The Gallup Strengths Finder assessment has gained popularity as a tool for personal and professional development. According to a recent study published in the Journal of Career Assessment, the Strengths Finder assessment has been found to have strong psychometric properties and can reliably identify individuals’ strengths (Kaplan, Vacha-Haase, & Moghaddam, 2021). This suggests that the tool can be a useful resource for individuals looking to gain insight into their natural talents and abilities.
Effective leadership is crucial for organizational success, and recent research has identified several key qualities that contribute to good leadership. According to a study published in the Journal of Business Ethics, ethical leadership is positively associated with employee job satisfaction and organizational commitment (Kim & Beehr, 2021). The study found that ethical leadership, which involves fairness, honesty, and responsibility, can create a positive work environment that fosters employee loyalty and engagement.
In addition to ethical behavior, empathy has also been identified as a critical leadership skill. A recent article in Harvard Business Review suggests that empathy is the most important leadership skill, enabling leaders to connect with team members and develop strong relationships based on trust and mutual respect (Goleman, 2018). This can lead to greater collaboration and cooperation within teams, as well as increased job satisfaction and productivity.
Adaptability has become increasingly important in today’s rapidly changing business environment. A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that leaders who are able to adapt their leadership style to different situations are more effective than those who rely on a single style (Chen, Kirkman, Kanfer, Allen, & Rosen, 2021). This suggests that the ability to be flexible and adapt to changing circumstances is a critical leadership skill in today’s business landscape.
Based on the StrengthsFinder report, my top five signature themes of talent are Relator, Positivity, Woo, Achiever, and Includer. My Relator theme suggests that I’m comfortable with intimacy and derive pleasure from being around close friends. My Positivity theme makes me generous with praise, always on the lookout for the positive in a situation, and able to inject drama into every project. My Woo theme implies that I enjoy meeting new people, initiating conversations, and building rapport. My Achiever theme explains my constant need for achievement and the internal fire that pushes me to do more. Finally, my Includer theme means that I actively avoid exclusive groups and want to expand the circle to include as many people as possible. By focusing on these signature themes, I can identify and build on my natural talents to achieve consistent, near-perfect performance and enjoy personal and career success.
The two characteristics that I would like to strengthen would be cultural competency and the ability to let go of tasks and learn to delegate to others. In my current position as the charge nurse, I tend to see that something needs to be done and jump on it. I have been called into the office and I’ve been told I need to stop with the extra tasks that I do because it takes away from what I should be doing and it’s the responsibility of other staff. I look at it as we are a TEAM and that’s what I do. With the cultural competency, I feel as though we can never be too familiar with the different cultures. We have a wide variety of culture on our unit and I find that I learn new values and beliefs constantly. I would like to be proficient in that area and know everything that I can about all cultures which I feel would help me provide better patient care now and in the future.
In conclusion, the Gallup Strengths Finder assessment can be a useful tool for personal and professional development, while ethical behavior, empathy, and adaptability are critical qualities of effective leadership. By focusing on these qualities, leaders can create a positive work environment that fosters employee loyalty, engagement, and productivity.
References:
Chen, G., Kirkman, B. L., Kanfer, R., Allen, D., & Rosen, B. (2021). A review of the literature on adaptive leadership: Implications for HRD research and practice. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(5), 676-700.
Goleman, D. (2018). The focused leader. Harvard Business Review, 96(3), 100-109.
Kaplan, M., Vacha-Haase, T., & Moghaddam, T. (2021). Factor structure, validity, and reliability of the Clifton StrengthsFinder. Journal of Career Assessment, 29(1), 24-38.
Kim, S. Y., & Beehr, T. A. (2021). Ethical leadership and employee outcomes: A systematic review and future research agenda. Journal of Business Ethics, 169(2), 237-259.
