Strength Based Mentoring

You were born to be at the front of the room telling stories and taking the lead. Other people watch you and listen to you. Clifton Strengths Explorer Youth with the Strengths Explorer theme of Presence are naturally born to be at the front of the room. They love to tell stories, jokes, and get laughter from others. They are what we might see or notice as natural leaders. Gallup explains, “Maybe there is something important to be done, and you are the spokesperson who can get the message out to people in a way that makes them want to be involved. You might someday be a teacher, politician, speaker, comedian, preacher, or business leader. Whatever you choose to be, you are likely to have others listening to the works you speak.” At Freeman schools this last year, I met a young 3 rd grade girl who led with Presence. That day, she wore a bright pink shirt and had giggles that pervaded all conversation. During the part where we asked the students to draw their strength, she...

Scheduling, planning, and organizing your world makes life better. People count on you to get the details right and pull a plan together. Clifton Strengths Explorer Students with the Strengths Explorer theme of Organizer like structure. They function best when the world around the is predictable and ordered. They appreciate plans by knowing the what and when of something going on. Gallup writes, “planning makes you comfortable and calm about what you are doing. It is fun to think ahead, organize, and include all that you want to do in your plan so you don’t leave anything out. You like to think about both the big ideas and details.” The following picture was drawn by a TeamMates mentee about her organizer. She explained that her Organizer functions in many places, including her room, backpack, school work, locker, and even her friendships. For those with Organizer, all areas of life are better with order, including their physical belongings, thoughts in their head, and relat...

Your mind loves to think and dream about the future. You are a person who thinks about what is possible, not what is impossible. Clifton Strengths Explorer For youth with Future Thinker, the future is full of possibilities. They love to dream, create, and brainstorm. Most find thinking about the future monumentally more exciting than thinking about the present. Gallup writes, “your visions of the future might be bigger than most people’s because thinking big is one of your talents.” Future Thinkers don’t just think about the future for fun, they enjoy doing so in order to find meaning. They are naturally oriented to look for meaning and purpose in what they do. Gallup explains, “You like to think about the important things in life, what they mean, and how they are connected to reach other.” At our strengths day in McCook, Nebraska this year, I had the opportunity to sit down with a young woman and explain her strengths to her. During our discussion she mentioned that she ...

A thinker, a learner, you are excited about exploring ideas and making connections. You like to ask the questions “How?” and “Why?” Clifton Strengths Explorer Students with the Discoverer theme have a natural curiosity. They like to ask questions and seek answers. They love to learn. This learning may be best inside a classroom or out in the dirt. They are passionate and can often get fixated on one topic or subject in their quest for answers. Gallup puts it this way, “It is fun to be an expert, and when you find a subject or idea you like, you can spend a lot of time exploring it.” Gallup writes about students with Discoverer, “You might be bored doing things the same way everyone else does because you like to find new ways.” Because of this, students will Discoverer might not seem like great “students.” They may challenge the rules, be disengaged in the classroom, and not even get good grades. One mentee we met this last year who had Discoverer in his SE themes drew this p...

We have had an incredible last two weeks, learning from global leaders in the strengths revolution at CliftonStrengths Summit.#CSS2017. We then got to spend a whole day with our TeamMates strengths leaders in the strengths based mentoring revolution. Boy, are we blessed. Ally and I want to thank you all for the incredible work you are doing in your community and mentoring relationship to ensure we get all people to see each other through what is uniquely right about us.Your ideas, thoughts, and time shared with us give us so much hope. Dr. Shane Lopez taught us that hope is just the excitement and energy we have about the future. We sure are excited and we are so looking forward to travelling to your communities to assist you in your strengths implementation for the coming school year. If you haven't yet seen the wonderful video Hannah made about our TeamMates Strengths Day at Gallup, please check it out here . We did a Genn and Millie recap of the Clifton Strengths Summit, ...