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 strengths-spotting abilities and way of
helping people see how their strengths make them uniquely awesome, this is a
strength I have grown to better understand and appreciate.
To me, Deliberative means that I
need time to make careful decisions and think things through. I want to prevent
problems and setbacks and to look at different angles. I need to fully process
my thoughts before I speak, write, or act. Making snap judgements or being put
on the spot without preparation is a challenge. Being Deliberative means I
would rather listen to others than talk about myself, and I enjoy being alone
so I have plenty of time and space to think. I am an observer, a listener, a
contemplator. I’m reserved and cautious. Having the opportunity to thoroughly examine,
investigate, and consider all the factors involved helps me feel confident that
I am making the right decision. Online shopping is heaven for deliberators like
me – I can read reviews, compare prices on other sites, and leave something in
my cart for days while I think about it! Last I counted, I have over one
hundred items “saved for later” on Amazon (mostly books), which is the
accumulation of years of deliberating purchases!
My top five strengths are Learner,
Deliberative, Individualization, Input and Developer. I really feel like
Deliberative blends in a unique way with each of these strengths. Combined with
Learner, it means I love to read articles, attend workshops, and listen to speakers
so I can sit back and absorb and process new information. With
Individualization, it blends in that I carefully observe people and listen to
and reflect on their stories, so I can better understand them. Combined with Input,
this is shown by me asking questions and researching things so that I have more
to process before I speak or act. With Developer, this means once I have
learned about people using Input and Individualization, I take the time to
think about how I can work with them to help them grow and succeed.
Deliberative is a strength I rely on
every day, at home and at work. In addition to being the TeamMates Coordinator,
I am also a high school counselor. Being in this role means I wear lots of
different hats throughout the day and sometimes have some big decisions to
make. When counseling students or meeting with parents, being deliberative
allows me time to process what I’m hearing and to think carefully before I
respond. Because of Deliberative, I’m a good listener and people seem to easily
trust me. When discussing big life choices with students, like where to go to
college, Deliberative allows me to help others think through their decisions
and to offer factors to consider that they might not have otherwise. I am
married to an Activator, so the Deliberative strength balances my husband’s
tendency to want to jump into projects and make decisions quickly. He’s the gas
and I’m the brakes. Because of our complementary strengths, I am able to
foresee challenges or think of a different approach, and he has the ability and
confidence to act and make it happen. Thankfully, my husband has come to
respect that I need time when faced with decisions because he knows that the
best choice is being made when I’m not rushed.
In my mentoring relationship, I am
able to use Deliberative with my mentee just like I do as a counselor. She
loves to talk and is never short on stories and words. Someone with a different
strength paired with her might interrupt or get lost listening to her, while I
am able to carefully follow along and process what she’s telling me before
thinking about when it’s appropriate to respond and what the right words are.
As a coordinator, Deliberative helps me to problem-solve with mentors when they
come to me and carefully plan and execute our chapter’s events throughout the
year.
My family recently moved to a larger
house out in the country. Our first house was a fixer-upper that my husband and
I spent two months remodeling before we moved in. With his Activator and my
Deliberative, there were moments of tension as he was constantly ready to start
on the next project and wanting my input, and sometimes I felt rushed into
making decisions since we were trying to get it done as quickly as possible.
Our house turned out beautifully and with all the details I wanted – I like to
say I was the brains and he was the muscle (though I did my fair share of grunt
work). I am excited yet overwhelmed at the same time now that we are in a new
home because, though it’s in great condition, we want to make some updates and
really make it ours. This time, we will slowly update room by room. Not being hurried
and having as much time as I need is a relief, though sometimes having a
deadline is a helpful nudge to force me to make a decision. I have had two
different samples of paint on our bedroom and dining room walls for about three
weeks now and am having a hard time deciding which colors I like. I might need
another week or two to think about it!
-Janae
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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