For some people, the idea of taking a personality test is a total a waste of time. Either they assume the results will be bogus, or they think that they will talk about the test for a couple of days and simply forget about it.
The Gallup StrengthsFinder is different. It is not your typical personality test but an innovative tool that can take your career to the next level.
On the surface, the Gallup StrengthsFinder looks like an assessment that merely helps you identify your talents. In fact, it is well known to measure the presence of talents in 34 general areas or themes. It has helped more than 19 million people discover what they do best, and it is considered one of the most powerful tools on the market.
However, the test is much more than that. It has many different uses.
Here are eight unexpected ways taking the Gallup StrengthsFinder assessment can benefit you:
1. Identify what type of work best fits you — Not only do the results from the Gallup StrengthsFinder assessment provide you with a list of your natural talents, but they also offer invaluable information about what type of work best fits you. This will allow you to understand why you are drawn to specific activities and not to others, recognize what kind of work energizes you, and identify what type of work would be a natural fit. The reports also provide key suggestions to help you effectively share your talents with others and offer hints on which roles or tasks to avoid.
2. Build on what you do best — According to Gallup, developing your talents into strengths is what enables you to start performing at your best and reach your full potential at work. The assessment reports offer vital insights on how to best use your talents, how to develop them, and how to invest in them. Working with a StrengthsFinder coach will also help you practice using your talents and take intentional steps to leverage them.
3. Pinpoint and manage your areas of weakness — The test results enable you to identify your areas of weakness and build a strategy to manage them. They allow you to gain awareness of your blind spots and what is standing in the way of your success. You can then create a game plan to overcome your shortcomings and start using your strengths to produce the results you want or partner with others to reach your goals.
4. Understand how your talents can be expressed in an unhelpful way — Gallup also provides practical tips to help you use and maturely develop your talents. Although talents are always positive, their expression may not always be. Talents can either be expressed constructively or destructively. The reports include essential information on how others can negatively perceive your talents, and they also share cues to help you use them productively and positively.
5. Figure out the best way to reach your goals — Because the test results allow you to gain awareness of your strengths and weaknesses, you can start building an effective strategy to reach your goals. Having this knowledge enables you to determine the most effective way to produce the results you want. You can identify which talents to leverage to conduct your everyday activities such as building relationships, executing tasks, influencing others and thinking strategically. You will also be better equipped to gauge when and how to use your strengths or when to further invest in your development to reach your goals. The reports also provide recommendations on partnering with others.
6. Understand how talents influence your management style — As a manager, Gallup resources can help you understand how your talents influence your behavior, activities, relationships and management style. Talents can positively or negatively affect your ability to inspire your team to perform at its best. Having this awareness provides access to personal growth and leadership development, which ultimately helps you achieve excellence as a manager. Working with a coach can allow you to recognize your strengths and deficiencies in the context of your role as a leader and help you learn how to best use your talents to engage your team.
7. Leverage your talents to build, motivate, and develop a high-performing team —According to Gallup, great managers understand what their team members need to be successful and productive. To meet their needs, they individualize their approach to each team member and focus on the talents and strengths of each team member. As a manager, strengths coaching can help you gain an understanding and appreciation of your team's unique and dominant talents. It also gives you the tools to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each member and build a powerful team. This knowledge is crucial to your success as a leader.
8. Gain awareness and appreciation of other people’s talents — Not only does the Gallup StrengthsFinder help you gain awareness of your talents, but it also allows you to understand the talents of others. Having access to this information is essential to build relationships, communicate with others, or simply do your job. You can also better appreciate how other people can help you succeed and identify the right people to partner with. As part of a team, this knowledge enables you to understand where you fit in and how you can uniquely bring value and contribute to the collective goals.
Now it's your turn.
Take the Gallup StrengthsFinder assessment today to start benefiting from its many uses.
Consider working with a Gallup Certified coach to help you develop your talents and produce the results you want.
Coaching will also allow you to understand what it takes to be successful as a leader and unlock the true potential of your team.
“You can do and achieve more by using your talents. Notice them. Use them and share them.” – Gallup
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Maxine Skerrett is an Executive Coach and a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach. Since 2015, she has worked with hundreds of professionals to discover what they do best and unlock their full potential at work.
As the founder of Pure Bliss Coaching, Maxine helps organizations develop a strengths-based culture by offering StrengthsFinder workshops and coaching programs for leaders and teams.
She also helps organizations develop a strengths-based culture by offering Strengthsfinder workshops and coaching programs for leaders and teams.
Learn more about her Strengths-Based coaching programs
Learn more about her StrengthsFinder corporate workshops
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