Leading with the Individualization StrengthsFinder Talent
From feeling common to unique
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Do you get frustrated when you hear a person being described with a generalization? You think, “that person is so much more,” because you know people can’t be defined by the groups they belong to.
If this resonates with you, you likely have the strengthsfinder individualization talent.
You see the potential for collaboration among those with diverse gifts and abilities
When you learn to develop your individualization talent into a strength, you can help others see everyone doesn’t just fit into a box. Instead, bring out the best in each person by highlighting what’s unique and distinctive about them.
Individualization StrengthsFinder TL;DR
The individualization StrengthsFinder talent means you see the uniqueness in people. You want to explore and understand the multifaceted nature of who they are.
As a leader, you use this understanding to craft custom approaches or solutions that consider individuals' unique giftings, personalities and talents.
Your individualization strength can be a team-building superpower
As you recognize the unique design of each individual, you want it to shine so everyone else can see it too.
If you’re already familiar with StrengthsFinder, you can skip over the next section.
What is StrengthsFinder?
SterengthsFinder, now CliftonStrengths, is an assessment based on strengths psychology. The fundamental premise is you will get farther by maxing out your strengths rather than trying to improve your weaknesses.
I’ve seen numerous leaders grow as they identified their talents and turned them into well-developed strengths. But you don’t have to be a leader to benefit from StrengthsFinder, and you can apply it to more than just work.
Understanding your strengths and weaknesses helps you better understand and live out your unique design.
Individualization is just one of the 34 different strengths measured by StengthsFinder. When you take the assessment, you will get back your top 5 strengths. You can pay for an ordered list of all 34, but I wouldn’t recommend that the first time you take the assessment.
Focus is critical to developing your strengths. Keeping just your top 5 in view helps you make meaningful growth in the areas of your life with the highest leverage and impact.
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How do you lead well with individualization in your StrengthsFinder top 5?
So you’ve taken the StrengthsFinder assessment, received your results and found individualization in the list. Now you’re wondering how to grow or leverage this strength in your leadership.
I love seeing others live out their unique design, and this desire was actually a significant motivator for me to write this strengthsfinder series. I've helped many leaders learn to leverage their unique strengths and experiences to grow in living out their leadership design.
I’ve seen leaders with the individualization strength use these three strategies to bring out the best in each person.
- Build great teams.
- Consider coaching.
- Establish partnerships.
Learn to recognize behaviors when you're over-leveraging your strengths to the point that they become liabilities. And discover the path back to health.
Build great teams.
When you have the individualization strength, you can bring out the best in each team member. You can recognize everyone's unique gifts and use them for the overall greater good.
Great teams are the lifeblood of any organization or cause. Your individualization strength can be a team-building superpower.
You bring out the best in each person by highlighting what’s unique and distinctive about them.
You understand that what makes people a great addition to a team isn't their similarities but rather how they complement each other. This awareness allows you to create an environment of collaboration and value each person's unique contributions.
Consider coaching.
You have the ability to recognize a wide array of strengths and experiences in individuals, allowing you to develop custom approaches or solutions that consider their unique gifts, personalities and talents.
This insight makes you ideal for one-on-one coaching sessions. If you also have the developer strength in your top 5, it takes your coaching potential up another level.
You want to explore and understand the multifaceted nature of who they are.
When you coach someone, you can help them discover their own strengths and how to apply them. You can also help them navigate major life discovery moments by encouraging them to find the best in themselves.
I know I may be a little biased here, but coaching makes a great career choice.
Related Guides
Establish partnerships.
You see the potential for collaboration among those with diverse gifts and abilities. But this isn't just limited to individuals.
By partnering with other organizations, you can tap into unique resources, bring out the best in each and create something great together.
You see the uniqueness in people
Your individualization strength equips you to establish relationships with a wide variety of people and collaborate effectively on more significant projects than any of you can do alone.
You can recognize each partner’s strengths, allowing for more efficient collaboration and greater impact.
As you learn to lead using your individualization strength, you can help people move from feeling common to see their uniqueness.
Bring out the best in each person so they can feel confident in who they are and bring their best every day.
Action Plan
Leaders with the strengthsfinder individualization talent can struggle with an antipattern of creating systems and processes that are unsustainably custom. Learning the strengths antipatterns will allow you to continue growing as a healthy, intentional leader.
You are on an extraordinary journey to living and leading from your strengths. You can explore the list below to learn about the rest of your top 5 strengths.
Frequently Asked Questions
StrengthsFinder
So do I totally ignore my weaknesses and just focus on my strengths?
Strengths-based growth doesn’t encourage you to ignore your weaknesses but not to spend too much time trying to turn them into strengths. Instead, you may need to find team members or systems to fill in your gaps.
Learn more about how StrengthsFind influences your leadership.
There are strengths I think I have; why didn’t they didn’t show up in my top 5?
For some people, their strengths ranked 5, 6 or 7 are almost even. You could also be misattributing a skill or behavior to a specific strength.
Learn more about how StrengthsFind influences your leadership.
Should I pay to see all 34 strengths?
Seeing your other 29 strengths can help give you a fuller picture. But initially, someone should focus on further developing those top 5 strengths rather than trying to give attention across the list. Once you have a good grasp on what it looks like to lead from your top 5, it can be helpful to explore the rest of the list.
Learn more about how StrengthsFind influences your leadership.
What’s the difference between a talent and a strength?
A talent is your natural way of thinking or behaving. A strength is a talent developed over time through knowledge, skills and practice.
Learn more about how StrengthsFinder influences your leadership.
