Strengths Finder Guide

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StrengthsFinder 2.0 Report

© 2000, 2006-2012 GALLUP, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Strengths Insight and Action-Planning Guide
SURVEY COMPLETION DATE: 06-03-2015

Razi Lane
Your Top 5 Themes
Input
Competition
Learner
Belief
Futuristic

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

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

1

Section I: Awareness

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.

Your Personalized Strengths Insights
What makes you stand out?
By nature, you attempt to exercise your mind to keep it somewhat agile and to satisfy your curiosity. If
you read fiction, perhaps you mull over certain plots, characters, settings, or clever endings. If you
have a taste for nonfiction, you might challenge your thinking about specific philosophies, numerical
data, historical facts, scientific findings, or other topics of interest. Because of your strengths, you are
comfortable saying, “I am a fine educator.” You probably converse with others in your field about
ideas, theories, or concepts to gather the latest thinking. Using these insights, you are apt to draw
your students into discussions that entice them to explore topics. You want them to really understand
the subject rather than memorize a few facts just to pass a test. It’s very likely that you usually feel
upbeat about your life when you engage in mentally stimulating conversations with people who are
curious or smart. Driven by your talents, you routinely gather historical facts or artifacts — that is,
pictures, tools, books, artwork, correspondence, or documents. You often wait to determine whether
this information is useful. Your interest in history probably has no purpose other than to answer your
own questions. You are simply intrigued by the past and its people. The future starts to take shape in
your mind as soon as you begin to rummage through your collection of historic truths and objects.
Chances are good that you may interpret and straightforwardly outline ideas, processes, or projects
that some people have difficulty understanding.
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?

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

2

Competition
Shared Theme Description
People who are especially talented in the Competition theme measure their progress against the
performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.

Your Personalized Strengths Insights
What makes you stand out?
Chances are good that you act like a rival when you are pitted against others and only one person can
be declared the very best at something. Your deep-seated desire to finish in first place probably drives
many of your choices and explains much of your behavior. Driven by your talents, you set very high
expectations for yourself. Typically you push yourself until you reach your goals. You are not content
unless you deliver the best performance or produce the most outstanding results. It’s very likely that
you are enthused about being declared the very best. The experience of winning likely means much
more to you than any monetary reward. By nature, you yearn to get ahead. You strive to acquire
many of the status symbols and special privileges that come with rank, title, or position. Because of
your strengths, you feel much more enthusiastic about your life when you can compare your results to
those of others. You are highly motivated by the image of yourself standing in the victory circle and
being hailed as the best.
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?

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

3

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?
Instinctively, you traditionally bring an upbeat perspective to instruction, training, or tutoring. You
probably regard education as one of the essential elements of a well-lived life. It’s very likely that 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.
Chances are good that you thirst for new ideas and knowledge. Often you lose yourself in a book. You
pore over the ideas contained on its pages for long stretches of time. Why? You want to absorb as
much information as you can. Because of your strengths, you sometimes do whatever it takes for as
long as it takes to excel in your studies or work-related assignments. Perhaps this is one reason why
you may prefer to tackle particular challenges on your own rather than team with someone who lacks
your drive. By nature, you occasionally dedicate yourself to acquiring certain kinds of knowledge or
skills. You might devote many hours to mental labor.
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?

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

4

Belief
Shared Theme Description
People who are especially talented in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging.
Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.

Your Personalized Strengths Insights
What makes you stand out?
Because of your strengths, you sometimes delve into opportunities or situations to find clues for
handling them. Piecing together patterns of cause and effect from past or current events sometimes
allows you to propose alternate routes to a particular goal. Perhaps few things take you by surprise.
Why? You might study several options or craft innovative solutions that short-circuit problems before
they arise. It’s very likely that you place more importance on the purpose and value of what you do
than on the monetary rewards that accompany success. Chances are good that you feel much better
about yourself and life in general when you have a worthwhile cause or project to which you can
dedicate your mind, body, and spirit. Instinctively, you often argue that people should be held to the
highest moral standards. You insist that those who break the law be required to accept the
consequences of their deeds. You have little sympathy for people who are caught in the act of taking
things that do not belong to them. By nature, you have clearly defined principles that set the tone for
your life and influence your behavior. They reflect who and what is most important to you. They guide
your decision-making. As a result, the people with whom you live, work, and study can usually predict
what you will say or do.
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?

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

5

Futuristic
Shared Theme Description
People who are especially talented in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could
be. They inspire others with their visions of the future.

Your Personalized Strengths Insights
What makes you stand out?
Chances are good that you might channel some of your energy toward what you can accomplish in
the coming months, years, or decades. Periodically your mind churns out new and inventive ways of
reaching your desired goals. You may risk becoming bored or delivering a lackluster performance
when you are forced to adhere to a predetermined process, a tried-and-tested procedure, or a
traditional method. Once in a while, you hear yourself pleading, “But, if we only did it this way, it would
be a bit better.” Because of your strengths, you have an imagination that allows you to peer into the
future and see what is possible. Thinking about the coming years or decades makes you feel a lot
more upbeat about yourself, your prospects, and your life. It’s very likely that you create detailed and
vivid images of what the future promises. You can describe it long before others can imagine it. By
nature, you might be eager to get started on a project once you realize what can be accomplished in
the coming weeks, months, or years. Perhaps you work hard to turn your big dreams into reality. To
some degree, they both push and pull you into the future. Instinctively, you may be viewed by some
people as an innovative and original thinker. Perhaps your ability to generate options causes others to
see there is more than one way to attain an objective. Now and then, you help certain individuals
select the best alternative after having weighed the pros and cons in light of prevailing circumstances
or available resources.
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?

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

6

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?

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

7

Section II: Application

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

1. Which of these action items speak to you? Highlight the actions that you are most likely to
take.
2. How will you commit to taking action? Write your own personalized action item that you will
take in the next 30 days.

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

8

Competition
Ideas for Action:
Select work environments in which you can measure your achievements. You might not be
able to discover how good you can be without competing.
List the performance scores that help you know where you stand every day. What scores
should you pay attention to?
Identify a high-achieving person against whom you can measure your own achievement. If
there is more than one, list all the people with whom you currently compete. Without
measurement, how will you know if you won?
Try to turn ordinary tasks into competitive games. You will get more done this way.
When you win, take the time to investigate why you won. You can learn a great deal more
from a victory than from a loss.
Let people know that being competitive does not equate with putting others down. Explain
that you derive satisfaction from pitting yourself against good, strong competitors and
winning.
Develop a “balanced metric” — a measurement system that will monitor all aspects of your
performance. Even if you are competing against your own previous numbers, this
measurement will help you give proper attention to all aspects of your performance.
When competing with others, create development opportunities by choosing to compare
yourself to someone who is slightly above your current level of expertise. Your competition
will push you to refine your skills and knowledge to exceed those of that person. Look one
or two levels above you for a role model who will push you to improve.
Take the time to celebrate your wins. In your world, there is no victory without celebration.
Design some mental strategies that can help you deal with a loss. Armed with these
strategies, you will be able to move on to the next challenge much more quickly.
Questions

1. Which of these action items speak to you? Highlight the actions that you are most likely to
take.
2. How will you commit to taking action? Write your own personalized action item that you will
take in the next 30 days.

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

9

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

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

10

Belief
Ideas for Action:
Clarify your values by thinking about one of your best days ever. How did your values play
into the satisfaction that you received on that day? How can you organize your life to
repeat that day as often as possible?
Actively seek roles that fit your values. In particular, think about joining organizations that
define their purpose by the contribution they make to society.
The meaning and purpose of your work will often provide direction for others. Remind
people why their work is important and how it makes a difference in their lives and in the
lives of others.
Your Belief talents allow you to talk to the hearts of people. Develop a “purpose statement”
and communicate it to your family, friends, and coworkers. Your powerful emotional appeal
can give them a motivating sense of contribution.
Create a gallery of letters and/or pictures of the people whose lives you have substantially
influenced. When you are feeling down or overwhelmed, remind yourself of your value by
looking at this gallery. It will energize you and revive your commitment to helping others.
Set aside time to ensure that you are balancing your work demands and your personal life.
Your devotion to your career should not come at the expense of your strong commitment
to your family.
Don’t be afraid to give voice to your values. This will help others know who you are and
how to relate to you.
Actively cultivate friends who share your basic values. Consider your best friend. Does this
person share your value system?
Partner with someone who has strong Futuristic talents. This person can energize you by
painting a vivid picture of the direction in which your values will lead.
Accept that the values of other people might differ from your own. Express your beliefs
without being judgmental.
Questions

1. Which of these action items speak to you? Highlight the actions that you are most likely to
take.
2. How will you commit to taking action? Write your own personalized action item that you will
take in the next 30 days.

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

11

Futuristic
Ideas for Action:
Choose roles in which you can contribute your ideas about the future. For example, you
might excel in entrepreneurial or start-up situations.
Take time to think about the future. The more time you spend considering your ideas about
the future, the more vivid your ideas will become. The more vivid your ideas, the more
persuasive you will be.
Seek audiences who appreciate your ideas for the future. They will expect you to make
these ideas a reality, and these expectations will motivate you.
Find a friend or colleague who also has powerful Futuristic talents. Set aside an hour each
month for “future” discussions. You can push each other to greater heights of creativity
and vividness.
Partner with someone with strong Activator talents. This person can remind you that you
do not discover the future, you create it with the actions you take today.
You inspire others with your images of the future, yet your thinking may be too expansive
for them to comprehend. When you articulate your vision, be sure to describe the future in
detail with vivid words and metaphors. Make your ideas and strategies more concrete via
sketches, step-by-step action plans, or mock-up models so that others can readily grasp
your intent.
Surround yourself with people who are eager to put your vision into motion. They will feel
exhilarated by your Futuristic talents, and you can harness their energy to propel the vision
toward reality.
Be prepared to provide logical support for your futuristic thinking. Your exciting visions of
future success will be best received when rooted in real possibility.
Your Futuristic talents could equip you to be a guide or coach for others. Unlike you, they
might not be able to easily see over the horizon. If you catch a vision of what someone
could be or do, don’t assume that he or she is aware of that potential. Share what you see
as vividly as you can. In doing so, you may inspire someone to move forward.
Musing about the future comes naturally to you. Read articles about technology, science,
and research to gain knowledge that will fuel your imagination.
Questions

1. Which of these action items speak to you? Highlight the actions that you are most likely to
take.
2. How will you commit to taking action? Write your own personalized action item that you will
take in the next 30 days.

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

12

Section III: Achievement
Look for signs of achievement as you read these real quotes from people who share your top five
themes.

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.”

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

13

Competition sounds like this:
Mark L., sales executive: “I’ve played sports my entire life, and I don’t just play to have fun — let me
put it that way. I like to engage in sports I am going to win and not ones I am going to lose, because if
I lose, I am outwardly gracious but inwardly infuriated.”
Harry D., general manager: “I'm not a big sailor, but I love the America’s Cup. Both boats are
supposed to be exactly the same, and both crews have top-notch athletes. But you always get a
winner. One of them had some secret up their sleeves that tipped the balance and enabled them to
win more often than lose. And that’s what I am looking for — that secret, that tiny edge.”
Sumner Redstone, chairman of Viacom (now known as CBS Corporation), on his efforts to acquire
that company: “I relished every minute of it because Viacom was a company worth fighting for and I
enjoyed a contest. If you get involved in a major competitive struggle, and the stress that inevitably
comes with it, you’d better derive some real sense of satisfaction and enjoyment from the ultimate
victory. Wrestling control of a company like Viacom was warfare. I believe the real lesson it taught me
was that it is not about money, it’s about the will to win.”

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

14

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.”

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

15

Belief sounds like this:
Michael K., salesperson: “The vast majority of my nonworking time goes to my family and to the things
we do in the community. I was on the countywide Boy Scouts board of directors. And when I was a
Boy Scout, I was pack leader. When I was an Explorer, I was junior assistant leader for the Boy
Scouts. I just like being with kids. I believe that’s where the future is. And I think you can do a whole
lot worse with your time than investing it in the future.”
Lara M., college president: “My values are why I work so hard every day at my job. I put hours and
hours into this job, and I don’t even care what I get paid. I just found out that I am the lowest paid
college president in my state, and I don’t even care. I mean, I don’t do this for the money.”
Tracy D., airline executive: “If you are not doing something important, why bother? Getting up every
day and working on ways to make flying safer seems important to me, purposeful. If I didn’t find this
purpose in my job, I don’t know if I could work through all the challenges and frustrations that get in
my way. I think I would get demoralized.”

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

16

Futuristic sounds like this:
Dan F., school administrator: “In any situation, I am the guy who says, ‘Did you ever think about . . . ?
I wonder if we could . . . I don’t believe it can’t be done. It’s just that nobody has done it yet. Let’s
figure out how we can.’ I am always looking for options, for ways not to be mired by the status quo. In
fact, there is no such thing as the status quo. You are either moving forward, or you are moving
backward. That’s the reality of life, at least from my perspective. And right now, I believe that my
profession is moving backward. State schools are being out-serviced by private schools, charter
schools, home schools, Internet schools. We need to free ourselves from our traditions and create a
new future.”
Jan K., internist: “Here at the Mayo Clinic, we are launching a group called the Hospitalists. Rather
than having patients handed off from one doctor to another during their stay in the hospital, I envision
a family of providers. I envision fifteen to twenty MDs, of various genders and races, with twenty to
twenty-five nurse practitioners. There will be four to five new hospital services, most of which will work
with surgeons and will provide para-operative care as well as care for the hospitalized elderly. We are
redefining the model of care here. We don’t just take care of the patients when they are in the
hospital. If a patient comes in for a knee replacement, a member of the Hospitalist team would see
him before the surgery, follow him from the day of surgery through the days of hospitalization, and
then see him when he comes in six weeks later for his postoperative check. We will provide patients
with a complete episode of care so that they don’t get lost in the handoffs. And to get the funding, I
just saw the detailed picture in my head and kept describing this picture to the department chair. I
guess I made it seem so real that they had no choice but to grant me the funds.”

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

17

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?

721787131 (Razi Lane)
© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

18

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