People exceptionally talented in the Relator theme enjoy close
relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with
friends to achieve a goal.
CliftonStrengths
This week, our guest blogger is Dawn Stock. Dawn has been
the Program Coordinator of TeamMates of Doniphan-Trumbull for the last three
years. In addition, she has been mentoring since 2013, seeing her initial
mentee through graduation and beyond. Her top 5 strengths are Relator, Harmony, Responsibility,
Adaptability, and Arranger. Here’s what Relator looks like for Dawn:
One of the
biggest struggles for me is speaking in front of a large group of people. I
KNOW I can do it, but the build up makes me want to bolt. However, if you
put me in front of two or three people that are engaged, I thrive. That’s
what a “Relator” means to me. It’s someone that enjoys the close,
personal conversations with people in a one-to-one or small group
setting. It’s about asking questions, hearing about their life, sharing
stories of my life and ultimately taking something away from it in the
end. Fortunately, being in a small school like Doniphan-Trumbull, I get
to use my Relator strength on a daily basis. I don’t get the opportunity
to do big group trainings with my mentors so most of my trainings are one to
one, sometimes at a coffeeshop, going over all the “fun stuff” I’m supposed to
go over but also getting to know that mentor personally. I feel it’s
during that time I truly form a relationship with the mentor in my program and
can place them with the right mentee. After that, the door to my office
is always left open so I can continue to catch mentors and mentees as they pass
by and build relationships from there. I can honestly say, I have made
some great friendships just from the meetings initiated by my coordinator job.
However, in my personal life, I am very selective on who I would call my “true”
friends. I hold loyalty and trust in a high regard so I am very careful
on who I let in. I believe this is also a trait of a Relator. Our
circle of friends are small but mighty.
My top 5
strengths are Relator, Harmony, Responsibility, Adaptability and
Arranger. It is amazing to me how all 5 of my strengths describe me to a
tee. I am the person who loves to do all the “behind the scenes” work
without being in the limelight. I created a yearly event at our local
church called PLAH day, People Lend A Hand, where members of our church go out
in the community and help people with things they can’t do on their own, like
yard work, moving furniture or cleaning windows. Then there are other
teams that do random acts of kindness around town. This highlights my Arranger
and Responsibility strengths. I am very involved in our local youth group
finding weekly lessons and getting games organized. I am also the President of
the Music Boosters program at our local high school so I am closely involved
with all things in the band and choir department. All of these roles
bring me joy, sometimes a little stress, but allow me to showcase my top 5
strengths.
Growing up, my
mom was a single mom and worked the night shift as an RN at the hospital.
My grandparents only lived 6 blocks away from me and I spent the night at their
house a lot. I had a special relationship with both of them but
especially my grandma. We spent many days in the kitchen where she taught
me to make homemade noodles, runzas, and all types of pies. In that
kitchen, I got to hear all the stories of my grandma’s life that made her who
she was. She not only taught me the art of good cooking, she taught me
the art of good conversation, which I believe developed my Relator
strength. To this day, one of my favorite places to be is in the kitchen,
now with my own daughter.
I jump at the
chance to go to lunch or go on a walk with a close friend. To me, this is
a time where I can truly let go and be myself. I have a friend whose
mother is going through the stages of Alzheimer’s so each week, whether it’s a
phone call, a lunch date, or a glass a wine, I make a point to talk to her so
she can vent. We share lots of laughs and tears and she has many moments
of anger. I love that I can be that person for her and can tell she feels
better after she unloads the stress. Maybe, in my case anyway, that’s
what being a Relator is. It’s like being a counselor, a shoulder to lean
on. I like that role.
-Dawn
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