January 30, 2014

Exploring the StrengthsFinder Theme of Analytical®

Brian Schubring Strengths Analytical, The 34, Thinking 1

Have you ever worked with someone who is known for responding to any kind of situation or task by asking, “Why?” “How do you know?” “Where did you learn that?” “Well, Why?” This person may have the Strength of Analytical®.

Definition of the StrengthsFinder Theme of Analytical®

People with the Strength of Analytical® ask questions to seek out sound data. They are attracted to data because they believe data is neutral. Data and information is a resource that can be searched, thought about, and patterns are discovered and connections are made. But why do people with the Strength of Analytical® do this? Three reasons:

Prove it
Show it
Explain it.

These are the “question” people. Their questions may sound like,

“Why?”
“What evidence do you have?”
“Can you prove that?”
“How much will that cost?”
“When have you done this before?”
“How do you know that?”

All great questions, some you may have thought of and others you may not have… nevertheless, questions that need to be asked and answered.

People with the Strength of Analytical® gather their data through research and asking a lot of questions. Their questions can sound both cautious and confrontational; cautious to not jump to a conclusion too quickly, and confrontational when seeking to get to the heart of what is true. People with Analytical® behaviors often seek in-depth analysis. They love to question, dig deep to find out what is true, and discover what is the root cause, or the potential impact.

People with the StrengthsFinder Theme of Analytical® peel back the layers to find the truth, the basis, the answer, or the solution. There is great energy for ‘truth seeking’ with someone who has Analytical®. She may seem to automatically and instantly think of just the right questions. All questions are in some way leading others down a pathway of discovery and for a reason.

Generative Application of Analytical®

People with the Strength of Analytical® can think of all the questions you may not be thinking. When a person with the Strength of Analytical® asks questions, the questions may feel like they are falling into the “spaces” of your thinking, reasoning, and feeling. You may even be surprised that you did not think of such an obvious and simple question.

But it is these types of questions that may unlock a dilemma or provide the needed clarity that you could not find on your own.

The ultimate generative application of the Strength of Analytical® is their quality of problem-solving, the precision of questions, and the excellence of decision-making.

Behavioral Examples of Analytical®

Two people were teamed up to work on a project who shared the StrengthsFinder Theme of Analytical®. At first, they butted heads and bred misunderstanding because they were each intellectually offended that the other was asking questions. The “a-ha” that they both had the Strength of Analytical® and were both just trying to get to the root of the problem from different angles led to improved communication and amazing productivity.