Alternate Assignment

Since I missed the Annual Conference on Leadership due to attending a different leadership conference, LEAD, in Philadelphia, (I know, go leadership!) I took the Clifton StrengthsFinder online.

It concluded that my strengths are:
Woo
Communication
Empathy
Harmony
Developer

My very first reaction was "My strength is woo?"
But after reading the description, it does fit me perfectly. As I read through the descriptions, I honestly laughed because they fit my personality so well. I never really take time to sit and think, "what are my strengths and weaknesses?" I normally just recognize them as they pop up in daily life, so seeing them on paper is actually really cool.

I discovered how people oriented I am. I mean, I've always known that relationships are something that make me happy, but I never thought of them as a "strength." Each one of my traits relates to relationships with people and working with others. This made me realize how important it is that my future career involves me with people. I've been deciding between Information Systems and Human Resources for a specialization path, and this helped me choose Human Resources. I really hope the people I work with like me much more than Michael Scott likes Toby Flenderson though...

I was surprised when I received empathy. I immediately thought of sympathy instead of empathy, and as much as I would like to understand that, I never have. However, after reading the description of empathy, it isn't that I feel bad for others, it's that I understand others, which then does describe me. I do not feel bad for most situations because I am very realistic, but I can understand the emotions people are having. I don't "sympathize" with them, but empathize their situations. I can tell them how I would feel in their shoes or how I would have reacted.

One theme I thought would show up but didn't was "Arranger." Bringing it up again, my planner is ridiculous. It literally plans and organizes my life and I have always thought my ability to organize is one of my best strengths. It is actually one of my passions as well. I love when my days are planned to the T and my events run smoothly. Hopefully it was next on my list.

I shared my results with my mom and my best friends from my dorm floor. Not one person was surprised with these themes. Woo, Communication, and Developer were the ones everybody looked at me and said "well, duh." They all thought Empathy and Harmony fit me too, but the other ones were more prevalent. My mom told me Communication and Developer were the ones she'd always seen in me. As a kid, I talked to everyone and always made creative solutions. My barbie houses weren't the expensive dream houses that ran for hundreds of dollars. I used toaster boxes for houses, orange containers for beds, and plant shelfs for double decker buses. The themes I received are all perfectly fitting and seemed to have been with my personality for awhile now.

I really liked the StrengthsFinder quiz and wish I could have attended the other sessions of the Annual Conference, but I'll be sure to hit it up next year. I'm sure it will be....

:)