In December of 2008, I took the StrengthsFinder 1.0 Test along with the rest of the worship and production team at my church. As a part of the emerging leaders group, I took the StrengthsFinder 2.0 test today. It is interesting to see what has changed over the past three years and how much more accurate it seems now.

Find out how you too can take the StrengthsFinder 2.0 test!

Results from December 2008

Ideation

People who are especially talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.

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.

Positivity

People who are especially talented in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.

Strategic

People who are especially talented in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.

Developer

People who are especially talented in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements.

Results from March 2012

Strategic

People who are especially talented in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.

Achiever

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.

Belief

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.

Adaptability

People who are especially talented in the Adaptability theme prefer to “go with the flow.” They tend to be “now” people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.

Ideation

People who are especially talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.

My Response

When I wrote earlier that I think this more recent test is more accurate, I did not mean that my results did not apply in 2008. I just mean that in 2008, I thought I would have had a few different results. I agree that the test I took today shows the top five strengths I have, and I would guess that a couple of my strengths from 2008 would line up just below the top five from today.

For each of the top five strengths, StrengthsFinder 2.0 gives personalized strength insights. The “What makes you stand out?” among other people with similar strengths. At the end of each set of insights are two questions:

  1. As you read your personalized strengths insight, 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?

These questions sometimes have the same answer, unless something stands out because it doesn’t seem to match. With that in mind, I’ll just share my thoughts on the second question with you today.

Strategic – Driven by your talents, you are innovative, inventive, original, and resourceful. You frequently identify ways to transform an obstacle into an opportunity. The more you reflect on what you know, the more problems begin to reveal themselves, and eventually solutions start taking shape in your mind. By nature, you can design innovative plans.

Achiever – By nature, you might become enthused about beginning new jobs, new assignments, new courses of study, or new hobbies. Perhaps the early stages of an endeavor motivate you to upgrade or perfect certain things. Chances are good that you are hardwired to work industriously. You willingly devote hours and energy to your job or studies.It’s very likely that you place a premium on acquiring various kinds of knowledge and skills. You see definite links between your hard work and your accelerated growth as a person or as a professional. Instinctively, you approach your work-related or academic assignments with a great deal of intensity. You are known for putting in long hours and working hard.

Belief – Instinctively, you may have defined some principles that set the tone for certain aspects of your life. Sometimes they influence your behavior. Sometimes they reflect who or what is most important to you. Sometimes they guide your decision-making.Because of your strengths, you may convince certain people who a particular project or cause improves humankind’s quality of life. Perhaps you help people realize they can accomplish more good as a group than they can as individuals. By nature, you might want to do something to benefit humankind. You yearn to dedicate yourself to worthy causes or noble purposes.

Adaptability – You prefer to experience life in the moment. You are eager to see where it takes you. By nature, you occasionally can let today take care of itself. Why? Maybe you understand that tomorrow will bring its own demands, worries, concerns, and opportunities. Because of your strengths, you may let the pressures of each day determine what you need to revise, correct, repair, remodel, upgrade, revamp, or rework. Instinctively, you might choose to deal with events, people, or facts as they present themselves. Perhaps changing your plans as the situation changes suits your style. It’s very likely that you need to have time to rest and unwind. Rushing from one activity or assignment to another can take a toll on you mentally, physically, or emotionally.

Ideation – Chances are good that you are acutely aware of how your teammates perceive your abilities. You can sense what they think of you as a person. These insights many times allow you to earn their confidence so you can contribute even more to the group’s success. Because of your strengths, you often are the team member who generates innovative ideas for programs, processes, enterprises, or assignments. Perhaps ideas pop into your consciousness as soon as someone describes a problem or an opportunity.

One of the really cool things about the StrengthsFinder 2.0 is that it gives you “Ideas for Action” with each of your top five strengths. I’ll share some of the actions that I am going to make a conscious effort to take next time I write.

Take The StrengthsFinder 2.0 Test

If you would like to learn more about the StrengthsFinder 2.0 test, go to strengthsfinder.com. You’ll need to order a book (StrengthFinder 2.0 on Amazon) to get a code to take the test.

I have one extra copy that I am willing to give away. All you have to do to win a free copy of StrengthsFinder 2.0 is leave a comment below describing why you deserve a free copy of the book. I will choose a winner on March 16, 2012. Make sure you use a valid email address so that I can contact you if you win. I promise not to send you any spam.

Results and insights taken from my StrengthsFinder personalized results report, © 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.