Strength Based Mentoring

People exceptionally talented in the Achiever theme work hard and possess a great deal of stamina. They take immense satisfaction in being busy and productive. CliftonStrengths This week, our guest blogger is Mallory Gregory. Mallory is the co-coordinator for the TeamMates program in Waverly, Nebraska. Her top 5 Strengths are Achiever, Relator, Learner, Responsibility, and Belief. Here is what Achiever looks like for Mallory:  "Mrs. Gregory, if you were an animal, what would you be?"  What a fun question to think about.  A senior student of mine asked me this exact question at the start of this school year.  I replied and said, "Well, I would love to be an eagle because it would be so cool to soar and see the beauty of our country from above."  My student immediately replied, "Well that's an interesting thought but I think you would be a golden retriever.  You talk a lot, your loud with a lot of excitement...a lot like a loud yi...

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...