Teach with your Strengths, part 2 of 2

In my last article (part1 of 2), we discussed the Biblical Reasoning of Teaching with your Strengths. This sequel article outlines the practical gifts that teachers may have according to the research team at Gallup.  I highly recommend you purchase a book right now, and get the Strengthfinder 2.0 test for free!!  Otherwise you will be paying $13/license.  After I took this test, it has open my eyes to a whole new world of developing new skills in the teaching world.

WAIT!?  What about the other assessments like DISC or Meyers-Brigg?  Well these are personality assessments that focuses on the general demeanor of a person.  But Strengthsfinder gives an accurate assessment on your teaching strengths and then follows up on practical steps on enhancing your top strengths.

After I took my assessment, the results spits out 5 of my top strengths of the 34 listed.  Most  of us would want to zoom down to the bottom and focus on the bottom 5, but the results will only show you the top 5.  Curiosity may kill you, but don't worry, it didn't kill me knowing my fatal flaws.  Instead, I am zoned in on the top (see below of my top 5):  Arranger, Significance, Strategic, Command, Communicator.

ARRANGER: 

SIGNIFICANCE  

STRATEGIC

COMMAND 

COMMUNICATOR

or you can just skim through this...  then go take your assessment! What is your strength?

Signature Theme	Definition in my own words
Arranger	Organize with flexibility, figure out how all the pieces and resources can be arranged for max productivity Conductor, in complex situation involving many factors, you enjoy managing all of the variables, aligning and realigning them until you are sure you have arranged them in the most productive configuration possible, You are a shining example of effective flexibility, whether you are changing travel schedules at the last minute because a better fare has popped up or mulling over just the right combination of people and resources to accomplish a new project. You are at your best in dynamic situations. Confronted with the unexpected, some complain that plans devised with such care cannot be changed, while others take refuge in the existing rules or procedures. You don’t do either. -- because, after all, there might just be a better way. Ex. Games – Risk, Tetris, tower defense, real-time-scenario (RTS)
Command	Presence of Person, take control of a situation and make decisions Command leads you to take charge. Unlike some people, you feel no discomfort with imposing your views on others. On the contrary, once your opinion is formed, you need to share it with others.  Once your goal is set, you feel restless until you have aligned others with you. You are not frightened by confrontation; rather, you know that confrontation is the first step toward resolution. Whereas others may avoid facing up to life’s unpleasantness, you feel compelled to present the facts or the truth, no matter how unpleasant it may be. You need things to be clear between people and challenge them to be clear-eyed and honest.  You may even intimidate them. And while some may resent this, labeling you opinionated, they often willingly hand you the reins. People are drawn toward those who take a stance and ask them to move in a certain direction. Ex.  Where do you want to eat?  Where you want to go?
Communication	Easy to put their thoughts into words, they are good conversationalists and presenters. You like to explain, to describe, to host, to speak in public. Ideas are a dry beginning. Events are static. You feel a need to bring them to life, to energize them, to make them exciting and vivid. And so you turn events into stories and practice telling them.  You take the dry idea and enliven it with images and examples and metaphors. This is what draws you toward dramatic words and powerful word combinations. This is why people like to listen to you. Your word pictures pique their interest, sharpen their world, and inspire them to act.
Significance	Want to be very important in the eyes of others?  Independent and want to be recognized???? You want to be heard. You want to stand out.  You feel a need to be admired as credible, professional, and successful. Likewise, you want to associate with others who are credible, professional, and successful. And if they aren’t, you will push them to achieve until they are. Or you will move on. An independent spirit, you want your work to be a way of life rather than a job, and in that work you want to be given free rein, the leeway to do things your way. Your yearnings feel intense to you, and you honor those yearnings. And so your life is filled with goals, achievements, or qualifications that you crave. (driving motivation) Whatever your focus your Significance theme will keep pulling you upward, away from the mediocre toward the exceptional. It is the theme that keeps you reaching.
Strategic	Create alternative ways to proceed.  Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues. Sort through the clutter and find the best route, you play out alternative scenarios, always asking, “What if this happened? Okay, well what if this happened?” This recurring question helps you see around the next corner, Guided by where you see each path leading, you start to make selections. You discard the paths that lead nowhere. You discard the paths that lead straight into resistance. You discard the paths that lead into a fog of confusion. You cull and make selections until you arrive at the chosen path—your strategy. Armed with your strategy, you strike forward. Ex.  Odyssey of Mind

Teach with your Strengths, part 1 of 2

I came across this book not too long ago in 2010. This book comes from a series of book from the Gallup Press.  Read more there.

We tend to ask the common question of priority, "What do I work on first, my strength or my weaknesses?"  I had asked this question prior to starting my doctorate program.  My advisor at the time posed this conundrum to me and shared me both philosophies of thinking.  Some would work on their weaker areas to make them stronger.  Others will go all the way with they are good at so they can become experts in their field.  I chose the latter.  Why?  First, I am rooted in a Biblical Worldview in how God dispenses every believer spiritual gifts.

Romans 12:6-8 says,

"⁶Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: ifprophecy, in proportion to our faith; ⁷ifservice, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness."

Second, if God has given us these unique gifts, why would we neglect it, but rather improve upon them.  The book ""Teach with your Strengths" follows these Biblical principles.  Although not written to a Christian audience, the book does support the principle that we should continue to A) Strengthen our Gifts, and b) Minimize our Weaknesses.  It takes more energy to focus on our weaknesses to make them even at par.  But the extreme energy exerted on improving our weaknesses will go further when we focus on our Strengths.  Let's focus on our strengths.

In the next article (part 2 of 2), we will discover what my strengths are... stay tuned.