Gallup Strength Assessment Results
Signature Strengths Personalized (and defined)
I was recently asked to complete an online “strengths” assessment for a future endeavour (more on that in about a week) and I wanted to share the results as well as some insight into why this assessment was spot-on.
Update (March 14, 2013): Prior to joining Rackspace, I was asked to complete this assessment. Happy Racker here!
“The success of the people you lead – and your entire organization – depends on the development of their strengths.” — Gallup Strengths Center
While I won’t go into the details of the questions nor will I share with you some of my answers, I will say that my experience and the results, without any doubt, prove that people (not just employers) should begin to seriously consider this assessment as it opened my eyes and mind without forcing me to dust off an old College Psychology textbook to make sense of it.
Definitions that Stick
The online survey took less than 30 minutes and immediately upon completion, presented a set of reports – one of which, the Top 5 (aka Signature Themes), I will share with you below.
My Results
The below are my Signature Themes as defined by the Gallup Strengths Assessment with excerpts from the report that carry the most weight for me. In order of strength…
- Achiever: “You feel as if every day starts at zero. By the end of the day you must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about yourself.”
- Learner: “You are energized by the steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence…”
- Relator: “For you, a relationship has value only if it is genuine.”
- Responsibility: “You take psychological ownership for anything you commit to, and whether large or small, you feel emotionally bound to follow it through to completion.”
- Focus: “Your Focus reminds everyone that if something is not helping you move toward your destination, then it is not important. And if it is not important, then it is not worth your time.”
Not Just for Employers
Earlier, I had mentioned that this should not be limited to only employers but should be a primary tool to help individuals understand themselves and, especially used for individuals to understand themselves AND their significant others.
Makes sense from a business perspective! But I’m curious, why do you think this would relate to individuals and couples? Maybe I’m missing something…
To list 34 qualities and rank them from “strength” to “weakness” is incredibly beneficial.
For example, when I saw “connectedness” in the bottom five, it confirms my lack in faith-based assumptions. To my wife, it only confirmed that I’m a binary-kind-of-guy and don’t like to sit around and wait for things to happen (or not happen).
My wife’s results opened my eyes, much like our premarital counseling sessions had, that we all have our strengths and weaknesses. My strengths aren’t necessary hers, nor should they be. And, vice versa.
$89, per assessment, per person is a ridiculously small price to pay for an employer to better understand their employees especially when considering the cost of a new employee if things were to not pan out.
The same holds for individuals entering into a marital bond where their understanding of each other not only dramatically influences their well being but their children and eventual grandchildren, etc.
Knowledge is king. This assessment provides a great deal of it at a very low cost considering the implications.