Introduction to StrengthsQuest

1. Introduction to StrengthsQuest Christine Nguyen AHE 199 Oregon State University April 10, 2014

2. Christine’s Signature Themes Empathy Intellection Input Individualization Developer

3. Take two minutes… • What are you really good at? Turn to someone next to you and tell them. • Each person gets one minute to talk.

4. So, how did that go? What was easy/challenging in this activity?

5. StrengthsQuest • Gallup: you know them for their polls • StrengthsQuest is the theory; StrengthsFinder is the assessment tool/instrument • A quest to “discover, develop, and apply who you truly are” (Clifton, Anderson, & Schreiner, 2006). • Roots in positive psychology • Positive psychology focuses on maintaining and enhancing successful function.

6. StrengthsQuest • Gallup Organization • Over 40 years of research • Researched top achievers and found three basic findings about the “best of the best”: • They build their lives upon their greatest talents • They manage their weaknesses • They invent ways to take their talents into areas where they want to improve and increase performance • 400+ different talent themes identified, condensed to 34 signature themes that are the most prevalent • As of February 2014, over 9 million people have taken the StrengthsFinder assessment

7. Theme Combinations “Theme combinations are rare and powerful. There are 278,256 possible unique combinations of Signature Themes, and 33.39 million different permutations with unique order can exist” (The Clifton StrengthsFinder Technical Report: Development and Validation, 2008).

8. Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak “Despite the American myth, I cannot be or do whatever I desire – a truism, to be sure, but a truism we often defy. Our created natures make us like organisms in an ecosystem: There are some roles and relationships in which we thrive and others in which we wither and die.”

9. Strengths-Based Perspective • You have a group of talents within you. • Your greatest talents hold the key to high achievement, success, and progress to levels of personal excellence. • Becoming aware of talents builds confidence/provides a basis for achievement. • Learning how to develop and apply strengths will improve your levels of achievement. • Each of your talents can be applied in many areas including relationships, learning, and leadership.

10. You will grow the most in your areas of greatest strength.

11. Focusing on developing talent to achieve levels of excellence

12. You need: • A piece of scratch paper • A writing implement (pen/pencil) Instructions: • Make two columns on the page and number each column from 1-5 • Sign your first and last names 5 times • Switch your pen/pencil to your non-dominant hand • Sign your first and last names 5 times using your non-dominant hand Writing Challenge

13. Writing Challenge What did it feel like to sign your name the first five times? On the other hand, what words describe the feeling associated with signing your name with your non-dominant hand?

14. Weaknesses and Strengths Weakness Fixing: The Wrong Assumptions • Behaviors can be learned. • If you try hard enough, you can do it. • If you want it bad enough, you can do it. • If you dream it, you can achieve it. • The best in a role all get there exactly the same way. • Weakness fixing leads to success. Strength Building: The Right Assumptions • Some behaviors can be learned. Many are nearly impossible to learn. There is a difference between talents, skills, and knowledge. • The best in a role deliver the same outcomes but use different behaviors. • Weakness fixing prevents failure. • Strength building leads to success.

15. Why does it matter? • Personal development and growth • Working on a team • Future career and life path

16. Strengths and your job • Engaged • These employees are loyal and productive. They are likely to stay with the company at least a year. They are less likely to have accidents on the job and to steal. • Not engaged • These employees may be productive, but they are not psychologically connected to their company. They are more likely to miss work days and to leave. • Actively disengaged • These employees are physically present but psychologically absent. They are unhappy with their work situation and insist on sharing this unhappiness with their colleagues.

17. Strengths and your job • Gallup research shows: • People who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged on the job. • Simply learning their strengths makes employees 7.8% more productive • Teams that focus on strengths every day have12.5% greater productivity

19. Active Disengagement

20. Team Focus

21. Team Talent Maps

22. Shadow Sides • Gallup’s definition of strength: “the ability to consistently produce a nearly perfect positive outcome in a specific task” • Examples • Command: Bossy or decisive? • Analytical: Too many questions or thorough? • Learning to apply talent in a positive way

23. Weaknesses • To clarify, StrengthsQuest is not about ignoring weaknesses • But learning to manage weaknesses to prevent failure • Teaming up with others – complementary strengths

24. Your Signature Themes In your class section, you will have the opportunity to examine your top five signature themes and learn about others’ signature themes through several guided activities.

25. Questions? • Ask me, your lead instructor, or Ben for more info! • Many RDs and other staff on campus are also familiar with StrengthsQuest • My contact info for the next 24 hours: • Christine.Nguyen@oregonstate.edu • 541-713-5555 • Bloss Hall RD Office