Strength Based Mentoring

People exceptionally talented in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.     CliftonStrengths This week, our guest blogger is Marcie Kostrunek. Marcie is the Program Coordinator for the TeamMates chapter of Cozad, Nebraska and has been a strengths champion within the chapter. Her top 5 strengths are Input, Strategic, Responsibility, Developer, and Learner. Here’s what Strategic looks like for Marcie: To me the Strategic strength is approaching a situation and looking at it from many different angles and then coming up with the best possible solution. As a middle school teacher and a busy mom I use my Strategic strength all day long! Teaching middle schoolers involves being on your toes all the time. In our school we have a lot of students that come from poverty and broken homes so I use my Strategic strength to think of ways tha...

People exceptionally talented in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.   CliftonStrengths This week, our guest blogger is Teresa Hahn. Teresa’s journey with TeamMates began when she started assisting in the coordination of the program in Johnson-Brock in spring of 2015. That summer, she took on the full role of Program Coordinator. In addition, she has been mentoring since 2016. Her top 5 strengths are Arranger, Developer, Significance, Activator, and Maximizer. Here’s what Significance looks like for Teresa: The first time I took the Gallup Strengths Survey and found out that one of my Top 5 was “Significance” I was a bit taken back and felt sad.   I do not want everyone to think that I want to seem important.   Ally and Tess, the TeamMates trainers who came to school to work with all of our mentors and mentees, assured me that significance means more about helping other...

People exceptionally talented in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb. CliftonStrengths This week, our guest blogger is Gigi Inness. As a teacher for Norfolk Public Schools, Gigi helped launch the local TeamMates program in 1998 and served as the local program coordinator. In June of 2000, she became the only regional coordinator for the program (the entire staff was 4 people) and continued in that role through 2016, adding the regional director responsibilities to her job in 2010. She started mentoring in 1998 and has had 4 long-term mentoring relationships. She currently mentors in the Millard chapter and with the TeamMates+ Post-Secondary program. Her top 5 strengths are Input, Maximizer, Relator, Intellection, and Developer. Here’s what Maximizer looks like for Gigi: Maximizer, for me, can be summed up with the phrase “If we are going to do it...

People exceptionally talented in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how different people can work together productively. CliftonStrengths This week our guest blogger is Teri Nieveen. Teri has been involved in TeamMates of Freeman in a variety of roles. She has been a mentor since 2014, served on the board of directors, and became the assistant coordinator in 2015. Her top five strengths are Achiever, Learner, Individualization, Belief, and Developer. Here’s what Individualization looks like for Teri: My top 5 strengths are Achiever, Learner, Belief, Individualization, and Developer.  As I reflect on my strengths, I easily see my achiever as it is what drives me. I love to research and read about new things, a learner. My belief, my Christian faith, guides me in life.  I love the individualization and developer strengths; they have made me the teacher I am.  I s...

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. CliftonStrengths This week our guest blogger is Cindy Borland. Cindy has been mentoring in Cambridge, Nebraska since 2014. Last fall, she became the Program Coordinator of the chapter. Her top five strengths are Includer, Harmony, Arranger, Positivity, and Developer. Here’s what Includer looks like for Cindy: I would define the Includer strength as ability to bring others together, so everyone can feel part of a group-stretching the circle wider. This strength understands that judgement hurts people and that acceptance is a way to bring others together and raise awareness that no one should be ignored or left out.  In my day to day life, I use the strength Includer at my work and at home.   After I found out that Includer was by top strength, I understood the need that I have had throughout my life to ensu...

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 4 th 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 ...

People exceptionally talented in the Deliberative theme are best described by the serious care they take in making decision or choices. They anticipate obstacles. CliftonStrengths This week our guest blogger is Janae Solomon. Janae has been a mentor since 2015 and last year took on the awesome challenge of serving as the Program Coordinator for TeamMates of McCook, Nebraska. Her top five strengths are Learner, Deliberative, Individualization, Input, and Developer. Here’s what Deliberative looks like for Janae: When I took the Strengths survey through TeamMates a year and a half ago, Ally warned us that there might be a strength we or our mentees would have a hard time taking ownership of because it had been previously been a label or a perceived flaw. That was Deliberative for me. When that came out as my number two strength, I thought “Yeah, I overthink things and take too long to make decisions. How is that a strength?” Thankfully, because of Ally and Tess’s strength...

People exceptionally talented in the Context theme enjoy thinking about the past. They understand the present by researching its history. CliftonStrengths This week our guest blogger is Jay Wright. Jay has worn may hats in TeamMates, including Mentor, Program Coordinator for Bishop Heelan Catholic Schools in Sioux City, Iowa, and most recently, as Regional Coordinator for the Eastern region. His top five strengths are Context, Achiever, Developer, Includer, and Learner. Here’s what Context looks like for Jay: I can still remember when I fell in love with history.  We were driving to the 1982 Peach Bowl to watch our beloved Iowa Hawkeyes take on the Tennessee Volunteers in Atlanta.  (Relive the Hawkeye win here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujQQ96qV3U4 ).  The Hawkeye win is not the moral of the story however.  For me, the highlight of the trip was the stop at Chattanooga to see the Civil War battlefield which was, for 6 year old me, life ...

People exceptionally talented in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters. CliftonStrengths This week, our guest blogger is Beth Roberts. Beth is the Regional Manager as well as the Regional Coordinator for the central region of our organization. Beth’s top 5 Strengths are Empathy, Woo, Developer, Includer, and Communication. Here is what Communication looks like for Beth:                 Award-winning film composer John Powell states “people may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.”  I love this updated language of “actions speak louder than words.”  Communication is one of my top five strengths and one that I use everywhere I am.             Communication is simple how I convey my own thoughts, ideas, and beliefs to the world. ...

People exceptionally talented in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their lives. CliftonStrengths This week, our guest blogger is Annette Woodhead. Annette is the Regional Coordinator for the Western Region (or as she likes to say, “the Wild West”) of TeamMates Mentoring Program. Her top 5 Strengths are Responsibility, Belief, Developer, Positivity, and Achiever. Here is what Belief looks like for Annette: If you possess a strong Belief theme, then you have certain core values that are enduring.  Typically, this belief theme causes a person to be family oriented, relationship oriented, and even spiritual and provides direction to your life.  It also demands that you find work that is meaningful and matters to you….. a purpose. I don’t think until I discovered my “strengths” through TeamMates, several years ago, did I understand how I was wired, how God made me uniquely.  I a...

People who are especially talented in the Adaptability theme prefer to “go with the flow.” They tend to be “now” people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time. CliftonStrengths This week, our guest blogger is Jen Benson. Jen is the Development Director for TeamMates Mentoring Program. Her top 5 Strengths are Empathy, Adaptability, Ideation, Developer, and Input. Here is what Adaptability looks like for Jen. At TeamMates, we talk a lot about our strengths in terms of their rank.  Adaptability is my “number 2.”  I think of adaptability as a lifestyle, not just a strength.  In high school and young adulthood, I was pretty “type A” in most things.  I was a perfectionist in school, got great grades, took on leadership positions, pursued challenging internships, had my life all planned.  As a busy mom with a demanding job and volunteer work that I love, I still don’t think of myself as a free spirit!  Wi...

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 . Gallup StrengthsFinder TeamMates Mentoring Program’s mission statement is to “positively impact the world by inspiring youth to reach their full potential through mentoring.” This mission statement, at the core of our organization, is rooted in the theme of Developer. Rather than prescriptive, we function as a developmental mentoring program, which aims to build trust-based relationships. It is through these relationships that mentors are positioned to bring out the full potential in their mentee. Doing so, not only falls in line with our mission statement, but also honors the Developer in each of us. According to Gallup, the primary impact of someone with Developer is “seeing the potential in people that is uninformed or inexperienced and investing in it.” As mentors, th...