Strength Based Mentoring

People exceptionally talented in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information. CliftonStrengths This week our guest blogger is Allyson Horne. Ally has been involved in TeamMates since she became a mentor in 1999. She has also served as a program coordinator, regional coordinator, expert trainer, and a Teammates mom. She is well known in this community as the TeamMates strengths champion, receiving her certification in strengths-based education in 2010 from the Clifton Strengths School. Her top five strengths are Input, Communication, Strategic, Woo, and Empathy. Here’s what Input looks like for Ally: Most of my life I've heard I ask too many questions, but I have come to know and love my #1 strength – Input.  I've learned I am passionately curious and a researcher at heart. I truly love questions – asking them and being asked them - my favorite kind of sentences end with a question mark. Because ...

People exceptionally talented in the Empathy theme can sense other people’s feelings by imagining themselves in other’s lives or situations. CliftonStrengths This week our guest blogger is Tricia Dix. Tricia has been a mentor with Millard Public Schools since 2011. In addition to mentoring, last year, Tricia began working for our central office as an Administrative Assistant. Her top five strengths are Harmony, Empathy, Connectedness, Consistency, and Discipline. Here’s what Empathy looks like for Tricia: Growing up I was told that I was “too sensitive”, could easily cry “crocodile tears”, and that I should have been an actress because I could cry on cue!  I always wished that I wasn’t so sensitive.  I viewed it as a weakness.  It wasn’t until the day I took the Gallup Strengths Finder and discovered that my #2 strength is Empathy, that it all made sense.  It was then that I realized being empathetic is not a weakness, but rather one of my strengths....

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 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 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...

Recently, I have been taking a class with my church entitled, Emotional Healthy Spirituality. The course syllabus, if you will, is filled with exercises and practices to help you become more emotionally mature so that you may become more spiritually mature. During one of the first few classes we were given an info graphic with a “feeling wheel” on it. It was a colored pie chart with six basic emotions listed in the center such as mad and sad. As you move out from the center of the pie, more detailed and descriptive emotions are listed, such as hostile, remorseful, or apathetic. In order to dive into the class, I wanted to start cataloging my feelings every day. After a few days I was starting to notice a pattern; I would come home and sit down to describe the day, but all I could come up with was “good” or “fine”. However, good and fine aren’t on the feeling wheel. It wasn’t long after this puzzle that I began to see that I do not usually understand how I feel, or rather that ...