Strength Based Mentoring

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...

Conversations have the power to bring our strengths to the next level. This week's strengths activity has curated conversation starters to help you and your mentee recognize talent and therefore develop your strengths. When answering these questions together, be sure to have your top 5 and top 3 strengths at the forefront. As you answer the starter questions, spot each other's strengths in the responses. At the end of the discussion, list 1-2 actions you could each take to develop your strengths further and keep each other accountable by checking in on these actions next time you meet.

I was reminded recently of a common phrase, "back to basics." This week, I chose to highlight the activity Gallup teaches us to do first after we have discovered our top 5 strengths. It is an activity I have gone back to time and time again because sometimes going back to basics is the best thing we can do in our own development.  The activity I will challenge you to do is a reflection on your signature theme report. Log back into www.strengthsquest.com and scroll down to find your report. See here:  Download this report and print it. Yours will look a bit like this, with your name and top 5 listed:  This report gives the longer definition for each of your top 5 strengths. Your mentee, if they are in high school will be able to generate the same report as you have by logging into their own strengthsquest page. If your mentee is in elementary or middle, you will be able to access the longer report for strengths explorer by going to the strengths explorer...

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...

I had the opportunity to meet with a strengths match today and the mentee reminded me about the labels that can often come with our strengths. This mentee, an 8th grader, had the strength of Competing as her #1 strength when she took Strengths Explorer. I asked her to share a time recently when she has used her strengths. She said she had an example but it wasn't a good one. She described gym class earlier that day when she was being a "try-hard", or someone that exerts a lot of effort, especially when it not something that is important. I told her that our strengths are us at all times- at our best and our worst. They are neutral, and in any given situation it is up to us to apply them productively or destructively, positively or negatively. Labels come when someone either does not recognize this character trait as a talent within us, or when what they witness is our strength in the basement. I often hear from mentees about the labels that have been placed upon them ...

A fun activity we have done with students is Strengths Metaphors. We often have a tendency to limit and confine our strengths to the two-sentence definition of the theme we find on the 34 list. Strengths manifest uniquely in each person based on their other 5 or 2 themes, their age, their background, their life experiences, and so much more. The Strengths Metaphors activity is a great way to break the themes of out of the boxes we put them in. Fill out the worksheet or engage in a conversation using the prompts on the sheet. Pick one of your top 5 or top 3 themes.  Describe what the theme looks like, what color you would associate with it, what it smells like, what it sounds like, and any other sensory descriptors you would add to the selected theme.  Share with your mentee and ask your mentee to share with you. Share with each other why you chose to assign these specific descriptors to the strength.  If you have similar strengths to each other, discuss the diffe...

Ally and I were at Norris earlier this week for their first strength day. We were meeting with the younger Strengths Explorer students, helping to facilitate the survey and talk through their results. There was one student who had to come from another building, so he had to wait until all students were done with their surveys so that the Coordinator could walk him back to his class. He finished his survey quickly and his Top 3 were Competing, Achieving, and Confidence. While he was waiting, I saw him messing around, looking a bit bored. He started stacking markers together making a tower, like most kids (and many adults) do. So, I went over to him and asked him if he wanted to do a fun activity. I said, "I wonder if you could make a marker sculpture to depict your strengths." He quickly took on the challenge and we gathered all the markers to one table. He got to work. I didn't make one full lap around the room before he declared, "I'm done". I went over t...

The activity I wish to share with you all today is one of the TeamMates Strengths Team's favorites! Strengths is more about simply identifying talent; when done well, it reaches the core of who you are. What you love is an activity that guides you there. The activity it simple: it is a set of questions based around the Five Clues to Talent that Don Clifton discussed in the first strengths book, Soar with your Strengths. Here is a link to an article from Gallup that explains these Five Clues for those wishing to learn more. This activity involves mulling over this set of questions:  Who are you?  What do you love?  What do you need?  In the best of all worlds, I would spend more time doing ___________. What is the best form of support you can receive?  At TeamMates we do this activity in true artistic fashion, by asking for participants to somehow depict the answers to these questions. We have had pictures of hammocks, mountain ranges, stick figu...

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 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. ...

This school year for our strengths blog, we will be featuring a guest blogger each week for the 34 talent themes. The guest will write about what the featured strength looks like in their own life, blended with their other 4 themes. We believe in the power of sharing our strengths stories. Knowing my strengths has aligned my thoughts of myself and others with reality versus assumptions or expectations. It’s truly been life changing. This same transformation can happen with anyone we encounter, but it won’t come to pass if we do not take the brave step of sharing our own stories. Every single one of us has a story to tell--our own. You don’t have to be a talented writer, grammar wizard, or tech genius to be a guest blogger. All you need is a willingness and a bit of courage to share your story. If you are willing to share your story, please reach out to Tess at tstarman@teammates.org . We will provide more information about this process, as well as some questions to help ...

You like to start friendships and keep them for a long time-maybe even your whole life. You widen the circle of friends for yourself and others. Clifton Strengths Explorer Youth with Relating in their top 3 Strengths Explorer themes are people people. They like to be around others and have a knack for building relationships. They easily make new friendships and maintain old friendships. They relate to others in various ways, and can prefer small or large groups of people. Regardless of how they relate, others feel comfortable around them. They not only build solid relationships with their peers, but also with mentors, adults, teachers, and parents. Gallup writes, “Whatever style of relating, people like you and relationships are important to you.” Because school is a social environment, it may not be the easiest to point out those who have the talent of Relating versus those that are sociable because of the context. No matter the difficulty of identifying the talent, on...

You were born to be at the front of the room telling stories and taking the lead. Other people watch you and listen to you. Clifton Strengths Explorer Youth with the Strengths Explorer theme of Presence are naturally born to be at the front of the room. They love to tell stories, jokes, and get laughter from others. They are what we might see or notice as natural leaders. Gallup explains, “Maybe there is something important to be done, and you are the spokesperson who can get the message out to people in a way that makes them want to be involved. You might someday be a teacher, politician, speaker, comedian, preacher, or business leader. Whatever you choose to be, you are likely to have others listening to the works you speak.” At Freeman schools this last year, I met a young 3 rd grade girl who led with Presence. That day, she wore a bright pink shirt and had giggles that pervaded all conversation. During the part where we asked the students to draw their strength, she...

Scheduling, planning, and organizing your world makes life better. People count on you to get the details right and pull a plan together. Clifton Strengths Explorer Students with the Strengths Explorer theme of Organizer like structure. They function best when the world around the is predictable and ordered. They appreciate plans by knowing the what and when of something going on. Gallup writes, “planning makes you comfortable and calm about what you are doing. It is fun to think ahead, organize, and include all that you want to do in your plan so you don’t leave anything out. You like to think about both the big ideas and details.” The following picture was drawn by a TeamMates mentee about her organizer. She explained that her Organizer functions in many places, including her room, backpack, school work, locker, and even her friendships. For those with Organizer, all areas of life are better with order, including their physical belongings, thoughts in their head, and relat...

Your mind loves to think and dream about the future. You are a person who thinks about what is possible, not what is impossible. Clifton Strengths Explorer For youth with Future Thinker, the future is full of possibilities. They love to dream, create, and brainstorm. Most find thinking about the future monumentally more exciting than thinking about the present. Gallup writes, “your visions of the future might be bigger than most people’s because thinking big is one of your talents.” Future Thinkers don’t just think about the future for fun, they enjoy doing so in order to find meaning. They are naturally oriented to look for meaning and purpose in what they do. Gallup explains, “You like to think about the important things in life, what they mean, and how they are connected to reach other.” At our strengths day in McCook, Nebraska this year, I had the opportunity to sit down with a young woman and explain her strengths to her. During our discussion she mentioned that she ...

A thinker, a learner, you are excited about exploring ideas and making connections. You like to ask the questions “How?” and “Why?” Clifton Strengths Explorer Students with the Discoverer theme have a natural curiosity. They like to ask questions and seek answers. They love to learn. This learning may be best inside a classroom or out in the dirt. They are passionate and can often get fixated on one topic or subject in their quest for answers. Gallup puts it this way, “It is fun to be an expert, and when you find a subject or idea you like, you can spend a lot of time exploring it.” Gallup writes about students with Discoverer, “You might be bored doing things the same way everyone else does because you like to find new ways.” Because of this, students will Discoverer might not seem like great “students.” They may challenge the rules, be disengaged in the classroom, and not even get good grades. One mentee we met this last year who had Discoverer in his SE themes drew this p...

You can count on me! If your mentee or a young person you know leads with the strength of dependability, they may describe the joy in being counted on like this: Trust is important to you, and you care about being seen as responsible and trustworthy. People count on you to do what you say you will do. When you make a promise, you mean to keep it. You like being chosen to be in charge of getting something done because you know it means others see you as dependable and trustworthy. Sometimes, being asked to do more is like getting a reward because it means people believe in you. Maybe you have special chores or responsibilities at home or at school. Whatever job you are given, you want to get it done. Some people might say you act older than other kids your age because you are so responsible. You can be a good example to other people. Earning the praise of teachers and parents for getting things done and doing what is right feels good to you. People count on you to do what you...