Ice Breaker – Strengths

Most weeks on The Stretched Blog, I ask an ice breaker question on Fridays. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas.  If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com.  If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

I’m working my way through Tom Rath’s book, StrengthsFinder 2.0.  This book and the associated self assessment is designed to help readers know, understand, and use their strengths.  I took the self-assessment last night, and my results are the inspiration for this week’s Ice Breaker question.  (For a list of the 34 strengths or talent themes described in this book, click here.)

Question:  What are your biggest strengths?

My Answer:  According to the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment, my biggest strengths are:

• Harmony – “You look for areas of agreement.  In your view there is little to be gained from conflict and friction, so you seek to hold them to a minimum.  When you know that the people around you hold differing views, you try to find the common ground.”  StrengthsFinder 2.0 page 109
• Achiever – “Achiever describes a constant need for achievement.  You feel as if every day starts at zero.  By the end of the day you must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about yourself.”  StrengthsFinder 2.0 page 37
• Responsibility – “Your Responsibility them forces you to take psychological ownership for anything you commit to, and whether large or small, you feel emotionally bound to follow it through to completion.  Your good name depends on it.”  StrengthsFinder 2.0 page 149
• Discipline – “Your world needs to be predictable.  It needs to be ordered and planned.  So you instinctively impose structure on your world.  You set up routines.  You focus on timelines and deadlines.”  StrengthsFinder 2.0 page 93
• Analytical – “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.”  StrengthsFinder 2.0 page 49

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep Stretching!