The advantages of identifying and understanding your... Core Theme

We are starting a new series this week, all about the advantages of identifying and understanding certain Theme traits within your Top 5 Talents. Africanmosaic Talent Guides have been trained to assist people with the process of this identification and understanding. We strongly advise that you contact an accredited Talent Guide to assist you with this, rather than just trying to make sense of it on your own. The true power of this comes through a journey with a Guide.

Our first focus will be on your "Core Theme". You can also think of this as your "main Talent", your "strongest Theme" or as we sometimes refer to it, your "Funnel Theme".

Identifying your Core Theme:

An important thing to realize about your Core Theme, is that it does not necessarily follow the order of the StrengthsFinder Report. That means that your Core Theme is NOT per definition your Nr 1 Theme on your Top 5 Report. It could be any one of the Top 5 Talents. Identifying it is therefor a very practical exercise of self awareness and experience. The best way to do this is to ask the following questions:

• Which one of my Top 5 Talents are most visible in everyday life, both to myself and others?


• Which Talent will I never trade for any other one, because I will feel helpless without it?


• Which Talent gives me the most energy when I use it?


• Which Talent Theme out of my Top 5 will others use most to describe me?


• Through which one of the 5 Talents do the other four talents "flow"and become active?


• If I could describe myself by choosing one of my Top 5 Talents, which one will I choose?


• If you think of a "funnel", which one of the 5 will be at the spout (bottom) of the funnel, so that the other talents works "through" this theme in order to be active?

Although the identification of your Core Theme is a very personal exercise based on self awareness, it is very important that you will be able to describe and support your choice to a talent Guide. Sometimes we could be projecting and mislead ourselves within this process. It is also a good idea to get some confirmation by explaining and discussing this with people you know well, especially colleagues and people who see you "in action"often.

Understanding your Core Theme:

Your Core Theme has a tremendous influence on your Talent mix and dynamics. (To understand your personal talent dynamics, talk to your Talent Guide). Of the 5 "spices"that your Top 5 Talents adds to your mix, your Core Theme will mostly be the strongest and add the most spice and taste to your thoughts, feelings and behaviour. When under pressure, your Core theme will kick in strongest and drive your performance. Understanding this allows you to play to your strengths much more effectively and with more intention.

Your Core Theme also gives you a specific identity, in that it becomes your springboard for the way you approach problems and challenges. Knowing this gives you an edge.

Understanding how your Core Theme shapes your other 4 Talents (and, in the case of you knowing your Full 34, it shapes all the rest) to the extent that it becomes an important part of your decision making and interaction with others. The Level 2 Talent Guides (trained to facilitate teams), will tell you how important Core Themes become in Team dynamics and performance. Knowing your Core Theme, and embracing and celebrating it, therefor gives you and those around you and advantage for interaction and strengths based performance.

The other advantage of understanding your Core Theme and identifying it, is that it helps you with clear identity. Someone who embraces and celebrates their Core Theme will be outspoken with certainty, and therefor confirm it by saying "I am a Maximizer", or "I am an Activator", or "I am a Woo".

FAQ's on Core Themes:

• Can your Core Theme Change over time? - Yes, it can. This does not mean that it changes in every situation you find yourself in. But, the influence of different environments and seasons of your life could definitely have an impact on where your Core Theme will position itself in terms of your Top 5 Talents.


• Could your Core Theme be lower than the Top 5...like at nr 6 or 7? - Yes, but very, very seldom. The whole definition of a Core Theme causes it to be strong, which will place it within a Top 5 in nearly every case.


• Could I have more than one Core Theme in my Top 5? - Yes. It is rare, but your Talent Guide is also trained to help you confirm if this is the case. Then you should embrace that fact. It has an interesting dynamic if that is the case. You will then define it by saying "I am a Strategic Achiever", or "I am a Harmonious Relator". Your Guide will help you to confirm the order of these two talents in the definition.


• Does everyone always have a Core Theme? - Yes, although you might be in a space where you are unsure of what it is. Never force the identification. Give it a lot of thought and time if you are uncertain. This often happens when you are in a space where your environment are changing, like in a new job or when you have relocated. Never force the identification of a Core Theme. It will not help anything if you do not affirm and embrace it.


• Can I intentionally decide to change my Core Theme? - Not really. When you do that, it is more the skill of leveraging your strengths and playing to it in a specific situation. But you could give more attention to focusing on a specific Talent at any given time. This is actually more the art of talent Dynamics than it is changing your Core theme.

[Next time: The advantages of identifying and understanding your...Ignition Theme.]

- by Dries Lombaard, C.E.O. Africanmosaic.

Want to know more, or become a Talent Guide yourself?

Visit our website at www.africanmosaic.com