This is part of a series of articles 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 CONTEXT.
“You look back. You look back because that is where the answers lie. You look back to understand the present. From your vantage point the present is unstable, a confusing clamour of competing voices. It is only by casting your mind back to an earlier time, a time when the plans were being drawn up, that the present regains its stability. As you look back, you begin to see the blue prints emerge. You realise what the original intentions were, and this context theme reveals them again. This understanding brings you confidence. No longer disoriented, you make better decisions because you sense the underlying structure. You become a better partner because you understand how your colleagues came to be who they are. And counterintuitively you become wiser about the future because you saw its seeds being sown in the past. Faced with new people and new situations, it will take you a little time to orient yourself, but you must give yourself this time. You must discipline yourself to ask the questions and allow the blueprints to emerge because no matter what the situation, if you haven’t seen the blueprints, you will have less confidence in your decisions.” Tom Rath, StrengthsFinder 2.0.
My friend Ntando has Context in his top 5. He is always wanting to see the variables of a situation. The surrounding story to the process, he feels, is key to making present and future decisions. He is not happy hiring consultancies, unless he personally knows the people running the consultancy. His ability to give context, or insist on understanding it, helps his team research on why the process is as it is in the first place, before improving or changing it. Why was it created in the first place? That question ensures that the process still achieves what it’s there for.
If you want him to give you a quick decision, then make sure you provide him with the right background information of what you are seeking to do. Or, if you are having to do some kind of research or report, he can help you see what kind of information is needed to give a clear picture of your presentation. “Those who don’t know their past, are in danger of repeating it.” That is his mantra. The Context strength reminds us of the past, so we are clear on the types of decisions that are needed for the future.
In the next issue, we will look at the strength of Deliberative.
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.
