Strength Based Mentoring

In our work with strengths, we have come to find that a key component of great self exploration discussion resides in great questions. This strengths activity encompasses 5 meaningful questions for you and your mentee to reflect upon. These questions not only point us to our most natural talents, they also work to cultivate gratitude, hopefulness, and engagement for all who ponder them. Explore these questions with one another, and name your top 3 or 5 strengths as they arise in your responses. Questions for True Self:  Where are you most at ease?  What makes you come alive?  What is possible for you?  Who do you want to be?  What is necessary?  You can find this activity on our strengths drop box HERE . If you and your mentee try out this activity, let us know how it goes! 

The start of the school year and mentoring is upon us and with it comes the opportunity to invest further in your strengths! Get caught up on all things TeamMates strengths by checking out the Genn and Millie Podcast episodes from this summer. You can listen by access our Genn and Millie Podbean site below, or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. 

An article came out from the strengths blogger Chris Heinz several days ago. He wrote short sentences about how each of the 34 themes might go about choosing names for their babies. Several people tagged me in the post of the blog asking my thoughts. We also had several conversations about it among the TeamMates staff. I found myself reading through the list thinking, wow, this seems fairly accurate. Now I do not have kids or kids on the horizon, but when my friends have children and they share the name prior to birth, I find myself wondering, why would someone name a baby before they meet them? For me, I found myself thinking I would not want to put a child into a predetermined box prior to getting to know them a bit. I laughed when I read the description about Adaptability naming babies. Chris wrote about Adaptability saying, " You wait until the baby is born to “try on names”. It is funny that even in this quirky blog post, I was reminded that the different ways we go about t...

This week I am bringing you an activity that both you and your mentee can use in every match meeting to come. This is an adaptation from the 60-in-60 Document on the Strengths Drop Box which you can find by clicking here . Start by gather a set of index cards and some markers or pencils. Then, take time creating one card for each of your strengths (Top 3 or Top 5). Depict these strengths however you want to by writing and coloring on one side of the index card.  Once you are finished creating your cards, go on to another activity (play a game, do a craft, etc). As you go about another activity during your mentoring time or the next time you meet, be aware of how your strengths are being used. When you notice a strength in yourself or your mentee, hold your card up, explain how the strength is in use, and then make a note on the back of the card.   Keep the cards and use them often when you meet in order to strengths spot each other. This very simpl...

Today we are rewinding to the third  installment of our video learning series ,  Genn and Millie .  These recorded conversations are intended to help spark strengths spotting and communication within the mentoring relationship and beyond. The third video is designed to help mentors utilize the strengths to-go cards that TeamMates provides to you as strengths chapters. We did a practice round of these conversations. Through these simple strengths-based conversations, Gallup has proven, you build on hope, well-being, engagement, and success. Take some time to listen and learn with us!