Leveraging Talents into Strengths

This semester, I have the joy of being in the Honors Supply Chain Leadership Colloquium taught by Dr. Donnie Williams. In this class, we have the opportunity to hear executives speak about their leadership journey, read numerous Harvard Business Review articles on Leadership, and discuss our leadership strengths and weaknesses in class. One of the first assignments this semester is taking the StrengthsFinder assessment.

“Yet it’s clear from Gallup’s research that each person has greater potential for success in specific areas, and the key to human development is building on who you already are.”*

As suggested by the name, StrengthsFinder focuses on strengthening talents as opposed to fixing our weaknesses. The StrengthsFinder assessment measures talent through 34 classifications which fall under five themes: executing, influencing, relationship building and strategic thinking. After identifying talents, the next step is to allocate time investing in talents to turn them into strengths.

Initial Reaction

My top 5 strengths are Deliberative, Responsibility, Learner, Relator and Consistency. While initially I was surprised to find that most of my strengths consisted of executive talents instead of relationship building, I resonated deeply with each of my top 5 as I researched into them further. The following are “I” statements that describe the way each of my top 5 talents are visible in my daily life:

1. Deliberative – I thoroughly think through decisions and tasks.
2. Responsibility – I take personal responsibility for tasks assigned to me and see them through.
3. Learner – I am a lifelong learner, whether that be through books or conversations with knowledgeable people.
4. Relator – I enjoy meeting new people, but rely heavily on those closest to me.
5. Consistency – I place? a high importance on rules and believe that they apply to everyone.

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Leadership Applications

My talents can be directly applied to my leadership style in many ways. Thanks to my top executing strengths: Deliberative, Responsibility and Consistency, I bring a practical outlook to any discussion, am trustworthy to finish a task assigned to me on time and in full, and will treat others fairly no matter their background, title or gender. As a Learner, I am constantly looking for new ways to expand my knowledge, whether personally or professionally. It is important for leaders to constantly be learning because change is constant, and constant learning equips leaders to be agile. Lastly, as a Relator, because I yearn for deep relationships with those around me, I will be compelled to understand the motivations behind my team in order to best lead them.

Room for Improvement

I plan to focus on improving my relationship building talents, specifically Relator, as I continue in my leadership journey. Due to the executing nature of my top 5 talents, developing my relationships will balance out the task-oriented parts of executing talents that dominate my top 5. A good leader knows how to uplift their team, while getting things done. As a manger – developing the people you manage is almost just as important as ensuring daily tasks are done. By developing my Relator talent into a strength, I will better lead a team.

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Supply Chain Leader

The articles that we have discussed in class mention that successful supply chain leaders are able to nimbly face change. Both Deliberative and Learner will allow me to anticipate change and overcome it efficiently. Deliberative describes the part of me that is constantly scanning the horizon in preparation for a change and being a life-long Learner means that I look at change as an opportunity to learn. By strengthening my Deliberative and Learner talents, I will be a better supply chain professional, capable of identifying change and confidently leading a team through it.

“From the cradle to the crucible, we devote more time to our shortcomings than to our strengths.”*

*: Rath, Tom. StrengthsFinder 2.0. Gallup Press, 2007.