People exceptionally talented in the Developer theme recognize and
cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement
and derive satisfaction from evidence of progress.
CliftonStrengths
This week our guest blogger is Stephanie Horner. Stephanie joined
our TeamMates Team as a Screening Specialist in the Central Office in September
of this year. In November, she began her mentoring journey with a 4th
grader in the Omaha Catholic chapter. Her top five strengths are Empathy,
Ideation, Developer, Learner, and Positivity. Here’s what Developer looks like
for Stephanie:
I would define
the Developer strength as the ability to highlight, encourage, and rejoice in
the gifts of others. Essentially, this strength focuses on seeing the potential
in others, honing their specific gifts and talents, and cheering for every progression
in development toward their full potential. In my day-to-day life, my Developer
strength is most evident in my interactions with my husband, family and friends.
I don't know any other way to be besides nurturing and encouraging to those I
love and care about.
With my
husband, I have always told him I'm his greatest fan and see unlimited
potential in him. Acting as his number one support person, calling attention to
his talents and gifts, and celebrating each of his successes brings me profound
joy! It’s not something he asks me to do or always needs, but it’s something
that comes naturally to me. In my immediate family, I am often mentioning the skills
and gifts I see in my family members and am excited when someone has success in
any realm, especially when it is related to something I always felt they were
capable of. Specifically, my Developer has always been an aspect of the
relationship I have with my brother, who is five years younger than me. When he
was little, I was his confidence-building and caretaking sister who would often
act as his mentor. Our grandfather would routinely comment that I was his best
audience because I was constantly helping his development, inspiring him, and
was very excited to see any success he had. In fact, he took his first steps
into my arms when he was nine months old! This experience early in my life
probably helped me to practice my Developer and refine this strength.
Seeing success
in others always makes me very happy and I'm best suited to be a cheerleader
for others. I never want to be the one on the stage receiving applause; rather,
I much prefer to be in the audience cheering loudly for someone I care about. In
my friendships, I am a "hype girl" of sorts because I see my friends’
unique strengths and talents, always strive to be supportive, and am there with
them to celebrate every little success. Life has its ups and downs and it’s my
goal to be there for my friends through everything. When they are going through
struggles or are celebrating the blessings in their lives, I hope to be there
beside them to offer helpful and caring words of affirmation. It’s very
important to me to be there to lift spirits when needed or to share in
successes of all measure. No matter what life brings, I believe offering
support and sharing in joy is crucial to friendships, and all relationships in
general.
In thinking
about my Developer strength, my other Top 5 strengths certainly come into play.
These other strengths are Empathy, Ideation, Learner, and Positivity. My
Empathy and Learner strengths often intermingle and enhance my Developer,
especially in my role as cheerleader for many in my life. I have a sense for
what others are thinking or feeling because of my Empathy and use my Positivity
to provide optimism in times of both good and bad. My Empathy and Positivity
also assist me in seeing the potential of others and providing growth-oriented
praise. I try to put myself in others’ shoes and sense what they might need,
whether that’s someone to boost their confidence, remind them that they are
valued and needed, or be someone to sing their praises and offer
congratulations. These three strengths likely work in unison in my life more
than I am even aware, strengthening and highlighting each other.
In my mentoring
relationship, my Developer has been in action on a weekly basis in highlighting
my mentee’s artistic abilities. I began mentoring her in November and during
our first session, she shared with me that drawing is one of her great passions.
She's a very gifted artist and her talents have even been noticed by an art
teacher in the school, who invited her to join an after-school art club for
5th-8th grade students. Even though my mentee is a 4th-grader, the art teacher
felt she could benefit from and would enjoy being a part of this art club. My
mentee was originally hesitant about joining because she would be the only 4th-grader
and wasn’t sure how she would fit in. Thankfully, my mentee had many people in
her life persuading her to join this art club. I was among this group and felt
it was important that she understood how exciting it was to even be invited to
join, and what that invitation must mean about her artistic skills. Certainly,
she was asked to join because she truly is a talented, budding artist! Before I
met her, the school coordinator had let me know that my mentee could use some
positivity and encouragement, especially in her friendships at school.
Thankfully, this art club has been a perfect way for her to meet new kids and cultivate
friendships over a shared interest. Seeing and hearing how happy she is about
being part of this art club really brings me a lot of joy. My Developer
naturally comes out in this mentoring relationship. I am very excited and
grateful to be someone who can witness her development and be there as a
supportive person in her life no matter what. Witnessing her development will
likely be one of my most treasured aspects of our mentoring relationship!
-Stephanie
If you are interested in guest blogging about one of your Top
5 StrengthsFinder themes this school year, please email Tess at
tstarman@teammates.org
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