Overbearing corporate-ness is a problem with StrengthsFinder, its assumption that you must be manager at a Fortune 500 company if you’re reading it. That assumption turns off a lot of people, but there’s good stuff here if you can get past that.
That’s why today I want to have a little creative fun while looking at the 4 categories of strengths in StrengthsFinder and how to use your type of strength to help you be an effective leader and be part of a successful team.

StrengthsFinder for volunteer groups and families
Understanding your strengths is relevant not just for your working life whatever its shape, but for volunteer activities, organisations and even relationships.
My family did Strengthsfinder and it’s helped me understand and appreciate them and how we function together. It’s one of the core ways Malcolm and I run Touchwood, so I’ll continue to write about it for others out there looking to take more of a strengths-based approach to life.
I’m assuming you’re already familiar with the basics of StrengthsFinder, which is a tool that helps you identify your top 5 strengths from a list of 34. Now it’s about developing your strengths further and learning how to play your totally unique role as well as look for others to complement you.
How to be a great leader or part of a great team
To be an effective leader or part of a team, you need to 1) focus on your area of greatest ability then 2) build a team with complementary, very different strengths to yours.
Let’s start with you first.
The 4 types of strengths
Chances are, your strengths will fall into one of these categories:
(These are my colourful intrepretations of the 4 types, complete with little icons and colour coding. I love designing this kind of stuff.)
OK, go find your strengths report and look up your strengths again if you’ve forgotten them. Ready? Now, let’s start with the first set: Strategic Thinking. Continue Reading »
Tags: personal development, Strengthsfinder