Using Strengths to Navigate Adversity
I remember sitting by my father’s side when he was no longer responsive, thinking that I was in a deep and dark place as I provided hospice care for him during his last days. As a person who is an excellent problem solver, I felt stuck, and that is not a common feeling for me. I prayed and I also turned toward my Strengths.
Let me share some quick context here… As a Gallup Certified Coach, I have been coaching people around their “top 5” themes/strengths for over 6 years using the CliftonStrengths assessment. I have found this tool to be a “must have” life hack to navigate all things from my relationships to my work life, to understanding differences, and appreciating work styles that were previously a challenge to me. I use Strengths in my work with students at the University of Minnesota Duluth and also with staff and administrators who want to be the best version of themselves. I am in love with this assessment.
The assessment identifies 34 talent themes which are patterns that describe the way we think, feel, and behave. The “Top 5” assessment identifies each person’s top five things that are unique about themselves. The odds of having the same Top 5 as another are 1 in 33 million. While the assessment doesn’t explain absolutely everything about us, because we are complex beings, it is uncannily accurate. Even my skeptical partner who is a scientist thinks so! Furthermore, our Strengths help us to understand the lens that we use to see and make sense of the world and those around us. Therefore, understanding our Strengths helps us to be our best and most productive selves, communicate more effectively, and navigate work and personal relationships too.
So, in this dark time in October with my father and my mother who was battling her own illnesses, I turned to my Strengths. (I use the capital “S”) when referring to my Top 5. I wondered, at that moment, what might lift my spirits and my “Strategic” theme got to work exploring the pathways. My “Learner” stepped up to remind me that I love learning just about anything. I began to explore some topics that piqued my interest (at my father’s bedside) and soon I was buoyed up and able to continue caregiving. Okay, there might have been a little more to it. I do see my Learner as the one that extends a hand to me at some of my most challenging times. “Learner” is my candy.
During the pandemic, when my spirits were low and we were cut off from one another, I again turned to my Learner. I began playing the ukulele and growing lettuce and mushrooms inside. I even took ukulele lessons online with a former student. To this day, when I am feeling the least bit low, I pick up my ukulele and play though I am not a master, it is all about the journey for me.
When our son sustained a spinal cord injury back in January of 2021 (during the pandemic), my Strategic was jump-started and Maximizer was born. During that time, my “Strategic” theme allowed me to explore all of the options available for care and rehab for Mason. I used my “Connectedness” to reach out to others for support and resources. “Relator” helped me to share my deepest, most challenging feelings to seek relief during the heaviness we all experienced. “Relator” and “Connectedness” helped me reach out to others who had traveled this type of injury and to gather information. My “Maximizer” theme is a newer theme that rose to the top during this time and helped my partner and me workshop ideas to make our house more accessible for our son.
By the way, if you have taken the assessment, it is likely that your Top 5 themes stay fairly constant and reorganize based on those in your Top 10 unless you experience a major life change. Gallup also offers the Full 34 report as an option too and, as a coach, I love working with the results of the Full 34.
In my case, Mason’s accident seems to have spurred the birth of “Maximizer” in me. Perhaps she had been laying dormant all these years! It did take me a bit of time to effectively manage the energy around “Maximizer” and to make sure that it landed without ruffling feathers with those around me. In strengths-based coaching, we refer to this as a blind spot or as the “raw” form of the talent theme.
I know, some of you are probably thinking, this all sounds way too easy and unrealistic. Yes, I do have “Positivity” and sometimes I need to use it in measured doses. Sometimes, I can see that it might not land well for others so I need to dial it back. This is the beauty of the assessment (and coaching) because it provides a direction to move or actionable items.
As a coach, it is important for me to have a coach and I work with a lovely and inspiring strengths-based coach who also mentors me in my small business growth.
If you are curious about this assessment or how it might aid you in your life through transitions or challenges, I am here to serve you. I am always happy to share the value of the assessment and what coaching can bring. However, this is not a sales pitch!
It truly brings me joy to share how our personal strengths guide us through this challenging life. We will all traverse many challenges and, I hope, find just as many joys on the other side.
I hope you will check out my segment on WDIO’s live talk show “The Lift” for more tips about Navigating Adversity.
My other two segments are there, under Stacy Crawford.
Peace to you!
P.S. If you are curious about what all 34 themes are, check this out CliftonStrengths Short Description