Strengthsfinder Talents

According to the people at Gallup this is who I am. Take this all with a grain of salt. My five top themes are:

1. Intellection
2. Input
3. Maximizer
4. Ideation
5. Deliberative

Here’s what each means in a nutshell.

Intellection

Strategic thinking theme

I live to think. It’s an actual activity for me, no different from skiing or Settlers of Catan. Thinking energizes me and I need time every day to muse and reflect. One of the best ways to do this is through writing. Writing (especially journaling) lets me work through thoughts and ideas and crystallize my point of view. I am drawn to people who also like to marinate in “big ideas.”

• Key benefit: I am able to deliver interesting ideas, even when working alone.
• Shadow side: I may feel drawn to ideas more than action.

Input

Strategic thinking theme

I’m an information collector. I voraciously consume articles, books, podcasts, and knowledge in any form. The combination of input and intellection drives me to catalog my ideas, organize them, and combine them in ways I find interesting. I’m ruthlessly inquisitive and a clutch player on any trivia team.

• Key benefit: I am a resource with a great mind for detail. (I’m also a hit at cocktail parties.)
• Shadow side: I may feel that I will never know enough.

Maximizer

Influencing theme

I’m obsessed with excellence. I strive to understand it through research and deliberate practice. And I’m driven to share my knowledge and help others succeed. I’ll happily shotgun anyone’s road trip from good to great. I am deeply curious about tales of success. Wherever there is an opportunity to improve or nurture a strength, I’m taking it.

• Key benefit: I raise the bar on whatever team I’m on.
• Shadow side: I may feel that I will never be good enough.
• Partner with: Restorative

Ideation

Strategic thinking theme

I’m thrilled by ideas. My default mental state is my brain ping-ponging from one idea to another, trying to find connections. I revel in new perspectives and surprising angles on the world we know. I believe that structured ideation enables common knowledge in a way that mere communication sometimes can’t; it’s the most leveraged problem-solving tool we have.

• Key benefit: I find ways to improve on things.
• Shadow side: I may not always feel compelled to put an idea into practice.
• Partner with: Analytical

Deliberative

Executing theme

I’m careful and vigilant. Despite my thirst for wild ideas, I am conservative in my decision making. I need time to consider multiple perspectives, so that I can express my ideas with confidence. I am a private person who is intentional about what I share and how. (I don’t dole out compliments easily, but when I do I mean them sincerely.) I’m a person who considers risk and seeks to reduce it.

• Key benefit: I make solid decisions with confidence.
• Shadow side: I may act too tentatively if I don’t have all the information.
• Partner with: Activator, Self-Assured

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