Strengths Training

Loyola University New Orleans

Strengths

Lets Smurf Some Strengths

A characteristic of the smurf language is the

frequent use of the word smurf and its
derivatives in a variety of meanings.
It was implied a number of times that the
smurfs all understood each other due to
subtle variations in intonation that Johan or
PeeWit (or the viewers) could not detect.

Strengths Are Smurfy

So that the viewer of the animated series is able to

understand the Smurfs, only some words (or a portion of
the word) are replaced with the word smurf. Context
offers a reliable understanding of this speech pattern.

Smurf village was divided between North and South,

and Smurfs on either side had different ideas as to
whether the term smurf should be used as a verb or as
a noun: for instance, the Northern Smurfs call a certain
object a "bottle smurfer", while the Southern Smurfs call
it a "smurf opener".

Just say NO to Smurfy Strengths!

Strengths
A Conversation

Contributors

Positive Psychology
Gallup Organization
Researchers
Practitioners

Positive Psychology
Martin Seligman
Father of Positive Psychology
Learned Optimism, Authentic Happiness

Shane Lopez
Gallup Senior Scientist
programmatic research on the roles of hope and courage in our daily lives

Gallup Organization
Don Clifton
established a movement in psychology that focuses on talents and strengths

Chip Anderson
StrengthsQuest as tool for student development, retention, pioneered to K-12

Mark Pogue
VP Higher Education, Gallup Organization
Programmatic research on the roles of hope and courage

Researchers
Eileen Hulme, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Noel Academy of Strengths

Laurie Schreiner, Ph.D.

Noel Academy of Strengths
Publishing machine

Practitioners

Azusa Pacific University

Baylor University
University of Nebraska
Lincoln College of Business Administration
Lee University
Florida International University
Texas Tech University
Texas A & M

Levels of Expertise

The Believers
taken inventory, strengths session
The Practitioners
using strengths language and practice
The Trained
institutional staff development, Gallup seminars
The Certified
Strengths Advocates
The Experts
Gallup Scientists and Trainers, Researchers

What is a strengths perspective?

A revolutionary way to reorient student development work

around what is right with students.

Two basic premises

1. Students already have within themselves what they need
to succeed!
Our job is to RECOGNIZE IT (discovery), NURTURE IT (development),
BUILD ON IT as we teach them skills and knowledge (application)

2. Individuals gain more when they build on their talents,

than when they make comparable efforts to improve
their areas of weakness.
--Clifton & Harter, 2003, p. 112

Strengths Perspective Originated

From a Shift in Psychological Theory

Shift from purely psychology of pathology to the

psychology of the positive attributes of individuals

Increasing attention on studying what works in

peoples lives as opposed to what doesnt work

Key elements: hope, positive emotion,

confidence, gratitude, courage, spirituality,
strengths, resiliency, etc.

Shift in Psychological Theory

What would happen if we studied what was right

with people instead of what was wrong?
-Don Clifton

In higher education, there are numerous studies

on attributes, characteristics and behaviors of
great professors. Where are the studies of the
attitudes, characteristics and behaviors of great
students?

The Highest Achievers

Spend most of their time in their areas of strength

Focus on developing and applying their strengths and managing

their weaknesses

They dont necessarily have more strengthsthey have simply

developed their strengths more fully and have learned to apply them
to new situations

Use their strengths to overcome obstacles

Invent ways of capitalizing on their strengths in new situations

Counter Cultural

Lets fix whats wrong and let the strengths take care of
themselves. (Clifton)

Business managers spend most of their time working with the

weakest performers and zeroing in on mistakes.

Parents and teachers focus on students lower grades rather than

on their highest.

Student affairs staff study risk factors related to potential student

drop out. We focus on why they leave as opposed to understanding
the attributes of highly successful students.

Strengths-based
Student
Development
(you have probably already been doing this for a while)

Strengths Development Model

Self Theories
(Awareness)

Awareness of Others

Self
Management

Collaborative
Engagement

Strengths Development Model

Knowledge
of Self

Knowledge
of Others

Management
of Self

Management
of Others

StrengthsQuest
at Loyola

What Are Strengths?

Talent + Knowledge + Skills = Strength

Talents are naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling, or

behavior that can be productively applied

By refining our dominant talents with skill and knowledge, we can

create strength: the ability to provide consistent, near-perfect
performance in a given activity.
--Clifton & Harter, 2003

What Are Strengths? Another View

Specific qualities that enable and empower a person
to do certain things very well.
--Clifton & Anderson, 2002

What qualities?
Behavior patterns that make you effective
Thought patterns that make you efficient
Beliefs that enable you to succeed
Attitudes that sustain your effort and optimism
Motivations that propel you to take action and maintain
the needed energy to move forward
Ways of seeing and interacting with the world

Capitalizing on Strengths
Results:
higher levels of motivation
greater engagement in the task at hand
personal satisfaction
productivity and higher levels of
performance
job satisfaction and longevity

The Focus Changes

FROM
Problems
Attendance
Preparation
Average

TO
Possibilities
Engagement
Motivation
Excellence

Making Talent a Strength

The process of transforming talents into
strengths involves

Learning experiences
Acquiring skills
Critical thinking
Reflection
Acquiring knowledge

Gallup Organization

30 years tracking top corporate achievers

400 developed talents identified

400 themes categorized into 34 themes

StrengthsFinder developed as tool for accelerating

success

Reliability Analysis
The average correlation of an individuals
theme ranking across multiple time
periods is .74 to .81
(study conducted over a 17 months with a sample of 706
individuals - including students)
Criterion and predictive reliability testing

Statistical Analysis

1:278,256

shared top ten themes

1:33 mil.

shared top five themes

1:773 bil.

matched top eight themes

Strengths
34 Signature Themes

ACHIEVER
People especially talented in the Achiever
theme have a great deal of stamina and
work hard. They take great satisfaction
from being busy and productive.

ACTIVATOR
People especially talented in the Activator
theme can make things happen by turning
thoughts into action. They are often
impatient.

ADAPTABILITY
People especially talented in the
Adaptability theme prefer to go with the
flow. They tend to be now people who
take things as they come and discover the
future one day at a time.

ANALYTICAL
People especially talented in the Analytical
theme search for reasons and causes.
They have the ability to think about all the
factors that might affect a situation.

ARRANGER
People especially talented in the Arranger
theme can organize, but they also have a
flexibility that complements this ability. They
like to figure out how all the pieces and
resources can be arranged for maximum
productivity.

BELIEF
People especially talented in the Belief
theme have certain core values that are
unchanging. Out of these values emerges a
defined purpose for their life.

COMMAND
People especially talented in the Command
theme have presence. They can take
control of a situation and make decisions.
They demand clear-eyed honesty with
others.

COMMUNICATION
People especially talented in the
Communication theme generally find it easy
to put their thoughts into words. They are
good conversationalists and presenters.

COMPETITION
People especially talented in the
Competition theme measure their progress
against the performance of others. They
strive to win first place and revel in
contests.

CONNECTEDNESS
People especially talented in the
Connectedness theme have faith in the
links between all things. They believe there
are a few coincidences and that almost
every event has a reason.

CONSISTENCY
People especially talented in the
Consistency theme are keenly aware of the
need to treat people the same. They try to
treat everyone in the world with consistency
by setting up clear rules and adhering to
them.

CONTEXT
People especially talented in the Context
theme enjoy thinking about the past. They
understand the present by researching its
history.

DELIBERATIVE
People especially talented in the
Deliberative theme are best described by
the serious care they take in making
decisions or choices. They anticipate the
obstacles.

DEVELOPER
People especially talented in the Developer
theme recognize and cultivate the potential
in others. They spot the signs of each small
improvement and derive satisfaction from
these improvements.

DISCIPLINE
People especially talented in the Discipline
theme enjoy routine and structure. Their
world is best described by the order they
create.

EMPATHY
People especially talented in the Empathy
theme can sense the feelings of other
people by imagining themselves in others
lives or others situations.

FOCUS
People especially talented in the Focus
theme can take a direction, follow through,
and make the corrections necessary to stay
on track. They prioritize, then act.

FUTURISTIC
People especially talented in the Futuristic
theme are inspired by the future and what
could be. They inspire others with their
visions of the future.

HARMONY
People especially talented in the Harmony
theme look for consensus. They dont enjoy
conflict; rather they seek areas of
agreement.

IDEATION
People especially talented in the Ideation
theme are fascinated by ideas. They are
able to find connections between seemingly
disparate phenomena.

INCLUDER
People especially talented in the Includer
theme are accepting of others. They show
awareness of those who feel left out, and
make an effort to include them.

INDIVIDUALIZATION
People especially talented in the
Individualization theme are intrigued with
the unique qualities of each person. They
have a gift for figuring out how people who
are different can work together productively.

INPUT
People especially talented in the Input
theme have a craving to know more. Often
they like to collect and archive all kinds of
information.

INTELLECTION
People especially talented in the Intellection
theme are characterized by their intellectual
activity. They are introspective and
appreciate intellectual discussions.

LEARNER
People 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.

MAXIMIZER
People especially talented in the Maximizer
theme focus on strengths as a way to
stimulate personal and group excellence.
They seek to transform something
especially talented into something superb.

POSITIVITY
People especially talented in the Positivity
theme have an enthusiasm that is
contagious. They are upbeat and can get
others excited about what they are going to
do.

RELATOR
People who are especially talented in the
Relator theme enjoy close relationships
with others. They find deep satisfaction in
working hard with friends to achieve a goal.

RESPONSIBILITY
People 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.

RESTORATIVE
People especially talented in the
Restorative theme are adept at dealing with
problems. They are good at figuring out
what is wrong and resolving it.

SELF-ASSURANCE
People especially talented in the SelfAssurance theme feel confident in their
ability to manage their own lives. They
possess an inner compass that gives them
confidence that their decisions are right.

SIGNIFICANCE
People especially talented in the
Significance theme want to be very
important in the eyes of others. They are
independent and want to be recognized.

STRATEGIC
People especially talented in the Strategic
theme create alternative ways to proceed.
Faced with any given scenario, they can
quickly spot the relevant patterns and
issues.

WOO
People especially talented in the Woo
theme love the challenge of meeting new
people and winning them over. The derive
satisfaction from breaking the ice and
making a connection with another person.

Smurfy Strengths

Pure Strength vs. Personal Genius

Personal Genius

1:278,256

matched top ten themes

1:33 mil.

matched top five themes

1:773 bil.

matched top eight themes

Jessica Murphy
Assistant Director
Co-Curricular Programs
Strengths Advocate