How to interpret you StrengthsFinder 2.0 report

PART II: HOW TO INTERPRET YOUR REPORT

Your brief report will have your top 5 talent themes. After each theme, there will be a short definition of that theme. The descriptive paragraph that follows below is UNIQUE to you.

Let's say that your top 5 themes are:

Developer
Empathy
Woo
Adaptability
Includer

When you read the description under the Developer category, the information there will be integrating information from your other 4 themes. The same will be true for Empathy, Woo, Adaptability and Includer.

Let's say your friend has the following themes:

Adaptability
Activator
Futuristic
Communication
Competition

The only theme you share in common is Adaptability. But, when you read the individualized report, your friend's version of Adaptability will be mixed with his other 4 themes. And since these are very different from yours, his report will sound distinct as well. If you have the same theme as one of your friends or family members, read their report and compare for yourself.

My top 5 are: ;lsdjf;lasdjf;lasdjf;lskj;lskfj;lsdkj;sl Natalie

Individualization ;lskfj;alsdfja;lsdkfja;sldkfja;lsk Ideation
Ideation ;alsdjasldja;sldkfjas;ldkja;sldkjas;lkjsa;;Activator
Activator ja;sldfja;sldkfja;sldfja;sldkfj;asldkfja;slEmpathy
Woo ja;sldkfja;lsdkfja;sldkfja;sldkfj;lsdkjs;lkjjjjjjFuturistic
Communication slja;sdlkfja;sldkfja;lsdkfj;lkfja;sjIndividualization


As you can see, Natalie and I share 3 of our top 5 themes, but because she has Empathy and Futuristic, our reports read very differently. It would be like adding 2 very different ingredients to your favorite recipe.

I was amused to read one phrase that appeared verbatim in both of our reports. Can you figure out why? What 2 ingredients combined to make this dish?

"Chances are good that you relieve people of the burden of having to figure out what you think, feel, and need. How? You simply tell them. Your plainspoken approach enhances their understanding of you as a person. Your straightforward expression of your needs and desires usually eliminates any confusion."

My guess is the combination of Activator and Individualization. Too impatient to wait for others to discover our wonderful uniqueness, we go ahead and tell them.

FINAL NOTE: So, when you read your brief report, spend some time reading over the information carefully. You are not just reading about that individual theme, you are reading about your unique combination. Highlight phrases that resonate with you and seem to capture a bit of your essence. You can use these snippets of information to describe yourself in your resume or in a job interview.

Wouldn't it be awesome to have a powerful and descriptive answer to the question, "So tell me about yourself", or "So what are your strengths?". Instead of muttering something about being "hardworking", you can have the confidence to talk about your strengths in truthful, yet complex fashion.

So, take some time to read your Report and mine it for all its worth.