My StrengthsQuest Results

During the Spring 2010 week of accountability, we had the New Faculty Experience group participate in a StrengthsQuest professional development day. Prior to the day, we all had to take the StrengthsQuest assessment to get our top five strengths. The following are my top five areas with my quick reflections on examples of how I fit the category:

• INPUT: People who are especially talented in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information. I think my 2984 links in delicious, over 3300 when I’m signed in, demonstrate a collecting habit.
• SIGNIFICANCE: People who are especially talented in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.I admit it, I’m an egotistical little turd! I’m very proud to have my name as co-author on a textbook and co-editor on an edited collection.
• STRATEGIC: People who are especially talented in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues. I think this strength is what makes me good as a teacher who uses technology. With technology it’s never a question of if it will fairl, only a question of when. Therefore, geeky teachers have to be ready on the fly to come up with a different activity.
• LEARNER: People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them. I don’t think it was a big surprise to all the faculty in the room that over half of us had “learner” as top five category. I think the 141 RSS feeds I subscribe to in my Google Reader account (although I’m woefully behind in reading them) as well as my daily dedication to skimming The Chronicle of Higher Ed‘s and Inside Higher Ed‘s email updates demonstrates the commitment to learning something new.
• IDEATION: People who are especially talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena. I firmly believe this is why people like chatting with me when it comes to teaching with new technologies. I love looking at a new technology and start brainstorming how/why it might better facilitate learning in a variety of content areas and class modalities.

The SrengthsQuest program provided a variety of suggestions of how to improve/grow a person’s strengths. I’m pasted in the ones below I think I want to try to work on the next couple of years.

Input

• Identify your areas of specialization and actively seek more information about them.—Although I’ve been doing this every time I prep for a workshop; I know I need to do this more systematically in a way that is about sustaining a life-long research/scholarly agenda.
• Make time to read books and articles that stimulate you. Schedule the times.—I definitely need to do this…I read every night before bed; however, it is fiction. It has helped that I’ve started reviewing for Educause Quarterly, WPA Journal and TETYC; however, I also need to get myself reading scholarly journals and books.
• Devise a system to store and easily locate information. This can be as simple as a file for all the articles you have clipped, or as sophisticated as a computer database.—Considering that bibliographic database programs existed when I did my dissertation, I should have started a database of resources then; however, I did not. I would love to motivate myself to start a database of annotated bibliographies with something like Zotero; however, I at least have my 3000+ links in delicious and others in Diigo as well.
• Identify situations in which you can share the information you have collected with other people.—I do this already with workshops and other presentations; I need to make a master list of all the workshop I’ve done so that I can tell folks what I can do. Since I always refresh/reprep for each workshop, continuing to do workshops helps me grow my knowledge base.
• Partner with someone with a strong Focus or Discipline theme. This person will help you stay on track when your inquisitiveness leads you down intriguing but distracting avenues.—Susan…I miss having you locally!

Significance

• Your reputation is important to you, so decide what it should be and tend to it in the smallest detail.—On the one hand I do this, I write, speak, etc. However, because I over commit myself, I don’t do as polished of a job as I should in the name of reputation.
• Make a list of the goals, achievements, and qualifications you crave and post them where you will see them every day. Use this list to inspire yourself.—Isn’t this my to-do list? LOL

Strategic

• You can see repercussions more clearly than others. Take advantage of this ability by planning your range of responses in detail. There is little point in knowing where events will lead if you are not ready when they do.—I’m thinking I should do this more when making decisions, especially decisions about taking on new responsibilities.
• Trust your intuitive insights as often as possible. Even though you might not be able to explain them rationally, your intuitions are created by a brain that instinctively anticipates and projects. Have confidence in these intuitions.—I love reading this suggestion; I like having the excuse to trust my intuition!
• Find a group that you think does important work and contribute your Strategic thinking. You can be a leader with your ideas.—I’ve started participating in more national/disciplinary organizations.

Learner

• Seek roles that require some form of technical competence. You will enjoy the process of acquiring and maintaining this competence.—I think this is one of those reasons I like to play with new technologies!
• Find ways to track the progress of your learning. If there are distinct levels or stages of learning within the discipline or skill, take a moment to celebrate your progression from one level to the next. If no such levels exist, create them for yourself (e.g., reading five books on the subject, or making three presentations on the subject).—Maybe this can overlap with the “carve out time to read” suggestion above!

Ideation

• Schedule time to read, because the ideas and experiences of others can become your raw material for new ideas. Schedule time to think, because thinking energizes you.—In the CTL we talked about the need for “thinking” or “R&D” time. I’m thinking I need to be more disciplined about making time for myself.
• Finish your thoughts and ideas before communicating them. Lacking your Ideation strength, others might not be able to “join the dots” of an interesting but incomplete idea, and thus might dismiss it.—My high school English teacher made me aware of this problem…I try to do it; however, the ideas are so exciting and I just want to share them.
• Partner with someone with a strong Analytical theme. This person will question you and challenge you, therefore strengthening your ideas.—Susan, didn’t I already say I missed having you local?

June 20 2010 | Posted in