People exceptionally talented in the Consistency
theme are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same. They try to treat
everyone with equality by setting up clear rules and adhering to them.
CliftonStrengths
This week our guest blogger is Cathy
Hanna. Cathy is the co-coordinator for the TeamMates program at Chase County
Schools in Imperial, Nebraska. Her top five strengths are Responsibility,
Deliberative, Consistency, Discipline, and Harmony. Here’s what Consistency
looks like for Cathy:
I am in my third year as
Elementary School Counselor and as co-coordinator for our Chase County
TeamMates Chapter. I went to the
Strengths Training this last summer so I am in the beginning stages of
Strengths spotting. We introduced
Strengths to our mentors in September and to our mentees in November and have
had great feedback from those who have been trained.
Consistency is my number three
strength and defined by Gallup as being keenly aware of the need to treat
people the same. Consistency is achieved
by setting up clear rules and adhering to them.
I see this strength when I want to know the rules or guidelines that
exist in any given situation so that I can follow them. I not only want to follow the rules but I
want people to live by the rules so that everyone has the same opportunities
and the “playing field is level”. I
notice Consistency when I am driving down the interstate in a line of cars
passing a slow vehicle and another vehicle zooms by and cuts into the line of
cars waiting to pass. I am miffed!
Waiting your turn is a big part of Consistency for me and cutting in
line is not o.k.
Years ago, as a young mom, I had a
rule for everything. One of the rules
that we lived by was no dessert until you had eaten what was on your
plate. I had tried a new recipe one
night and it was bad. We offered the
boys cinnamon rolls and our middle son said “no, I have a lot of this stuff
left”. He knew there was no hope of ever
getting his plate of food eaten and no chance that I would forget our rule!
I do not expect special treatment
and am indignant when others do! I don’t
think I’m better than the next guy and don’t ask people to do something that I
am not willing to do myself. I don’t
like it when people don’t get a fair shot because of some circumstance in their
life that they cannot control.
I see Consistency “shine” everyday
at my job. As elementary school
counselor, I truly believe that people (especially elementary students)
function best in a consistent environment where the rules are clear and are
applied to everyone equally. Rules
provide boundaries that give kids comfort and a sense of security. Life is not fair but giving everyone an equal
opportunity to succeed is what we strive for at school. Objectivity and viewing things more
matter-of-factly are also characteristic of being consistent. This serves me well when dealing with
students who are at times emotional and seeing things subjectively. I hold a special place in my heart for the
underdog but I sincerely try to treat every student with equal love and
respect.
Recess always gives me
opportunities to use my strength of Consistency. One day last year, the students playing four
square were having a terrible time getting along with each other and agreeing
on how the game should be played. I
asked a few questions based on my limited experience playing four square and
quickly decided that we all needed to learn the “right way” to play the
game. The following week, every Guidance
lesson I taught was on the rules of four square. The way I saw it, every elementary student at
Chase County was going to know the rules and play by the rules. Consistency to the rescue once again!
-Cathy
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
Comments
Post a Comment