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Deliberative: Calculated Risk

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People exceptionally talented in the Deliberative theme are best described by the serious care they take in making decision or choices. They anticipate obstacles.
Clifton StrengthsFinder

People will high Deliberative naturally sense the potential obstacles in any given circumstance. They can see road bumps, pit falls, and dead ends. These individuals not only see these obstacles, but are driven to point them out to others in order to steer the team away from them. Once pinpointing these potential obstacles, Deliberative individuals assess whether or not the risks outweigh the benefits. If you have a team member or leader who has high Deliberative, you can rest assured in their choices, because any risk they take has been highly calculated.

When asked to describe his #1 of Deliberative, Brandon Leppke, TeamMates’ Program Director, explained that it means that he takes "as much time as possible in order to make the best decision possible." He says that something he has learned about his Deliberative is the need to be cognizant of how you communicate to others, since most of the time you are communicating problems, which are usually received negatively. Deliberative is an executing theme, meaning that it isn’t just thinking about problems, but taking steps to avoid them. Brandon's Deliberative functions the same; he sums it up as the capability of “mitigating risks so that taking the leap is worth it.”

7.5% of our mentors and 18.0% of our mentees have Deliberative in their Top 5. This theme is one of the least frequent themes in Gallup’s comprehensive database, yet appears at a high frequency within TeamMates mentees. As with all strengths, people with high Deliberative may experience labeling due to their natural strength. These individuals may be seen as negative, a Debbie downer, reserved, or un-willing to be spontaneous. Help your mentee overcome these labels by showing them the benefit of Deliberative at whatever age they are currently. Play strategy games like Risk or Settlers of Catan in which their ability to see potential problems and map out a plan will be incredibly valuable. If your mentee enjoys talking about the future, work together on a 3, 5, or 10 year plan; discuss potential obstacles to achieving those goals and how they can overcome them. Or, simply have a conversation with your mentee about their strength- ask them when they have seen it in action, what they have learned about themselves through understanding the strength, and one way they can use it in the coming week. By having strengths-based activities and discussions, you will be developing your mentee’s Deliberative.

-Tess

(Image Credit: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/9c/b4/a5/9cb4a5160d965b1f5a2df5314861a00f.jpg)


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