Three Reminders for Personal Strengths Development
Since our team is on vacation this week, and you probably are too, we decided to provide you with a few of our favorite posts to read, or re-read, as you relax. We’re in the middle of a project to better organize all of our archived articles, to provide a more useful resource for you. These three posts stood out as great examples of why personal Strengths development is so important.
Take a few extra minutes to reflect on your own Strengths…by the lake, the pool, or in the hammock!
Strengths in The Rearview: A Process for Reflection
We are a collection of all the experiences we’ve ever had. These shape who we are today, and there can be tremendous value in reflecting on them. Many people rely too heavily upon who they are right now to help them make sense of their Strengths. The flaw in this process is that as people, we are not one dimensional.
We are a collection.
An accumulation of experiences that continually influence, highlight, nurture, and even suppress our Strengths. So sometimes, we need to go back, to truly move ahead.
We invite you to try this process we call “The Rearview”, whether you are a Strengths Coach, Team Facilitator or just looking to understand your own Top 5. These questions will help you to think deeply and reflect on past experiences that may have been submerged for some time. It is our hope that sifting through these memories will give new buoyancy to your Strengths and your story.
Strengths and Self-Affirmation… Why We Need New Perspective
While Strengths begin in the individual, they are realized in community. Using our awareness of StrengthsFinder themes for self-affirmation is a great place to start. However, if we only accomplish this, we may never be strong enough for a truly generative and sustainable application of our strengths. We also need to apply our strengths to Self-Awareness, Self-Acceptance and Self-Advocacy.
As we each seek to understand ourselves better and leverage the strengths we have been made aware of, Brian recommends we do so relationally and intentionally. No one can grow in strengths alone, we need others. Awareness and acceptance of our strengths will help us be more intentional with our decisions, work and thinking.
But most importantly, Strengths will help in building stronger relationships with one another.
3 Ways to Refine and Grow your Strengths
Practice and repetition lead to changes in how energy is allocated to different parts of the brain. The more we work in areas of Strength, the better we become at it. Similar to how Strengths are formed in our brains from an early age, the attention and focus we give them as adults, will determine how “on” they are in situations where we really need them.
Knowing our Strengths is fantastic.
Finding ways to continue to practice using them so they show up in their best form when it really matters, is far more helpful. Here are 3 practical activities you can do regularly to help refine yours.
Go Deeper with Your Strengths
If you have been looking for something to help you grasp the complexity of your unique StrengthsFinder profile, you may be interested to learn more about our online Strengths Course.
We have designed an online course to help individuals gain a deeper understanding of their unique Strengths profile. Through a guided process of Reflection, Observation and Application, participants will experience the Leadership Vision approach and begin creating their own personal narrative around Strengths. Keep reading to learn more and go deeper with your StrengthsFinder results!
