strengths intro

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Human Services Career Discovery HMNS 10078 Intro to Strengths Exploration

Nature of Strengths

+Gallup Asked the Following Questions:

Which would help you be more successful in your life?

…knowing what your weaknesses are and attempting to improve your weaknesses?

or

…knowing what your strengths are and attempting to build on your strengths?

+Positive Psychology

Deficit Approach

Study what is wrong with people

Strength-based Approach

Study what is right with people

+What is a Strength?

A strength is the ability to provide consistent, near-perfect performance in a given activity.

The key to building strength is to first identify your

dominant themes or talents.

+Outcomes of Strengths-Based Development

Workplace: increases in employee engagement and productivity

Education: improved attendance, grades

Relationships: sees unique strengths of others and optimize team relationships

Community: increased civic engagement

5 Clues to Talent

1. What are you naturally inquisitive about?

2. What activity are you engaged in when the time flies by?

3. What activity gives you a great deal of satisfaction?

4. What do you pick up rapidly?5. What can you do to near perfection?

+3 Myths that Keep You From Living a Life that Plays to Your Strengths:

1. Myth: As you grow you change.

2. Myth: You have the opportunity to grow most where you are weak.

3. Myth: You must continue to “chip in” for the good of the team even when the task does not play to your strengths. Yes, but…

+34 StrengthQuest Themes1. Achiever

2. Activator

3. Adaptability

4. Analytical

5. Arranger

6. Belief

7. Command

8. Communication

9. Competition

10. Connectedness

11. Consistency

12. Context

13. Deliberative

14. Developer

15. Discipline

16. Empathy

17. Focus

18. Futuristic

19. Harmony

20. Ideation

21. Includer

22. Individualization

23. Input

24. Intellection

25. Learner

26. Maximizer

27. Positivity

28. Relator

29. Responsibility

30. Restorative

31. Self-Assurance

32. Significance

33. Strategic

34. Woo

+StrengthsQuest & Learning *top 5 Strengths Finder Themes for Peggy French

Intellection Loves to engage in intellectual discussions.

Individualization Builds productive teams because talents and strengths of

members understood

Learner Desire to continuously improve

Achiever Has stamina and a high level of motivation

Competition Pushes self and others to be the best

+Jessica’s Daily Affirmation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg

+Talents

Which main talent is Jessica exhibiting?

+34 StrengthQuest Themes1. Achiever

2. Activator

3. Adaptability

4. Analytical

5. Arranger

6. Belief

7. Command

8. Communication

9. Competition

10. Connectedness

11. Consistency

12. Context

13. Deliberative

14. Developer

15. Discipline

16. Empathy

17. Focus

18. Futuristic

19. Harmony

20. Ideation

21. Includer

22. Individualization

23. Input

24. Intellection

25. Learner

26. Maximizer

27. Positivity

28. Relator

29. Responsibility

30. Restorative

31. Self-Assurance

32. Significance

33. Strategic

34. Woo

+Here is What Gallup Knows About Top Achievers:

Top achievers fully recognize their talents and build on them to develop strengths.

Top achievers apply their greatest talents in roles that best suit them.

Top achievers invent ways to apply their greatest talents to their achievement tasks. (Strengthsquest, p.8)

+3 Stages of Strength Development

At the individual level strengths based development involves three stages:

1. Identification and celebration of talents

2. Deliberate integration of talents

3. Applying - intentionally living a life that plays to strengths

Talent + Knowledge + Skill= Strength

+Analyzing the Equation

Talent = naturally recurring pattern of thought, belief, or behaviour that can be productively applied. Basically the innate capacity to do something.

Knowledge = facts and lessons learned

Skill = basic ability to perform specific steps of an activity

Talent + Knowledge + Skill= Strength

+Pop Quiz Break: Skill, Talent or Knowledge

1. An innate desire to outperform the competition.

2. A familiarity with the basic rules of the game.

3. The ability to pitch a curveball.

4. Knowing the basic plays the team uses during the game.

5. The aptitude of rebounding the basketball.

+Workplace Engagement

Gallup Research (Oct 2005 survey of US employees):

31 percent were "engaged" at work 52 per cent were "not engaged" 17 percent were "actively disengaged.”

Best fit = roles that match your greatest talents

Check out StrengthsQuest – Chapter 12

+Career Discovery’s Goal

Mohawk’s Human Services Foundation wants you here:

31 percent were "engaged" at work

* Even if this means you leave Human Services

+I Believe My Most Dominant Strengths Theme Is... Where am I most frequently using my dominant theme?

In what areas, roles, responsibilities? How often am I using this dominant theme? (minutes or

hours per day/week?) In what specific activities am I tending to use this dominant

theme? What am I doing to develop and nurture this dominant

theme? What am I doing to make it stronger, faster, more efficient,

more flexible or versatile? Where and how am I applying this theme to become more

effective or successful? a. interpersonal relationships b. learning/academics c. career preparation d. Spiritual life

+What is a StrengthsQuest? Your Quest addresses your personally meaningful

questions

Your Quest is an adventure of discovery Discovering your talents Figuring out the connection between your past

achievements and talents

Your Quest generates optimism

Your Quest provides a sense of direction

Your Quest generates confidence...your potential for excellence

Your Quest generates a sense of vitality...satisfaction and motivation

+What is a StrengthsQuest?Following on the definition of QUEST….

We will be doing a fair number of assessments throughout this semester to assist you in finding your path

StrengthsQuest will be our hook or framework throughout the semester

We will continue to reflect back, integrate, and comment on our Strengths even as we continue with our other assessments

Please keep up with the readings!

+ "If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better

judge what to do, and how to do it."

Abraham Lincoln