Reflective Analysis: Strengths And Weaknesses

When reviewing the results for the Strength Finder Quiz (Gallup, 2010) I was pleased to see that I had a good understanding of where my strengths are and knowing they are being used regularly. The quiz showed that my five greatest strengths are Ideation, Input, Realtor, Activator, and Command. At the current position I am in at work I am able to be really productive based on the skill set that I have.

Beginning with Ideation and Input, I am able to find connections in issues that arise that seem to have nothing in common and offering suggestions to resolve and keep the information stored to help with similar issues that may arise (Gallup, 2012, para 5&6). An example of how I recently was able to apply these

two strengths to my job was when a partner that my company supplies insurance with had problems with enrollments. Prior to the issue we had changed the provider of the coverage and had to change the enrollment codes. Normally this would not cause an issue and therefore it was overlooked. When I was asked to look into why the enrollments were not being processed I determined that due to the way the coverage was billed there could not be more than one provider. This caused the enrollments to fail by stating the customer already had the coverage. Working with the IT department at my job I was able to provide suggestions that corrected the problem. Now when a change occurs in the codes used to enroll products this change is tested before allowing the agents to enroll the coverage.

When looking at my relationships in and out of work I do tend to pull to people I already know as outlined in the Realtor trait (Gallup, 2012, papa 7).

I know that I pick my closest friends carefully and chose them based on how a connection has already been developed. I enjoy meeting new people and feel I have a lot of acquaintances, however I put more effort in to the relationships that are already developed and have a smaller risk of being taken advantage of. I also have a strong ability to connect these relationships in my job. Working closely with the compliance and legal groups as well as the call center agents I am able to bridge a gap of understanding between these two very different areas of my job.

The last two traits that were shown to be my greatest strengths were activator and command. One of the main responsibilities that I face is to ensure that actions are being taken when an agent is out of compliance so that there is less risk for the company and a better customer experience. Being able to listen to a call and determine what needs to be done and make sure that it priority is important. Being able to address a situation with an action needed attitude and also taking charge to ensure completion is an important skill to have when ensuring that a company is

compliant.

I feel that this quiz has helped me validate my strengths and also given insight on how the better utilize them. I was excited to determine that I am able to use all five of my strongest skills in my current position, and will reference back to them when I need to determine how I should proceed in projects that arise.

References:

Gallup. (2010). StrengthsFinder Quiz.

Retrieved from https://www.strengthsquest.com/home/default.aspx

Gallup. (2012). Your Signature Strengths.

Utilizing strengths of employees in my opinion is a key factor in becoming a successful company with employees who love doing what they are hired to do. I have been in several companies throughout my career that I was not able to use my strengths and I never was able to be satisfied with the work I was doing. “Just as an acorn cannot become a palm tree, you can’t become something other than the very best of who you already are” (Clifton, Anderson, Schreiner, 2006, p. 237). Trying to become something that is not who you are can interfere with being successful in your career.

Organizations should use resources such as the StrengthFinder Quiz (Gallup,2010) to make sure the employees are in the right position to maintain personal and organizational growth. Being able to determine where an employee would excel would lead to better moral within a company as well as raising the potential of the organizations long term success.

Determining the strengths of an employee is half of the utilization of skills. It is important to realize the skills needed for positions as well. This can be done by looking at the position in detail and reviewing the skills needed to be successful at it. Enabling someone’s abilities in this way would make an organization more successful. Once the employees have determined where their strengths are and the organization has become aware of the skills needed to excel in the positions, they can be matched with the best candidate. At this point both the organization and employee can be better equipped to ensure they are in the right place for success.

Resources:

Gallup. (2010). StrengthsFinder Quiz. Retrieved from https://www.strengthsquest.com/home/default.aspx

Clifton, D., Anderson, E., Schreiner, L.

(2006). Strengths Quest: Discover and Develop Your Strengths in Academics, Career, and Beyond. New York, NY: Gallup Press.

Having a “strength-based” organizations has many potential benefits. First, it is important to discover what it means to be a “strength-based” organization. A strength based organization knows the importance of recognizing and utilizing the talents of their team. This is different from the most common approach of determining what is wrong with a company’s employees and attempting to fix it which leads to unhappy employees and lack of potential for the organization (Gallup, 2016).

When an organization realizes that taking an approach of strengths instead of determining things that an employee struggles in the possibilities are endless. Utilizing strengths create better results in productivity, keeping employees, as well as the company seeing profitability (Lewis, 2016). When someone is talented in an area, they will be more successful and aspire to do more and complete task with satisfaction. “Employees who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged than those who do not” (Gallup, 2016). From personal experience I have a more fulfilled work experience now that my talent is being utilized properly and have excelled where I would have not been engaged

previously.

To maintain the success of a strengths-based organization it is important for the leadership to be on board with recognizing the talent of employees and making sure they are being used in a way that lets them succeed and feel as though their talents are being used. The StrengthsFinder Quiz is a perfect example of how an employee’s talent and skills can be determined. Once this has been recognized and is being used in the organization, then training and motivation can be developed specifically to enhance the strengths of the employees.

Resources:

Gallup. (2010). StrengthsFinder Quiz. Retrieved from https://www.strengthsquest.com/home/default.aspx

Gallup. (2016). Strengths-Based Culture.

Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/services/170858/culture.aspx

Lewis, J. (2016). What Is a Strength-Based Organization?

Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/strengthbased-organization-32507.html
Retrieved from https://gx.gallup.com/services/pdf?v=pdfGeneration.prince.7.0.binPath