Gallup Strengthsfinder

I have taken the Strengthsfinder test multiple times, and the following strengths consistently appear in my top five. I try to use these insights to better myself as an employee, student, and overall person.

Includer

“Stretch the circle wider.” This is the philosophy around which I orient my life. I want to include people and make them feel part of the group. In direct contrast to those who are drawn only to exclusive groups, I actively avoid those groups that exclude others. I want to expand the group so that as many people as possible can benefit from its support. I hate the sight of someone on the outside looking in. I want to draw them in so that they can feel the warmth of the group. I am an instinctively accepting person. Regardless of race or sex or nationality or personality or faith, I cast few judgments. Judgments can hurt a person’s feelings. Why do that if you don’t have to? My accepting nature does not necessarily rest on a belief that each of us is different and that one should respect these differences. Rather, it rests on my conviction that fundamentally we are all the same. We are all equally important. Thus, no one should be ignored. Each of us should be included. It is the least we all deserve.

Context

I look back. I look back because that is where the answers lie. I look back to understand the present. From my vantage point the present is unstable, a confusing clamor of competing voices. It is only by casting my mind back to an earlier time, a time when the plans were being drawn up, that the present regains its stability. The earlier time was a simpler time. It was a time of blueprints. As I look back, I begin to see these blueprints emerge. I realize what the initial intentions were. These blueprints or intentions have since become so embellished that they are almost unrecognizable, but now this Context theme reveals them again. This understanding brings me confidence. I make better decisions because I sense the underlying structure. I become a better partner because I understand how my colleagues came to be who they are. And counterintuitively I become wiser about the future because I saw its seeds being sown in the past.

Achiever

My Achiever theme helps explain my drive. Achiever describes a constant need for achievement. I feel as if every day starts at zero. By the end of the day I must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about myself. And by “every day” I mean every single day—workdays, weekends, vacations. No matter how much I may feel I deserve a day of rest, if the day passes without some form of achievement, no matter how small, I will feel dissatisfied. I have an internal fire burning inside me. It pushes me to do more, to achieve more. After each accomplishment is reached, the fire dwindles for a moment, but very soon it rekindles itself, forcing me toward the next accomplishment. My relentless need for achievement might not be logical. It might not even be focused. But it will always be with me. As an Achiever I must learn to live with this whisper of discontent. It does have its benefits. It brings me the energy I need to work long hours without burning out. It is the jolt I can always count on to get me started on new tasks, new challenges. It is the power supply that causes me to set the pace and define the levels of productivity for my work group. It is the theme that keeps me moving.

Activator

“When can we start?” This is a recurring question in my life. I am impatient for action. I do concede that analysis has its uses or that debate and discussion can occasionally yield some valuable insights, but deep down I know that only action is real. Only action can make things happen. Only action leads to performance. Once a decision is made, I cannot not act. Others may worry that “there are still some things we don’t know,” but this doesn’t seem to slow me. If the decision has been made to go across town, I know that the fastest way to get there is to go stoplight to stoplight. I am not going to sit around waiting until all the lights have turned green. Besides, in my view, action and thinking are not opposites. In fact, guided by my Activator theme, I believe that action is the best device for learning. I make a decision, I take action, I look at the result, and I learn. This learning informs my next action and my next. How can I grow if I have nothing to react to? Well, I believe you can’t.

Significance

I want to be significant in the eyes of other people. In the truest sense of the word I want to be recognized. I want to be heard. I want to stand out. I want to be known. In particular, I want to be known and appreciated for the unique strengths I bring to the table. I feel a need to be admired as credible, professional, and successful. Likewise, I want to associate with others who are credible, professional, and successful. And if they aren’t, I will push them to achieve until they are. Or I will move on. An independent spirit, I want my work to be a way of life rather than a job, and in that work I want to be given free rein, the leeway to do things my way. My life is filled with goals, achievements, or qualifications that I crave.