StrengthsFinder 2.0 is a self assessment tool used to identify a person’s top five strengths. It focuses on each individual’s unique strengths because it aims to promote an emphasis on what we are good at and fostering those skills to bring to a team.

 

“If you spend your life trying to be the best at everything, you’ll never be great at anything.” 

 

It is critically important when looking at others’ StrengthsFinder results to truly read and analyze their results rather than taking each of their strengths at our initial connotation – each various strength has a rich breadth of influences when considered in tandem with each of the other five strengths. Below are my strengths, which I continue to reflect on throughout my experience as a graduate student.

 

 

 

MAXIMIZER

 

Because of your strengths, you occasionally spend time pondering things you do with ease. Perhaps you concentrate on your good qualities. You may invest little time thinking about your flaws, shortcomings, or mistakes. Chances are good that you may surround yourself with people who notice what you do right and applaud what you do well. Maybe you avoid critics who dwell on your shortcomings. Driven by your talents, you normally devote your energies to pinpointing what makes people special and unique. This knowledge probably permits you to inspire many individuals to do their finest work. By nature, you might spend more time thinking about your good points than your shortcomings. Perhaps you are aware that you make more progress or do things better when you build on your talents. Instinctively, you occasionally tell yourself that you are an effective mentor or trainer. Perhaps individuals benefit from the investment you make in them.

 

 

 

ACHIEVER

 

By nature, you ordinarily take time and exert extra effort to comprehend what you are reading. You probably refuse to rush through written material. Why? You likely intend to commit to memory as many facts and concepts as possible. Because of your strengths, you often go out of your way to stay informed about newsworthy topics. Numerous people probably count on you to tell them about information updates, due dates, meeting changes, or special assignments. Chances are good that you might want to be the very best in certain fields or activities. Maybe you realize that excellence is the result of not only hard work, but also of top quality materials and people. This partially explains why you devote yourself to some activities but not to others. Instinctively, you welcome opportunities to methodically examine details in data. You notice when a series of numbers repeats itself. Your hours of mental labor enable you to spot important pieces of information that most people overlook. It’s very likely that you labor tirelessly on whatever needs to be accomplished today. You likely are willing to change your plans when the people around you change theirs. You ordinarily remain quite calm when others reverse their decisions, modify their schedules, or cancel their appointments.

 

 

 

INCLUDER

 

It’s very likely that you gravitate to situations where you will be in the company of others. You are much less inclined to be solitary or a loner. Driven by your talents, you are fond of most people. You tend to be nonjudgmental. You usually find something good and likeable about every person you meet. Often you want to involve them in your activities and introduce them to others. You are undoubtedly puzzled by individuals who actively search for reasons to exclude people from their circle of friends, family members, coworkers, classmates, or teammates. By nature, you routinely find something to like in the majority of people you meet. You are very comfortable welcoming many different types of individuals into your circle of acquaintances, family, teammates, or friends. Chances are good that you might say life is good when you can forge bonds with many of the individuals you meet. Perhaps you have a gift for befriending all sorts of people. You might easily notice those whom others leave out of conversations, forget to involve in meetings, or fail to invite to social events. Because of your strengths, you may notice that life is better for you when people accommodate your innate need to work in the evening. Perhaps you produce optimal results during the evening or in the hours after midnight.

 

 

 

ANALYTICAL

 

It’s very likely that you make decisions based on facts. You pride yourself on being level-headed. You are seldom influenced by people who make emotional pleas that the facts do not support. When faced with a gut-wrenching decision, you double check to be sure your reasoning is sound. You carefully evaluate meaningful measurements and examine the accuracy of the calculations. Chances are good that you earnestly apply yourself to seeing things as they really are. You bring a practical, matter-of- fact, and unsentimental outlook to various discussions, projects, or planning meetings. Because of your strengths, you are energized each time you isolate a recurring set of numbers in data. You realize these sets have meaning. They contains questions, answers, trends, opportunities, and mysteries. Driven by your talents, you commonly are sought out for advice by individuals who appreciate your methodical thinking style. Your approach often prevents people from being distracted by their own or someone else’s emotions. You probably help them concentrate on the facts more than on their feelings. By nature, you probably examine facts, data, or the sequence of events to determine why something happened. You customarily use reason to make sense of whatever is going on in your life.

 

 

 

ADAPTABILITY

 

Driven by your talents, you might say it is easy to be happy and upbeat about life. Why? Perhaps you deal with situations as they arise. Some people may appreciate your willingness to alter the original plan to accommodate their unique needs or last-minute requests. Chances are good that you now and then picture events or situations you might find yourself facing in the coming months, years, or decades. Sometimes you consider ways you might react when these circumstances materialize. By nature, you might have an ability to accept and deal with each day as it unfolds. You may be flexible enough to handle unexpected discoveries and situations. Because of your strengths, you allow events to unfold. You have the good sense to be flexible and accept change as it occurs. This explains why your friends often describe you as unflappable — that is, not easily excited. Instinctively, you are flexible throughout the day. When surprises occur, you make whatever changes are necessary. While others become frustrated, you probably remain calm. Your even-tempered approach to life permits you to think clearly about everything that is occurring. Perhaps you are content to move into the future one step at a time. You are likely to thrive in environments where change is ever-present.