Strength Based Mentoring

People exceptionally talented in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with someone.    CliftonStrengths This week, our guest blogger is Dan Kingkade. Dan has been a TeamMates mentor since 2006, mentoring in both the Omaha Public and the TeamMates+ programs. In addition to being an incredible strengths advocate, Dan also is an expert trainer and has conducted mentor academies on the topics of well-being and humor. His top 5 are Maximizer, Communication, Individualization, Woo, and Self-Assurance. Here’s what Woo looks like for Dan: I have a very clear memory from when I was in 4th grade. I had written a poem about a frog that my teacher thought was worth sharing with other classes in our school.   “Would you like to go and read your poem to the 5th and 6th grade rooms?” And I remember this part very clearly....I said, “yes, that sounds like fun”...

People exceptionally talented in the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it.    CliftonStrengths This week, our guest blogger is Christian Warneke. Christian has been a mentor in the Omaha Catholic chapter since fall of 2014. He has been a strengths-based mentor since 2016. His top 5 are Restorative, Positivity, Woo, Individualization, and Includer. Here’s what Restorative looks like for Christian: Four words and funny YouTube videos. Sometimes four words, maybe even fewer, or a quick YouTube video, are all you need to change someone’s day. We’ll get to this later. A favorite quote and life motto, of sorts, I’ve followed for the last decade come from Sir James M. Barrie, the playwright who brought Peter Pan to life. “Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves,” he said. This is what Restorative means to me: doing what I can to improve peopl...

People exceptionally talented in the Positivity theme have contagious enthusiasm. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do. CliftonStrengths This week, our guest blogger is JerLene Mosley. This blog, and the entire strengths-based mentoring movement would not be possible without her. JerLene began her journey with TeamMates in 2011 as our Gallup champion. A long-time employee of Gallup, JerLene works with school districts and other organizations to become strengths-based. JerLene is also a large TeamMates champion within Gallup, encouraging others to mentor a youth in the community. She has been mentoring the same mentee since 2012, within OPS and the Gretna chapter. Her top 5 strengths are Individualization, Communication, Activator, Positivity, and Woo. Here’s what Positivity looks like for JerLene: Positivity! Exclamation points! Smiley face emojis! Those are a couple of my favorite ways to punctuate my messages, and they are groov...

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 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 Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibility that complements this ability. They like to determine how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity. CliftonStrengths This week, our guest blogger is Sue Kennedy. Sue is the Regional Coordinator for the northern region of our organization. Sue’s top 5 Strengths are Positivity, Includer, Woo, Arranger, and Futuristic. Here is what Arranger looks like for Sue:                 The executing theme of ARRANGER is number four of my top five.  Before learning more about ARRANGER I really thought this theme was COMPETITION.   At my best when dealing with multiple things , and living in the moment, is when I’m most productive! As a child growing up on a ranch I worked along side my Dad who had an incredibly GREAT work ethic.  There was a driving force when...

woo There are no strangers in here, just friends you haven't yet met.  -Roald Dahl Clifton StrengthsFinder Theme Woo stands for winning others over. You enjoy the challenge of meeting new people and getting them to like you. Strangers are rarely intimidating to you. On the contrary, strangers can be energizing. You are drawn to them. You want to learn their names, ask them questions, and find some area of common interest so that you can strike up a conversation and build rapport. Some people shy away from starting up conversations because they worry about running out of things to say. You don't. Not only are you rarely at a loss for words; you actually enjoy initiating with strangers because you derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection. Once that connection is made, you are quite happy to wrap it up and move on. There are new people to meet, new rooms to work, new crowds to mingle in. In your world there are no strangers, only friends y...