Strength Based Mentoring

People exceptionally talented in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal. Clifton StrengthsFinder Those high in Relator value close relationships. They derive their greatest energy from being close with other people. For Relators, there is no end destination to relationships; there is always more ways to grow deeper in friendship. Gallup writes, “You know that this kind of closeness implies a certain amount of risk-that you might be taken advantage of-but you are willing to accept that risk.” Those high in Relator do not just enjoy deep relationships, but also enjoy when they are able to work with their friends towards a common goal.   At TeamMates’ 2016 Annual Partnership, our Keynote Speaker, Paul Thelen said, “Relationships move at the speed of trust.” For someone with Relator, this is innate to how they build relationships. Trust and loyalty are the bedrock of relationships; h...

woo There are no strangers in here, just friends you haven't yet met.  -Roald Dahl Clifton StrengthsFinder Theme Woo stands for winning others over. You enjoy the challenge of meeting new people and getting them to like you. Strangers are rarely intimidating to you. On the contrary, strangers can be energizing. You are drawn to them. You want to learn their names, ask them questions, and find some area of common interest so that you can strike up a conversation and build rapport. Some people shy away from starting up conversations because they worry about running out of things to say. You don't. Not only are you rarely at a loss for words; you actually enjoy initiating with strangers because you derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection. Once that connection is made, you are quite happy to wrap it up and move on. There are new people to meet, new rooms to work, new crowds to mingle in. In your world there are no strangers, only friends y...

People exceptionally talented in the Deliberative theme are best described by the serious care they take in making decision or choices. They anticipate obstacles. Clifton StrengthsFinder People will high Deliberative naturally sense the potential obstacles in any given circumstance. They can see road bumps, pit falls, and dead ends. These individuals not only see these obstacles, but are driven to point them out to others in order to steer the team away from them. Once pinpointing these potential obstacles, Deliberative individuals assess whether or not the risks outweigh the benefits. If you have a team member or leader who has high Deliberative, you can rest assured in their choices, because any risk they take has been highly calculated. When asked to describe his #1 of Deliberative, Brandon Leppke, TeamMates’ Program Director, explained that it means that he takes "as much time as possible in order to make the best decision possible." He says that somethin...

People exceptionally talented in the Focus theme can take a direction, follow through, and make the correction necessary to stay on track. They prioritize, then act. Clifton StrengthsFinder People with Focus have the innate talent of zoning distractions out. They have a one-track mind that allows them to walk through life a bit like they are wearing blinders. Focus is an executing theme; While some people may be productive by managing multiple things at a time, those with Focus are productive because they have the ability to zero in on one task at a time. They are highly productive because of their one track mind. Because of their ability to zero in on one track, those with Focus have specific requirements. They need clear goals, expectations, and outcome measurements. Those with Focus need to know the end goal, because by starting with the end in mind, they can trim down all that does not aid in that goal. By clarifying the end goal for someone with Focus, you open the d...

People exceptionally talented in the Competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to in first place and revel in contests. Clifton StrengthsFinder People with high Competition innately notice others; they notice other’s performance and gauge themselves based on how they measure up. They work hard and derive great satisfaction from winning. A friend with Competition once game me this illustration. He said that when he goes to the gym, he never goes to a treadmill, elliptical, or another individual machine. Rather, he always tries to attend the same group classes each week. During the class, he can see where his pace matches, exceeds, or falls short of the other gym members. Over time, he can also see how is overall progress compares to the other attendees. Sometimes, those with Competition can get a bad reputation for being just that-competitive. Especially in non-profit circles, where service is so central, competing can seem ...

People exceptionally talented in the Analytical theme search for reasons and causes. They have the ability to think about all factors that might affect a situation. Clifton StrengthsFinder The Analytical theme falls in the Strategic Thinking domain, and for good reason; people high in this theme are very logical thinkers. They have an innate talent to boil down incredibly complex issues into simplistic terms. This doesn’t mean that they do not see the complex; Analytical thinkers see any and all factors that impact a given predicament. Yet, amidst this, they can find simplify the root of the situation. Consequently, because of this gift, large problems, pressures, and issues do not overwhelm those talented in this theme.   Each and every theme has something it gives and something it needs. The contributions of someone with Analytical are very apparent; they bring an intentional thought processes to situations, even in the midst of high pressure or emotion. Those wi...

People exceptionally talented in the Includer theme accept others. They show awareness of those who feel left out and make an effort to include them. Clifton StrengthsFinder People who have high Includer have a sixth sense for exclusion. They naturally can see and feel when someone is not included; even if someone is sitting in a circle, they can tell if that person feels included or not. This talent doesn’t just come with the ability to feel exclusion, but also have the need to eradicate it. Includers take action when they see this happening, so that everyone they encounter feels like they are a person know is known and seen. They naturally want to expand the horizons of what others may deem a “group.” They constantly want to make their circle larger by bringing more people in, not for the purpose of more connections, but to avoid exclusivity. As we know, often times a certain strength can be confused with another when observing a person due to the similar output of t...