GallupReport Kerr

StrengthsFinder 2.0 Report

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

Strengths Insight and Action-Planning GuideSURVEY COMPLETION DATE: 05-14-2012

Maryann Kerr

Your Top 5 Themes

IndividualizationArrangerMaximizerRelatorBelief

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

333167177 (Maryann Kerr)© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Section I: Awareness

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.

Your Personalized Strengths Insights

What makes you stand out?

Chances are good that you automatically ask individuals questions to discover their talents, interests,hopes, fears, successes, or failures. By being inquisitive, you begin to see each person as he or shereally is. The insights you have are most valuable when there is a job to do. You are apt to be the oneto whom others look for ideas about assignments to give each individual. You are likely to understandwhat is and is not a reasonable expectation to place on someone. Driven by your talents, you canstand in a teammate’s emotional space to gain insights into what that person feels and/or thinks. Youprobably have a gift for looking at the world through someone else’s experiences. You frequently setaside your opinions, ideas, and/or past history to attune yourself to another human being’s condition.It’s very likely that you help people stay aware of the latest news and current events. Instinctively, youenjoy working and studying with people whose backgrounds, cultures, talents, or experiences arequite different from one another. You usually are the one who determines how each individual cancontribute to the group. By nature, you characteristically pinpoint people’s unique traits, qualities,motivations, strengths, limitations, preferences, and attitudes. How? You spontaneously look for thegood in each individual. Then you set up opportunities for them to cooperate with others. Occasionallyyou compliment people who share their knowledge, skills, or talents with teammates, classmates,coworkers, friends, or family members.

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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ArrangerShared Theme Description

People who are especially talented in the Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibilitythat complements this ability. They like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can bearranged for maximum productivity.



Driven by your talents, you may wish to have a broader range of control and accountability on the jobor in your personal life. Chances are good that you periodically expand recruit pools by startingconversations with newcomers or outsiders. You might be on a first-name basis with a great numberof individuals. Perhaps you realize people rarely take time to know the strangers in their midst. Thetalents, knowledge, or skills these individuals possess may remain unknown until you discover them.Instinctively, you might spend more time thinking about your talents than about your shortcomings.Sometimes you give a lot of thought to your limitations when you meet with failure or defeat. Ratherthan try to be someone you are not, you sometimes partner with individuals who possess talents youlack, and return the favor by sharing your own talents. By nature, you sometimes devise better waysto recruit people to work on certain kinds of jobs, tasks, teams, or activities. It’s very likely that youmay become bored when you have only a few things to do. Perhaps you can think about several tasksat the same time. Squeezing in a bit of time here and there to work on each task keeps you mentallyalert. Locating materials and timing their delivery might be your forte — that is, strong point.

Questions




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MaximizerShared Theme Description

People who are especially talented in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulatepersonal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.



Because of your strengths, you exhibit an awareness about what you do and do not do well. You trustyour instincts in this regard. Over time, you have progressed faster and moved further by relying onyour talents. You simply refuse to risk losing confidence in yourself by tackling assignments for whichyou lack the talent, even when you may possess some relevant knowledge, skills, or experience.Chances are good that you reject using a one-size-fits-all approach when attempting to influencepeople to take action. Instead, you discover each person’s special talents, skills, knowledge, mission,likes, and dislikes. This information helps you personalize your words and deeds. Driven by yourtalents, you are grateful when your questions are answered, your studies yield new information, oryour knowledge increases. You routinely deepen your understanding through conversations, themedia, the Internet, books, or classes. You resist spending the majority of your time on topics that arenot in line with your natural abilities. Instead, you choose to take advantage of your talents — and bydoing so, you consistently produce topnotch results. By nature, you take full advantage of yourtalents. This is how you move toward your goals. It’s very likely that you occasionally spend timepondering what you have an aptitude or gift for doing well. From time to time, you discover things youneed to do a bit better.

Questions




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RelatorShared Theme Description

People who are especially talented in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. Theyfind deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.



Chances are good that you consistently measure up to your high expectations when working,studying, or playing. By nature, you sometimes are honest with yourself about yourself. You might becandid about your limitations when you are talking with certain individuals. Perhaps you arecomfortable admitting you need to do some things better, more completely, or more perfectly.Instinctively, you routinely give your team everything you possibly can in terms of your talent, skill,energy, knowledge, or time. As a result, you probably have little left to offer people outside theworkplace or study group. Driven by your talents, you may have friends who come to you forguidance, suggestions, or recommendations. Topics might include situations in their personal orprofessional lives. Because of your strengths, you realize each individual’s interests, background,motivations, desires, fears, and work style are different. You strive to honor everyone’s uniquenessand preferences. Understanding a person’s ambitions gives you insights into the type of support,training, experiences, partnerships, and nurturing he or she needs to thrive.

Questions




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BeliefShared Theme Description

People who are especially talented in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging.Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.



It’s very likely that you employ your passion for reading to collect lots of good ideas for resolvingissues, fixing mistakes, or overcoming obstacles. The act of reading allows you to generate optionsfor dealing with all sorts of predicaments — that is, difficult, perplexing, or trying situations. By nature,you might seek to create a happier and more hospitable environment by reminding people about theiraccomplishments. Perhaps one of your missions in life is to build up the self-confidence of others.Driven by your talents, you may convince certain people that a particular project or cause improveshumankind’s quality of life. Occasionally you persuade them of the importance of protecting theplanet’s resources for future generations. Perhaps you help people realize they can accomplish moregood as a group than they can as individuals. Instinctively, you try to be helpful to others in ways thatmay improve their lives. Perhaps you hope to leave the world in better shape than you found it.Because of your strengths, you occasionally credit individuals with being key contributors to a project.Perhaps you help them claim their strengths or recognize their untapped potential. Seeing them growin confidence might give your life special meaning.

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

IndividualizationIdeas for Action:

Select a vocation in which your Individualization talents can be both used andappreciated, such as counseling, supervising, teaching, writing human interest articles, orselling. Your ability 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 yourphilosophy so 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 relateyour topic to the experiences of individuals in the audience. Use your Individualizationtalents to gather and share real-life stories that will make your points much better thanwould generic information 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

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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ArrangerIdeas for Action:

Learn the goals of your coworkers and friends. Let them know that you are aware of theirgoals, and then help set them up for success.If a team needs to be created, make sure you are involved. You recognize talents, skills,and knowledge in people, and that awareness will help you get the right people in the rightspots.You intuitively sense how very different people can work together. Take a close look atgroups with divergent personalities and opinions, as they may have the greatest need foryour Arranger talents.Be sure to keep track of ongoing deadlines for your many tasks, projects, and obligations.Although you enjoy the chance to juggle lots of activities, others with less powerfulArranger talents may become anxious if they don’t see you working on their projectsfrequently. Inform them of your progress to ease their fears.Seek complex, dynamic environments in which there are few routines.Take on the organization of a big event — a convention, a large party, or a companycelebration.Give people time to understand your way of doing things when you present it to them.Your mental juggling is instinctive, but others might find it difficult to break with existingprocedures. Take the time to clearly explain why your way can be more effective.At work, focus your Arranger talents on the most dynamic areas of your organization.Divisions or departments that are static and routine in nature are likely to bore you. Youwill thrive when your Arranger talents are energized, and you will suffer when you arebored.Help others see your far-reaching expertise by sharing your “what if” thinking with them.When they know you’ve identified and carefully considered all possible options andarrangements, they’ll feel more confident.You are flexible in the way you organize people, as well as in how you configure space.Figure out how you can improve workflow by rearranging spaces and/or procedures tomaximize efficiency and to free up time for you and for others.

Questions




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MaximizerIdeas for Action:

Once you have identified your own greatest talents, stay focused on them. Refine yourskills. Acquire new knowledge. Practice. Keep working toward strength in a few areas.Develop a plan to use your most powerful talents outside of work. In doing so, considerhow your talents relate to the mission in your life and how they might benefit your family orthe community.Problem solving might drain your energy and enthusiasm. Look for a restorative partnerwho can be your chief troubleshooter and problem solver. Let that person know howimportant your partnership is to your success.Study success. Deliberately spend time with people who have discovered their strengths.The more you understand how marshaling strengths leads to success, the more likely youwill be to create success in your own life.Explain to others why you spend more time building on great talent rather than fixingweaknesses. Initially, they might confuse what you are doing with complacency.Don’t let your Maximizer talents be stifled by conventional wisdom, which says you shouldfind what is broken and fix it. Identify and invest in the parts of your organization orcommunity that are working. Make sure that most of your resources are spent in the build-up and build-out of these pockets of excellence.Keep your focus on long-term relationships and goals. Many make a career out of pickingthe low-hanging fruit of short-term success, but your Maximizer talents will be mostenergized and effective as you turn top potential into true and lasting greatness.See if you can make some of your weaknesses irrelevant. For example, find a partner,devise a support system, or use one of your stronger talents to compensate for one ofyour weaker ones.Seek roles in which you are helping people succeed. In coaching, managing, mentoring,or teaching roles, your focus on strengths will prove particularly beneficial to others.Because most people find it difficult to describe what they do best, start by arming themwith vivid descriptions.Devise ways to measure your performance and the performance of others. Thesemeasures will help you spot strengths, because the best way to identify a strength is tolook for sustained levels of excellent performance.

Questions




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RelatorIdeas for Action:

Find a workplace in which friendships are encouraged. You will not do well in an overlyformal organization. In job interviews, ask about work styles and company culture.Deliberately learn as much as you can about the people you meet. You like knowing aboutpeople, and other people like being known. By doing this, you will act as a catalyst fortrusting relationships.Let it be known that you are more interested in the character and personality of othersthan in their status or job title. This is one of your greatest talents and can serve as amodel for others.Let your caring show. For example, find people in your company to mentor, help yourcolleagues get to know each other better, or extend your relationships beyond the office.No matter how busy you are, stay in contact with your friends. They are your fuel.Be honest with your friends. True caring means helping the other person be successfuland fulfilled. Giving honest feedback or encouraging your friend to move out of a role inwhich he or she is struggling is a compassionate act.You probably prefer to be seen as a person, an equal, or a friend, rather than as afunction, a superior, or a title. Let people know that they can address you by your firstname, rather than formally.You might tend to withhold the most engaging aspects of your personality until you havesensed openness from another person. Remember, building relationships is not a one-way street. Proactively “put yourself out there.” Others will quickly see you for the genuineindividual you are, and you will create many more opportunities to cultivate strong, long-lasting connections.Make time for family and close friends. You need to spend quality moments with those youlove in order to “feed” your Relator talents. Schedule activities that allow you to get evencloser to the people who keep you grounded and happy.Make an effort to socialize with your colleagues and team members outside of work. It canbe as simple as lunch or coffee together. This will help you forge more connectedrelationships at work, which in turn can facilitate more effective teamwork andcooperation.

Questions




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BeliefIdeas for Action:

Clarify your values by thinking about one of your best days ever. How did your values playinto the satisfaction that you received on that day? How can you organize your life torepeat that day as often as possible?Actively seek roles that fit your values. In particular, think about joining organizations thatdefine their purpose by the contribution they make to society.The meaning and purpose of your work will often provide direction for others. Remindpeople why their work is important and how it makes a difference in their lives and in thelives of others.Your Belief talents allow you to talk to the hearts of people. Develop a “purposestatement” and communicate it to your family, friends, and coworkers. Your powerfulemotional appeal can give them a motivating sense of contribution.Create a gallery of letters and/or pictures of the people whose lives you have substantiallyinfluenced. When you are feeling down or overwhelmed, remind yourself of your value bylooking at this gallery. It will energize you and revive your commitment to helping others.Set aside time to ensure that you are balancing your work demands and your personallife. Your devotion to your career should not come at the expense of your strongcommitment to your family.Don’t be afraid to give voice to your values. This will help others know who you are andhow to relate to you.Actively cultivate friends who share your basic values. Consider your best friend. Doesthis person share your value system?Partner with someone who has strong Futuristic talents. This person can energize you bypainting a vivid picture of the direction in which your values will lead.Accept that the values of other people might differ from your own. Express your beliefswithout being judgmental.

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.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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Arranger sounds like this:

Sarah P., finance executive: “I love really complicated challenges where I have to think on my feetand figure out how all the pieces fit together. Some people look at a situation, see thirty variables, andget hung up trying to balance all thirty. When I look at the same situation, I see about three options.And because I see only three, it’s easier for me to make a decision and then put everything intoplace.”

Grant D., operations manager: “I got a message the other day from our manufacturing facility sayingthat demand for one of our products had greatly exceeded the forecast. I thought about it for amoment, and then an idea popped into my head: Ship the product weekly, not monthly. So I said,‘Let’s contact our European subsidiaries, ask them what their demand is, tell them the situation we arein, and then ask what their weekly demand is.’ That way we can meet requirements without buildingup our inventory. Sure, it’ll drive shipping costs up, but that’s better than having too much inventory inone place and not enough in another.”

Jane B., entrepreneur: “Sometimes, for instance, when we are all going to a movie or a football game,this Arranger theme drives me up the wall. My family and friends come to rely on me — ‘Jane will getthe tickets, Jane will organize the transportation.’ Why should I always have to do it? But they just say,‘Because you do it well. For us it would take half an hour. For you, it seems to go much faster. Youjust call up the ticket place, order the right tickets, and just like that, it’s done.’”


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Maximizer sounds like this:

Gavin T., flight attendant: “I taught aerobics for ten years, and I made a point of asking people tofocus on what they liked about themselves. We all have parts of our body that we would like tochange or that we would like to see differently, but to focus on that can be so destructive. It becomesa vicious cycle. So I would say, ‘Look, you don’t need to be doing that. Instead, let’s focus on theattribute you like about yourself, and then we’ll all feel better about expending all of this energy.’”

Amy T., magazine editor: “There is nothing I hate more than having to fix a poorly written piece. If Ihave given the writer a clear focus and she comes back with a piece that is completely off the mark, Ialmost can’t bring myself to write comments on it. I’m more inclined to just hand it back to her andsay, ‘Just please start again.’ On the other hand, what I love to do is take a piece that is so close andthen refine it to make it perfect. You know, just the right word here, a little cut there, and suddenly it’sa brilliant piece.”

Marshall G., marketing executive: “I am really good at setting a focus for people and then building asense of team spirit as we all march forward. But I am not so good at strategic thinking. Fortunately, Ihave a boss who understands that about me. We have been working together for quite a few years.He has found people who play the strategic role, and at the same time, stretches me to be even betterat the focus and team-building role. I’m so lucky to have a boss who thinks this way. It’s made memore secure and made me charge ahead much faster, knowing that my boss knows what I am goodat and what I’m not good at; he doesn’t bother me with the latter.”


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Relator sounds like this:

Gavin T., flight attendant: “I have many wonderful acquaintances, but as for true friends that I holddear, not very many. And I’m real okay with that. My best times are spent with the people I’m tightestwith, like my family. We are a very tight-knit Irish Catholic family, and we get together every chancewe can. It’s a large family — I have five brothers and sisters and ten nieces and nephews — but weall get together about once a month and yuk it up. I’m the catalyst. When I’m back in Chicago, even ifthere is no birthday or anniversary or whatever, I become the excuse for getting together and hangingout for three or four days. We really enjoy one another’s company.”

Tony D., pilot: “I used to fly in the Marines, and, boy, you had better be comfortable with the word‘friend’ in the Marines. You had better feel good about trusting someone else. I can’t tell you howmany times I put my life in someone else’s hands. I was flying off my friend’s wing, and I’d be dead ifhe couldn’t get me back safely.”

Jamie T., entrepreneur: “I’m definitely selective about my relationships. When I first meet people, Idon’t want to give them very much of my time. I don’t know them; they don’t know me — so let’s justbe pleasant and leave it at that. But if circumstances make it so that we get to know each other better,it seems like a threshold is reached where I suddenly start wanting to invest more. I’ll share more ofmyself, put myself out for them, do things for them that will bring us a little closer, and show that Icare. It’s funny because I am not looking for any more friends in my life. I have enough. And yet witheach new person I meet, as soon as that threshold is reached, I feel compelled to go deeper anddeeper. Now I have ten people working for me, and I would call each of them my very good friend.”


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Belief sounds like this:

Michael K., salesperson: “The vast majority of my nonworking time goes to my family and to the thingswe do in the community. I was on the countywide Boy Scouts board of directors. And when I was aBoy Scout, I was pack leader. When I was an Explorer, I was junior assistant leader for the BoyScouts. I just like being with kids. I believe that’s where the future is. And I think you can do a wholelot worse with your time than investing it in the future.”

Lara M., college president: “My values are why I work so hard every day at my job. I put hours andhours into this job, and I don’t even care what I get paid. I just found out that I am the lowest paidcollege president in my state, and I don’t even care. I mean, I don’t do this for the money.”

Tracy D., airline executive: “If you are not doing something important, why bother? Getting up everyday and working on ways to make flying safer seems important to me, purposeful. If I didn’t find thispurpose in my job, I don’t know if I could work through all the challenges and frustrations that get inmy way. I think I would get demoralized.”


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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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