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 DEVELOPER.
“You see the potential in others. In your view no individual is fully formed. On the contrary, each individual is a work in progress, alive with possibilities, and you are drawn toward people for this very reason. When you interact with others, your goal is to help them experience success. You look for ways to challenge them. You devise interesting experiences that can stretch them and help them grow. And all the while you are on the lookout for the signs of growth – a new behaviour learned or modified, a slight improvement in a skill, a glimpse of excellence or of ‘flow’ where previously there were only halting steps. For you these small increments – invisible to some – are clear signs of potential being realised. These signs of growth in others are your fuel. They bring you strength and satisfaction. Over time many will seek you out for help and encouragement because on some level they know that your helpfulness is both genuine and fulfilling to you.” Tom Rath, StrengthsFinder 2.0.
One of my close friends Kumbi has Developer in her top 5. She has a passion for health, and trains people in exercise and nutrition. She loves to talk about the things that make us better people mentally and physically. She has even started advising clients on meal planning and is doing online courses about nutritional value in all types of food. Her desire is for people to have better wellbeing, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Any small improvement is a gust of joy in her inner being.
She is able to see the potential in people no matter how small. She is capable of sacrificing her peace of mind to help someone move forward and improve. For her, there is always a better version of the self. Even in her own private life. She takes great care to exercise and eat the right foods in the right portions. Nothing excites her more than talking about different ways of becoming a better human being. She craves the reality of a better world and volunteers to help collect materials for recycling. Whenever I feel stuck, she always reminds me of how far I have come, and encourages me to keep going in my path.
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.
