Strength Based Mentoring

People exceptionally talented in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.   CliftonStrengths This week, our guest blogger is Teresa Hahn. Teresa’s journey with TeamMates began when she started assisting in the coordination of the program in Johnson-Brock in spring of 2015. That summer, she took on the full role of Program Coordinator. In addition, she has been mentoring since 2016. Her top 5 strengths are Arranger, Developer, Significance, Activator, and Maximizer. Here’s what Significance looks like for Teresa: The first time I took the Gallup Strengths Survey and found out that one of my Top 5 was “Significance” I was a bit taken back and felt sad.   I do not want everyone to think that I want to seem important.   Ally and Tess, the TeamMates trainers who came to school to work with all of our mentors and mentees, assured me that significance means more about helping other...

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 Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient. CliftonStrengths This week, our guest blogger is Hannah Miller. Hannah  works for the TeamMates Central Office, where she serves as the Recruiting and Marketing Coordinator. Her top 5 Strengths are Positivity, Woo, Activator, Restorative, and Empathy. Here is what Activator looks like for Hannah: I’ve always seen impatience as a weakness. Growing up, my mom would laugh “You’re so impatient! You’re just like your father!”. When I learned I had Activator as my #3 strength, a lightbulb clicked. Impatience is something I excel at, and I couldn’t be more proud. For the record, my dad also has Activator in his top 5—THANKS DAD!             If I were to give my Activator a catch phrase, it would be: “Are ya ready yet?”. I love action. I don’t like to sit around and procrastinate. I...

People exceptionally talented in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning their thoughts into action. They are often impatient. Clifton StrengthsFinder The currency of someone high in Activator is action. While they may see thinking, pondering, and brainstorming as important, these things pale in comparison to actually doing. Summed up in a phrase, Activators believe, “actions speak louder than words”. Activators like to start before a decision is even made. Those high in this theme are valuable on a team due to their catalyst-like mindset; they can get a bogged-down group out of their thoughts and into productivity.   Some people may see those with high Activator as “ready-aim-fire” people who don’t think through decisions. In actuality, those high in Activator see thinking as synonymous with doing. They live by trial and error. As the full Activator theme description says, “How can you grow if you have nothing to react to? Well, you believe you can...