Thursday, January 28, 2010

Positivity power!

Looks pretty good here for a snow/sleet event Saturday morning.  If it stayed all snow, we'd be looking at something upwards of a foot.  However, it looks like we'll get more of those compact ice pellets than we'll get nice fluffy snowflakes.  As long as it's not freezing rain, Dolberry will be happy.  Actually, I'll be fine if it freezing rains as well ... as long as a tree doesn't come through our roof.

Which sort of leads into the main theme of this evening's post.  My boss gave everyone in our group the book "Strengths Finder 2.0" and an online code to take the StrengthsFindertron 5000 assessment.  After answering 170-some questions, Dolberry was diagnosed as having the following five strengths (everyone gets five ... it's like tee ball trophies) out of the 34 they test for:

1) Positivity
2) Developer
3) Harmony
4) Empathy
5) Maximizer

I agree on 1-3, less sure about numbers 4 and 5.

Someone with the strength of positivity is described as one who "can't quite escape the conviction that it is good to be alive, that work can be fun, and that no matter what the setbacks, one must never lose one's sense of humor".  That's what I aspire to be anyway.  Think I hit it most of the time even if I have to revert to an alter ego to get it done sometimes.  "Live without a care.  What could possibly go wrong?"  

A developer is described as one who gets his/her deepest satisfaction from helping others reach their potential.  Harmony was characterized as one whose view is ... "We are all in the same boat.  We need this boat to get where we are going.  It's a good boat.  There is no need to rock it just to show you can."  Preach it Harmony!

Career recommendation for someone of Dolberry's strengths ... teacher.  Not surprised.

They don't tell you your worst strengths (w/o way more money).  Their basic theory is you are better off selecting a career that will play to your strengths rather than trying to improve your weaknessess.  I'm going to guess my bottom five (hooray a countdown!):

30) Woo (the ability to convince others ... boo hoo i don't have woo, how about you).

31) Connectedness (some sort of "life force" thing ... didn't understand it .. so doubt I have it)

32) Command (people who take charge ... I can take charge but find it draining ... interferes w/ harmony)

33) Restorative (people who like to solve problems ... Dolberry no like problems)

34) Futuristic (people who spend a lot of time planning a better future ... hey, i'm off tomorrow ... going on an afternoon date w/ tbKMD, it may snow after that ... softball is not that far away ... cheesesteaks are on the horizon ... that's a good enough future for now)

Anybody else out there ever done this?  If so, what were your strengths?

2 comments:

Carrie Dolwick said...

Carrie says, I have not taken a test to see what my strengths are, but sure feels like I an spending too much time trying to improve on my weaknessess, oh and I have way less money. I may have a deficit in the positvity category.

Anonymous said...

I haven't taken the test but I like your top 5. Interesting that they think you should be a teacher. In the blood, I guess. Too much snow here. No longer want to see snow in our yard, on our house or on the streets, driveways- do I need to move north?kris