Clifton's Strengthfinder Research Paper

Clifton’s Strengthfinder urges people to focus on their strengths rather than their shortcomings in order to reach their full potential. Finding one’s strengths can be beneficial in all aspects of life, including in the work place.
My top strength is WOO, which stands for “winning others over.” People with this strength love meeting others and thrive in social situations. My favorite quote from the book to describe woo is, “… Once that connection has been made, you are quite happy to move on.” That one statement has accurately described my professional life thus far; I love meeting new people and easily bore when bound to a routine. It is difficult to perform to my best ability when I am bored, I have found that the best way for me to combat boredom is by keeping a flexible schedule and focusing on short-term projects. Adaptability plays right into my need for this “live in the moment” lifestyle. In the professional world, unforeseen circumstances may arise and we have to make changes accordingly.

As I look into starting a new career, I am drawn to recruitment and student activities.

Both would allow me to spend my time with different people and have a varying schedule that keeps my woo and adaptability tendencies happy. This ability to connect with students helps put those who are stressed at ease by highlighting common ground. Networking with other professionals can help build a solid team making collaborative efforts easier. I found it interesting that this ability to connect is possibly due to another top strength of mine, empathy. Characterized by the ability to understand how a person is feeling and why, even when their view do not align with my

own.
Although the purpose of my work would be the same, every situation and interaction would bring something different to the table and in turn, hold my interest. This is where my individualization theme can come into play. I see each situation and person for what they are instead of trying to categorize them. For example, not all single parents may need the same resources. We must be open to listen to our students in order to find out exactly what their unique situation entails.
Communication is key when going through this process, and happens to also be one of my top strengths. At first, I was taken aback by this, I’ve never been the type to enjoy speaking in a crowded setting. Even asking a question in class requires a silent pep talk to myself. However I thrive in small group settings and find that I communicate very well using email or social media. With technology evolving in the way that it is, the skill to be able to communicate with students at a distance is one that I predict will be very valuable.
I loved exploring how all of the different strengths can tie in together to make the individual. I was immediately curious to see what strengths the people around me had and how they may have affected our relationship. The most fascinating comparison I made was with former co-worker whom I had worked with in students affairs and graduated from this very same program. We both had the Communication, Individualization and Adaptability themes. Where we differed was my woo and empathy and her competition and achiever. It was clear to see why she excelled in prepping for conferences and ensuring academic success and I at recognizing the emotional needs of our students and reaching out to prospective students.
The biggest takeaway for me was seeing how all of one’s strengths can be used together to succeed and how they interact with others in the work place. Two people may have three strengths that are the same, however the other two could make all of the difference when it comes to how they perform certain tasks. With a new found understanding of these concepts, I am more than eager to begin putting them into practice.