Strength Based Mentoring

With Holiday celebrations on the horizon, today's featured strengths activity centers on gifts. The most memorable gifts one gives and receives can often be an indicator of our natural talents. In the 2017 holiday edition of Genn and Mille, Ally and Tess discussed this question together, sharing about their favorite gifts. You can watch/listen to the episode by   clicking HERE.   Ally's favorite gift of a filing cabinet was a strong indicator of her #1 Input talent. Tess' favorite gift of a desk was an indicator of her #4 theme of Learner. Next time you meet with your mentee, ask them about the best gift they have ever received. Spot their top 3 or 5 in their response. Then, ask them about the best gift (or an act of kindness) they have ever given to another and strengths spot their response. Then, be willing to do the same: offer your favorite gift received and given then strengths spot the results. My Favorite Gifts:  What is the best gift you have ever...

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. 

In Week 29, Genn and Millie talk about living a life of gratitude. They discuss ho to put this into a regular practice, during both times of consolation and desolation in our lives. They share that recognizing those around us can be a powerful way of expressing gratitude.  Take a listen to this week's episode! You can listen here or find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, or Stitcher.  After you have had the chance to listen, here are a few items to take your learning to the next level:  1. Tell us who you are! Find us at the places below and let us know you are listening.  2. Offer  meaningful  recognition to someone in your life in the next week.    For information regarding the topic discussed or for resources mentioned in the podcast, follow us on Instagram @GennandMillie or reach out to Tess at  tstarman@teammates.org

Yesterday, Ally and I were in Plattsmouth, NE for their Strengths Day. I kicked off the morning with a training at 7am with 10 mentors. As I walk talking about strengths, I was explaining the Student Success Model from Gallup. Since it was Boss's Day, an example came to me regarding the parallel to the workplace. I talked about the difference between two bosses I have had. One boss, from a previous job I had in college who was very laid back and aloof. He was concerned with his own work and outcomes. My work contributed to that, so every once in a while, I would have interactions that were not that  negative, but also not encouraging. He would say things such as "where are you at with this project, would you be able to get it to me quicker?" Beyond checking in and asking about my work, our interactions did not go very far. I wanted to have further conversations, but it did not seem like he had the time nor the desire to do so. He was not a bad   boss at all, but rather ...

Today, we are rewinding to our sixth installment of Genn and Millie .  These recorded conversations are intended to help spark strengths spotting and communication within the mentoring relationship and beyond.  Video #6 came together after we had attended an academy session at Grief’s Journey and learned more about the instrumental and intuitive style of processing grief and transition.  Although our session started out with some ridiculous Allyson Clumsy humor, it became a more serious conversation about self care and taking time to pause in our busy lives.  This is one of our favorites so far, and we hope it leads to meaningful conversations on your end as well.  Questions for Reflection:  What are your moments of joy?  What are your moments of pause? 

Today we are rewinding our  fifth installment of Genn and Millie .  These recorded conversations are intended to help spark strengths spotting and communication within the mentoring relationship and beyond.  The fifth video is designed to start conversations about the balcony and basement moments we experience in using our strengths.  We first practiced sharing our strengths name cards and then had deeper conversation utilizing another fun Gallup resource.  The handout we are using is attached, and can also be found here on the Development Resources section of the Strengths Dropbox. Thanks so much for your feedback on previous videos.  Feel free to share this learning and let us know if you have ideas for upcoming conversations. I would also encourage you to check out the Strengths Mentoring Blog , an d   Gallup Theme Thursday learning videos available.