So I was gifted with the Strengthsfinder 2.0 book by a close friend today, and so I thought I’d sit down and do the test. My top five were:
Input
Learner
Achiever
Responsibility
Activator
Which is quite a reveling list to be honest. For those of you who know me well, or have worked with me before, the descriptions will make you nod your head haha.
Input
Shared Theme Description
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.
What makes you stand out?
Instinctively, you enjoy being well-read. Not surprisingly, you can introduce more questions,
suggestions, solutions, or innovative ideas into group conversations than most participants can. It’s
very likely that you may interpret and straightforwardly outline ideas, processes, or projects that some
people have difficulty understanding. Because of your strengths, you habitually bring together all sorts
of information so you can refer to it later. At the instant you collect a fact, example, story, or piece of
data, typically you are eager to use it. You trust it is valuable. Your fascination with knowledge has
probably been part of you even before you formed the words to ask your first question. Driven by your
talents, you eagerly welcome opportunities to think out loud about ideas, theories, or philosophies.
You derive pleasure from conversations that force you to ponder matters that exist only in the realm of
thought, not in reality. By nature, you pay close attention to current events. Numerous people merely
recount what they heard, saw, or read. Typically you dive deeper into the topic. You are likely to
generate theories, concepts, or philosophies to explain the reasoning behind newsmakers’ decisions.
You routinely gather information about events, policy statements, people, or crises. Your fresh
insights are likely to draw equally engaged thinkers into the conversation.
Learner
Shared Theme Description
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.
What makes you stand out?
By nature, you not only buy books or check them out from the library; you also read them. Your
investigative mind is restless until you have collected lots of information about factors that produce
various outcomes. You are motivated to read more about topics of personal and professional interest.
These can range from history to science, from politics to mathematics, from entertainment to sports,
or from art to law. It’s very likely that you concentrate for extended periods of time. This is one reason
why you ultimately master skills and grasp concepts. Driven by your talents, you sometimes pursue
courses of study that force you to expand your thinking. Now and then, acquiring certain kinds of
knowledge or skills is exhilarating. You might want to be the topmost producer or the best student.
You may feel restless until scores, ratings, grades, or rankings are finalized. Perhaps you have
defined the areas in which you have a chance of earning first-place honors. Maybe these insights
calm you when the margin of victory is narrow or the outcome is uncertain. Chances are good that
you usually equate education — formal and informal — with understanding more about something
today than you understood about it yesterday. Instinctively, you may prefer to read, write, and ponder
philosophies, theories, or concepts that interest you. You might prefer to be alone with your thoughts
rather than engage people in small talk at a social event.
Achiever
Shared Theme Description
People who are especially talented in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work
hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.
What makes you stand out?
It’s very likely that you frequently engage in laborious tasks. You yearn to dedicate yourself to worthy
causes or noble purposes. Fortifying the bonds between yourself, the people you know, or even those
you will never meet gives your life special meaning. Driven by your talents, you are known as a
reliable and dependable person. You are motivated to work diligently. You cannot rest until you have
completed what you told someone you would do. Instinctively, you normally strive to do things right.
Taking shortcuts strikes you as unprincipled, thoughtless, and careless. You likely refuse to produce
sloppy work or engage in unethical practices. Because of your strengths, you do a fine job of
imparting knowledge to individuals. You spend a lot of time preparing appropriate stories, vivid
examples, graphic illustrations, or useful materials to enliven your training sessions. By nature, you
tend to be a very good adviser to many individuals. When offering suggestions or asking questions,
you probably are much more engaged, intense, and involved than usual.
Responsibility
Shared Theme Description
People who are especially talented in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what
they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.
What makes you stand out?
Chances are good that you might be especially aware of flattery and equate it with dishonesty. This
partially explains why you are a bit cautious when giving feedback to individuals. Perhaps your
integrity forces you to say what you mean and mean what you say. Some people may value your
compliments. Why? Maybe they realize that any praise coming from you is hard-won and genuine.
Driven by your talents, you may be attracted to individuals whose honesty and integrity are above
reproach. Perhaps you seek to penalize people who betray trust by taking things without permission.
It’s very likely that you place a premium on doing everything correctly. Whatever you are involved in or associated with must typify — that is, symbolize — accuracy and precision. Your high standards
demand exactness. By nature, you try to finish the tasks you agreed to do. Perhaps you even
overcome some unexpected problems. Occasionally you work longer hours when it is necessary.
Maybe you do whatever you can to avoid breaking the promises you made to people. Instinctively,
you may wish to have a broader range of control and accountability on the job or in your personal life.
Activator
Shared Theme Description
People who are especially talented in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning
thoughts into action. They are often impatient.
What makes you stand out?
It’s very likely that you sometimes make choices or judgments when no one else seems willing to do
so. Once you take charge, you may be eager to launch initiatives, present proposals, or solve
problems. Chances are good that you occasionally feel comfortable telling certain individuals stories
about your personal habits, qualities, experiences, or background. Your forthcoming nature might
enable some people to share their thoughts and feelings with you. By nature, you are aware that
people say you can be both domineering and threatening. When situations require forcefulness, you
use it to your advantage. This is especially true when you aim to influence someone or an entire
group to move to action. Driven by your talents, you sometimes set up rivalries between yourself and
others. Perhaps your take-charge style allows you to create opportunities where you can vie for the
top prize or championship title. Because of your strengths, you may influence some of your friends to
make things happen quickly. Sometimes you create enthusiasm in others by championing a particular
project, rule, process, activity, or idea.