Strengths-based Activities for Recentering Yourself and Your Team
As we continue through this time of remote work, it’s important to stay inspired and engaged. Leaning on our Strengths is a great place to start. To that end, the last issue of Coach’s Corner provided actionable insights into your Strengths to help you navigate them in new ways.
In this issue, we’ll continue learning about ourselves through our Strengths using Strengths Boosters. Strengths Boosters are exercises that provide a refresher and a new perspective on our Strengths while helping us leverage them more meaningfully.
If you need a reminder on what your Strengths are, I encourage you to revisit your Certificate of Talent. If you can’t find it, go to MyGallup.com to locate it or get in touch with me and I would be happy to help.
Now, let’s get into the Strengths Boosters!
STRENGTHS BOOSTERS
One of my favorite tools to facilitate Strengths is through an activity using “I Bring” and “I Need” statements for each Theme. In this two-part conversation, the first is about our contributions, framed as “I Bring” statements, and the second is about our individual needs, positioned as “I Need” statements.
In order to do this activity, you’ll need to reference the “I Bring, I Need” document. This document provides the various “I Bring, I Need” statements for each Theme which can be personalized to your own perspective or interpreted through your organization’s or team’s needs. Below, you will find the instructions for completing this activity as a team or as an individual.
I BRING, I NEED CONVERSATIONS
We all bring something to the table so the purpose of this activity is to help you and/or your team members better understand your individual talents, and what your unique contributions are so you can lean into those Strengths.
The takeaway of doing this exercise as a team is that it helps everyone understand individual Strengths from a group work perspective. The takeaway of doing this exercise as an individual is that it helps you communicate what you need in order to be successful.
Let’s get started!
Highlight your Top 5 “I Bring, I Need” statements according to your Strengths.
Write your “I Bring” statements. Think about your role, your unique contributions, and how you can be best supported and counted upon, using the statements as a guideline. Feel free to edit the language to make it most applicable to your role/organization.
Now write your “I Need” statements, again customizing as you did above.
Share these statements with those you work with or reflect on how you can use your newfound insights to inform what you should ask of others to set you up for success.
Here’s a formula to get you started:
My ___________ brings _____________________________________.
Strength Write down the I BRING statement.
During this time, ________________________ . For example, _________________________________.
Personal Accomplishment Give an example of the accomplishment
I Need ___________________________________________________________________________________.
Personalize the I Need statement for your Theme
You can count on me ___________________________________________________________________.
What does your Strength look like in action?
EXAMPLE: My Adaptability brings a willingness to follow the lead of change. During this time, I have been very nimble with all the changes to our organization. For example, when we began working from home, I wanted to make sure everyone had a comfortable space, sufficient bandwidth, and technology to operate. I need clear priorities on what demands an immediate response. You can count on me as the workplace continues to shift, to be proactive in making sure we operate efficiently and effectively.
I hope this Strengths Booster serves as an insightful and engaging activity for you and/or your team. Now more than ever it’s important to remember our unique talents and the ways in which we contribute to the world around us. As always, I’m just a Coaching Call away for any questions, comments, or additional Booster suggestions.