While temperament drives our motivation and behavior, God given strengths fuel the engine of our participation in the Adventure.
Several years ago the Gallup organization launched a research project that involved assessing the natural strengths of executives. They developed a tool that identified an individual’s five greatest strengths from a list of thirty-four categories. Several years and several hundred thousand execs later, StrengthFinder was available to the public through a book called “Now Discover Your Strengths”. The book became a bestseller and a standard as a staff evaluation tool. Now, StrengthFinder 2.0 is available; more condensed, less expensive and worth every penny of the small investment.
I have given the StrengthFinder assessment to employees, friends, and family. I think it is the best tool on the market for assessing God given, natural strengths.
We’ll use me and Da’ Boys again for illustration. Here’s our breakdown:
Kyle:
· Woo
· Adaptability
· Positivity
· Communication
· Strategic
Kyle is the guy you want selling your idea. He is the ultimate people person who can gain trust and acceptance quickly. He’s rarely discouraged, whether the game score stinks or he’s forced to change plans; in fact he can adapt to unexpected change better than anyone I know. Kyle not only adapts to change, he can find creative ways to address the change. He has excellent verbal skills and has a strong presence in front of crowds.
Christian:
· Achiever
· Strategic
· Learner
· Focus
· Relator
Christian is your man to “get it done”. Christian’s strength mix and his intelligence give him the ability to tackle high tier, complex projects. I’ve never met an individual with his ability to sustain focus until a task is accomplished. Though highly motivated to succeed, he cares deeply for others and takes time to develop deep relationships.
Brent:
· Ideation
· Learner
· Strategic
· Belief
· Activator
Innovation is my “fastball”. I’m an idea guy who’s not satisfied until my ideas are put into practice. I’m constantly listening to books or podcasts, whether I’m in the car or on the treadmill. I’m a fan of House and Sherlock Holmes because of their ability to discern “patterns” of behavior.
Identifying and resonating with God given “stamps” (temperament and strengths) enable a young man to train and focus in preparation to participate harmoniously with others in the Adventure ahead.
