This is part of a series of posts on the different types of strengths that each of us as individuals have. You can take a look at the ACHIEVER strength that I discussed in the first post in the series.
Everyone is born with talents. Talents are our natural way of thinking, feeling and behaving that can be productively applied. When we invest and develop our talents, they then become strengths. A strength is the ability to consistently do an activity to near perfection. It is about the WAY we achieve success, and all of us have a ‘way’.
There is an assessment called Strengths Finder, and it takes about 45 minutes to do online, answering various questions. Once you are done, it then sends you a strength report. There are 34 strengths in total, and the assessment calculates your most dominant strengths from number 1 to number 34 in sequence of their dominance. You choose whether you want the report of your full 34 or just your dominant first 5 strengths.
In this Issue we are going to look at the strength of ANALYTICAL.
“This theme challenges other people. “Prove it. Show me why what you are claiming is true.” In the face of this kind of questioning some will find that their brilliant theories wither and die. For you, this is precisely the point as you want their theories to be sound. You like data because they are value free and have no agenda. Armed with this data, you search for patterns and connections. You peel the layers back until, gradually, the root cause or causes are revealed.” Tom Rath, StrengthsFinder 2.0.
My sister has Analytical in her top 5 dominant strengths. She doesn’t like being put on the spot for an answer. She always prefers having time to research and give well informed answers. She prefers hard, real facts instead of sugar-coated ones. She cannot be ‘hood winked’ for long, she will work out the hidden issues herself. Recently, her family was looking into which high school to send their daughter. They have gone to plenty of open days. This should allow her to compare and contrast which school offers close to what she is looking for.
She is also good at drafting proposals for business as she is able to imagine how everything is connected and works together. She is not intimidated by housing plans or sewing patterns that need precise calculations. They are easier to understand than human drama. Her memory is pretty good, and she amazes me at how much detail she can describe. This makes her a great writer who is able to take you to the places she describes.
Suffice to say, she is comfortable with her own company, and is able to decipher complex formulas and simplify them. She is the ‘go to’ person, if you want a reality check.
Joyce Mutangara is a wife, mother, pastor, legal adviser and strengths coach. She loves to give inspiring personal interaction, through authentic discussion, and exploration of talents that motivate people to achieve optimum performance through intentionally deploying their strengths. For more information or access to her work and to get personal strengths coaching, you can email her: joycemut@gmail.com or visit her blog Joyce’s Blog.
