As I have imagined how yet another blog could be useful to small business owners and solo practitioners, I realized I could share processes and ideas that have changed my business and my life.
Who do I love? The Gallup folks who spent 25 years and millions of dollars to identify the most prevalent human strengths. They discovered 34 dominant themes/strengths, defining a strength as consistent near-perfect performance in an activity.
I first learned about the StrengthsFinder™ in 2001 when I read the book, Now Discover Your Strengths. I then used my personal code from the back of the book to take the online StrengthsFinder assessment.
Here are my top 5 strengths from my StrengthsFinder™ assessment:
- Maximizer
- Empathy
- Connectedness
- Activator
- Individualization
The short version of what this means about me: I love transforming strong into superb; I sense the feelings of others; I know that we’re all connected and things happen for a reason; I make things happen – turning thought into action; and I love supporting people in their uniqueness and in living from their strengths.
When I first took the StrengthsFinder™ assessment, it made sense, felt right and then I forgot about it. For a few years.
Until I read StrengthsFinder 2.0 a couple of years ago when a lightbulb went on (Connectedness) and I got it that I wanted to orient even more of my work around my strengths. I began having my coaching clients take the StrengthsFinder™ assesment (Individualization) so that I could better support them in putting their strengths into play more consistently (Maximizer and Activator).
So naturally easy for me, so fun, so fulfilling – what could be better?
And, my clients love learning and more fully using their strengths. Gallup has surveyed more than 10 million people worldwide about how positive and productive people are at work and only one-third “strongly agree” with the statement: “At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.”
As a Maximizer, Activator and Individualizationist, that breaks my heart. So I’m doing my part. I am thrilled to have created a business in which I do what I do best every darn day! And, I am honored and excited to support others in creating and developing their businesses so that they do what they do best every day.
Who do I love? StrengthsFinder™!
No accident that this blog’s named Strong You, Strong Biz . . .
