Living Your Strengths!

What will we learn? To identify our five key strengths To recognize the value of our strengths To use our talents for growth & service To develop a strength based community

You’re One in a Million (Actually, You Are One in 33 Million) You are unique!

What is My Passion in Life? What do I want from myself?

We want to be the good servant! “Caring is the basis for community, and the first job of the leader is to build community, a deep feeling of unity, a fellowship.” -- Richard Farson: Management of the Absurd: Paradoxes in Leadership

Identifying My Strengths from Living Your Strengths or Discover Your Strengths On-line Survey reveals your five dominant themes. Your “Signature Themes” http://www.StrengthFinders.com By identifying and refining these signature themes you will be in the best possible position to use your strengths to the fullest

20 seconds to answer What You Will See When you are talking to someone, how do you know if you are doing a good job of listening? 20 seconds to answer Very much like me neutral Very much like me “I know that I am doing a good job of listening if I can understand and repeat back what the other person is saying” “I know that I am doing a good job of listening if the other person keeps talking”

However, try not to use neutral excessively. If neither of the paired statements triggers a strong reaction or if both statements fit you equally well, neutral is an appropriate answer. However, try not to use neutral excessively. “I know that I am doing a good job of listening if I can understand and repeat back what the other person is saying” “I know that I am doing a good job of listening if the other person keeps talking”

Instructions Look on the inside jacket of your book to find your personal ID code Go to http://www.strengthsfinder.com Log on using your ID code Take the test and print out your five strengths

Break Time "A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power and energy to get it done." -- Ralph Lauren

Why Strengths? Many people find it easier to recognize the strengths of others, than their own. As a result most of us do not consciously build our lives around our strengths. Instead, we spend a lot of time and energy trying to repair perceived flaws, while our real strengths lay dormant and neglected.

Gallup Research In February of 2001 the Gallup Organization asked 1,016 adults the question: Which would help you be more successful in life: knowing what your weaknesses are and attempting to improve them, or knowing what your strengths are and attempting to build on them?

Gallup Research (cont.) The Gallup Organization asked 1.7 million employees of 101 companies, from 61 countries: “At work do you have the opportunity to do what you do best everyday?” Only 340,000 agreed = 20% “The longer an employee stays with an organization and the higher he climbs the traditional career ladder, the less likely he is to strongly agree…” Intro Gallup's research Clarify the dynamics of “at least once a day” Then ask how many would agree with the statement “At work do you have the opportunity to do what you do best everyday?”

Handwriting Exercise Use the sheet provided in the handout and have them write their name first in their dominate hand, then with their other hand. Tell the broken arm story

Handwriting Exercise ABCDEFGHI ABCDEFGHI ABCEFGH I ABCDEFGHI With Lots of Effort and Practice ABCDEFGHI ABCDEFGHI Dominant Hand ABCDEFGHI With Lots of Effort and Practice Use the sheet provided in the handout and have them write their name first in their dominate hand, then with their other hand. Tell the broken arm story ABCEFGH I Minimum Level Of Performance Alternate Hand

Focus On Your Strengths Imagine you and everyone around you wanting to utilize their strengths….excited, enthusiastic, eager to use their God given talents to do great things.

Discover Your Strengths & Living Your Strengths (Finder®) Themes… A Common Language Achiever Activator Adaptability Analytical Arranger Belief Command Communication Competition Connectedness Consistency Context Deliberative Developer Discipline Empathy Focus Futuristic Harmony Ideation Includer Individualization Input Intellection Learner Maximizer Postivity Relator Responsibility Restorative Self-Assurance Significance Strategic Woo Copyright © 2004 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.

Signature Themes Tag Please, put your top 5 signature themes on your name tag 1. Positivity 2. Relator 3. Includer 4. Belief 5. Woo

Second Activity Open the Living Your Strengths book to pages 14-104 Read only about your five themes Think about the relationship of each theme and how the combination of themes effect you. Then get up and spend the next 20 minutes asking others about their themes.

Break Time "It is the very essence of good leadership to give away all credit for positive achievement, to identify only team goals and always to refer to them as such." --Joe Klock, author, speaker and syndicated columnist

Identifying Your Strengths with Living Your Strengths (Finder®) Reveals your five dominant themes of talent Your “Signature Themes” By identifying and refining these signature themes you will be in the best possible position to use your strengths to the fullest .

The Equation Talents + Knowledge + Skill = Strengths To build your strengths, identify your talents, add knowledge & skills to serve God Talents + Knowledge + Skill = Strengths (naturally (learned) (service) occurring) Eccl 5:18

Strength Themes can be divided into four dimensions Relating Impacting Striving Thinking

Relating Striving Thinking Communication Empathy Harmony Includer Individualization Relator Responsibility Impacting Command Competition Developer Maximizer Positivity Woo Striving Achiever Activator Adaptability Belief Discipline Focus Restorative Self-Assurance Significance Thinking Analytical Arranger Connectedness Consistency Context Deliberative Futuristic Ideation Input Intellection Learner Strategic

WHAT IS MY PASSION? Why do I feel I must meet everyone? Why do I have no fear walking up to a motor cycle rider with body piercing? Why do I try to find common things to talk about? Why do I HATE people being rejected? Why do I see good when others see bad?

Pair Up Spend the next 20 minutes talking about how your passions are related to your strengths.

What are these Characters Strengths Split into equal size groups Each group chose one of character and try to identify 5 strengths. Be sure your able to back up why this person has this talent. Lincoln Gandhi Martin Luther King Solomon Jesus

How Will You Use Your New Knowledge for Your Life and Community? Teaching Leading Service Challenge Providing Vision Helping others Learning Training Others Taking a stand Seeing what needs to be done then doing it Helping elderly and poor Learning new things in order to improve your community

Group Exercise Break into equal teams. Pick one of the following scenarios and develop the team to best handle that set of circumstances.

Scenarios Selection of a team to build an astronomer booth, community star gazing center. Benevolence work in the Community Renovation and expansion of the county historical museums Highway rest stop How can I change my neighborhood

Explain Your Scenario Who is on the Team? Why are they on the team? What combination of talents are needed to resolve each scenario? Who will lead the team?

Hunting Camps Scenario Who is in a hunting camp? What responsibilities are their responsibilities? What talents are needed? What should the final team look like? Break into groups and answer all four questions.

Successful Hunting Camps Have! From SNS Outfitters in Casper Wyoming Camp Manager Wrangler Guide Cook Camp Jack

What talents are Needed? Outfitter Communicator Arranger Idealistic/Futuristic Strategic

What talents are Needed? Camp Manager Communication Responsibility Command Thinking/Learner

What talents are Needed? Wrangler Consistency Deliberative Achiever Self Assurance

What talents are Needed? Guide Realtor Competitive Achiever Includer

What talents are Needed? Cook Woo Includer Significance Learner

What talents are Needed? Camp Jack (Jack of All Trades) Self Assurance Learner Discipline Consistency

? Evaluations

Fulfill your God given destiny! LIVE YOUR PASSION Fulfill your God given destiny!