Managing Your Talents [20] - Consistency

According to Gallup, the essence of the talent theme of Consistency is the following:

Balance is important to you. You are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same, no matter what their station in life, so you do not want to see the scales tipped too far in any one person’s favour. In your view this leads to selfishness and individualism. It leads to a world where some people gain an unfair advantage because of their connections or their background or their greasing of the wheels. This is truly offensive to you. You see yourself as a guardian against it. In direct contrast to this world of special favours, you believe that people function best in a consistent environment where the rules are clear and are applied to everyone equally. This is an environment where people know what is expected. It is predictable and even-handed. It is fair. Here each person has an even chance to show his or her worth.

But a talent like this on itself is quite meaningless unless you develop and manage it. That is why we believe that "a well managed talent becomes a strength, but a mismanaged talent becomes a detriment".

How do you manage the talent of Consistency?
  
This Strength of yours need things to be done according to the book. Knowing that will help you manage it.  Your talent of Consistency is acutely aware of the importance of policies, rules and procedures being applied to everyone.  This is how you view being fair - "everyone treated the same according to the rules".  You may even describe yourself as a "black-and-white" person who cannot think gray.  Cannot make exceptions.  Cannot look the other way.  This is part of your uniqueness - and often misunderstood by others as being strict, unbendable or even "cold and clinical". For them to understand you, you need first to understand your own thinking, feeling and behaving.  "According to the book". Thus, having clarity about the rules or policies is what helps this talent of yours function best at all times.  Uncertainty as to what needs to apply is something you cannot handle well.  You need certainty about the rules, and you create it.  But it needs to be managed well.

How?

Show people your human side also.  It is possible to do that without compromising your beliefs and integrity.  Make them understand that the consistent and fair execution of the rules and policies is what makes you tick.  You do not see anyone above the rules.  In that way, people can feel very safe with you....if the behave according to the rules!  People need to understand that you will not tolerate politics and favours for friends.  The sooner they understand that about you, the easier it will be for you to manage this talent in a practical way, as your energy can then be focused on what matters most, and not on trying to show people that you actually mean well.

You have an important strength. But there are others who see things differently. Accept and respect that fact!  You bring something to the table that is precious - factual fairness.  But, you need also to understand that there are other talents that brings a total different perspective to a situation than yours do - and that is not wrong!  For instance, the talent of Individualization have a very hard time to treat everyone the same according to the rules.  They see specific needs and context. Just as you bring a clinical clarity towards the consistent application of the rules, others bring a sense of circumstance that warrants a specific context - and even sometimes that one thing you find hard to accept:  the exception to the rule!   But, it is a reality that exception and special situations does exist.  And you need to manage your strength of Consistency not to feel devalued or even betrayed when such a situation occurs.

How?

Accept that the world is not simply black and white.  There are a lot of grey, and even colours everywhere.  In specific situations you need to stand your ground with the strength that your consistency provides.  But, you also need to know that backing off does not mean that you "look the other way" or sacrifice integrity.  It simply means that people cannot always be treated according to the rules, policies or procedures.  I know it hurts you to even read these words.  But, it is true.  Let other talents sometimes guide you to find another angle and approach to a specific situation.

Apply your talent of Consistency in the right roles and places, and it will thrive!!  Your  Consistency talent needs to be applied in a role or place where it is acknowledged to serve best.  If you can find this arena or role for it, you will be very energized and motivated to see it fly!  No talent must be suppressed.  Managing a talent does not mean undervaluing it.  It simply means you apply it where it fits best!

How?

Find that sweet spot in your job. career, parenting, relationships and life where your Consistency can be free to fly and be celebrated.  Maybe you already have that place or role.  That is great then!  But if not, you will feel the need to show the Consistent behaviour and emotions in contexts and situations where it does not always fit.  And that will frustrate you immensely!  So, the right spaces and places where your Consistency talent can thrive is crucial for it not to become a detriment to you and others.


Go on.  Let it fly!

- by Dries Lombaard, founder and owner of Africanmosaic and TALENTmosaic.

Important note when reading this: in this series, I simply focus on the specific talent in isolation. I do not take the crucial element of Talent Dynamics (two or more talent themes combining) into consideration. This is very important as any Coach should take that into consideration when coaching people in their talents. But you need to understand the challenges that the talent theme on its own might hold. Therefor the challenges in managing the talent as explained below might not be applicable to everyone, as the dynamics with some of their other talent themes might override the specific challenge and "make up for it". But, knowledge of the most common management challenges in every talent theme still is crucial in talent development and when turning the talent into a strength.  All information is my own, acquired by years of Strengths Coaching experience, and not verified or scientifically tested by Gallup. The definition at the beginning is the intellectual property of Gallup, and well researched.

Managing Your Talents [19] - Analytical

According to Gallup, the essence of the talent theme of Analytical is the following:

Your Analytical theme challenges other people: “Prove it. Show me why what you are claiming is true.” In the face of this kind of questioning some will find that their brilliant theories wither and die. For you, this is precisely the point. You do not necessarily want to destroy other people’s ideas, but you do insist that their theories be sound. You see yourself as objective and dispassionate. You like data because they are value free. They have no agenda. Armed with these data, you search for patterns and connections. You want to

understand how certain patterns affect one another. How do they combine? What is their outcome? Does this outcome fit with the theory being offered or the situation being confronted? These are your questions. You peel the layers back until, gradually, the root cause or causes are revealed. Others see you as logical and rigorous. Over time they will come to you in order to expose someone’s “wishful thinking” or “clumsy thinking” to your refining mind. It is hoped that your analysis is never delivered too harshly. Otherwise, others may avoid you when that “wishful thinking” is their own.

But a talent like this on itself is quite meaningless unless you develop and manage it. That is why we believe that "a well managed talent becomes a strength, but a mismanaged talent becomes a detriment".

How do you manage the talent of Analytical?
  

Managing the Analytical Talent means having a clear, sound and sober mind. As you will naturally delve deep and search wide for facts that relate to the issue at hand, it might become difficult to know when enough is enough. Analysis paralysis doesn’t help anyone and it won’t be a good marketing campaign for your Analytical skills either if it occurs often. Clutter in your mind is usually the biggest culprit that leads to analysis paralysis. It is therefore crucial that you schedule regular times to clear your mind.

HOW?

Mindful meditation, deep prayer, taking walks in nature, or sitting and writing down every thought that comes to mind are all effective ways to clear your mind. Practicing these disciplines will dramatically increase your mental capabilities as well as your overall health. Some people build these disciplines into their daily routines by washing dishes alone or taking long showers. Having clear values can also help to make decisions faster because behaviours and possible outcomes can be measured against these. Living a value-based life simplifies life and the choices we make in life.

Managing the Analytical Talent means letting others in on your thinking process. Your Analytical talent might cause you to take a bit longer than others to come to a conclusion. This is not because you are slow-minded, but rather that the amount of information and data that you take into account is multitudes more than the average person. It is therefore important to communicate to people when you are processing information. Furthermore, “thinking on your feet” might be a phrase that you don’t quite relate to because you need time to think things through before speaking. Realise that to think on your feet means you remain calm under the pressure, not that you will have all the answers.

HOW?

A simple “uhmmm” can show that you are thinking and that they should allow you time to think before expecting you to speak. Letting others know THAT you are thinking is great on its own, but to really win with this talent, you have to learn how to let others know WHAT you are thinking. People with Analytical as a talent that has built up the skill to communicate the detail of their thinking help others to give them the space they need to think. If someone can follow your thinking process you will also help them to see how you get to your conclusions, giving your conclusion the credibility it deserves. Sometimes, you might feel a bit too overwhelmed in the moment to be able to communicate clearly enough. In cases like this, create space for yourself by having the courage to put questions off until later. Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know” or “I’ll come back to you on that” or “what do you think?”

Managing your analytical talent means learning how to communicate your analyses. Your analytical talent pulls you toward facts and truth. You can sense when you do not have the whole truth or when there are facts missing. Because of your Analytical talent, you seek facts and truth and you are pushed into asking the difficult questions that others aren’t willing to ask, but which are essential to bringing clarity, security and eventually success. Because you naturally see issues objectively and aren’t easily swayed by emotions, you have to be sensitive to how your messages come across to others if they are to fully reap the rewards that lie in your inputs.

HOW?

Hone this skill of being objective by learning how to listen actively and how to ask good questions. By doing this, the people you are listening to will feel that you care and it will also bring you closer to the truth which is what you ultimately seek. Seek out opportunities where it will be helpful to look at an issue from an emotional-neutral viewpoint. Not only will you help people make quality decisions, but you’ll love doing it.

A final word:

Your analytical talent naturally guides the development of your brain to become a high speed processing unit. Build on this by ensuring you keep your brain active. Remember that you get energized by analysing.

This is who you are.

Stop, drop, and analyse!

- by Stephan Swart, TalentMosaic Strengths Coach. 

• za.linkedin.com/in/stephanswart

Important note when reading this: in this series, I simply focus on the specific talent in isolation. I do not take the crucial element of Talent Dynamics (two or more talent themes combining) into consideration. This is very important as any Coach should take that into consideration when coaching people in their talents. But you need to understand the challenges that the talent theme on its own might hold. Therefor the challenges in managing the talent as explained below might not be applicable to everyone, as the dynamics with some of their other talent themes might override the specific challenge and "make up for it". But, knowledge of the most common management challenges in every talent theme still is crucial in talent development and when turning the talent into a strength.  All information is my own, acquired by years of Strengths Coaching experience, and not verified or scientifically tested by Gallup. The definition at the beginning is the intellectual property of Gallup, and well researched.