Strength Based Leadership Essay

I enjoyed reading the “Strength-Based Leadership” book and found a lot of

interesting facts and perspectives. There were many key insights I found to be helpful.

Right away I thought the key findings were very true; “The most effective leaders are

always investing in strengths” second key finding was “The most effective leaders

surround themselves with the right people and then maximize their team” and lastly “The

most effective leaders understand their followers’’ needs” (Rath & Conchie, 2008, p.2-3).

In the Strength Finder assessment, my top five Strength Finder Leadership themes

were Harmony, Communication, Consistency, Developer, and Deliberative.

First is harmony, “People strong in the Harmony theme look for consensus. They

don’t enjoy conflict; rather they seek areas of agreement” (Rath & Conchie, 2008, p.175).

Strong in harmony is quite true. Showing others respect by valuing input and helping

them be heard, pointing out a person’s point of view, communicate the value of listening.

Show compassion by making life more pleasant. Talents in harmony make life more

pleasant. People in harmony tend to Reduce stress by reducing conflict and friction.

Investing time in conceptualizing the greater purpose of an organization. Cooling conflict

by helping others rise to other levels by shared purposes. People are drawn to people with

strong harmony because we are considerate of everyone’s opinions, and honoring other's

views.

People in harmony tend to seek common ground. We naturally find peace and

understanding with others and can approach everyone and stay connected. Keeping others

calm by helping everyone stay on the same page and that no one is hurt by words spoken;
creating an atmosphere of dignity and respect that others feel safe in. Others are allowed

to share their views.

I feel like this was one of my strongest themes as I can relate to a lot of these key

points that I stated above. I can relate to this because as I am gaining experience I value

the input of other teachers and staff. I rely on other inputs but also understand everyone

has different opinions and allowing others to share. As stated above it is also true that as

I meet people I tend to drift to others where we share common ground. I draw more

attention to people that share the same interest or views on certain things.

“People strong in communication theme generally find it easy to put their

thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters” (Rath & Conchie,

2008, p. 131). We show compassion by “capturing people’s emotions and put words to

what they feel-sometimes words they cannot find themselves. Asking questions,

pinpointing the key issues people are trying to communicate, what joys or struggles they

want to convey” (Rath & Conchie, 2008, p. 131).

For me this one felt a little off, I don’t see myself in this theme. I am not

personally the best at communicating which is something I need to work on. I tend to

avoid conflict and will just put it on the back burner because I hate confrontation. I am

good at asking questions and being able to help people through issues. I do like to talk

through things before making a decision. I am a good listener and helping others figure

out their emotions. But as far as professional aspect and work being better at

communicating is something I need to work on. Especially when talking with other staff

and parents with sending out emails.

 “People's strong in 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” (Rath & Conchie, 2008, p.143). We show compassion by

“being able to predict how another person will and react helps us confidently plot the

course for a relationship. When you show your appreciation for the value another person

places on fairness and equity, you validate who he or she is and form the foundation of

support and understanding. We may have the best relationships with others who live their

lives according to similar principles” (Rath & Conchie, 2008, p.143-144). Others confide

in use for comfort knowing what is expected and what is not. We create hope so that

“when others come to you for help it is because they are seeking the comfort of your

consistency. Your assurance that they can count on you to be there for them will be

encouraging” (Rath & Conchie, 2008, p. 144). I feel like that is very true for me, and

some of the relationships I have with friends.

This is another theme that I am not completely sure how I got this one. But there

were a few key points that I mentioned above. I do agree that we have the best

relationships with others that live according to similar lifestyles. I also think that I am

good at having people come to me for comfort and because I am someone they can count

on. As far as professionally and work life I think being someone especially as a teacher

that students feel comfortable talking to me and being a support person is important. Also

being a leader and being someone that shows appreciation and fairness.

“People strong in the deliberative theme are best described by the serious care

they take in making decisions or choices. They anticipate the obstacles” (Rath &

Conchie, 2008, p.151). We build trust because we are cautious and considerate regarding
sensitive topics. We like to use this strong feature by taking on opportunities to handle

important issues and conflicts. We show compassion by knowing and understanding the

importance of each relationship and we take every relationship seriously. “Lifetime

relationships are hard to find, as you know, and they deserve and require your attention

and love” (Rath & Conchie, 2008, p.151). We understand that praise is rare and precious

for many. Rather than taking risks, we make decisions cautiously. We trust our instincts

when we believe something is “too good to be true.”

Being strong in the deliberative theme is probably my second highest theme. I

think showing compassion and understanding the importance of each relationship is very

true. I take all my relationships very seriously. Finding lifetime friendships is hard and

that is why I only have a few serious ones that I can rely on. I also think that I take on

opportunities that tend to be more complex. I tend to overload myself and take on more

than I probably should. The last point for people strong in the deliberative theme is that I

completely trust my instincts. That saying “too good to be true” is completely right. I

follow that all too well.

“People strong 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” (Rath & Conchie, 2008, p.155). We build trust by doing something good

for the sake of another. We are not hurt when others look for a motive in your good

deeds. We show compassion by taking an interest in people’s growth and development.

We have a natural talent for focusing on others. We are compassionate in caring, “we

learn best from those we love” is often said. We get close to help teach and guide and to

also love. We are often communicating our feelings. As developers, we help others step
over their comfort zone and we provide a safe zone. We allow people to succeed and fail.

We set others up for success by telling them to keep trying and it is ok if it takes more

than one attempt. We help people see the right expectations and provide security to keep

trying again.

Strong in the developer theme is partially true for me. I think the saying goes that

“we learn best from those we love” is very true. I tend to follow the people I care for and

take the most advice from them. I think I am also good at letting me try to succeed and

allowing people to fail to succeed. It is important to learn from mistakes and realize that

it is ok to fail, and not be successful at everything. I think this is a good theme to have

gotten especially being a teacher and showing students that it is ok to make mistakes and

be that leader students need to see. “Makes education and well-being of students the

fundamental value of all decision making” (American Association of School

Administrators, 2019).
 Sources

American Association of School Administrators. (2019). Retrieved June 2020, from

https://www.aasa.org/content.aspx?id-1390

Rath, T., & Conchie, B. (2008). Strengths based leadership: great leaders, teams, and
why people follow. New York: Gallup Press.