#3 Learner
This is Part Three looking at my results from the Strengths Finder assessment by Tom Rath.
My third highest ranked strength is that of "Learner."
People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
It has been said that when you stop learning, you've started dying. I remember my college graduation like it was a long time ago... maybe 'cause it was! I do remember having the thought, "I'm done with the formal education system. For here on, it's the School of Hard Knocks." In recent years though, the idea of furthering my education has crept into my thinking occasionally. I lay down and it eventually goes away.
I do have a desire to continue to grow. I read books and attend conferences in an effort to learn more. I can count on one hand, and have fingers left over, the number of fiction books I've read in the past couple of decades. I used to read novels all the time, but I made a switch years ago to focus my reading on gaining information with the goal of personal growth.
I remember one of my kid's first grade teachers. She had been teaching for 30 years. I believe that she had taught one year, thirty times. It seemed that she hadn't made any significant shifts in her teaching methods, even some of the decorations she had in the class were yellowed with time.
I don't understand people that want to change for the sake of change, I also don't want to be caught in the 'how did we do it last year' mentality!
Growth requires learning!
Sabbath!
For the last couple of weeks I've been enjoying my annual extended Sabbath. This year was a transition point in our family. Last year, it seems, was our last 'family vacation.' This year our eldest stayed home to work and minimize her accumulating student loan. Our middle child chose to join the youth Ministry Tour instead of spending time with us! So, my wife and I packed up with our 12 year old son and headed off.
I've learned about myself that it takes me a few days before I begin to unwind. This year was made more complex when I decided to attempt a washroom renovation. That turned out to be more akin to pouring gasoline on a fire than anything else. I didn't get nearly as much done as I planned and that didn't help with my stress level the first few days of vacation! However, once we blew town, I began to feel the stress dissipating from my body.
It was great to have the detox time, now it's climbing back in the saddle and getting back up to speed.
BTW: I've decided that unless you are a boater, scuba diver or a drinker: you don't need to spend more than a couple of days in Key West.
#2 Responsibility
This is a continuation of a series of blog entries dealing with my results of the online assessment of Tom Rath's book, Strengths Finder.
My second highest ranking strength is Responsibility
People who are especially talented in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.
Coming on the heals of a rather rough and stress-filled, week, this strength has given me pause to evaluate. When I say I will do something, when I give my word, I will bend over backwards to fulfill the expectations. I also have the tendency to take responsibility for things that I see falling through the cracks. It is usually those items that cause me extreme stress.
Matthew 5:37 says that we are to let our 'yes' be 'yes' and our 'no' be 'no.'
Christ shows the ultimate responsibility! Thankfully he took on himself the responsibility of paying for our sin. When God made the decision that he would send His son to earth to die, the Son stepped up and accepted the responsibility. Even while in the garden, moments before the soldiers arrived, he did not look forward to the path he was about to walk, but he held true to his commitment.
While this may be an inherent strength, I fall short of Christ's example of follow through.
#1 Connectedness
I'm drawn to personality and temperament analysis tools like bugs to the front of a car. I almost can't stop myself from taking them. When I started hearing about the Strengths Finder book by Tom Rath it landed on my Amazon wish list pretty quick. Not too much later I had my hands on it and started running though it. I took the online assessment and read through the results. I've decided to use the five strengths the assessment indicates for a series of posts.
My highest ranking strength: Connectedness
People who are especially talented in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links between all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has a reason.
In reading through the more detailed description there are some terms that, I must admit, I do not buy into. To be fair, I am a Christ-follower and live, work and breath: Church, or better defined - the Community of Believers. When I read phrases like, "collective unconscious" or "life force" it does rub me the wrong way. That being said: I understand that the author is not coming from the same paradigm as me and will not let the terms get in the way.
I do believe that there is a link between all things. I do believe that there is a God who has created everything and is involved in His creation. I believe that we have free will and God will not override our decisions, even when we are making foolish decisions.
I do believe that 'nothing happens in a vacuum'. Decisions we make today will affect who and what we are in five years. Choices we make today will have intended consequences but also unintended consequences. How we choose to live, or should I say, for whom we choose to live will effect our eternity.
I do believe that we are too live as a community, not as individuals. The needs of the group should come before the rights of individual.
Yes, I believe that there is a connectedness through all things. I believe that God is in all things and through all things.
Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Develop or Deploy
There's a whole lot of talk about developing leadership in the church world. Unfortunately, more talk than action.
Your own leadership style has more of a determining factor on your ability and inclination to develop others than their willingness to be developed. The 'run and gun' leader is motivated by results and usually looking for people to recruit that will help them accomplish the objective. This results in deploying leaders instead of developing leaders. The 'run and gun' leader usually does a great job of plugging the right people into the right areas. This doesn't mean that they are great at developing people. Usually, these newly recruited leaders have been developed by someone else and then recruited and then plugged in.
I once worked for a man who worked on the assumption that development happens by osmosis... just being the the environment. There is some truth to that. It really does help to be in the environment. However, if osmosis is the chief development technique, there will be no long term success.
Developing others requires us to:
1. Be focused on their growth, not our goals.
2. Be willing to grow them and let them go.
3. Understand that not everyone will grow like we know they could.
Developing leaders takes time and energy. It is, quite frankly, much easier to hire a person of competence and let them run. It's easier to find a leader that to develop one. What has God called us to do?
What I'm Thinking...
- RT @bubbawatson You ever go to the driving range & think you will never play good golf again?? #golfishard / No. "Will I ever?" Yes. 1 day ago
- Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. http://t.co/c2d84vbS 4 days ago
- Put up or shut up. "What good is it... if u say u have faith but don't show it by ur actions?" http://t.co/Bvqv1qos 5 days ago
- Because 135+ baptisms in 4 services wasn't enough, @PastorRobFM throws in a wedding ceremony in the services! #obeyingGod 1 week ago
- "For some, change is life. For some, change is death. For all, change is difficult. And for all, change is mandatory." @lensweet 1 week ago
- More updates...
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