StrengthsFinder 2.0

by Tom Rath

  Harmony Sounds Like This:

  Jane C., Benedictine nun: “I like people. I relate to them easily because I am very strong in adjustment. I take the shape of the vessel into which I am poured, so I don’t irritate easily.”

  Chuck M., teacher: “I don’t like conflict in class, but I have learned to let things run their course instead of trying to stop it right away. When I first started teaching, if someone said something negative, I would think, ‘Oh, why did you have to say that?’ and try to get rid of it right away. But now I simply try to get the opinion of someone else in the class so that perhaps we can have different points of view on the same topic.”

  Tom P., technician: “I can remember vividly when I was ten or eleven and some of the kids in my school would get into arguments. For some reason, I would feel compelled to get in the middle of things and find the common ground. I was the peacemaker.”

  Ideas for Action

  Use your Harmony talents to build a network of people with differing perspectives. Rely on these people when you need expertise. Your openness to these differing perspectives will help you learn.

  When two people are arguing, ask others in the group to share their thoughts. By increasing the number of voices in the conversation, you are more likely to find areas where all parties can agree. You can draw people together.

  Avoid roles that will lead you to confront people on a daily basis. Sales roles based on “cold calls” or roles in highly competitive workplaces, for example, will frustrate or upset you.

  Practice your techniques for resolving conflict without confrontation. Without these polished techniques, you might find yourself simply running away from conflicts, leaving them unresolved. This could lead you to passive-aggressive behavior.

  Partner with someone especially talented in Command or Activator. When all your best efforts to resolve a conflict have met with no success, this person can help you confront it head-on.

  Create interactions and forums in which people feel like their opinions are truly being heard. In doing so, you will help others become more engaged in group projects and activities.

  Be aware that your attempts to create harmony by allowing everyone a turn to speak might actually create disharmony in some people. Individuals with exceptional Achiever talents, for example, may be anxious to make a decision and take action. Learn to briefly yet effectively communicate the value of listening.

  Understand that some may take advantage of your efforts to produce harmony. On occasion, when everyone is getting an opportunity to speak, some individuals might waste time positioning themselves or getting into lofty debates that have little relevance to the task at hand. At these times, do not hesitate to jump in and turn the conversation around to more practical matters. A balance between listening and efficiency is key to harmony.

  In discussions, look for the practical side of things. Help others see this practical side. It is the starting point of agreement.

  Deference comes naturally for you. You easily step aside when someone with superior expertise enters. Take the next step by inviting those with greater expertise to consult.

  Working With Others Who Have Harmony

  Steer this person as far as possible away from conflict. Try not to invite him to meetings where there will almost certainly be arguments, because he is not at his best when confronting others.

  Don’t waste your time discussing controversial subjects with this person. He will not enjoy debate for its own sake. Instead, keep your discussions focused on practical matters about which clear action can be taken.

  When others are locked in disagreement, this person can help unlock them. He will not necessarily resolve the subject under debate, but he will help people find other areas where they agree. This common ground can be the starting point for working productively together.

  IDEATION

  You are fascinated by ideas. What is an idea? An idea is a concept, the best explanation of the most events. You are delighted when you discover beneath the complex surface an elegantly simple concept to explain why things are the way they are. An idea is a connection. Yours is the kind of mind that is always looking for connections, and so you are intrigued when seemingly disparate phenomena can be linked by an obscure connection. An idea is a new perspective on familiar challenges. You revel in taking the world we all know and turning it around so we can view it from a strange but strangely enlightening angle. You love all these ideas because they are profound, because they are novel, because they are clarifying, because they are contrary, because they are bizarre. For all these reasons you derive a jolt of energy whenever a new idea occurs to you. Others may label you creative or original or conceptual or even smart. Perhaps you are all of these. Who can be sure? What you are sure of is that ideas are thrilling. And on most days this is enough.

  Ideation Sounds Like This:

  Mark B., writer: “My mind works by finding connections between things. When I was hunting down the Mona Lisa in the Louvre museum, I turned a corner and was blinded by the flashing of a thousand cameras snapping the tiny picture. For some reason, I stored that visual image away. Then I noticed a ‘No Flash Photography’ sign, and I stored that away too. I thought it was odd because I remembered reading that flash photography can harm paintings. Then about six months later, I read that the Mona Lisa has been stolen at least twice in this century. And suddenly I put it all together. The only explanation for all these facts is that the real Mona Lisa is not on display in the Louvre. The real Mona Lisa has been stolen, and the museum, afraid to admit their carelessness, has installed a fake. I don’t know if it’s true, of course, but what a great story.”

  Andrea H., interior designer: “I have the kind of mind where everything has to fit together or I start to feel very odd. For me, every piece of furniture represents an idea. It serves a discrete function both independently and in concert with every other piece. The ‘idea’ of each piece is so powerful in my mind, it must be obeyed. If I am sitting in a room where the chairs are somehow not fulfilling their discrete function—they’re the wrong kind of chairs or they’re facing the wrong way or they’re pushed up too close to the coffee table—I find myself getting physically uncomfortable and mentally distracted. Later, I won’t be able to get it out of my mind. I’ll find myself awake at 3:00 a.m., and I walk through the person’s house in my mind’s eye, rearranging the furniture and repainting the walls. This started happening when I was very young, say seven years old.”

  Ideas for Action

  Seek a career in which you will be given credit for and paid for your ideas, such as marketing, advertising, journalism, design, or new product development.

  You are likely to get bored quickly, so make some small changes in your work or home life. Experiment. Play mental games with yourself. All of these will help keep you stimulated.

  Finish your thoughts and ideas before communicating them. Lacking your Ideation talents, others might not be able to “join the dots” of an interesting but incomplete idea and thus might dismiss it.

  Not all your ideas will be equally practical or serviceable. Learn to edit your ideas, or find a trusted friend or colleague who can “proof” your ideas and identify potential pitfalls.

  Understand the fuel for your Ideation talents: When do you get your best ideas? When you’re talking with people? When you’re reading? When you’re simply listening or observing? Take note of the circumstances that seem to produce your best ideas, and recreate them.

  Schedule time to read, because the ideas and experiences of others can become your raw material for new ideas. Schedule time to think, because thinking energizes you.

  You are a natural fit with research and development; you appreciate the mindset of visionaries and dreamers. Spend time with imaginative peers, and sit in on their brainstorming sessions.

  Partner with someone with strong Analytical talents. This person will question you and challenge you, therefore strengthening your ideas.

  Sometimes you lose oth
ers’ interest because they cannot follow your abstract and conceptual thinking style. Make your ideas more concrete by drawing pictures, using analogies or metaphors, or simply explaining your concepts step by step.

  Feed your Ideation talents by gathering knowledge. Study fields and industries different from your own. Apply ideas from outside, and link disparate ideas to generate new ones.

  Working With Others Who Have Ideation

  This person enjoys the power of words. Whenever you come across a word combination that perfectly captures a concept, idea, or pattern, share it with her. It will stimulate her thinking.

  This person will be particularly effective as a designer, whether of sales strategies, marketing campaigns, customer service solutions, or new products. Whenever possible, try to make the most of her ability to create.

  Try to feed this person new ideas; she thrives on them. She will not only be more excited about her work, but she will also use these new concepts to generate new insights and discoveries of her own.

  INCLUDER

  “Stretch the circle wider.” This is the philosophy around which you orient your life. You want to include people and make them feel part of the group. In direct contrast to those who are drawn only to exclusive groups, you actively avoid those groups that exclude others. You want to expand the group so that as many people as possible can benefit from its support. You hate the sight of someone on the outside looking in. You want to draw them in so that they can feel the warmth of the group. You are an instinctively accepting person. Regardless of race or sex or nationality or personality or faith, you cast few judgments. Judgments can hurt a person’s feelings. Why do that if you don’t have to? Your 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 your 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.

  Includer Sounds Like This:

  Harry B., outplacement consultant: “Even as a child, although I was very shy, I always made sure that I was the one inviting others to play. When picking teams or sides in school, I never wanted anyone not to participate with us. In fact, I can remember when I was ten or eleven, I had a friend who was not a member of our church. We were at a church banquet, and he showed up at the door because typically we had our youth activity at the church on that night. Immediately, I got up, brought him over to our family, and sat him down at the table.”

  Jeremy B., defense lawyer: “When I first started this job, I met people and became fast, furious friends with them almost on day one, only to find out later that, you know, this person’s got a lot of issues, and I’ve already included them in dinner parties and our social circle. My partner, Mark, is like, ‘What is it exactly that made you want to include this person?’ And then it’s a matter of figuring out what pushed my buttons when I first met them, what made me enjoy them so much. And, you know, making sure that this is the aspect of them that Mark and I focus on…because once I include someone in my circle, I don’t dump them.”

  Giles D., corporate trainer: “In class, I seem to be able to sense when someone is disengaging from the group discussion, and I immediately draw them back into the conversation. Last week, we got into a lengthy discussion about performance appraisals, and one woman wasn’t talking at all. So I just said, ‘Monica, you’ve had performance appraisals. Any thoughts on the subject?’ I really think this has helped me as a teacher because when I don’t know the answer to something, very often it is the person I pull in who supplies the answer for me.”

  Ideas for Action

  Consider roles in which you can take responsibility for representing voices that are not usually heard. You will derive a great deal of satisfaction from being a spokesperson for these people.

  Look for opportunities to bring together people of diverse cultures and backgrounds. You can be a leader in this area.

  Help those who are new to an organization or group get to know other people. You will always be adept at quickly making people feel accepted and involved.

  An anti-elitist, you may clash with those who feel they have earned the right to perks and power. Rather than disputing their claim, use your Includer insights to help everyone find common ground and value in their contributions.

  Acknowledge the dissonance you feel when you must be the bearer of bad news. Look for partners who can help you justify your position so you don’t apologize or soften the message too much.

  Not every person is lovable or even likeable. While many of your friends or colleagues may be put off by difficult people, you have a natural capacity to truly care for all people. Let others know that if they ever come to the end of their rope with a problematic individual, they can call on you to step in.

  Choose roles in which you are continuously working and interacting with people. You will enjoy the challenge of making everyone feel important.

  Partner with someone who has dominant Activator or Command talents. This person can help you when you have to deliver news that might hurt someone’s feelings.

  Realize that people will relate to each other through you. You are a conduit for information. You can interact with all parts and all people in a group and keep them effectively connected to each other.

  Explain what we all have in common. Help others understand that to respect the differences among us (our diversity), we must begin by appreciating what we all share (our similarity).

  Working With Others Who Have Includer

  When you have group functions, ask this person to help ensure that everyone is included. He will work hard to see that no individual or group is overlooked.

  Ask this person to help you think about potential customers, markets, or opportunities you are not reaching today.

  If you are not a “natural” in social settings, stay close to an Includer. He will make sure you are a part of the conversation.

  INDIVIDUALIZATION

  Your Individualization theme leads you to be intrigued by the unique qualities of each person. You are impatient with generalizations or “types” because you don’t want to obscure what is special and distinct about each person. Instead, you focus on the differences between individuals. You instinctively observe each person’s style, each person’s motivation, how each thinks, and how each builds relationships. You hear the one-of-a-kind stories in each person’s life. This theme explains why you pick your friends just the right birthday gift, why you know that one person prefers praise in public and another detests it, and