DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

 My Signature Themes

 

Achiever

Responsibility

Learner

Developer

Includer

 

 

During my first semester as a teacher's assistant for the Leadership minor, my mentor allowed me the opportunity to take the Gallup's Strengths Finder Assessment. The assessment asks various questions, that which, if you answer honestly, will determine your top 5 core strengths out of their possible list of 34. These themes, both separately and together, you understand a basic sense of your abilities and awareness for your innate strengths.

 

After getting these results I was a bit nervous at how I was portrayed to others in a leadership setting, but after learning their definitions and meaning in the context of this assessment, I am honored to have gotten such strong themes as a result.

 

*Achiever

Achiever is the driving force within me. It is that spark inside me that keeps me going and keeps me motivated. I see the potential in every day, and feel that with each new day, comes the opportunity to achieve something (whether big or small). 

Achiever does not mean achieving just for the sake of achieving something everyday – which to be honest is quite exhausting – but rather giving everyday, giving the present, a little piece of me each day. I think it is more than a sense of accomplishment but a sense of becoming. By contributing something positive and meaningful each day it gives me a sense of purpose and that is the fire that constantly burns inside me, not this intense, overworked version of myself I saw before looking deeper into the meaning of this trait. This theme is what keeps me driven and ambitious and that is how I want people to view me. So no I have taken the time to focus on those aspects that make me a better student, leader, and overall person.

 

*Responsibility

Responsibility is the theme I connect with the most but also, having received it was extremely humbling. It describes the emotional investment one puts on tasks by taking ownership for anything you have committed to. This describes how I value ethics and doing the right thing, which takes precedent over everything else. This trait is what makes me a dependable person and gives me a positive reputation and in return creates my conscientious work ethic. After researching and planning a whole class presentation on Emotional Intelligence as a teacher's assistant, I learned that self-awareness is what people aspire to most. This trait is related to authenticity and being comfortable with the honest and true version of yourself. I am the kind of person who always takes accountability for my actions because I committed to my values; getting this trait second solidifies that.

 

*Learner

Most simply: I love to learn - which is completely, 100%, true about me. This is what allows me the ability to thrive in work environments because I learn because I enjoy the process not for professional or academic gain. The process of learning, especially through my college experience entices me. It has given me the courage to take classes that are challenging or difficult or unique because I love the the experience of learning. My freshman year I took an upper-division/masters-level philosophy class because the subject interested me so much I convinced the teacher to override the system and let me enroll in his class. Looking back, with my academic achievements and successes aside, the best part about college for me thus far was learning and being in an environment where the ability to acquire knowledge is so accessible.

 

*Developer

Developers see potential in others. They excel socially because they strive to enrich the experience of the other person; they are looking to help other individuals succeed. This trait is important to me because it shows how I value growing as a person, but also how much I value enriching the lives of those around me. Seeing others succeed brings me a sense of satisfaction and achievement because I know I have made a difference in someone else's life or merely just helped them. This trait means that I am genuine and that is something I truly hope I am.

 

*Includer

An includer is someone who engages in activities for the sole purpose of having interactions with diverse arrays of people. Includers intentionally avoids groups deemed “exclusive” or “elite.” They have a friendly aura about them and make individuals feel good and offer a sense of belonging. At all costs they avoid hurting other people’s feelings. The key to this trait is they cast few judgments, both respecting and believing that our differences are equally important and offer different perspectives to any concepts. I think this trait in me is so important because it shows how well I was brought up. I was lucky to have parents that showed me that the world is not black and white, and seeing everyone and their uniqueness is what brings color and joy to the world around you. I use this strength in all of my leadership roles because it is through the perspective's of others that I gain remarkable insight on the world around me. By bringing other people out of their shell, what they offer you in return is greater than you could ever imagine.

 

 

 

Infromation about my results courtesy of:

http://www.strengthsquest.com/content/143324/themes-full-description.aspx

Feel free to visit the website to explore the other 29 themes as well!

 

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.