Tag: Theme

Forget the lights and the camera, you just want the action. Standing around waiting for things to happen is, quite frankly, the worst thing imaginable. While coworkers may talk themselves in circles with planning, you’re going to go, go, go until you reach your goal. Once you’ve made a decision, it’s full steam ahead to accomplish your mission. Others may consider you to be rash, and it’s true your passion for action has led you to make some missteps in the past. It’s just that you learn by doing, not pondering over a problem for days. After all, how else could you determine if a course of action will be successful if you don’t try it?

You may as well be a math book, because the more problems you solve, the better. It doesn’t matter whether these problems are in your personal or professional life– what matters is you’re able to identify what’s wrong and find a constructive solution. Sometimes you get a thrill out of encountering a challenge similar to one you’ve solved before because you know how quickly you can apply your past knowledge to fix the problem. Other times, you crave a new beast. You’re not great at “just listening”– without taking any concrete action to address the problem, you feel useless and can become frustrated or disengaged. What’s the point of talking about a problem if you’re not providing a solution?

We’ve all heard the phrase “the early bird gets the worm,” and as someone with a strong Responsibility theme, you take this to the next level. Not only do you arrive early but you’ll also often stay late– you’ve got a lot cover on your very full plate! You don’t like saying no to someone who needs your help on projects or proposals, and consequently, you can end up overcommitted. Once you’ve given your word, however, you’ll follow through– even if you’re burning the midnight oil to do so.  

You’re the keeper of knowledge, the go-to person for finding team tools and resources. You’re continually collecting information and carefully organizing it for future application. Your coworkers tease you about being a packrat, but they’ll be grateful one day when you can find the exact item they need. These contributions bring structure and purpose to your life. You don’t like to be rushed. You need time to investigate, reference your archive and share your findings.

Some people love taking road trips with no particular destination in mind. Detours, frequent stops, and other distractions are all enjoyable parts of the process. Not you, though. As someone strong in the Focus theme, you’ve got an end goal in sight and you’re on a mission to get there. This concentrated approach ensures you’ll help everyone stay on the right path; if your teammates start to stray, you’ll get them back on track. Obstacles in the way of your end goal annoy you, so you’ll do your best to avoid them.

Let’s be honest: life is messy. Not everything is wrapped up in a neat little bow, and unlike television shows, we can’t solve everything in 22 minutes. But it’s a lot easier to handle life when there’s structure, and that’s where you thrive. Being strong in the Discipline theme, you’re all about developing routines that ensure you’re accomplishing your goals. You’re incredibly organized and efficient, though you may sometimes disapprove of the way others operate.

You’re an idea guy. The world is a blank canvas and your mission is to paint it with possibilities. Innovation is your middle name. Nothing delights you more than the discovery process– and nothing frustrates you more than being shut down by close-minded thinkers. You attack problems head-on, embracing challenges as a pathway towards fresh ideas. To you, every new idea is valid, no matter if it’s eccentric or mundane: you don’t judge. You chafe when managers prematurely shut down project ideation as they rush to meet deliverable timelines. How can your team be successful if it skips over the most critical part?

If you have the Significance strength, you have a deep need to be admired for your time, talents, and efforts. More to the point, you want the people associated with you to crave the same success and credibility in their professional pursuits. To that end, you are constantly poking, prodding, and driving others to succeed as well.

Someone who has strong Self-Assurance® according to the CliftonStrengths® assessment is a person who has faith in their abilities and strengths. It is very similar to self-confidence and allows people with this strength to take risks, stakes claims, rise to challenges, and deliver the goods where others lack the confidence or assuredness to do so.