For a time now I have been a great believe in self directed behaviour and the ability that everyone has to achieve anything they ‘think’ they can. This does not include the completely deluded entrants of the X-factor however funny they are, I’m talking about everyday men and women finding ways to achieve new and exciting things.
We all have the day-to-day slog of work but in an increasingly fluid and connected world I believe more of us are getting the itch. The itch to create, to make things, to share, to communicate and collaborate. One of the best examples of this for me is www.parkonmydrive.com a really nice way for people to rent their driveways around stadia in the UK and the absolutely fantastic Social Product Development site www.quirky.com inspired and created by Ben Kaufman.
Wrestling with the ‘what to do’ and ‘how can I make a difference’ I picked up a book I bought a while ago called StrengthFinder 2.0. The test was produced by Gallup back in 2001 and is developed with the premise that all too often school and society make us focus on our weaknesses this increases our awareness of them and suppresses the strengths we possess.
This test refocuses you onto the things you are good at, gives you a sense of what can be achieved with your traits and the really neat part is the action plans produced against each trait.
The outcome of a 35 minute online test are 5 traits. My traits were: Competition, Learner, Activator, Intellection and Command – for those of you that know me these will not come as any great surprise without even having the details of what they mean. Their description is uncanny in its relation to who I think I am.
They showed me why I get frustrated when not involved in a projects from the start and that this is where I add most value, to focus on a career in technology (handy), to be a catalyst for change, how creating competition in the things I want to achieve will push me to act, how my best ideas are created when I follow a leaning trail and connect past and present ideas (this is all about networks – see this video for more on idea generation) and how my activator trait means I work best when left to make my own decisions, to start something new and to act immediately when presented with an innovative idea – too name a few.
For those of you looking for an insight into your psychology or just something that will make you feel good about who you are check out the book and site here – http://www.strengthsfinder.com/home.aspx.
My questions is: Why don’t schools, colleges and universities use this?
Strengthsfinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now Discover Your Strengths.
johnkeiller 