Strength Based Mentoring

People exceptionally talented in the Competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to in first place and revel in contests. Clifton StrengthsFinder People with high Competition innately notice others; they notice other’s performance and gauge themselves based on how they measure up. They work hard and derive great satisfaction from winning. A friend with Competition once game me this illustration. He said that when he goes to the gym, he never goes to a treadmill, elliptical, or another individual machine. Rather, he always tries to attend the same group classes each week. During the class, he can see where his pace matches, exceeds, or falls short of the other gym members. Over time, he can also see how is overall progress compares to the other attendees. Sometimes, those with Competition can get a bad reputation for being just that-competitive. Especially in non-profit circles, where service is so central, competing can seem ...

People exceptionally talented in the Analytical theme search for reasons and causes. They have the ability to think about all factors that might affect a situation. Clifton StrengthsFinder The Analytical theme falls in the Strategic Thinking domain, and for good reason; people high in this theme are very logical thinkers. They have an innate talent to boil down incredibly complex issues into simplistic terms. This doesn’t mean that they do not see the complex; Analytical thinkers see any and all factors that impact a given predicament. Yet, amidst this, they can find simplify the root of the situation. Consequently, because of this gift, large problems, pressures, and issues do not overwhelm those talented in this theme.   Each and every theme has something it gives and something it needs. The contributions of someone with Analytical are very apparent; they bring an intentional thought processes to situations, even in the midst of high pressure or emotion. Those wi...

People exceptionally talented in the Includer theme accept others. They show awareness of those who feel left out and make an effort to include them. Clifton StrengthsFinder People who have high Includer have a sixth sense for exclusion. They naturally can see and feel when someone is not included; even if someone is sitting in a circle, they can tell if that person feels included or not. This talent doesn’t just come with the ability to feel exclusion, but also have the need to eradicate it. Includers take action when they see this happening, so that everyone they encounter feels like they are a person know is known and seen. They naturally want to expand the horizons of what others may deem a “group.” They constantly want to make their circle larger by bringing more people in, not for the purpose of more connections, but to avoid exclusivity. As we know, often times a certain strength can be confused with another when observing a person due to the similar output of t...

People exceptionally talented in the Consistency theme are keenly aware of the need to treat all people the same. They try to treat everyone with equality by setting up clear rules and adhering to them. Clifton StrengthsFinder Those high in the StrengthsFinder theme of Consistency are wired to treat all people equally. Their natural inclination is to create boundaries, structures, and rules in order to generate an environment where all people are measured by the same stick. Equality matters to those with high Consistency, and the best way to achieve equality it to have the same standards for all. Because of this natural talent to create structure and boundaries, Consistency sometimes gets labeled as boring, strict, or uptight. In reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth. People with Consistency have an edge to notice and eradicate inequality. In our currently divided society, the minds of those with Consistency are greatly needed. Whenever these individuals meet an...