Strength Based Mentoring

People who are especially talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena. CliftonStrengths This week our guest blogger is Bob Arp. Bob’s TeamMates journey began in the fall of 2009 when he became a mentor in Columbus, NE. Less than a year later, he took on the awesome responsibility of Co-Coordinating the chapter. His top five strengths are Ideation, Strategic, Achiever, Responsibility, and Adaptability. Here’s what Ideation looks like for Bob: Do you know someone that seems to have a knack for coming up with that out-of-the blue, crazy and exciting idea?  Maybe that someone is you.  Well, I have been told many times over the years that this describes me.  I never thought of it as a big deal.  But I must admit that there have been many times when I have even surprised myself with a think-outside-the-box suggestion or solution.  As a youth, our church youth group w...

People exceptionally talented in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be. They energize others with their visions of the future. CliftonStrengths This week our guest blogger is Suzanne Hince. Suzanne has been with TeamMates since 2005, serving as the Executive Director for 11 years, and last year, transitioning to become the TeamMates Foundation Director. In addition to being a staff member, Suzanne has also been a mentor with TeamMates for 12 years . Her top five strengths are Strategic, Self-Assurance, Achiever, Futuristic, Ideation. Here’s what Futuristic looks like for Suzanne: The best way I can describe the Futuristic theme is…daydreamer.  I can get so lost in my own thoughts about the possibilities of how things could be that I lose track of time and place.  I used to be a runner and one of the reasons I loved to run was it gave me the dedicated space and time to think about problems, situations and plans for the future.  ...

People exceptionally talented in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from evidence of progress.   CliftonStrengths This week our guest blogger is Stephanie Horner. Stephanie joined our TeamMates Team as a Screening Specialist in the Central Office in September of this year. In November, she began her mentoring journey with a 4 th grader in the Omaha Catholic chapter. Her top five strengths are Empathy, Ideation, Developer, Learner, and Positivity. Here’s what Developer looks like for Stephanie: I would define the Developer strength as the ability to highlight, encourage, and rejoice in the gifts of others. Essentially, this strength focuses on seeing the potential in others, honing their specific gifts and talents, and cheering for every progression in development toward their full potential. In my day-to-day life, my Developer strength is most evident in my ...

People who are especially talented in the Adaptability theme prefer to “go with the flow.” They tend to be “now” people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time. CliftonStrengths This week, our guest blogger is Jen Benson. Jen is the Development Director for TeamMates Mentoring Program. Her top 5 Strengths are Empathy, Adaptability, Ideation, Developer, and Input. Here is what Adaptability looks like for Jen. At TeamMates, we talk a lot about our strengths in terms of their rank.  Adaptability is my “number 2.”  I think of adaptability as a lifestyle, not just a strength.  In high school and young adulthood, I was pretty “type A” in most things.  I was a perfectionist in school, got great grades, took on leadership positions, pursued challenging internships, had my life all planned.  As a busy mom with a demanding job and volunteer work that I love, I still don’t think of myself as a free spirit!  Wi...

  We are grateful to have traveled to many communities this year and while Tess and I did a great deal of “talking strengths” on the road, we learned just as much from the strengths discovery and awareness of mentors and mentees. Realizing that some of the best strengths practice comes from conversations with one another, Tess and I decided to structure a new opportunity – a video series aimed at building conversations on the unique ways we see the world, based on our strengths, and based on our stage and season of life. As we were sharing this idea at one of our first fall strengths sessions, Bob’s ideation guided us to our title:  Genn and Millie.   My perspective comes from the GenX generation and Tess’s the Millenial.  We witnessed Bob’s ideation in action as that title quickly came to mind.  Thankfully Bob helped us find the right description. Often we discuss the impact of high school students thinking about their strengths in re...

People exceptionally talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena. Clifton StrengthsFinder People with high Ideation are what the world might naturally describe as “creative.” These individuals have a knack for coming up with fresh, new, and original ideas. These ideas often come from being able to see situations from a new perspective and connect the dots. They thrive in brain storming sessions and are often a valuable part of a team that is “stuck in a rut.” They receive a lot of energy and excitement when they are in a space which allows the free flow of ideas from their brain. They are often described as people who “think outside the box,” being forerunners and innovators that come up with brand new routes that haven’t been taken before. Although Ideation manifests in situational settings, it may also manifest in an individual’s life through their love of art, music, or writing.   ...