It’s exciting to discover your strengths. Wow! Natural talents at your beck and call; ready to accelerate you forward. What are your Top 5? Hmmm…did only one or two come to mind? Might those top of mind strengths be a hint of who owns you? WOO and Positivity are my top of mind strengths and why not? Who wouldn’t like a little WOO and Positivity? Caution! Not everyone sees the world the same way I do and I can quickly create a negative impression if these strengths own me. Yes, there is a dark side to strengths.
Caution is not the first thought that entered my mind when my Clifton Strengths® assessment revealed Positivity as my number three strength and WOO number five. “Yes!” was my response. I knew there was something to the energy I bring and these two capture it. Woo-hoo!
The Clifton Strengths assessment measures the presence of talent. It does not measure whether you are using it or not (I was definitely using these two!). It also does not measure the level of development of that talent – whether it is raw or mature.
Positivity and WOO together make a powerful combination. Positivity brings energy and enthusiasm to groups. WOO brings energy to social situations. They are overwhelming when used together in their raw state. I was connecting with others and beating them over the head with my Positivity stick. Whoa! This was not at all my intention. What had gone wrong?
After a few experiences of having my two favorite talents collide with other people, I began to see how raw my WOO and Positivity were. I was using them only to serve me, bowling over others who were not as upbeat as me. Until I directed that energy to serve others, I was rubbing people the wrong way.
Work with my strengths coach helped me polish these two talents into true strengths. My Maximizer plays a role as it desires my interactions with others not to be just good but great. It helps temper the overwhelm Woo and Positivity can create. Strategic allows me to thoughtfully deploy strengths in various situations. I now read a situation, consider the outcome desired and put the appropriate strength(s) into action. I get it right more often than not and the outcome is a win-win for all. This is owning your strengths.