Strengthsfinder2.0

StrengthsFinder 2.0 Report
© 2000, 2006-2008 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

Bengt Kallenberg
Your Top 5 Themes
Learner
Input
Activator
Maximizer
Discipline
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
others with the same theme in their top five
Questions for you to answer to increase your awareness of your talents
Section II: Application
10 Ideas for Action for each of your top five themes
Questions for you to answer to help you apply your talents
Section III: Achievement
Examples of what each of your top five themes "sounds like" -- real quotes from
people who also have the theme in their top five
Steps for you to take to help you leverage your talents for achievement
Strengths Insight and Action-Planning Guide
150252337 (Bengt Kallenberg) © 2000, 2006-2008 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
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08/05/2010

Section I: Awareness
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.
Your Personalized Strengths Insights
What makes you stand out?
By nature, you may prefer to be an individual performer, especially when you can direct your
mental or physical energies to tasks that intrigue you. Chances are good that you acquire
knowledge more easily when you can talk with others about ideas, concepts, or theories.
Thoughts come alive for you when questions are posed and answers are proposed. You have a
delightful time thinking out loud and listening to intelligent people express themselves. You
naturally document or store in your mind bits and pieces of discussions. You want to refer
back to these insights or facts whenever the opportunity presents itself. It’s very likely that
you enjoy examining books, journals, documents, artifacts, or data. They broaden your
knowledge and allow you to acquire new skills. Firsthand experiments and personal
experiences contribute mightily to your qualifications and credibility as an expert and
specialist. Driven by your talents, you yearn to increase your knowledge by being kept in the
information loop. This explains why you gravitate to people who converse about ideas at a
deeper and more thoughtful level than most individuals are capable of doing. “Making small
talk” — that is, engaging in idle conversation — probably seems like a waste of time to you.
Because of your strengths, you now and then enjoy establishing objectives in the company of
certain individuals. You may use some well-placed milestones to document any knowledge or
skills gained since the last reporting period. You might look forward to reviewing results with
people who understand that education is a process that continues throughout one’s life.
Questions
1. As you read your personalized strengths insights, what words, phrases, or lines stand
out to you?
2. Out of all the talents in this insight, what would you like for others to see most in
you?
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08/05/2010

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.
It’s very likely that you try to collect straightforward and precise words. Sometimes your
enthusiasm for language causes you to expand your vocabulary. You might like to talk or
write about philosophies, ideas, or theories that have not been proved or plans that have not
been put into practice yet. Acquiring sophisticated terminology may be play for you, not
work. Perhaps an unexpected chance to use these words in real life gives you satisfaction.
Because of your strengths, you sometimes show a particularly strong concern for what
matters in your life, work, or studies. As a result, you might be determined to master words
associated with certain types of activities or assignments. Perhaps these terms and their
definitions are as theoretical as they are difficult to understand. You might realize that your
collection of technical, subject-specific, or academic words is a work in progress — that is,
ongoing. Instinctively, you may rely on hard-to-understand words to give you an advantage
over certain individuals in debates, presentations, or correspondence. Perhaps you are restless
to advance. You might refuse to remain at the lowest level of pay or status. You sometimes
use complicated or theoretical terms to establish yourself as a possible contender in the minds
of individuals who have clout — that is, influence or pull — with officials who determine
promotions, control pay, or assign tasks. By nature, you periodically rely on your
sophisticated vocabulary to outthink certain people. Whether speaking or writing, you might
interject technical or subject-specific terms to confront resistance or force specific issues into
the open. This authoritarian stance may put a few people on notice that you are clever.
Sometimes their confidence begins to crumble. Perhaps your ease with language and artful
tactics signal that you are the one in charge. Chances are good that you randomly read books,
periodicals, documents, correspondence, or Internet sites. Sometimes you are willing to be
mentally stimulated by their thought-provoking ideas, information, data, predictions, insights,
characters, or plots.
Questions
out to you?
you?
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08/05/2010

Activator
People who are especially talented in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning
thoughts into action. They are often impatient.
By nature, you sometimes make people feel special. Typically you point out the importance
or usefulness of something they said. Driven by your talents, you may raise the spirits of
people by putting aside what you are doing and giving them your undivided attention.
Perhaps you repeat some of the key ideas or questions they voiced, even when it takes some
work. Because of your strengths, you occasionally feel a surge of energy when you start
talking with newcomers. Sometimes you generate such enthusiasm that they participate in
activities, join teams, register for classes, or interview for jobs. It’s very likely that you
sometimes pinpoint and acknowledge the grand ideas certain people share with you. Now and
then, you ask a few questions. Maybe you listen to others talk about their unique interests,
backgrounds, experiences, strengths, limitations, goals, or fears. Instinctively, you might be
drawn to helping people understand they are people of consequence — that is, important.
Perhaps by acknowledging the merit in something they said, you cause individuals to feel a
little more confident about your opinion of them.
Questions
out to you?
you?
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08/05/2010

Maximizer
People who are especially talented in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to
stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into
something superb.
It’s very likely that you realize each individual’s interests, background, motivations, desires,
fears, and work style are different. You strive to honor everyone’s uniqueness and
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. Because of your
strengths, you periodically show people from diverse backgrounds how they can work
cooperatively with one another. You may notice what certain individuals do especially well.
You might point out how one person’s talents can compensate for another person’s
limitations and vice versa. Perhaps you understand diversity is an asset, not an obstacle to
productivity. Instinctively, you occasionally credit yourself with unraveling tangled issues,
dilemmas, or puzzles. Perhaps you instinctively find the right solutions or correct answers. By
nature, you might prefer to play games simply for the fun of them. Even so, perhaps you have
found you are more likely to excel when you concentrate on activities that allow you to use
your talents. Driven by your talents, you sometimes fully experience what others are feeling.
Perhaps you easily see things from someone else’s perspective even when you do not share
their opinion.
Questions
out to you?
you?
5
08/05/2010

Discipline
People who are especially talented in the Discipline theme enjoy routine and structure. Their
world is best described by the order they create.
By nature, you sometimes set goals for the week. These might prevent you from being drawn
off course by each day’s demands. Chances are good that you may rely on your physical and
mental abilities to create orderly systems for managing your time, work, or resources. Perhaps
you arrange the steps of a process or plan before beginning a task. Sometimes you carefully
position equipment or tools to enhance your own or someone else's efficiency. Driven by
your talents, you sometimes exhibit particular patterns of behavior over and over. Perhaps
you appreciate certain individuals because they help you follow your daily regimen. To some
degree, these people contribute to your productivity or success. Instinctively, you
occasionally feel comfortable with your work, your studies, or your life in general. By
establishing reliable patterns of behavior, perhaps you can handle certain kinds of recurring
tasks. Knowing how you will do something from one day or week or month to the next may
boost your sense of confidence or security. You sometimes concentrate on eliminating
surprises or increasing predictability. This might explain why you create some systems or
rules to bring structure and order to specific areas of your personal or professional existence.
Because of your strengths, you occasionally establish weekly performance targets for
yourself. You may also organize or plan new projects. This partially explains why you know
where you are headed, how you plan to proceed, and when you might reach your goal. To
some extent, pushing hard for desired results excites you.
Questions
out to you?
you?
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08/05/2010

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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08/05/2010

Section II: Application
Learner
Ideas for Action:
Refine how you learn. For example, you might learn best by teaching; if so, seek out
opportunities to present to others. You might learn best through quiet reflection; if so,
find this quiet time.
Develop ways to track the progress of your learning. If there are distinct levels or stages
of learning within a 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).
Be a catalyst for change. Others might be intimidated by new rules, new skills, or new
circumstances. Your willingness to soak up this newness can calm their fears and spur
them to action. Take this responsibility seriously.
Seek roles that require some form of technical competence. You will enjoy the process
of acquiring and maintaining this expertise.
As far as possible, shift your career toward a field with constantly changing technologies
or regulations. You will be energized by the challenge of keeping up.
Because you are not threatened by unfamiliar information, you might excel in a
consulting role (either internal or external) in which you are paid to go into new
situations and pick up new competencies or languages quickly.
Research supports the link between learning and performance. When people have the
opportunity to learn and grow, they are more productive and loyal. Look for ways to
measure the degree to which you and others feel that your learning needs are being met,
to create individualized learning milestones, and to reward achievements in learning.
At work, take advantage of programs that subsidize your learning. Your organization
may be willing to pay for part or all of your instructional coursework or for
certifications. Ask your manager for information about scholarships and other
educational opportunities.
Honor your desire to learn. Take advantage of adult educational opportunities in your
community. Discipline yourself to sign up for at least one new academic or adult
learning course each year.
Time disappears and your attention intensifies when you are immersed in studying or
learning. Allow yourself to “follow the trail” by scheduling learning sessions during
periods of time that will not be interrupted by pressing engagements.
Questions
1. Which of these action items speak to you? Highlight the actions that you are most
likely to take.
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08/05/2010

2. How will you commit to taking action? Write your own personalized action item that
you will take in the next 30 days.
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08/05/2010

Input
Ideas for Action:
Look for jobs in which you are charged with acquiring new information each day, such
as teaching, research, or journalism.
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.
Partner with someone with dominant Focus or Discipline talents. This person will help
you stay on track when your inquisitiveness leads you down intriguing but distracting
avenues.
Your mind is open and absorbent. You naturally soak up information in the same way
that a sponge soaks up water. But just as the primary purpose of the sponge is not to
permanently contain what it absorbs, neither should your mind simply store information.
Input without output can lead to stagnation. As you gather and absorb information, be
aware of the individuals and groups that can most benefit from your knowledge, and be
intentional about sharing with them.
You might naturally be an exceptional repository of facts, data, and ideas. If that’s the
case, don’t be afraid to position yourself as an expert. By simply following your Input
talents, you could become known as the authority in your field.
Remember that you must be more than just a collector of information. At some point,
you’ll need to leverage this knowledge and turn it into action. Make a point of
identifying the facts and data that would be most valuable to others, and use this
information to their advantage.
Identify your areas of specialization, and actively seek more information about them.
Schedule time to read books and articles that stimulate you.
Deliberately increase your vocabulary. Collect new words, and learn the meaning of
each of them.
Identify situations in which you can share the information you have collected with other
people. Also make sure to let your friends and colleagues know that you enjoy
answering their questions.
Questions
likely to take.
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08/05/2010

Activator
Ideas for Action:
Seek work in which you can make your own decisions and act on them. In particular,
look for start-up or turnaround situations.
At work, make sure that your manager judges you on measurable outcomes rather than
your process. Your process is not always pretty.
You can transform innovative ideas into immediate action. Look for creative and
original thinkers, and help them move their ideas from conceptual theory to concrete
practice.
Look for areas that are bogged down by discussion or blocked by barriers. End the
stalemate by creating a plan to get things moving and spur others into action.
You learn more from real experience than from theoretical discussions. To grow,
consciously expose yourself to challenging experiences that will test your talents, skills,
and knowledge.
Remember that although your tenacity is powerful, it may intimidate some. Your
Activator talents will be most effective when you have first earned others’ trust and
loyalty.
Identify the most influential decision makers in your organization. Make it a point to
have lunch with each of them at least once a quarter to share your ideas. They can
support you in your activation and provide critical resources to make your ideas happen.
You can easily energize the plans and ideas of others. Consider partnering with focused,
futuristic, strategic, or analytical people who will lend their direction and planning to
your activation, thereby creating an opportunity to build consensus and get others
behind the plan. By doing this, you complement each other.
Give the reasons why your requests for action must be granted. Otherwise, others might
dismiss you as impatient and label you a ‘ready, fire, aim’ person.
You possess an ability to create motion and momentum in others. Be strategic and wise
in the use of your Activator talents. When is the best time, where is the best place, and
who are the best people with whom to leverage your valuable influence?
Questions
likely to take.
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08/05/2010

Maximizer
Ideas for Action:
Once you have identified your own greatest talents, stay focused on them. Refine your
skills. 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, consider
how your talents relate to the mission in your life and how they might benefit your
family or the community.
Problem solving might drain your energy and enthusiasm. Look for a restorative partner
who can be your chief troubleshooter and problem solver. Let that person know how
important 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
you will be to create success in your own life.
Explain to others why you spend more time building on great talent rather than fixing
weaknesses. Initially, they might confuse what you are doing with complacency.
Don’t let your Maximizer talents be stifled by conventional wisdom, which says you
should find what is broken and fix it. Identify and invest in the parts of your
organization or community 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
picking the low-hanging fruit of short-term success, but your Maximizer talents will be
most energized 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 of
your 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 them
with vivid descriptions.
Devise ways to measure your performance and the performance of others. These
measures will help you spot strengths, because the best way to identify a strength is to
look for sustained levels of excellent performance.
Questions
likely to take.
12
08/05/2010

Discipline
Ideas for Action:
Don’t hesitate to check as often as necessary to ensure that things are right. You feel an
urge to do it anyway, and soon others will come to expect it from you.
Accept that mistakes might depress you. Precision is a core part of who you are;
however, you must find ways to move through these moments of annoyance to prevent
becoming discouraged.
Recognize that others may not be as disciplined as you are. More than likely, their
clumsy process will frustrate you, so try to look beyond it, and focus on their results, not
on their process.
Exactitude is your forté; you enjoy poring over details. Seek opportunities to peruse
contracts, important communications, or financial documents for errors. You can save
yourself and others from making costly mistakes and looking foolish.
Increasing efficiency is one of your hallmarks. You are a perfectionist at heart. Discover
situations in which time or money is being wasted because of inefficiency, and create
systems or procedures to improve efficiency.
You not only create order, you probably also crave it in the form of a well-organized
space. To completely free your Discipline talents, invest in furniture and organization
systems that enable you to have “a place for everything and everything in its place.”
Timelines motivate you. When you have a task to complete, you like to know the
deadline so you can plan your schedule accordingly. Apply your Discipline talents by
outlining the step-by-step plan you will use. Others will appreciate your cues because
they will help keep everyone “on task.”
Others may confuse your Discipline talents with rigidity. Help them understand that
your discipline helps you pack more effectiveness into a day — often because you
prioritize your time. When working with others who are not as disciplined, ask them to
clarify deadlines so you can adjust your workload to accommodate their requests.
Seek out roles and responsibilities that have structure.
Create routines that require you to systematically follow through. Over time, people will
come to appreciate this kind of predictability.
Questions
likely to take.
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08/05/2010

Section III: Achievement
Look for signs of achievement as you read these real quotes from people who share your top
five themes.
Learner sounds like this:
Annie M., managing editor: “I get antsy when I am not learning something. Last year,
although I was enjoying my work, I didn’t feel as though I was learning enough. So I took up
tap dancing. It sounds strange, doesn’t it? I know I am never going to perform or anything,
but I enjoy focusing on the technical skill of tapping, getting a little better each week, and
moving up from the beginners’ class to the intermediate class. That was a kick.”
Miles A., operations manager: “When I was seven years old, my teachers would tell my
parents, ‘Miles isn’t the most intelligent boy in the school, but he’s a sponge for learning, and
he’ll probably go really far because he will push himself and continually be grasping new
things.’ Right now, I am just starting a course in business-travel Spanish. I know it is
probably too ambitious to think I could learn conversational Spanish and become totally
proficient in that language, but I at least want to be able to travel there and know the
language.”
Tim S., coach for executives: “One of my clients is so inquisitive that it drives him crazy
because he can’t do everything he wants to. I’m different. I am not curious in that broad
sense. I prefer to go into greater depth with things so that I can become competent in them
and then use them at work. For example, recently one of my clients wanted me to travel with
him to Nice, France, for a business engagement. So I started reading up on the region, buying
books, and checking the Internet. It was all interesting and I enjoyed the study, but I wouldn’t
have done any of it if I wasn’t going to be traveling there for work.”
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08/05/2010

Input sounds like this:
Ellen K., writer: “Even as a child, I found myself wanting to know everything. I would make
a game of my questions. ‘What is my question today?’ I would think up these outrageous
questions, and then I would go looking for the books that would answer them. I often got in
way over my head, deep into books that I didn’t have a clue about, but I read them because
they had my answer someplace. My questions became my tool for leading me from one piece
of information to another.”
John F., human resources executive: “I’m one of those people who thinks that the Internet is
the greatest thing since sliced bread. I used to feel so frustrated, but now if I want to know
what the stock market is doing in a certain area or the rules of a certain game or what the
GNP of Spain is or other different things, I just go to the computer, start looking, and
eventually find it.”
Kevin F., salesperson: “I am amazed at some of the garbage that collects in my mind, and I
love playing Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit and anything like that. I don’t mind throwing things
away as long as they’re material things, but I hate wasting knowledge or accumulated
knowledge or not being able to read something fully if I enjoy it.”
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08/05/2010

Activator sounds like this:
Jane C., Benedictine nun: “When I was prioress in the 1970s, we were hit by the energy
shortage, and costs skyrocketed. We had a hundred and forty acres, and I walked the acreage
every day pondering what we should do about this energy shortage. Suddenly I decided that if
we had that much land, we should be drilling our own gas well, and so we did. We spent one
hundred thousand dollars to drill a gas well. If you have never drilled a gas well, you
probably don’t realize what I didn’t realize: namely, that you have to spend seventy thousand
dollars just to drill to see if you have any gas on your property at all. So they dug down with
some kind of vibratory camera thing, and they told me that I had a gas pool. But they didn’t
know how large the pool was, and they didn’t know if there was enough pressure to bring it
up. ‘If you pay another thirty thousand dollars, we will try to release the well,’ they said. ‘If
you don’t want us to, we’ll just cap the well, take your seventy thousand, and go home.’ So I
gave them the final thirty thousand and, fortunately, up it came. That was twenty years ago,
and it is still pumping.”
Jim L., entrepreneur: “Some people see my impatience as not wanting to listen to the traps,
the potential roadblocks. What I keep repeating is, ‘I want to know when I am going to hit the
wall, and I need you to tell me how much it is going to hurt. But if I choose to bump into the
wall anyway, then don’t worry — you’ve done your job. I just had to experience it for
myself.’”
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08/05/2010

Maximizer sounds like this:
Gavin T., flight attendant: “I taught aerobics for ten years, and I made a point of asking
people to focus on what they liked about themselves. We all have parts of our body that we
would like to change or that we would like to see differently, but to focus on that can be so
destructive. It becomes a vicious cycle. So I would say, ‘Look, you don’t need to be doing
that. Instead, let’s focus on the attribute 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 I have given the writer a clear focus and she comes back with a piece that is
completely off the mark, I almost can’t bring myself to write comments on it. I’m more
inclined to just hand it back to her and say, ‘Just please start again.’ On the other hand, what I
love to do is take a piece that is so close and then refine it to make it perfect. You know, just
the right word here, a little cut there, and suddenly it’s a brilliant piece.”
Marshall G., marketing executive: “I am really good at setting a focus for people and then
building a sense of team spirit as we all march forward. But I am not so good at strategic
thinking. Fortunately, I have 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 better at the focus and team-building role. I’m so lucky to
have a boss who thinks this way. It’s made me more secure and made me charge ahead much
faster, knowing that my boss knows what I am good at and what I’m not good at; he doesn’t
bother me with the latter.”
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08/05/2010

Discipline sounds like this:
Les T., hospitality manager: “The turning point in my career was attending one of those time-
management courses some years back. I was always disciplined, but the power grew when I
learned how to use that discipline in an organized process every day. This little Palm Pilot
means that I call my mom every Sunday rather than letting months go by without calling. It
means I take my wife out for dinner every week without her asking. It means that my
employees know that if I say I need to see something on Monday, I will be calling on
Monday if I haven’t seen it. This Palm Pilot is so much a part of my life that I have
lengthened all of my pants pockets so that it fits right there on my hip.”
Troy T., sales executive: “My filing system may not look that pretty, but it is very efficient. I
write everything by hand because I know that no customer is going to see these files, so why
waste time making them look pretty? My whole life as a salesperson is based on deadlines
and follow-up. In my system, I keep track of everything so that I take responsibility not only
for my deadlines and follow-up but for all of my customers’ and colleagues’ as well. If they
haven’t gotten back to me by the time they promised, they’re going to receive an e-mail from
me. In fact, I heard from one the other day who said, ‘I may as well get back to you because I
know you’re going to call me if you haven’t heard from me.’”
Diedre S., office manager: “I hate wasting time, so I make lists — long lists that keep me on
track. Today my list has ninety items on it, and I will get through ninety-five percent of them.
And that’s discipline because I don’t let anybody waste my time. I am not rude, but I can let
you know in a very tactful, humorous way that your time is up.”
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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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08/05/2010

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