My Hippie Strengths

Several years ago, I was persuaded to take the Strengthsfinder test. The strengths movement was all the rage in the industry and so I had to check out what the fuss was all about. 

After the dizzying 200-item assessment, I received a report that talked about my talent themes and how I can turn them into strengths.  

My top 5 talent themes are 

Individualization

Empathy

Maximizer

Connectedness

Arranger

Reading the report was an odd experience. On one hand, the report did not tell me anything new about myself. On the other hand, the way that I do things everyday that I thought were ordinary were suddenly labeled as talents and that's new. It was exciting to be told that you have something special in you but also bewildering to find how un-strength-like (I made up that word) that special thing was. Like...when Harry Potter was told he was special as proven by his scar. 

Why am I saying this? What do my talent themes mean exactly. Let me share them with you. 

INDIVIDUALIZATION. People exceptionally talented in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how different people can work together productively.

EMPATHY. People exceptionally talented in the Empathy theme can sense other people's feelings by imagining themselves in others' lives or situations.

MAXIMIZER. People exceptionally talented in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.

CONNECTEDNESS. People exceptionally talented in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links among all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has meaning.

ARRANGER. People exceptionally talented in the Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibility that complements this ability. They like to determine how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.

There's a personalized report for this with a lot more insight into how these talent themes are manifested in my daily life. All of it is strange. I sound like a hippie activist which is not bad but strange since I'm not a hippie activist. While I do love these characteristics, I was not reassured when I received the assessment. If anything, it made me feel certain that I am not suited to my then career in Business Development and Training. 

You know what happened after that assessment? I thought of changing my career. I thought of shifting to a career where my strengths would be more useful -- like in counseling, my first love. I applied for a spot at grad school but was declined twice. This led me to the conclusion that I was not meant to become a psychologist.

Then I said fuck it and applied for a scholarship abroad. I was accepted and I took a master's degree in HR Management in Australia. :P

Did I become an HR Manager though? No. I became the General Manager of ExeQserve which means I manage HR, Operations, Sales, Marketing, Admin, etc. I also became an HROD Consultant. And a back-up facilitator. And a back-up training assistant and coordinator. And a back-up sales presenter and training designer. And whatever else needs to be done at work. 

If my talents are ever going to be useful to me, I sure hope they start manifesting now because I absolutely need to use Individualization, Empathy, Maximizer, Connectedness, and Arranger characteristics, stat. 

-Len

Source: Gallup.com