she has a very good reason.
In a team environment, this can sometimes be taken advantage of. You probably know someone who is always saying yes to things, so you give them more. When teams know how to utilize this person, and give them only the most important tasks, you’ll start to see some magic happen.
People with Responsibility will commit to what they can complete, they work hard and are dedicated to the end.
RESTORATIVE
People with the strength of Restorative are crazy good at solving problems. If they see a problem, even a small one, it’s almost like they can’t move forward until it’s solved.
And they won’t just slap a band-aid type solution on it. They want to know why something isn’t working, so they can fix it once and know that it won’t be an issue, ever again.
Individuals with this strength may be good at finding problems and fixing them, or just one of those… finding, but not fixing.
I talked with a guy who could identify problems like one of those hunting dogs that points towards the bird. He didn’t often know how to fix them, but knew something was there in the bushes.
If you’re not sure what someone who has the strength of restorative is doing, it can be very frustrating because they may slow down the process. In a team environment, make sure to know and see what problem they are trying to solve. It might just save your life.
People with Restorative are curious problem solvers seeking to make what does not work, work again.
Your Executing Themes
Do any of your StrengthsFinder themes fall into the Executing Domain of Strength? How do they help you get things done? If you do not have any of these themes, what ways do you execute and accomplish your goals?
