Most common challenges in managing any of the StrengthsFinder Talent Themes

By Dries Lombaard
Strategic Leadership Institute and NeuWorx Coaching

Over the past 18 months I wrote on each of the 34 Talent themes and some of the most common challenges in managing them well.  I took the insight from my experience through hundreds of sessions of Strengths Coaching over the past decade.

This is a very helpful resource for Strengths Coaches, leaders, managers or anyone striving to build more on your own Strengths.

My foundational principle for this series is as follows:  "A well-managed talent becomes a strength...but a miss-managed talent becomes a detriment."  
This very principle also forms the core of my Strengths Coaching sessions.  I never use the cliche that "your strength becomes your weakness", simply because I do not believe it to be true.  Your Strengths will never be your weakness because it will never weaken or drain you.  But, it may very well become your detriment...wrecking your dreams, relationships and even your health.

I believe the awareness of your Talents by understanding their contribution is a very small step in the start of your Strengths journey.  The real challenge is managing the patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving of each of the 34 Talent themes well.  I have witnessed countless of lives change with the knowledge and skill of well managed talents.  Only then can you truly claim it to be your Strength.  Otherwise is may well simply be your detriment...

Herewith the list of all 34 the StrengthsFinder Talent Theme articles on how to manage it well. Simply click on the one you want to read about.

I will also welcome any comments or feedback from your side - you are after all the expert on your own talents!


Enjoy!


Executing Talents:

Managing your Achiever
Managing your Arranger
Managing your Belief
Managing your Consistency
Managing your Discipline
Managing your Deliberative
Managing your Focus
Managing your Responsibility
Managing your Restorative

Influencing Talents:

Managing your Activator
Managing your Command
Managing your Competition
Managing your Communication
Managing your Maximizer
Managing your Self Assurance
Managing your Significance
Managing your WOO

Relational Talents:

Managing your Adaptability
Managing your Connectedness
Managing your Developer
Managing your Empathy
Managing your Harmony
Managing your Individualization
Managing your Includer
Managing your Positivity
Managing your Relator

Thinking Talents

Managing your Analytical
Managing your Context
Managing your Futuristic
Managing your Ideation
Managing your Input
Managing your Intellection
Managing your Learner
Managing your Strategic

Managing your Talents [34] - Positivity

By Dries Lombaard

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

“You are generous with praise, quick to smile, and always on the lookout for the positive in the situation. Some call you lighthearted. Others just wish that their glass were as full as yours seems to be. But either way, people want to be around you. Their world looks better around you because your enthusiasm is contagious. Lacking your energy and optimism, some find their world drab with repetition or, worse, heavy with pressure. You seem to find a way to lighten their spirit. You inject drama into every project. You celebrate every achievement. You find ways to make everything more exciting and more vital. Some cynics may reject your energy, but you are rarely dragged down. Your Positivity won’t allow it. Somehow you can’t quite escape your conviction that it is good to be alive, that work can be fun, and that no matter what the setbacks, one must never lose one’s sense of humor."
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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 Positivity?

Obviously the talent theme of Positivity is mostly about "being positive"....but you should understand that the talent is different than the value or even characteristic of being positive. I prefer to refer to it as the "talent of Intensity".  
This intensity is not a bad thing.  As described in the description above, you are all about energy.  You light up a room.  You are the energy of the team.
This contribution will be very natural for you. It has a flip side though:  you may want to manage the energy levels or else they may really become quite overwhelming for people around you.  They are not used to the levels of optimism and energy you find natural...

How?

Practice to "turn down the volume" on your Positivity talent at times.  This is actually also meant literally with Positivity! Your intense optimism need to be managed in the very same way as your "opposite" talent theme, Deliberative, should manage their criticism. You will always see the bright side of life, and will mostly lift others to see it too.  But also know that at times you need to turn your energy down to engage those around you more.  It is done with a simple decision, which directs your behavior. Be sure not to understand this as meaning you should turn off the Positivity!  Don't even try to - it is the natural you. But if circumstances warrants, you can surely manage its intensity.   

Your Positivity most likely has a "shadow side" to it. That very same intensity that can cheer people up and lift the room, can also turn towards the intense need to be alone. You may even at times feel very down or depressed. Knowing this will help you manage it. No talent has only one dimension to it. Every talent theme has a flip side. If you understand the thoughts, emotions and behavior of the flip side in the same way you understand the thoughts, feeling and behavior of the natural contribution, you will be better equipped to manage the talent well in all its dimensions.  Understanding that your Positivity need some "alone time", and need some nurturing of its own, will help you to enjoy the talent to its full.

How?

Grant yourself time alone.  Even if you are an extrovert, you also need recharging on your own at times.  Your Positivity has the need for abundant expression, but also for refilling. If you do not do this and grant yourself "me" time, your Positivity may react in an opposite manner to its nature, and you may actually feel the intensity of tiredness and depression.  It is again all about a decision to manage your time, and fill your talent with its need - not only contribute with it.  By listening to your inner energy you will know your capacity for intensity and positivity.  Make sure you do not deplete yourself.

Now, go fill your world with positive energy!!