gallupreport

StrengthsFinder 2.0 Report

© 2000, 2006-2012 GALLUP, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Strengths Insight and Action-Planning GuideSURVEY COMPLETION DATE: 11-01-2013

David Dembinski

Your Top 5 Themes

WooPositivityIndividualizationAdaptabilityCompetition

What's in This Guide?

Section I: Awareness

A brief Shared Theme Description for each of your top five themes

Your Personalized Strengths Insights, which describe what makes you stand out from otherswith the same theme in their top five

Questions for you to answer to increase your awareness of your talentsSection II: Application

10 Ideas for Action for each of your top five themes

Questions for you to answer to help you apply your talentsSection III: Achievement

Examples of what each of your top five themes "sounds like" -- real quotes from people whoalso have the theme in their top five

Steps for you to take to help you leverage your talents for achievement

488974472 (David Dembinski)© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Section I: Awareness

WooShared Theme Description

People who are especially talented in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people andwinning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection withanother person.

Your Personalized Strengths Insights

What makes you stand out?

Chances are good that you give some evidence of being sociable, friendly, or interested in people.Perhaps certain individuals are attracted to these qualities. Maybe your welcoming nature enhancesthe self-esteem or the sense of belonging particular people experience. By nature, you sometimesfind life exciting. Maybe you welcome opportunities to accept various types of people into your circleof acquaintances, teammates, family, or friends. Instinctively, you might appear enthusiastic aboutyour life. Some people find your energy contagious. Periodically you ask, “What is there not to likeabout life?” Perhaps you are puzzled by people who see life as a struggle and seldom experience itsjoys. Because of your strengths, you might be enthusiastic about certain types of contests ortournaments. Perhaps you aim to finish first or be declared the best. Driven by your talents, you reallyenjoy starting discussions with newcomers. You probably engage outsiders in small talk. You aredetermined to make each person feel comfortable in your presence. After chatting with you, mostindividuals sense they have made a new friend.

Questions

1. As you read your personalized strengths insights, what words, phrases, or lines stand out toyou?

2. Out of all the talents in this insight, what would you like for others to see most in you?


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PositivityShared Theme Description

People who are especially talented in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious.They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.



Because of your strengths, you may conclude that life is better for you when people accommodateyour innate need to work in the morning. You might produce your best results earlier rather than laterin the day. Chances are good that you might feel more upbeat about life when you unravel themysteries of a person’s talents, motivations, ambitions, fears, shortcomings, work style, thinkingprocesses, or academic preferences. Instinctively, you might feel more enthusiastic about life whenyou contemplate some of the things you can accomplish in the coming months, years, or decades.Perhaps you need to know what the future holds before you can concentrate on today’s activities.Driven by your talents, you may be fascinated with the mystery of life. Perhaps your capacity to feelgood about yourself does not hinge on having logical or rational explanations for everything. Maybeyou sense you are part of the lives of other individuals and accept they are part of your existence.Maybe this outlook on life influences what you say and do for people as well as how you care for theenvironment. It’s very likely that you sense there is something good in each person you meet. Youropen approach to people makes you a very likeable individual.

Questions




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IndividualizationShared Theme Description

People who are especially talented in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the uniquequalities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can worktogether productively.



By nature, you occasionally spend time thinking about what makes particular people unique orspecial. Because of your strengths, you may be capable of stepping into a person’s feelings, thoughts,or experiences. Perhaps you have a natural capacity for grasping what life is like for someone else.Even without firsthand experience, you can sometimes comprehend an individual’s challenges,worries, hopes, or fears as if they were your own. Chances are good that you occasionally considerwhat you need to redesign, refurbish, replace, or revise. You might study how individuals think, feel,behave, or react to your ideas for doing things better. It’s very likely that you occasionally welcomediverse people into your life. Maybe honoring their differences is easy for you. Perhaps you identifyspecific things each one does well. These insights may help you mix and match one person’s talents,skills, and knowledge with those of others in the group. Maybe you position specific individuals socooperation becomes the norm rather than the exception. Instinctively, you may be earnest abouthelping people be the very best at something. Perhaps you gravitate to individuals who share yourstrong work ethic. Sometimes you feel an inclination to spend time with people whose desire tocapture the top prize matches your intense drive to win.

Questions




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AdaptabilityShared Theme Description

People who are especially talented in the Adaptability theme prefer to “go with the flow.” They tend tobe “now” people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.



Driven by your talents, you may appreciate people who are not worrywarts. You might work betterwith individuals who avoid fretting over unimportant details. These people might approach everydaysituations or crises with an inner calmness that frees you to modify plans, rules, processes, orassignments. By nature, you may be the team member who is comfortable reacting to whateverhappens as it happens. Perhaps you welcome changes in processes, plans, procedures, or the waysresources are allocated to groups or individuals. You might be able to make some adjustmentswithout becoming upset or causing others to become upset. It’s very likely that you might choose todeal with events, people, or facts as they present themselves. Perhaps changing your plans as thesituation changes suits your style. Maybe you intentionally avoid inflexible people or situations.Because of your strengths, you might concentrate on living in the present. Perhaps you have an abilityto savor the good things in life as they unfold. Sometimes people comment on your cheerful,easygoing, or hopeful attitude. Chances are good that you may decide that all is well in your life whenyou allow each day to unfold on its own terms. You might feel restricted or boxed in by people whoforce you to adhere to their plans, processes, rules, or procedures. Occasionally you argue thatpeople must be flexible as they plan for the future. Why? Life is filled with constant surprises andchange. Perhaps you avoid creating undue stress for yourself or others by acknowledging this simplefact.

Questions




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CompetitionShared Theme Description

People who are especially talented in the Competition theme measure their progress against theperformance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.



It’s very likely that you may accomplish more when you take time to think about what you need toperfect, upgrade, or do better. Perhaps this is your way of being declared the best when your resultsare compared to those of others. Maybe your hours of hard work increase your chances of producingthe right outcomes. Chances are good that you occasionally set out to be “number one” whencomparisons are being made or scores are being kept. Perhaps you derive very little satisfaction fromfinishing in second or third place. Simply ranking among the top performers may actually be a sourceof displeasure. Driven by your talents, you may feel a bit dissatisfied with your life when you aredeprived of opportunities to engage in rivalries, games, or contests. Perhaps you are drawn tosituations where only one person emerges victorious. By nature, you may accomplish more thansome of your teammates accomplish. Perhaps you are driven from within to do more work or betterwork today than you ever have in the past. Perhaps you are motivated to be the winner when yourperformance, grades, productivity, or profits are compared to those of others. Perhaps you know howto find the most efficient way to use available time, money, materials, or human resources. Becauseof your strengths, you might feel more enthusiastic about your life when you can compare your resultsto those of others. Perhaps you are motivated by the image of yourself standing in the victory circleand being hailed as “the very best.”

Questions




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Questions

1. How does this information help you better understand your unique talents?2. How can you use this understanding to add value to your role?3. How can you apply this knowledge to add value to your team, workgroup, department, or

division?4. How will this understanding help you add value to your organization?5. What will you do differently tomorrow as a result of this report?


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Section II: Application

WooIdeas for Action:

Choose a job in which you can interact with many people over the course of a day.Deliberately build the network of people who know you. Tend to it by checking in with eachperson at least once a month.Join local organizations, volunteer for committees, and find out how to get on the sociallists of the influential people where you live.Learn the names of as many people as you can. Create a file of the people you know, andadd names as you become acquainted. Include a snippet of personal information — suchas their birthday, favorite color, hobby, or favorite sports team.In social situations, take responsibility for helping put reserved people at ease.Find the right words to explain that networking is part of your style. If you don’t claim thistheme, others might mistake it for insincerity and wonder why you are being so friendly.Partner with someone with dominant Relator or Empathy talents. This person can solidifythe relationships that you begin.Your Woo talents give you the ability to quicken the pulse of your surroundings. Recognizethe power of your presence and how you open doors for an exchange of ideas. By simplystarting conversations that engage others and bring talented people together, you will takeperformance up a notch — or several.The first moments of any social occasion are crucial to how comfortable people will be andhow they will remember the event. Whenever possible, be one of the first people othersmeet. Your capacity for meeting and greeting new people will help to quickly put them atease.Practice ways to charm and engage others. For example, research people before youmeet them so you can talk about your common interests.

Questions

1. Which of these action items speak to you? Highlight the actions that you are most likely totake.

2. How will you commit to taking action? Write your own personalized action item that you willtake in the next 30 days.


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PositivityIdeas for Action:

You probably will excel in any role in which you are paid to highlight the positive. Ateaching role, a sales role, an entrepreneurial role, or a leadership role will make the mostof your ability to make things dramatic.You tend to be more enthusiastic and energetic than most people. When others becomediscouraged or are reluctant to take risks, your attitude will provide the impetus to keepthem moving. Over time, others will start to look to you for this “lift.”Plan highlight activities for your friends and colleagues. For example, find ways to turnsmall achievements into events, plan regular celebrations that others can look forward to,or capitalize on the year’s holidays and festivals.Explain that your enthusiasm is not simple naivety. You know that bad things can happen;you simply prefer to focus on the good things.You may get your greatest joy by encouraging people. Freely show your appreciation ofothers, and make sure that the praise is not vague. Consistently seek to translate yourfeelings into specific, tangible, and personal expressions of gratitude and recognition.As you share your Positivity talents, be sure to protect and nurture them. As necessary,insulate yourself from chronic whiners and complainers, and intentionally spend time inhighly positive environments that will invigorate and feed your optimism.Don’t pretend that difficulties don’t concern you. Other people need to know that while youfind the good in virtually every situation, you are not naïve. Recognize challenges, andcommunicate the reasons for your optimism. Your positive approach will be most powerfulwhen others realize it is grounded in reality.Because people will rely on you to help them rise above their daily frustrations, armyourself with good stories, jokes, and sayings. Never underestimate the effect that you canhave on people.Avoid negative people. They will bring you down. Instead, seek people who find the samekind of drama and humor in the world that you do. You will energize each other.Deliberately help others see the things that are going well for them. You can keep theireyes on the positive.

Questions




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IndividualizationIdeas for Action:

Select a vocation in which your Individualization talents can be both used and appreciated,such as counseling, supervising, teaching, writing human interest articles, or selling. Yourability to see people as unique individuals is a special talent.Become an expert in describing your own strengths and style. For example, answerquestions such as: What is the best praise you ever received? How often do you like tocheck in with your manager? What is your best method for building relationships? How doyou learn best? Then ask your colleagues and friends these same questions. Help themplan their future by starting with their strengths, then designing a future based on whatthey do best.Help others understand that true diversity can be found in the subtle differences betweeneach individual — regardless of race, sex, or nationality.Explain that it is appropriate, just, and effective to treat each person differently. Thosewithout strong Individualization talents might not see the differences among individualsand might insist that individualization is unequal and therefore unfair. You will need todescribe your perspective in detail to be persuasive.Figure out what every person on your team does best. Then help them capitalize on theirtalents, skills, and knowledge. You may need to explain your rationale and your philosophyso people understand that you have their best interests in mind.You have an awareness and appreciation of others’ likes and dislikes and an ability topersonalize. This puts you in a unique position. Use your Individualization talents to helpidentify areas where one size does not fit all.Make your colleagues and friends aware of each person’s unique needs. Soon people willlook to you to explain other people’s motivations and actions.Your presentations and speaking opportunities will be most engaging when you relate yourtopic to the experiences of individuals in the audience. Use your Individualization talents togather and share real-life stories that will make your points much better than would genericinformation or theories.You move comfortably among a broad range of styles and cultures, and you intuitivelypersonalize your interactions. Consciously and proactively make full use of these talentsby leading diversity and community efforts.Your Individualization talents can help you take a different approach to interpreting data.While others are looking for similarities, make a point of identifying distinctiveness. Yourinterpretations will add a valuable perspective.

Questions




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AdaptabilityIdeas for Action:

Cultivate your reputation as a calm and reassuring person when others become upset bydaily events.Avoid roles that demand structure and predictability. These roles will quickly frustrate you,make you feel inadequate, and stifle your independence.When the pressure is on, help your hesitant friends, colleagues, and clients find ways tocollect themselves and take control of the situation. Explain that adaptability is about morethan simply rolling with the punches; it is about calmly, intelligently, and readily respondingto circumstances.Don’t let others abuse your inherent flexibility. Though your Adaptability talents serve youwell, don’t compromise your long-term success by bending to every whim, desire, anddemand of others. Use smart guidelines to help you decide when to flex and when to standfirm.Seek roles in which success depends on responding to constantly changingcircumstances. Consider career areas such as journalism, live television production,emergency healthcare, and customer service. In these roles, the best react the fastest andstay levelheaded.Fine-tune your responsiveness. For example, if your job demands unanticipated travel,learn how to pack and leave in 30 minutes. If your work pressure comes in unpredictablespurts, practice the first three moves you will always make when the pressure hits.Look to others for planning. People who have strong Focus, Strategic, or Belief talents canhelp you shape your long-term goals, leaving you to excel at dealing with the day-to-dayvariations.Your Adaptability talents give you an even-keel mindset that lets you ride the ups anddowns without becoming an emotional volcano. Your “don’t cry over spilled milk” approachwill help you quickly recover from setbacks. Recognize this aspect of your nature, and helpyour friends and colleagues understand that it is productive flexibility rather than an “I don’tcare” attitude.Avoid tasks that are too structured and stifle your need for variety. If given a list of tasks tocomplete, try to indulge your desire for flexibility by making a game of that list. See if youcan be creative or make the tasks more fun in some way.Openly use your reassuring demeanor to soothe disgruntled friends or coworkers. Thinkabout the approach you used, and remember to apply it again when the situation presentsitself.

Questions




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CompetitionIdeas for Action:

Select work environments in which you can measure your achievements. You might not beable to discover how good you can be without competing.List the performance scores that help you know where you stand every day. What scoresshould you pay attention to?Identify a high-achieving person against whom you can measure your own achievement. Ifthere is more than one, list all the people with whom you currently compete. Withoutmeasurement, how will you know if you won?Try to turn ordinary tasks into competitive games. You will get more done this way.When you win, take the time to investigate why you won. You can learn a great deal morefrom a victory than from a loss.Let people know that being competitive does not equate with putting others down. Explainthat you derive satisfaction from pitting yourself against good, strong competitors andwinning.Develop a “balanced metric” — a measurement system that will monitor all aspects of yourperformance. Even if you are competing against your own previous numbers, thismeasurement will help you give proper attention to all aspects of your performance.When competing with others, create development opportunities by choosing to compareyourself to someone who is slightly above your current level of expertise. Your competitionwill push you to refine your skills and knowledge to exceed those of that person. Look oneor two levels above you for a role model who will push you to improve.Take the time to celebrate your wins. In your world, there is no victory without celebration.Design some mental strategies that can help you deal with a loss. Armed with thesestrategies, you will be able to move on to the next challenge much more quickly.

Questions




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Section III: Achievement

Look for signs of achievement as you read these real quotes from people who share your top fivethemes.Woo sounds like this:

Deborah C., publishing executive: “I have made best friends out of people that I have met passing inthe doorway. I mean, it’s awful, but wooing is part of who I am. All my taxi drivers propose to me.”

Marilyn K., college president: “I don’t believe I’m looking for friends, but people call me a friend. I callpeople and say, ‘I love you,’ and I mean it because I love people easily. But friends? I don’t havemany friends. I don’t think I am looking for friends. I am looking for connections. And I am really goodat that because I know how to achieve common ground with people.”

Anna G., nurse: “I think I am a little shy sometimes. Usually I won’t make the first step out. But I doknow how to put people at ease. A lot of my job is just humor. If the patient is not very receptive, myrole becomes that of a stand-up comedian. I’ll say to an eighty-year-old patient, ‘Hi, you handsomeguy. Sit up. Let me get your shirt off. That’s good. Take your shirt off. Whoa, what a chest on thisman!’ With kids, you have to start very slowly and say something like, ‘How old are you?’ If they say,‘Ten,’ then I say, ‘Really? When I was your age, I was eleven’ — silly stuff like that to break the ice.”


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Positivity sounds like this:

Gerry L., flight attendant: “There are so many people on an airplane that I have made it a point overthe years to single out one or two on a flight and make it something special for them. Certainly, I willbe courteous to everybody and extend to them the kind of professionalism that I would like given tome, but over and above that, I try to make one person or family or small group of people feelparticularly special, with jokes and conversation and little games that I play.”

Andy B., Internet marketing executive: “I am one of those people who loves creating buzz. I readmagazines all the time, and if I find something fun — some new store, new lip gloss, whatever — I willcharge around telling everyone about it. ‘Oh, you just have to try this store. It is so-o-o cool. Look atthese pictures. Check them out.’ I am so passionate when I talk about something that people justhave to do what I say. It’s not that I am a great salesperson. I’m not. In fact, I hate asking for theclose; I hate bothering people. It’s just that my passion about what I say makes people think, ‘Gosh, itmust be true.’”

Sunny G., communications manager: “I think the world is plagued with enough negative people. Weneed more positive people — people who like to zero in on what is right with the world. Negativepeople just make me feel heavy. In my last job, there was a guy who came into my office everymorning just to unload on me. I would purposely dodge him. I’d see him coming, and I’d run to thebathroom or go some other place. He made me feel as if the world was a miserable place, and I hatedthat.”


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Individualization sounds like this:

Les T., hospitality manager: “Carl is one of our best performers, but he still has to see me every week.He just wants a little encouragement and to check in, and he gets fired up a little bit after that meeting.Greg doesn’t like to meet very often, so there’s no need for me to bother him. And when we do meet,it’s really for me, not for him.”

Marsha D., publishing executive: “Sometimes I would walk out of my office and — you know howcartoon characters have those balloons over their head? I would see these little balloons overeveryone’s head telling me what was in their minds. It sounds weird, doesn’t it? But it happens all thetime.”

Andrea H., interior designer: “When you ask people what their style is, they find it hard to describe, soI just ask them, ‘What is your favorite spot in the house?’ And when I ask that, their faces light up, andthey know just where to take me. From that one spot, I can begin to piece together the kind of peoplethey are and what their style is.”


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Adaptability sounds like this:

Marie T., television producer: “I love live TV because you never know what is going to happen. Oneminute, I might be putting together a segment on the best teenage holiday gifts, and the next, I will bedoing the pre-interview for a presidential candidate. I guess I have always been this way. I live in themoment. If someone asks me, ‘What are you doing tomorrow?’ my answer is always, ‘I don’t know.Depends what I’m in the mood for.’ I drive my boyfriend crazy because he’ll plan for us to go to theantique market on Sunday afternoon, and then right at the last minute, I’ll change my mind and say,‘Nah, let’s go home and read the Sunday papers.’ Annoying, right? Yeah, but on the positive side, itdoes mean that I’m up for anything.”

Linda G., project manager: “Where I work, I am the calmest person I know. When someone comes inand says, ‘We didn’t plan right. We need this turned around by tomorrow,’ my colleagues seem totense up and freeze. Somehow that doesn’t happen to me. I like that pressure, that need for instantresponse. It makes me feel alive.”

Peter F., corporate trainer: “I think I deal with life better than most people. Last week, I found that mycar window had been smashed and the stereo stolen. I was annoyed, of course, but it didn’t throw meoff my day one bit. I just cleared it, mentally moved on, and went right on with the other things I had toget done that day.”


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Competition sounds like this:

Mark L., sales executive: “I’ve played sports my entire life, and I don’t just play to have fun — let meput it that way. I like to engage in sports I am going to win and not ones I am going to lose, because ifI lose, I am outwardly gracious but inwardly infuriated.”

Harry D., general manager: “I'm not a big sailor, but I love the America’s Cup. Both boats aresupposed to be exactly the same, and both crews have top-notch athletes. But you always get awinner. One of them had some secret up their sleeves that tipped the balance and enabled them towin more often than lose. And that’s what I am looking for — that secret, that tiny edge.”

Sumner Redstone, chairman of Viacom (now known as CBS Corporation), on his efforts to acquirethat company: “I relished every minute of it because Viacom was a company worth fighting for and Ienjoyed a contest. If you get involved in a major competitive struggle, and the stress that inevitablycomes with it, you’d better derive some real sense of satisfaction and enjoyment from the ultimatevictory. Wrestling control of a company like Viacom was warfare. I believe the real lesson it taught mewas that it is not about money, it’s about the will to win.”


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Questions

1. Talk to friends or coworkers to hear how they have used their talents to achieve.

2. How will you use your talents to achieve?


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