lolakoala · June 29, 2017 14:21
diff --git a/strengthsassessment.txt b/strengthsassessment.txt
 Strengths Reflection & Coaching Request

 Read Through Your Theme Definitions

 What words or phrases stick out to you? How would you define each of your top 5 talents in your own words?

 1. Empathy- being able to step into someone else's experience/ "imagining themselves in others lives" "satisfaction from making a person feel worthwhile" "detect impending conflict" "awareness" 
 2. Adaptability- being able to roll with the punches "go with the flow" "one day at a time" "mentally rehearse" "forethought" "flexible" "instinctively" "
 3. relator- highly valuing genuine human interaction "close relationships" "impart your wisdom and experience to people." "hands-on trainer " "comfortable sharing your viewpoints with individuals who ask you to do so." "avoid driving a wedge"
 4. developer- seeing potential in people and helping them to tap into it " recognize and cultivate the potential in
 others" "insight into a human being" "avoids stereotypes" "motivate" " patiently observe" "pinpoint
 someone’s talents" "discover the best way to train"
 5. Strategic- the ability to see many possibilities and prioritize them, solution-oriented "identify trends or potential problems" "examine the consequences" "devise alternative courses of action"

 Do these top 5 talent themes resonate with you? Why or why not?
 Empathy, Relator, and Developer resonate with me. I have always valued genuine relationships highly, I'm good at giving advice, and I make intimate friendships. In previous positions, I was often required to train people, and I felt it was a strength because I was good at identifying what motivates people and using that to communicate with them about how to do their job well. Adaptability is not something I would have pinpointed as my strength, but I can see it in play on a grander scale throughout my life. Strategic is something that resonates with me less. I've never considered myself a planner or problem-solver, but I can definitely see this strength developing more the past couple years of my life. 

 How have you seen yourself using each of these talents? How often do you see yourself using these talents?
 I use Empathy and Relator a lot. I feel like I use them to the point that they are handicaps sometimes, because I often dismiss people initially and have a hard time opening up to people until I decide it's worth building an intimate connection with them. I use E/R with my housemates (my closest friends and my wife) all the time to give advice, cheer them up, and basically react intuitively to keep household relations harmonious. I have used Developer as I mentioned before, mostly in professional roles as a corporate trainer. I most recently used Strategic to get my shit together to start Turing 1706. I had very little time between when I decided to attend and when 1706 began. I also used it to section off my yard with chicken wire to keep my dogs in a contained area. Doesn't sound that complicated, but it actually was a pretty complex project. I used Adaptability when I moved across country to start my life over and then had to move within the first 3 months I was in Denver.

 When has it been difficult for me to be aware of this talent? It is often difficult for me to be aware of Adaptability and Strategic because they seem like strengths of people who are more organized than I am. In general, I feel behind in life, and I feel like I have not utilized these strengths much until the past couple years.

 What talents could you develop further that would help you in your growth at Turing and in your new career as a software developer? I would love to develop Strategic and Adaptability more. The other three are definitely second nature for me. 

 How would you like to build more awareness around these themes? I would like to be very intentional with planning how to attack projects and keep my life balanced and organized.

 In which situations would developing these themes be beneficial? Strategic seems to be very important in planning how to attack projects in general. Adaptability is definitely important in the workforce in general as you are forced to work with ne, different, and various people, and working conditions are always changing. 

 When might you overuse any of these themes? How might you benefit from dialing it down in a certain situation?
 I definitely overuse empathy and relator a lot. I have a difficult time overcoming the hump of small talk to connect with people, and I often come off as cold because I have a difficult time with casual interactions. I also have a difficult time making objective decisions because I am so aware of other people's experiences.

 How could you use these themes to help you manage an area in which you might struggle?

 How can you do more of what you do best every day?

 Look at the Suggested Action Items

 What options sound doable?
 Empathy- "Act quickly and firmly when others behave in a way that is unhealthy for themselves or others."
 Adaptability- "Look to others for planning."
 Relator- "Deliberately learn as much as you can about the people you meet. "
 Developer- "Seek roles in which your primary responsibilities include facilitating growth. "
 Strategic- "Trust your intuitive insights as often as possible. "

 What are some new ways to use these themes that you haven't utilized before?
 Empathy- " Use your talents to forge a bridge of understanding and mutual support." 
 Adaptability- "Avoid tasks that are too structured and stifle your need for variety./ Fine tune your responsiveness."
 Relator- "Proactively put yourself out there.” 
 Developer- "remind yourself of the effect you have had on the world."
 Strategic- "Help others understand that your strategic thinking is not an attempt to belittle their ideas"

 What obstacles are there to trying out any of these options? My extreme discomfort around new people is often an obstacle in general, but could especially be an obstacle for " Use your talents to forge a bridge of understanding and mutual support." and "Proactively put yourself out there.”

 Shortterm: What is an action step you'd like to commit to help you develop your themes further today? Next week?
 Fine tune my responsiveness, in general figuring out how to utilize the Strategic talent more optimally.

 Longterm: What do you want to learn this module to turn your talents into greater strengths? How will this help you with your professional or personal goals? 

 Next Steps

 This reflection is for your own growth, and you do not need to turn this in.

 However, if you would like to have a follow-up coaching session with Allison, please DM this gist to her when you set up your 1-on-1 with her. You can schedule that here or by sending her a DM.
	Strengths Reflection & Coaching Request

	Read Through Your Theme Definitions

	What words or phrases stick out to you? How would you define each of your top 5 talents in your own words?

	1. Empathy- being able to step into someone else's experience/ "imagining themselves in others lives" "satisfaction from making a person feel worthwhile" "detect impending conflict" "awareness"
	2. Adaptability- being able to roll with the punches "go with the flow" "one day at a time" "mentally rehearse" "forethought" "flexible" "instinctively" "
	3. relator- highly valuing genuine human interaction "close relationships" "impart your wisdom and experience to people." "hands-on trainer " "comfortable sharing your viewpoints with individuals who ask you to do so." "avoid driving a wedge"
	4. developer- seeing potential in people and helping them to tap into it " recognize and cultivate the potential in
	others" "insight into a human being" "avoids stereotypes" "motivate" " patiently observe" "pinpoint
	someone’s talents" "discover the best way to train"
	5. Strategic- the ability to see many possibilities and prioritize them, solution-oriented "identify trends or potential problems" "examine the consequences" "devise alternative courses of action"

	Do these top 5 talent themes resonate with you? Why or why not?
	Empathy, Relator, and Developer resonate with me. I have always valued genuine relationships highly, I'm good at giving advice, and I make intimate friendships. In previous positions, I was often required to train people, and I felt it was a strength because I was good at identifying what motivates people and using that to communicate with them about how to do their job well. Adaptability is not something I would have pinpointed as my strength, but I can see it in play on a grander scale throughout my life. Strategic is something that resonates with me less. I've never considered myself a planner or problem-solver, but I can definitely see this strength developing more the past couple years of my life.

	How have you seen yourself using each of these talents? How often do you see yourself using these talents?
	I use Empathy and Relator a lot. I feel like I use them to the point that they are handicaps sometimes, because I often dismiss people initially and have a hard time opening up to people until I decide it's worth building an intimate connection with them. I use E/R with my housemates (my closest friends and my wife) all the time to give advice, cheer them up, and basically react intuitively to keep household relations harmonious. I have used Developer as I mentioned before, mostly in professional roles as a corporate trainer. I most recently used Strategic to get my shit together to start Turing 1706. I had very little time between when I decided to attend and when 1706 began. I also used it to section off my yard with chicken wire to keep my dogs in a contained area. Doesn't sound that complicated, but it actually was a pretty complex project. I used Adaptability when I moved across country to start my life over and then had to move within the first 3 months I was in Denver.

	When has it been difficult for me to be aware of this talent? It is often difficult for me to be aware of Adaptability and Strategic because they seem like strengths of people who are more organized than I am. In general, I feel behind in life, and I feel like I have not utilized these strengths much until the past couple years.

	What talents could you develop further that would help you in your growth at Turing and in your new career as a software developer? I would love to develop Strategic and Adaptability more. The other three are definitely second nature for me.

	How would you like to build more awareness around these themes? I would like to be very intentional with planning how to attack projects and keep my life balanced and organized.

	In which situations would developing these themes be beneficial? Strategic seems to be very important in planning how to attack projects in general. Adaptability is definitely important in the workforce in general as you are forced to work with ne, different, and various people, and working conditions are always changing.

	When might you overuse any of these themes? How might you benefit from dialing it down in a certain situation?
	I definitely overuse empathy and relator a lot. I have a difficult time overcoming the hump of small talk to connect with people, and I often come off as cold because I have a difficult time with casual interactions. I also have a difficult time making objective decisions because I am so aware of other people's experiences.

	How could you use these themes to help you manage an area in which you might struggle?

	How can you do more of what you do best every day?

	Look at the Suggested Action Items

	What options sound doable?
	Empathy- "Act quickly and firmly when others behave in a way that is unhealthy for themselves or others."
	Adaptability- "Look to others for planning."
	Relator- "Deliberately learn as much as you can about the people you meet. "
	Developer- "Seek roles in which your primary responsibilities include facilitating growth. "
	Strategic- "Trust your intuitive insights as often as possible. "

	What are some new ways to use these themes that you haven't utilized before?
	Empathy- " Use your talents to forge a bridge of understanding and mutual support."
	Adaptability- "Avoid tasks that are too structured and stifle your need for variety./ Fine tune your responsiveness."
	Relator- "Proactively put yourself out there.”
	Developer- "remind yourself of the effect you have had on the world."
	Strategic- "Help others understand that your strategic thinking is not an attempt to belittle their ideas"

	What obstacles are there to trying out any of these options? My extreme discomfort around new people is often an obstacle in general, but could especially be an obstacle for " Use your talents to forge a bridge of understanding and mutual support." and "Proactively put yourself out there.”

	Shortterm: What is an action step you'd like to commit to help you develop your themes further today? Next week?
	Fine tune my responsiveness, in general figuring out how to utilize the Strategic talent more optimally.

	Longterm: What do you want to learn this module to turn your talents into greater strengths? How will this help you with your professional or personal goals?

	Next Steps

	This reflection is for your own growth, and you do not need to turn this in.

	However, if you would like to have a follow-up coaching session with Allison, please DM this gist to her when you set up your 1-on-1 with her. You can schedule that here or by sending her a DM.