EDGR 506: My Strengths

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My Strengths

Complete the online Cliftonstrengths (Gallup, n.d.) assessment to identify your top five strengths. To take this assessment, you will need to enter the access code:N5F9E5F8D5R5, from your text book Strengths Based Leadership (Rath & Conchie, 2008).

After completing the assessment, you will receive two reports. One has your personalized strengths insights and the other has action strategies.

In 3-4 paragraphs, reflect on your personalized strengths insights and your action plan.

  • What do you find to be most accurate and most compelling in your results?
  • Do your themes fall more heavily in one domain than another? Explain.
  • What does that mean for you as a leader?

Support your statements with evidence from the required studies and your research. Cite and reference your sources in APA style.

Click here for information on course rubrics.

References

Gallup. (n.d.). CliftonStrengths [Website]. Retrieved from https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/Home/en-US/S…

Rath, T., & Conchie, B. (2008). Strengths based leadership: Great leaders, teams, and why people follow. New York, NY: Gallup Press.

Required Studies

The following materials are required studies for this assignment. Complete these studies at the beginning of the week, and save these materials for future use. Full references for these materials are listed in the Required Course Materials section of the syllabus.

Strengths Based Leadership (Rath & Conchie, 2008)
  • Part 1: Investing in Your Strengths
  • Part 2: Maximizing Your Team
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    • Note: To take this assessment, you will need to enter the access code you received when you purchased your text, Strengths Based Leadership (Rath & Conchie, 2008). You will need to scroll down on the page and find the “Redeem Access Code” button for the text.

Strengths

Weaknesses. Everyone has them. Right? Many people spend a great deal of time and energy focusing on their weaknesses. In fact, it is possible the educational system is focused almost entirely on weaknesses. Consider how you or another educator you know looks at test scores. When the scores come in, a teacher might say to the student, “Good job! You are really exceeding in math!” But then that teacher will spend the next year intensely focusing on reading because the reading scores were lower. Teachers feel compelled to address weakness, sometimes at the expense of fostering the strength.

In his TED Talk, Do Schools Kill Creativity (2006), Sir Ken Robinson told the story of Gillian Lynne, a famous choreographer. As the story goes, Gillian was failing in school, and the school told her parents that she had a learning disorder. After medical evaluation, the doctor concluded that Gillian was not sick, she was a dancer. She needed to move. This doctor was ahead of his time. He knew Gillian was not finding success in traditional school, but rather than see her perceived weaknesses, he pointed out her strengths and told her parents to find a place where she could use them. Once Gillian was in a place that allowed her to focus on her strengths, she had great success in life.

What would happen if you chose to focus on your strengths and surround yourself with others who have complementary strengths? How would this change what you do? How would this influence your leadership? Rath and Conchie (2008) stated, “If you spend your life trying to be good at everything, you will never be great at anything. While our society encourages us to be well-rounded, this approach inadvertently breeds mediocrity” (p. 7).

Strengths. Everyone has them. Yet, sometimes you may not fully recognize or appreciate them. At times, you believe acknowledging them would be vain. In reality, your strengths are gifts. You do not need to walk around boasting about your strengths so that people will notice them. However, the more aware you are of your strengths, the better you can channel them in your environment to impact positive change.

This week you will focus on your strengths. What do you do particularly well as a leader? How do your strengths and values work together as you strive to fulfill your vocation? As you complete the Cliftonstrengths (Gallup, n.d.) assessment, reflect on your leadership settings and experiences. Begin to compare your list of strengths to the list of values you addressed in Week 1. How are they alike and different? Where do you see your strengths emerging in day-to-day life? This week, you will take another step toward leaving mediocrity behind and moving toward greatness in leadership. Have your growth mindset ready!

References

Gallup. (n.d.). CliftonStrengths [Website]. Retrieved from https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/Home/en-US/S…

Rath, T., & Conchie, B. (2008). Strengths based leadership. New York, NY: Gallup Press.

Robinson, T. (2006, February). Ted Robinson: Do schools kill creativity? [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_ robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity