Can Gallup’s StrengthFinder Test Really Discover My Strengths?
April 7, 2008 by akemi · 7 Comments
Do you know your strengths? Are you utilizing your strengths to the max? Is your business performance in the top rank thanks to your strengths?
These are the questions the Gallup Organization ask through their series of books about StrengthFinder. I recently took this online test and find the result quite interesting, so here is my sharing.
If you want to take the test, you need the access code that comes with their book. I have Discover Your Sales Strengths: How the World’s Greatest Salespeople Develop Winning Careers
Why I didn’t take the test earlier even though I supported their perspective
I’ve heard about the best selling book Now, Discover Your Strengths and even flipped through it at the bookstore years ago. I totally agreed with the points the book made: Find your strengths and utilize them to the maximum. Don’t worry too much about weaknesses. Wow, this is exactly what I insisted (and got me into trouble often with my parents, teachers, and bosses . . .) I thought: If I work on my weaknesses (in school days, these were physics and athletic activities), with discipline I might get to the level of “good,” but there would be tons of people who can do it far better than I can. Why waste my time? (Note: I did understand the benefits of bringing all scores to the passing level.) Why not capitalize on my strengths that make me special?
I also agreed with their view that most people are clueless about their own strengths. I see that happen all the time. Then why didn’t I take the test earlier? The very reason can be found in my StrengthFinder result . . .
StrengthFinder finds your five strongest themes.
A theme is a group of talents that takes certain character. My themes are, in this order:
- Strategic
- Maximizer
- Activator
- Individualization
- Significance
With Individualization, I’m an exception to the rule. I can see my and other people’s strengths clearly. And this is exactly why I didn’t buy the book earlier. I didn’t feel I needed it.
If you are curious why, then, I finally took the test . . . well,
- I had to (still do) improve my sales and was willing to try anything that might help me achieve this goal.
- I thought this kind of knowledge would help me become a better coach.
Did I really know my strengths? Am I utilizing them both as a person and as an entrepreneur?
The result was more about confirming what I knew rather than discovering new strengths — for me, an Individualization theme person.
Here is a quick view of my five signature themes with quotes from my book and what I think about them:
Strategic
The strategic theme enables you to sort through the clutter and find the best route. It is not a skill that can be taught. It is a distinct way of thinking, a special perspective on the world at large.
Oh, this is what I’ve been calling my “system” oriented thinking. I like handling things by system as I wrote in How To Improve Customer Service By Spending Far Less Time. They also say Strategic person is strong in new ventures – as a new entrepreneur, I really hope so.
Maximizer
Excellence, not average, is your measure. . . Strength, whether yours or someone else’s, fascinate you.
Sure, as I wrote already, I am strengths (gifts) oriented. This is one of my focal points in coaching, too.
Activator
“When can we start?” This is a recurring question in your life. You are impatient for action. . . you believe that action is the best device for learning.
I know I am good at starting things. And I must learn hands-on. I actually fell asleep in one of the corporate training class in which the instructor just read the textbook. (In this case, my contempt at such a poorly planned training may have played a role, too. I am a Maximizer.) And this is why I love blogging – I learn as I write and see how it lands among my readers.
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.
I really like pointing out someone else’s uniqueness. I often send notes to my new friends describing what specifically I find wonderful about them. As a coach, this is my best gift.
Significance
You want to be very significant in the eyes of other people. . . In particular, you want to be known and appreciated for the unique strengths you bring.
So this is why I care (or worry) about what other people think of me. Generic positive review sounds almost negative to me. My fondest memory in corporate America was when I was working for a bank and my clients referred their friends to me saying, “Akemi knows, and will get the best package for you.” I guess this theme gives me strong motivation.
What about my other strengths like communication?
I guess Communication is my sixth theme. I relate to the description very well.
Any strength can backfire when over-relied. . .
As much as I believe in the benefits of focusing and utilizing the strengths, I also see a potential problem of over-relying on strengths. (I can see this thanks to my Strategic theme, I guess) When you over-rely on a few strengths, you run a risk of losing balance and missing something that is so obvious otherwise. For example, if I start too many projects as Activator, pretty soon I will be so exhausted that I just won’t be able to keep up with everything. I run a risk of being called a quitter. I’m learning this the hard way . . . I don’t know how many projects I have started with great excitement, only to get bored later. (I get bored if I don’t get the admiration I yearn for as Significance themed person. . .) Now I am very choosy what to start.
Realizing one’s strengths is a good starting point in becoming aware of one’s life purpose.
This is because your strengths are the gift the Universe has bestowed on you so that you can live toward your purpose effectively. If I may use my case as an example, I think the result supports my choice to help others through coaching. Individualization is truly a gift for life coaches. Strategic and Maximizer themes are great, too, especially when I coach aspiring entrepreneurs.
StrengthFinder is a useful tool if you want to check your strengths objectively.
So, my readers,
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know me to some extent. What do you think about my StrengthFinder test result? Do they describe me well?
And what do you consider to be your best strengths?
Yes To Me Celebrates Its Achievements In The First Two Months
April 4, 2008 by akemi · 6 Comments
My gratitude goes to my readers and fellow bloggers.
Thank you for supporting me and my blog with your readership, comments, subscription, and spreading the words! You guys keep me going to write more and more informative and inspiring articles.
Yes to Me achieved a lot in the short period since its launch. Here is the round-up:
- Chosen as the New Blog Of The Week at Blogging Without A Blog
- Won the Quote Of The Week in its first week at Cath Lawson
- Earned the Expert Author status at Ezine Articles with my first submission
Please read The Right Life Coach for Your Success – How to Choose there. - Published my first e-workbook, 7 Check Points For Aspiring Entrepreneurs
It’s only 16 pages because I didn’t leave huge spaces for each questions – save the trees – but it’s packed with critical questions people who want to have their own business must contemplate. - Enjoyed two guest blog opportunities. Special thanks to Andrea and Jen. Please read my articles:
The Difference Between Smart And Wise at Empowered Soul
Do You Have What It Takes To Build A Successful Coaching Business at Millionaire Mommy Next Door - Started the Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs series.
This is an ongoing series that I plan to post 2 or 3 times each month. So far, there are three interviews. Special thanks to Christine, Stephen, and Monica who graciously took the time for the interview.
The most popular post so far
Why I Think America Is Still The Country Of Dreams
I just wanted to de-mystify Japan, my original country, and express my appreciation for America, my host country, so the big hit of this post was a surprise. I guess it appealed to various people for different reasons. Some took it as a good reminder of things they, as Americans, take for granted. Some were simply happy to read praise for their country. Some non-American readers were curious what a new immigrant, me, had to say about America compared to another country. Interestingly enough, I never heard from other Japanese what they think about this piece.
My personal favorite
Is Becoming An Entrepreneur Harder Than Surviving In A Foreign Country?
Because I could share my story at a deeper level. The comments left for this post, both in this blog and in SU, were overwhelmingly encouraging. I want this blog to be inspiring as well as informative, and it seems I did a good job inspiring people with this post.
What I, Akemi, have been doing
In my work, I’ve been thinking a lot about the missions of this blog and my coaching program. Here is my current version, which I feel very good about:
Mission of Yes to Me Blog
To inform and inspire people who seek to live toward their life purpose, with special emphasis on aspiring entrepreneurs
I’d like this blog to be a place where you come to get reconnected with your passion and courage. Often, this leads to entrepreneurship (like myself), so I also strive to provide useful information on entrepreneurship that I have learned and am learning.
For people who want more personalized assistance, I offer my coaching program.
Missions of my coaching program
1. To help people find their life purpose and align what they do with their purpose.
2. For those who choose to start their own business as a way to live toward their purpose – to assist the transition from the paycheck mentality to the entrepreneur mentality.
On a more personal side, I am learning the ways around my new home in Oregon. I go to Borders bookstore in Tigard often, but I also like Powell’s Books. I have been to downtown Portland several times to visit the Art Museum, the main library, the China town, etc. — and every time, I lose my way back. I can get to my destination by checking Google map beforehand, but because most roads are one-way, I can’t take the same route back on my way home, and somehow I end up in completely wrong direction. . .
I hired a CPA for the first time for my tax return. I had always done it by myself, but with my inter-state relocation and new businesses, I just had to have help. I attended a few Toast Masters meetings recently, and I plan to join one. I want to start a business book study group for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs at a local bookstore. I want to meet more and more people.
What’s going on in your life? I’m glad you are here – let’s talk and get to know each other!
No Money, No Connection, No Plan: Monica Flores
April 2, 2008 by akemi · 5 Comments
Recent survey shows 72% of American workers want to have their own businesses.
Welcome to the third post of the Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs series. I hope this series shed light on your path to your own dream business. While I knew firsthand many people wanted to become entrepreneurs, I am impressed to read this article exactly how many of us yearn to be their own boss.
The words of those who actually have made it is like gold for aspiring entrepreneurs. This is why I have this interview series. Learn how they handled their challenges – each challenge is unique, yet you will also start to see patterns as you read more posts. I plan to post for this series two to three times a month, so stay tuned!
Today’s interviewee is Monica Flores, who contacted me after reading the first post of this series. I love people who actively seek opportunities – that is the spirit of great networking. In addition to her business website, Monica writes a blog called A Successful Woman.
1. Tell us a bit about your business and why you started it.
My partner and I do web design and development for women, minorities, green businesses, nonprofit groups, and membership organizations. We’re minority-owned, woman-owned, and green certified. We’ve been creating websites since 1999 but launched our own company, 10K Webdesign, in 2004 from our kitchen table. From there we’ve grown and now have clients and partners from all over the United States. We specialize in highly functional and effective websites that help our clients spotlight their success, make more sales, and connect with their community.
We started our business because we saw and targeted the real need for “regular folks” who wanted to establish themselves in their business or initiative with a professionally-designed website but who wanted to be smart about maintenance and updating their own content. All our tools use back-end administrator panels so our clients are able to make content edits without having to rely on someone else to maintain their site and keep their website current.
We also believed that a focus on community-building would serve our clients well, so we’ve maintained our outlook to be one where entrepreneurs, consultants, and member organizations may connect with their fans and customers online.
2. What were the three biggest challenges when you were starting off as a new entrepreneur?
- Very little capital
- Minimal networking contacts
- No real plan
3. And how did you work through these challenges?
Very little capital
Like may people, we didn’t go for bank financing and instead we bootstrapped it and put a lot on our credit cards to get through our first few years in business. It takes a lot of faith, a belief in your market, and of course lots of *sales* to make it through those initial stages. Many businesses close up shop after a few months because they don’t get enough business…. we were lucky in that we had one long-term contract and we worked hard to find more and more. After those first two or three years, it definitely became easier because we had an established record and many more customers vouching for us.
Minimal networking contacts
We overcame this by joining a BNI (Business Networking International, a professional networking group that admits one person per profession into each chapter) and networking with just about anyone who we thought would be a good fit for us. At first, you will probably have to identify the types of people who will be more helpful to you… some people will not naturally have a mutually beneficial relationship with you, so go for the people who either
A) know more people than you do or
B) are in a position to make purchasing decisions or can make higher-level decisions.
It also helps if you establish relationships with people you would naturally do business with or refer business to / for us, we work closely with graphic designers, computer networking gurus, printers, print brokers, and even other web designers who are not as strong on the programming side. These constitute our natural circle of referrals.
No real plan
I don’t know if this was so much a challenge or even a blessing in disguise. I think many people just starting out get mired in “analysis paralysis” and think they need to write another business plan or develop another research plan. For us, we had a two-page business plan to begin with, but our biggest efforts went into meeting and landing potential clients. As we became more aware of what our market needed, we targeted our efforts even more and spent a lot of time doing research and development to create our tools, which we now sell on a regular basis. If you have a product or service, start selling it and see what the response is: to me, that’s better market research than anything else.
4. What is the best part of being an entrepreneur for you?
Freedom was, for me, the most important part of launching myself, and the ability to control my time is one of the best parts of being in business for myself. Because we’ve been able to find such great staff who help us with all aspects of our work, we’ve been able to identify and target those parts of the business that we both enjoy and are good at.
What I’ve also found as added bonuses are the ability to contribute proactively to my community, the ability to have more volunteer time, the ability to share my gifts and talents in many different ways like speaking, blogging, serving on boards, the luxury to have time to think about different ways to participate and “show up,” and the time I am able to have with my family and to pursue my own creative interests.
5. Any advice for people who dream to have their own business and yet find it hard to make the leap?
I think someone has to decide their own risk tolerance and what they want to get out of their business. Plenty of people are able to do freelancing, part-time work, online sales, or some other combination and don’t have to leave the safety and security of their full-time job. Many other people are able to piece together multiple projects
along the way and don’t feel the need to launch their own full-fledged company.
If someone dreams of having their own business, probably two good questions to think about would be
- why they want this
- what success would look like to them
You’re basically replacing one customer (your boss) with many customers (your clients). This is a good thing for some but a bad thing for others!
Also, if you’re starting your business, figure out what your exit plan is. Do you want to build a business and then sell it? Do you want to build it and pass it on to your children? Do you want to build it and then retire from it? What does the success of your business look like to you?
Once those questions and other larger questions about industry or type of business, partners or investors, processes, incorporation vs. sole proprietor, staffing, etc. are answered, then my advice would be to just go for it. Nothing is really stopping you except yourself.
My Takeaway
Thank you, Monica. She is a great social entrepreneur. Low capital is a common challenge for new entrepreneurs because it often takes more money to build a business than you might think and longer time to make enough sales and collect revenues. But don’t be too scared – it can work as a motivation for sales. Many of us are afraid of doing sales, but it’s something we must learn if we are to succeed as entrepreneur. And with determination like hers, it’s very possible to build a network from scratch. Great work, Monica, keep going!
