StrengthsFinder Assessment Results
Living in a talent-driven society, developing and identifying our strengths is imperative to having successful lifestyles and careers (Rath, 2007, pg. 11). The results from the StrengthsFinder assessment indicate that my five most dominant talent themes for success are futuristic, relator, empathy, achiever, and includer. The assessment describes me as Futuristic as I look to the future with inspirational visions of what could be. My attitude toward my relationships is described as a Relator as I find comfort strength from being around close friends. I portray Empathy in the way that I anticipate the needs and questions of others, which draws people to me. My Achiever theme explains my drive and constant need for achievement. My theme of Includer relates to my desire to include people and make them feel part of the group.
Core Values
Happiness and Balance are two core values that I would like to strengthen in my everyday life and career. These values relate as I often struggle to find and maintain happiness as I also struggle to find balance between my commitments, responsibilities, and relationships. The StrengthsFinder assessment defined me as an Achiever as I constantly have the need to do more, which causes stress. Another theme that describes my success is futuristic, which means that I am always looking to the future and what is next. Feeling overwhelmed can quickly lead to unhappiness and struggling to balance the stressors in my life.
Strengths
As an Achiever, I have an internal fire burning inside of me to accomplish more. Knowledge and skills are two strengths that I would like to improve, based on my StrengthsFinder assessment. As a nurse, you can never have too much knowledge or too many skills. Increasing these strengths help me grow and provide guidance in navigating through challenges in my career. Knowledge and skills are important factors in the strengths equation. Without facts in your mind and skills at your disposal, talent can be wasted (Rath, 2007, pg. 19).
Characteristics
A characteristic that I am always striving to improve is patience. As an Achiever, having patience will help me to set the pace when living with a constant need for accomplishment and achievement. As an Includer, I want to include others to make them feel accepted and comfortable. The assessment also describes me as a Relator as I tend to pull toward people I already know instead of establishing new relationships. I would like to challenge myself to be more outgoing and friendly as these characteristics improve my relationships in my personal life and career.
References
Rath, T. (2007).
Strengths Finder 2.0
. Gallup Press.
Strengths Finger Signature Theme Report.pdf
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Morayo Oloidi
Morayo Oloidi
Dec 29, 2022
Dec 29, 2022 at 11:15am
Manage Discussion Entry
Hello Heather,
You have a great mix of leadership themes! I firmly believe that empathy is one of the key traits a leader should have. Putting yourself in the shoes of others and genuinely understanding every individual in your team directly coincides with the harmony aspect of your leadership themes.
Empathic leadership increases the effectiveness of team members. Leaders who exhibit empathy positively affect employees’ performance, satisfaction, and overall well-being. Team members also feel empowered and are emotionally balanced, thus creating a healthy work environment. Empathic leaders generally empower their followers by recognizing every person’s abilities and developing them (Zivkovic, 2022). Based on my experience following an empathic leader, they exhibit empathy and make team members enthusiastic about going to work and interacting with the team.
To become a good team builder, I think one must become a transformational leader as they are leaders who catalyze positive change and promote well-functioning teams. Transformational leaders focus on their people and inspire them to go above and beyond. They are leaders that capitalize on the team members and not the processes to achieve success in their projects (Nauman et al., 2021). A transformational leader also is open to sharing his visions with the whole team and encourages the team to make them come to fruition (Jacobsen et al., 2021). Looking at your top five themes, you are very nicely fit to be a transformational leader as you have the traits of one. You have enthusiasm, are flexible, and are open to the opinions of others.
References
Jacobsen, C., Andersen, L., Bøllingtoft, A., & Eriksen, T. (2021). Can leadership training improve organizational effectiveness? Evidence from a randomized field experiment on transformational and transactional leadership.
Public Administration Review
,
82
(1), 117–131.
https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13356
Links to an external site.
Nauman, S., Musawir, A., Munir, H., & Rasheed, I. (2021). Enhancing the impact of transformational leadership and team-building on project success: The moderating role of empowerment climate.
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business
,
15
(2), 423–447.
https://doi.org/10.1108/ijmpb-02-2021-0031
Links to an external site.
Zivkovic, S. (2022). Empathy in leadership: How it enhances effectiveness.
Economic and Social Development: Book of Proceedings
, 454–467. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Venelin-Terziev/publication/360112360_Spiritual_leaders_of_the_Bulgarian_nation/links/6262c0c9ee24725b3ebde76d/Spiritual-leaders-of-the-Bulgarian-nation.pdf#page=462
Links to an external site.
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Jada Sewell
Jada Sewell
Dec 29, 2022
Dec 29, 2022 at 4:09pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Hello Heather,
I too have wondered why happiness always seems elusive, and one day a song played on the radio and the writer of the song stated that happiness is the product of something happening, but joy springs eternal, and no one can produce or take it away from you. Happiness for most, including myself, is thought to be made of positive emotions as well as a sense of purpose or meaning, however the extent to which different aspects of happiness matter to us varies (Happiness values, n.d.).
When joy is practiced as a fundamental value, the person embraces real contentment not because they are happy, but that they have reached a destination within themselves that creates a profound reality of peace and hope (Is joy a top core value, 2022). You can feel joy even in sadness, much like when a loved one passes. You celebrate the life and love that the person gifted to your life, but the fact that they are no longer present in body is what cultivates sadness.
It is my opinion that if you strive for joy, regardless of what happens in your life, you will be able to find sunshine even in the midst of cloudy days. Henry David Thoreau said it best ” Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder” (Weller, 2016).
References:
Admin. (2022, May 27).
Is joy a top core value?
Boost Your Personal Development. Retrieved December 29, 2022, from https://www.boostyourpersonaldevelopment.com/is-joy-one-of-your-top-core-value/
Happiness values
. The Berkeley Well-Being Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved December 29, 2022, from https://www.berkeleywellbeing.com/happiness-values-activity.html
Weller, C. (2016, May 18).
12 of history’s greatest philosophers reveal the secret to happiness
. Business Insider. Retrieved December 29, 2022, from https://www.businessinsider.com/12-philosophers-share-quotes-on-happiness-2016-5
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Heather Fechko
Heather Fechko
Dec 29, 2022
Dec 29, 2022 at 10pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Thank you, Jada! I truly appreciate the thought behind your response. It is a great reminder that happiness stems from joy, and joy can be found in so many places.
– Heather
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Aleyna Soyoung Shin
Aleyna Soyoung Shin
Dec 28, 2022
Dec 28, 2022 at 12:52am
Manage Discussion Entry
Strengths Finder provides “in-depth analysis and unique descriptions of your top five CliftonStrengths themes” (Rath, 2007) through the information obtained through the survey, and it helps identify the talents of personality that can be strengthened rather than assessing the weakness to improve. The five themes that were listed after the assessment as my talents were harmony, consistency, analytical, deliberative, and futuristic. At first, I thought those talent themes were not really who I was, but after reading the explanations for each theme, I could understand why. I am a person who seeks areas of agreement rather than conflict, treats people the same, searches for reasons and causes, anticipates obstacles in the future, and gets inspired by the future.
Two core values that I would like to strengthen would be responsibility and optimism. Knowing what you are responsible for and your limits are essential to work as a team with others. I like to help my team members when they need or ask for help. However, if they are not doing anything, expecting others to help them, I get stressed and feel like I’d not like to work with them as a team. I want people to be as responsible as I do. And I try to give myself as an example. At the same time, I am more pessimistic than optimistic. Optimistic people are more likely to act and put effort into achieving their goals than pessimistic people (Umoh, 2017). When I see my optimistic friends who tend to go with the flow instead of worrying about the future unnecessarily, like me, they get way less stress and are able to stay calm and positive all the time, resulting in good results most of the time.
Two strengths that I’d like to accomplish more based on my StrengthsFinder are harmony and deliberativeness. Harmony is when you can work with others as a team, compromising with each other and helping each other. It is a critical part of being a leader in a team because you need to know how to work with everyone, minimize any conflicts between team members, and know how to find agreements when people have different opinions. By anticipating obstacles, I, as a leader, can plan with different possible options, which could allow me to take enough time in the first place to make precise and accurate decisions instead of being spontaneous. So if something unexpected happens, we have backup plans that would be the second best for the team.
Two characteristics that I would like to strengthen are staying positive and time management. As mentioned above, I tend to think about the negative side many times and worry ahead of time too much, which is unnecessary. Staying positive would lead to a healthy mentality and ultimately focus more on the tasks that I am working on at that time. “Positive people have more energy and are more self-confident and hopeful. Because of this they tend to set higher goals and expend more effort in order to reach their goals” (Cabrera & Gladis, 2013). Time management is one of the critical components of nursing. When I start my shift, I tend to think and worry too much about the tasks that need to be done. Instead of rushing at the beginning of the shift, trying to finish everything ahead of time, prioritizing and spacing out my “to-do’s” would cause me less stress and increase productivity.
Cabrera, B., & Gladis, S. (2013). How positivity leads to success.
Association for Talent Development.
https://www.td.org/insights/how-positivity-leads-to-success
Rath, T. (2007).
Strengths Finder 2.0 – with Access Code
.
Umoh, R. (2017). Why you should be highly optimistic if you want to be successful.
CNBC.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/05/why-should-you-be-highly-optimistic-if-you-want-to-be-successful.html
Gallup Analytics and Reporting.pdf
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Morayo Oloidi
Morayo Oloidi
Dec 28, 2022
Dec 28, 2022 at 2:15am
Manage Discussion Entry
Main Post
Leadership Profile
Leaders exhibit behaviors that affect an organization via the influence, culture developed, and engagement they create within the team (Marshall & Broome, 2021). The Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment helps determine an individual’s leadership skill set. The evaluation also suggests ways to maximize an individual’s potential for leadership and the person’s top leadership traits (Rath, 2007). The results from my assessment showed that my skills are focused on making connections and valuing information. The top five strength themes that I have are connectedness, adaptability, context, arranger, and input.
Strengthening Leadership Values
The core values of honesty and passion are the ones I would like to improve upon if I take on a leadership role again in the future. As the assessment has shown, I value the connections I establish with everyone I encounter. Leadership is a work of passion that improves an individual’s consistency in their development and the development of others (Antonacopoulou & Bento, 2018). Strengthening the desire to lead and help others while being honest about my weaknesses and giving feedback to those I work with will enable me to be the leader I want to be. Improving the two core values mentioned above will aid me in forming genuine relationships and working with people better to achieve mutual goals.
Developing Leadership Strengths
A strength that I would like to develop further is my connectedness. Believing that things happen for a good reason and that everything is connected in a way will help me open my mind more and understand the things that happen in my life and at work. Further development of my connectedness trait will allow me to steer through challenging moments, search for ways to improve, adapt, and see both sides of a situation, whether it may be positive or negative. Another strength I would like to improve is being an arranger. When I worked as a nurse supervisor in a different facility about a year ago, I have always encountered complex situations, patient care, or administrative issues that needed my attention. Having the arranger trait helps me navigate multiple things happening simultaneously and go out of the set approach to a more effective way of solving things. As a leader, I always see efficiency as one of my top priorities, and I like thinking of new ways to approach things.
Improving Leadership Characteristics
As for the characteristics, I would like to improve the trait of being an includer. An includer promotes a healthy working environment by providing employees the feeling that they belong with everyone else and boosts their morale. In addition to feeling their value in the team, team members with a high morale and empowerment drive internal motivation and increase work engagement (Tuin et al., 2021). Another characteristic I would like to enhance is being a learner, as I believe there is much more to leadership than just building relationships and guiding staff. A learner’s approach to leadership prioritizes learning from the successes and failures they encounter, breaking down the information, and learning from it. It results in leaders acquiring humility and resilience in any situation they encounter (Antonacopoulou & Bento, 2018).
Reflection and Lessons Learned
Leadership and developing a leader’s qualities are crucial to the individual and the organization. After reviewing scholarly literature and doing the CliftonStrengths Assessment, it opened my mind to the idea of being a servant leader. I have learned that servant leaders focus primarily on their followers instead of focusing on the mission first. Servant leaders empower their followers and the abilities of the individuals they work with, helping them succeed and drive the team towards a set goal (Gandolfi & Stone, 2018). A team’s success in any endeavor they take part in depends on the team’s building blocks and teamwork.
References
Antonacopoulou, E., & Bento, R. F. (2018). From laurels to learners: Leadership with virtue.
Journal of Management Development
,
37
(8), 624–633.
https://doi.org/10.1108/jmd-12-2016-0269
Links to an external site.
Gandolfi, F., & Stone, S. (2018). Leadership, leadership styles, and servant leadership.
Journal of Management Research
,
18
(4), 261–269.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Franco-Gandolfi/publication/340940468_Leadership_Leadership_Styles_and_Servant_Leadership/links/5ea6a029a6fdccd79457ffa9/Leadership-Leadership-Styles-and-Servant-Leadership.pdf
Links to an external site.
Marshall, E. S., & Broome, M. E. (2021). Frameworks for becoming a transformational leader. In E. S. Marshall & M. E. Broome (Eds.),
Transformational Leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader
(3rd ed., pp. 2–19). Springer.
Rath, T. (2007).
Strengths finder 2.0
. Gallup Press.
Tuin, L., Schaufeli, W. B., & Van den Broeck, A. (2021). Engaging leadership: Enhancing work engagement through intrinsic values and need satisfaction.
Human Resource Development Quarterly
,
32
(4), 483–505.
https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21430
Links to an external site.
MorayoOloidiSignatureThemeReport.pdf
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Pauline Atianjoh
Pauline Atianjoh
Dec 30, 2022
Dec 30, 2022 at 9:13pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Morayo,
Additionally, I have also learned that the Gallop Assessment tool is important in increasing the self-awareness of employees. The more individuals become aware of themselves, the more easily they can direct their life in ensuring that they are successful in whatever they do. It is a successful contributing factor to both personal and professional life hence it can be beneficial to compel the employees to ensure the success of the organization (Bloom, 2018). Facilitation of collaboration is key since employees can work together to ensure the success of the project. the strengths also ensure that the teams work together. It is also important that members are aware of the strengths of others so that they can best assign responsibilities, gain a better understanding and understand why some people behave the way they do (King et al., 2018). Therefore, this can make them work together in contributing towards the shared goals.
References
Bloom T. J. (2018). Comparison of StrengthsQuest Signature Themes in Student Pharmacists and Other Health Care Profession Students. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 82(1), 6142. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe6142
King, C., Atwood, S., Brown, C., Nelson, A. K., Lozada, M., Wei, J., Merino, M., Curley, C., Muskett, O., Sabo, S., Gampa, V., Orav, J., & Shin, S. (2018). Primary care and survival among American Indian patients with diabetes in the Southwest United States: Evaluation of a cohort study at Gallup Indian Medical Center, 2009-2016. Primary care diabetes, 12(3), 212–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcd.2017.11.003
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Tyesha L Sullivan
Tyesha L Sullivan
Dec 28, 2022
Dec 28, 2022 at 10:47am
Manage Discussion Entry
My StrengthsFinder assessment gave me insight on some aspects about myself that I never quite knew existed. My results were 1.) Focus a person who can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. They prioritize, then act, 2.) Competition is one who measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests, 3.) Restorative which is one who adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it, 4.) Input which is one who have a craving to know more. Often, they like to collect and archive all kinds of information, and 5.) learner is one who great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them (Gallop, 2022). This was a very exciting assessment and I completely agree with the results in which I received. I consider myself a very focused person who strives to learn something new constantly and be able to express this knowledge to others. I am an excellent problem solver and thrive from new information that I can use to help myself.
The two core values that I would like to strengthen is encouragement and trust. Being that I am a restorative and competitive person I often take pride in solving problems myself with no needed help. I would love to be more encouraging towards others to help them to reach their full potential. Everything doesn’t have to be a competition. As a leader if one wins, everyone wins.
Two strengths in which I would make stronger is becoming more organized and improving my self assurance. I am an extremely focused and driven individual, yet I tend to take on many tasks at once and I become unorganized and forgetful. When it comes to certain situations, I find myself doubting myself even if I may know or have knowledge of something or how it’s done.
Two characteristics I would like to strengthen is having patience and being compliant. I absolutely love to do tasks my way and can be very stubborn. I would like to have the capability to accept delays without getting visibly upset. This StrengthsFinder assessment was truly an eyeopener as it forced me to reflect on my weaknesses more so as opposed to my strengths.
Reference
Gallup, I. (2022, December 20).
Cliftonstrengths
.
Gallup.com.
https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx
Links to an external site.
Gallup Analytics and Reporting.pdf
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Audrey Okofo-Mensah
Audrey Okofo-Mensah (
She/Her
)
Dec 30, 2022
Dec 30, 2022 at 10:59pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Hello Tyesha,
I read some great characteristics of a good leader from your discussion post. I was particularly interested in the restorative and learner strengths from the Gallup Strengthsfinder assessment as part of your top 5 themes because I am one too. I wanted to share what methods I use on getting better organized and building on self-assurance. By being a really focused individual, you will naturally perform better by focusing on one thing at a time. But you can multitask efficiently too. You can use an organizer or simply take notes using your phone. Right before I start my day, I translate my thoughts to the organizer or notes. Focus on one area and brainstorm all what needs to be done. Takes me a couple of minutes but I go through all my tasks as a to do list. Once done, I easily multitask without loosing focus. The aim of the organizer or notepad is to serve as a reference in the middle of the day when I can’t think of anything else and loose track of how I’m progressing. I write them always as bullet points and cross them out once the tasks have been completed. This has helped me stay organized as an individual and as a leader. Erwin (2021) also shared some other methods on staying organized including this method I shared.
I hope this helps you. I do want to point out that based on your personality type, my method may or may not appeal to you. Attached in the references is a link to knowing your personality type. All the best
References
16Personalities. (n.d.).
https://www.16personalities.com/enfp-conclusion
Links to an external site.
Ervin, W. (2021). Hot Take: how to stay organized this school year.
https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/lib_ac_chanty/1883
Links to an external site.
Gallup Strengthfinder Assessment.
https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx
Links to an external site.
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Tyesha L Sullivan
Tyesha L Sullivan
Dec 31, 2022
Dec 31, 2022 at 2:36pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Audrey it’s so funny that you mentioned this organizer because I just bought one a few weeks ago and finally opened it yesterday! I’ve been telling myself I need to be more organized with my tasks. I actually plan on writing out my tasks on tonight, thank you for your advice. The 16Personalities assessment was amazing. I love doing self assessment as such because I can then ponder on what I would like to change for a better version of myself.
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Hanna Sacher
Hanna Sacher
Dec 28, 2022
Dec 28, 2022 at 11:52am
Manage Discussion Entry
Main Post
The Gallup Organization developed the CliftonStrengths assessment to guide individuals in discovering their strengths and values thus helping organizations improve their culture and performance
(Johnson, 2021). After completing my assessment, I have discovered that my top five strengths and values are harmony, relator, positivity, responsibility and includer. After reading descriptions of each category, I agree that I do fit many of these depictions. For example, as a harmonizer one of my strengths is that I have been appreciated for allowing others to perform tasks in their own way and state their opinions about that they’re doing. Of course, I correct them if needed but in the most understanding and educational way possible to ensure I build their confidence rather than make them feel defeated. A second strength is that I always refer to those more knowledgeable than me to access expertise that I lack. While working in healthcare, we have little margin for error. Otherwise, someone’s life and wellbeing may be at risk. When I am at work, I make a handwritten checklist of tasks that I need to accomplish by a certain time. Checking these boxes, especially knowing I have performed sed tasks well, I feel much pleasure and enjoy feeling appreciated by others by my hard work.
A core value that I would like to strengthen is innovation. Innovation is defined as the ability to create new ideas or methods (StudyGuides, 2020). Often at work, I find myself so consumed by time consuming tasks and patient care that I neglect to think outside the box and contribute to futuristic healthcare ideas. Another core value I would like to strengthen or feel more positive about is quality. Quality is referred to as striving to get things right while providing the highest level of quality standards in every task needed to be accomplished (StudyGuides, 2020). In a hectic and overwhelming work environment, at times I feel like it is impossible to provide the highest level of quality care.
A strength I would like to improve is self-assurance. I can be quite hard on myself and often rely on the commentary of others to feel good about the tasks I am accomplishing. A second strength I would like to improve is being futuristic. I am often so focused on the present and accomplishing tasks correctly and efficiently that I do not engage with or contribute to groups or ideas that focus on future improvements. For example, not having time to get a post-surgical patient out of bed to ambulate when ambulation is needed for the promotion of body healing.
One characteristic I would like to improve is my confidence. While asking for expertise from someone for knowledge is a great practice, often-times I am asking a question in which I am smart enough and competent to know the answer. For example, if one of my post-surgical patients is completely alert and oriented and needs to go to the bathroom for the first time but has not worked with physical therapy yet, I do not need to discuss this with my charge nurse. I should be able to have a conversation with the patient to determine their physical strengths and assess independently, how to get them to the bathroom safely. Another characteristic I would like to improve on is patience. With a heavy patient load and a multitude of tasks due at the same time, I must remind myself that I am only one person and cannot be in multiple places at once. As long as I prioritize my tasks based on clinical importance, I cannot beat myself up if I cannot complete every single task in a timely manner. Strengthening this characteristic would significantly decrease my stress load in the workplace.
References
Johnson, J. (2021, July 19).
What is the CLIFTONSTRENGTHS assessment, and how does it work?
https://www.uschamber.com/co. https://www.uschamber.com/co/grow/thrive/cliftonstrengths-assessment
20+ best core values: Examples for healthcare industry
. Status Guides. (2022, December 8). from https://status.net/articles/core-company-corporate-organizational-values-examples-healthcare/
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Heather Fechko
Heather Fechko
Dec 29, 2022
Dec 29, 2022 at 9:56pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Reply #2
Hello Hanna,
Thank you for your post. I enjoyed reading your thoughts about your strengths assessment. Relator and Includer are two themes of strength that we share. You shared that two characteristics that you would like to strengthen are confidence and patience. We also share this goal as these are vital leadership traits. These characteristics will help you strengthen all of your talents, especially responsibility. Confidence allows you to be a leader by tackling challenging responsibilities and following through with commitments. Patience will guide you in being selective with opportunities an responsibilities to not overwhelm yourself and maintain your positivity for your team.
There are many lessons that can be learned from the StrengthsFinder assessment that can be applied to personal behaviors and leadership philosophies. Having a strength in harmony means that you will likely try to draw people together and try to resolve conflicts. According to Rath (2007), a key to harmony is listening and efficiency. As a relator, don’t be scared to show that you care and are interested in others as this is key to building relationships. Having a strength in positivity is a talent that may wish that they can portray. It is important to avoid negative people to keep yourself energized and maintain a positive approach. Responsibility is an essential factor in leadership. Learning to delegate and defer responsibilities to other capable personnel will help you to focus on the important demands of your career. As an Includer, you can be a leader by looking for opportunities to bring people of diverse backgrounds and cultures together. These talents all relate to help you in a wide variety of roles, but most importantly, in your role as a leader.
References
Rath, T. (2007).
Strengths Finder 2.0
. Gallup Press.
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Hanna Sacher
Hanna Sacher
Dec 30, 2022
Dec 30, 2022 at 10:44am
Manage Discussion Entry
Sacher_Gallup Strengths Insight Guide .pdf
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Morgan Alicia Smith
Morgan Alicia Smith
Dec 28, 2022
Dec 28, 2022 at 2:37pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Main Question Post
Understanding one’s unique strengths is an essential part of leadership. Developing those strengths allows individuals to excel in areas where they have natural talent (Rath, 2007). Unfortunately, throughout our lives, we are told that it is more important to improve on those areas in which we are weak rather than focusing on the areas in which we already excel and pushing that excellence even further (Rath, 2007). The purpose of this discussion post is to relate the results of my StrengthsFinder assessment, then describe two core values, strengths, and characteristics that I would like to develop further.
The results of my StrengthsFinder assessment were accurate. The five signature themes that were included in my assessment were input, maximizer, competition, intellection, and harmony (Rath, 2007). The areas of maximizer, competition, and intellection were areas of strength that I had already identified in myself, so I was not surprised when they were identified in the StrengthFinder assessment (Rath, 2007). I was less familiar with the areas of input and harmony, but after reading further on those areas of strength, it correctly described me (Rath, 2007).
Focusing on a leader’s strengths and development potential is integral to the authentic leadership model (Broome & Marshall, 2021). I want to continue to work on the strengths of input and harmony (Rath, 2007). The strength of input includes collecting information in all different circumstances and storing the information away for later use (Rath, 2007). The strength of harmony includes leading others away from unnecessary confrontation and instead looking for areas of agreement and commonality (Rath, 2007). I chose these strengths to work on because they are areas I would not have readily identified when describing my strengths prior to completing the StrengthsFinder assessment. Continuing to develop my strength of input would help gather information on patients and employees at my place of employment (Rath, 2007). I can use this information to make improvements in patient care and outcomes. Working on the strength of harmony will help me keep the peace between employees and encourage others to work as a team (Rath, 2007).
Core values have been described as essential to effective leadership (James et al., 2021). The two core values that I would like to continue to strengthen are respecting others’ beliefs and treating others as you would like to be treated. Both of these core values are some of the most dearly held principles that I strive to live my life by, including in professional settings.
Two characteristics I would like to continue improving would be my organizational skills and my ability to teach others. I have always been very organized, especially in my professional life. I want to continue to build on this characteristic and improve my organizational skills even further, especially as it relates to my current position as Assistant Director of Nursing, or ADON, as this position requires extensive organizational skills to be effective. Building on my characteristic of being a good teacher is important to me because in my current position as ADON, part of my responsibilities includes staff development and education. I have always been drawn to education and teaching others as it comes naturally to me. Continuing to develop and strengthen this natural characteristic could only help improve my staff development and education performance.
Overall, I found the StrengthsFinder assessment to be a helpful way to identify or reaffirm individual strengths (Rath, 2007). Knowing one’s strengths and weaknesses is an essential part of individual growth. However, rather than focusing on one’s weaknesses, taking those strengths and building upon those that come naturally is an excellent way to strive for greatness, both in a personal and professional setting.
References
Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021).
Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert
clinician to influential leader
(3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
James, A. H., Bennett, C. L., Blanchard, D., & Stanley, D. (2021). Nursing and values‐based
leadership: A literature review.
Journal of Nursing Management, 29
(5), 916–930.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13273
Links to an external site.
Rath, T. (2007).
Strengths Finder 2.0 w/Access Code.
MBS Content.
https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/MBS1879141
Links to an external site.
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Morgan Alicia Smith
Morgan Alicia Smith
Dec 28, 2022
Dec 28, 2022 at 3:20pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Dr, Hart and class,
My apologies, the above posting did not correctly attach the StrengthsFinder assessment as intended. Instead, it is, hopefully, attached in this reply to my original posting above.
Sorry for any confusion,
Morgan Smith
Clifton Strengths Assessment_Smith_M.pdf
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Tyesha L Sullivan
Tyesha L Sullivan
Dec 29, 2022
Dec 29, 2022 at 6:50pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Morgan,
I noticed that we have two strengths alike which are input and competition. I’m not quite sure how competition falls under leadership strength, but I must say I always strive to be the very best in everything I do as opposed to others. Competitiveness is convenient when the outcome causes someone to increase their motivation and work harder towards their goals. Input allows us to collect and archive all kinds of information (Rath, 2007). We are thinkers by nature and enjoy reading or researching about new topics as we find this intriguing. I really enjoyed this assessment as it opens your mind to grasp more information that you may not have noticed about yourself or have had a difficult time putting into words to describe your characteristics.
Reference
Rath, T. (2007).
Strengths Finder 2.0 – with Access Code
. Gallup Press
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Kandice Waters
Kandice Waters
Dec 30, 2022
Dec 30, 2022 at 7:21pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Module 3. Discussion 2. Response 2.
Hello Morgan,
Thank you for sharing your results; you are fortunate to have such strengths! You noted that you wanted to improve your strengths related to harmony and input. Some ways to strengthen input include using your knowledge to inform, teach, and support other people (Gallup 2022). You can demonstrate harmony by interacting and finding means of consensus. You can also look for agreement patterns during confrontation to draw people together (Schubring, 2022).
References
An Introduction to the Input® CliftonStrengths Theme. (2022). Gallup.
https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252278/input-theme.aspx
Links to an external site.
Schubring, L. (2022).
Exploring the StrengthsFinder Theme of Harmony
. Leadership Vision.
Exploring the StrengthsFinder Theme of Harmony
Links to an external site.
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Sherwin Jackson
Sherwin Jackson
Dec 28, 2022
Dec 28, 2022 at 3:04pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Leadership Profile
From the Strength Finder test, my top five themes include being restorative, a developer, a relator, adopting responsibility, and being consistent. As a restorative person, I am adept at dealing with problems and resolving them by adopting a methodical and rational thinking style. As a developer, I am talented in cultivating potential in others, and I derive satisfaction from doing this. The test also revealed that as a person with responsibility, I tend to take psychological ownership of what I commit to do. I value loyalty and honesty. As a relator, I deeply value close relationships with others, and I have the ability to train and offer help and suggestions to those who look to me for assistance. Lastly, I am a consistent person who is aware of the value of being practical, objective, and gravitate towards efforts that have yielded results in the past.
A core value I would cultivate is the courage to take on tasks outside of my comfort zone especially as my strength of being responsible might compel me to avoid challenges that might lead to broken promises. I need to develop the courage to admit where I am unable to deliver on something. I believe that doing so enables me to develop authenticity as Marshall (2021) highlights this trait as an important framework of being a transformational leader. It begins with honesty with self and then to others. Another core value I would love to develop is empathy especially towards myself considering I may gravitate towards insisting on doing things accurately and properly, as a responsible person. I believe that this tendency may insidiously make me develop perfectionism which is detrimental to me.
Reference
Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021).
Transformational Leadership in Nursing: From Expert Clinician To Influential Leader
(3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
strenth finder report.pdf
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Audrey Okofo-Mensah
Audrey Okofo-Mensah (
She/Her
)
Dec 28, 2022
Dec 28, 2022 at 4:58pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Using the Gallup Assessment Tool to Identify Strengths, Core Values, and Characteristics that Needs Improving
As an individual, it is important to identify strengths and capabilities that can make you become effective and the leader you are meant to be. Under Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, every individual is driven by the need to reach self-actualization stage (Pichere & Cadiat, 2015). One can only achieve this level by first identifying their strength and maximizing those strengths to its fullest potential. In order to identify one’s strength, the Gallup assessment tool was used to identify those strength and improve on identified ones. This discussion focuses on the strengths, core values and characteristics that the writer is improving upon to be better.
After completing the Gallup assessment tool, five key areas identified were learning, developing, adapting, ideation and restoring
Two key characteristics that require improvement are lifelong learning and ideation. I genuinely love and enjoy the process of learning because it gives me a thrill. However, I tend to quickly lose focus on a subject matter and explore all related matters because I get lost in trying to understand all subject matters related to that particular subject matter. By constantly trying to find the connection between two seemingly disparate phenomena and following the thrill, I become the student I am not meant to be, as it may become difficult to focus on one idea and translate it into writing. It is also effortless for me to switch ideas when writing professional papers because just as my brain works, I go with the flow and the thrill and quickly lose focus of, especially on the graded subject matter. Group discussions tend to steer me back wherever I find myself floating and I’m yet to use the writing center to aid me in focusing on my ideas for writing.
Respect and teamwork are two core values identified which needs improving. Being part of any organization or group, I find myself advocating for teamwork and respect for all members. Though I hold respect as a core value, self-respect should not be compromised to fit into a team. I know exactly how to be a team player and should not capitalize on how others will think of me to compromise a team’s effort. Teamwork is a strength that I hadn’t fully understood but upon realizing it is my strength and not a weakness, I am willing to build the team and support the team and still boldly call out others who take advantage of them and myself for their selfish gains. Being a leader, respecting everyone means valuing what they bring to the table as a team and not allowing bullying of any sort or another downplaying this attribute if it can be helped.
Two identified strengths are adaptability and restorative skills. I enjoy solving problems because I tend to be very analytical. I am also flexible and adapt very quickly to life circumstances as it occurs. However, not every situation requires one to adapt. Sometimes, one needs to be firm and not be flexible because I find that in my work, my co workers tend to always fall on me to adjust my life to suit other’s discomfort. I don’t mind being flexible, but I hate being taken advantage of, by capitalizing on this strength, I need to draw healthy boundaries and put people in their place so that my value isn’t based on my flexibility and adaptability. Not all problems require intervention from others. Sometimes, people blame me for solving an issue because they hate the solution presented. Again, I’m trying to discipline myself and know who needs these skills or not. Again, this is my strength, and I should appreciate it and use it on needed platforms.
Using the Gallup assessment tool has boosted my confidence in myself and I will focus on improving my strength rather than trying to build new skills and characteristics.
References
Pichère, P., & Cadiat, A.-C. (2015).
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
. Lemaitre.
Rath, T. (2007).
Strengths Finder 2.0 – with Access Code
.
GALLUP PROFILE.pdf
Download GALLUP PROFILE.pdf
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Kandice Waters
Kandice Waters
Dec 28, 2022
Dec 28, 2022 at 8:52pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Module 3. Discussion 2.
The StrengthsFinder assessment 2.0 is an assessment tool that helps individuals identify and understand their strengths and personal traits (Gallup, 2022). It teaches individuals to be self-aware, know what they are good at, and use their strengths for advancement (Johnson, 2022).
According to the StrengthsFinder assessment, my top five talents were discipline, restorative, consistence, relator, and harmony (Gallup, 2022). StrengthsFinder describes disciplined people as people who do relatively well with routine and structure; this is a very accurate analysis as I am incredibly routine and structured. I also scored high for restorative-I am good at identifying and resolving problems (Gallup, 2022). The analysis was accurate, and I agree with my top 5 talents.
Two core values I would like to strengthen include relationship building and openness. I am timid and private, so building relationships and being open is often tricky. I can strengthen these core values by making time for relationships and actively listening.
Two strengths that I would like to improve include prioritization and positivity. Throughout the day, I have multiple tasks delegated to me. I need to learn how to prioritize. I also need to work on positivity; getting involved in negative work-related conversations is easy. I can show positivity by celebrating small victories, being optimistic, showing appreciation, being positive, and encouraging connections (Young, 2021).
Two characteristics that I would like to strengthen include focus and communication. I am bombarded with daily tasks, making it easy to become distracted. I need to be able to complete a task before moving to another task. Communication is also essential. I tend to be shy and need more confidence in my verbal communication skills. Communication between healthcare professionals is the basis of patient care and impacts the accuracy and quality of care.
References
Gallup, Inc. (2022). Live your best life using your strengths.http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/about-strengthsfinder-20.aspx
Johnson, J. (2022).
What Is the CliftonStrengths Assessment, and How Does It Work?
US Chamber of Commerce.
https://www.uschamber.com/co/grow/thrive/cliftonstrengths-assessment#:~:text=Focus%20on%20your%20strengths%3A%20Many%20people%20believe%20that,good%20at%20and%20how%20to%20leverage%20your%20strengths.
Links to an external site.
Young, D. (2021).
How To Create A Positive Work Environment
. Scorela.
https://www.scorela.org/how-to-create-a-positive-work-environment/
Links to an external site.
Strenghts Report 2.0.pdf
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Kandice Waters
Kandice Waters
Dec 28, 2022
Dec 28, 2022 at 9:13pm
Manage Discussion Entry
UPDATED Module 3. Discussion 2.
Module 3. Discussion 2.
The StrengthsFinder assessment 2.0 is an assessment tool that helps individuals identify and understand their strengths and personal traits (Gallup, 2022). It teaches individuals to be self-aware, know what they are good at, and use their strengths for advancement (Johnson, 2022).
According to the StrengthsFinder assessment, my top five talents were discipline, restorative, consistence, relator, and harmony (Gallup, 2022). StrengthsFinder describes disciplined people as people who do relatively well with routine and structure; this is a very accurate analysis as I am incredibly routine and structured. I also scored high for restorative-I am good at identifying and resolving problems (Gallup, 2022). The analysis was accurate, and I agree with my top 5 talents.
Two core values I would like to strengthen include relationship building and openness. I am timid and private, so building relationships and being open is often tricky. I can strengthen these core values by making time for relationships and actively listening.
Two strengths that I would like to improve include discipline and harmony. Being disciplined and having a routine is a strength, but it can also be a burden. For example, I can become easily distracted and frazzled if my routine is thrown off. Harmony is also essential for me; I do not do well with confrontation; therefore, I tend not to express how I feel over time, which can build up resentment.
Two characteristics that I would like to strengthen include focus and communication. I am bombarded with daily tasks, making it easy to become distracted. I need to be able to complete a task before moving to another task. Communication is also essential. I tend to be shy and need more confidence in my verbal communication skills. Communication between healthcare professionals is the basis of patient care and impacts the accuracy and quality of care.
References
Gallup, Inc. (2022). Live your best life using your strengths.http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/about-strengthsfinder-20.aspx
Johnson, J. (2022).
What Is the CliftonStrengths Assessment, and How Does It Work?
US Chamber of Commerce.
https://www.uschamber.com/co/grow/thrive/cliftonstrengths-assessment#:~:text=Focus%20on%20your%20strengths%3A%20Many%20people%20believe%20that,good%20at%20and%20how%20to%20leverage%20your%20strengths.Links to an external site.
Links to an external site.
Strenghts Report 2.0-1.pdf
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Morgan Alicia Smith
Morgan Alicia Smith
Dec 30, 2022
Dec 30, 2022 at 10:45am
Manage Discussion Entry
First Response
Kandice, great post this week! I found it very interesting to read everyone’s top five strengths according to the StrengthsFinder assessment (Rath, 2007). Identifying individual strengths is crucial because it allows us to take our natural strengths and apply them to leadership or the ability to inspire others to work towards a common goal (Broome & Marshall, 2021). I was surprised that our class had such a wide variety of top strengths. For example, you and I only have one strength in common, harmony (Rath, 2007). This means that we are both very good at finding areas of agreement rather than focusing on differences in order to work towards common goals (Rath, 2007).
The strength of yours that I found most intriguing was the restorative strength (Rath, 2007). This is because I was not immediately familiar with what ability this strength represented. After further reading, I found that it is the ability to both identify problems and deal with them effectively (Rath, 2007). This is an excellent strength to have as a leader in healthcare. You have the ability to not only identify issues within your organization but find ways to solve those issues. This makes you an invaluable asset to any team. Well done!
Morgan Smith
References
Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021).
Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert
clinician to influential leader
(3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
Rath, T. (2007). Strengths Finder 2.0 w/Access Code. MBS Content.
https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/MBS1879141
Links to an external site.
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Kandice Waters
Kandice Waters
Dec 30, 2022
Dec 30, 2022 at 7:25pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Thank you Morgan, I was also not familiar with this strength until further reading!
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Tyesha L Sullivan
Tyesha L Sullivan
Dec 30, 2022
Dec 30, 2022 at 6:35pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Kandice,
Doing this StrengthsFinder assessment helped everyone gain the knowledge of our strengths in order to apply them to any leadership roles we may possess. It’s interesting to discover that you are restorative yet shy when it comes to communication. If verbal communication is your weakness, I suggest taking mental notes, listening to audiobooks, or reading more books in your past time. We both share the restorative strength. We have the capability to adept at dealing with problems (Rath, 2007). Understanding not only our strengths but or weaknesses aids in understanding our true self. This allows decisions to be made that better reflect your true self and make us happy.
Reference
Rath, T. (2007).
Strengths Finder 2.0 – with Access Code
.
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Kandice Waters
Kandice Waters
Dec 30, 2022
Dec 30, 2022 at 7:28pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Thank you for the input Tyesha; I am a shy problem solver!
Reply
Reply to Comment
Collapse Subdiscussion
Pauline Atianjoh
Pauline Atianjoh
Dec 28, 2022
Dec 28, 2022 at 8:47pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Results from the Strengths Finder Assessment
Each individual has identifiable strengths in leadership in which the person thrives or excels but people fail to identify their strengths. In several instances, people use their strengths ineffectively or fail to use them at all. Therefore, completing a Gallup strength finder assessment help individual recognize their areas of strength. Individuals’ strengths are key to their personality of the individual (Faville et al., 2020). After completing the Clifton strength finder assessment, the top five signature themes of talents that emerged include achiever, responsibility, empathy, positivity, and harmony.
The achiever theme allows me to explain my drive. Being an achiever helps me to make touchable achievements hence making me feel good. With empathy, one can feel the emotions of others around you as they express their feelings. Harmony means that one is talented at living in agreement with other people since nothing good can be gotten from conflict and friction hence I seek to hold the conflicts to the minimum. Positivity implies that I look for the positives in any situation as I try hard to avoid negative matters during the encounter. The responsibility compels me to take ownership of my actions and feel psychologically bound to follow them through.
Core Values and Characteristics, I Would like to Strengthen
The two strengths I strive to keep at the bar are communication and positive relationships. These strengths are obtained from possessing particular talent from continuous practice, additional skill, and knowledge. I would strengthen my talent for being a good communicator by learning about difficult or effective communication and seeking the help of communication experts to help me in improving my public communication skills (Isik et al., 2022). Therefore, when one possesses the strengths with the relator, they develop a relational ability to develop a relationship with all people. This can be achieved by creating space for strong bond formation. I can create the appropriate environment for members of the team to form a close, trusting, and honest relationship.
Communication and relationship building are two characteristics that I would like to strengthen. As a nurse leader, I should be able to manage relationships with different people because teamwork and collaboration are essential in delivering quality care. Effective communication is key in building the relationship but more crucial to a nurse leader who is required to engage in a wide range of relationships (Broome & Marshall, 2021). Communication is the basis of practice in nursing. Through the development of good communication skills, the nurse can obtain the needed information, convey a plan, and assess the quality of care provided. The nurse interacts and forms a relationship with coworkers and their families as well as other healthcare professionals. Both building relationships and communicating effectively are important in achieving a common goal and in conflict resolution.
In addition, the other core values that I would like to strengthen are those of human dignity and altruism. Altruism implies that one is concerned about the wellbeing and welfare of others. In professional nursing, altruism means being concerned about the wellbeing and welfare of others. In professional nursing, altruism is reflected by the nurse’s advocacy and concern for the well-being of the patients. Integrity implies acting as the ethics and standards of practice (Duggan et al., 2015). Once I strengthen my altruistic values, I would support my followers and encourage them to act ethically when providing care and develop caring relationships with others.
References
Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). https://www.amazon.com/Transformational-Leadership-Nursing-Clinician-Influential-ebook/dp/B0817LWQQG
Duggan, K., Aisaka, K., Tabak, R. G., Smith, C., Erwin, P., & Brownson, R. C. (2015). Implementing administrative evidence-based practices: Lessons from the field in six local health departments across the United States. BMC Health Services Research, 15 Links to an external site. (1). doi:10.1186/s12913-015-0891-3.
Faville, E., Turner, S., & Armitstead, J. A. (2020). Strengths in numbers: Assessing the use of StrengthsFinder 2.0 in a pharmacy residency program. American journal of health-system pharmacy : AJHP: official journal of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 77(Suppl 3), S66–S70. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajhp/zxaa156
Işık, M. T., Çokan Dönmez, Ç., & Can Özdemir, R. (2022). Relationship between nurses’ professional values, empathy, and patience: A descriptive cross-sectional study. Perspectives in psychiatric care, 58(4), 2433–2441. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppc.13078