There are three main components of Strengths Training. These are Name It, Claim It and Aim It and are all about development.
Name It is all about talent discovery. When you complete the Strength Finders test, you will get back your report with either 5 or all 34 of your talents ranked. When you get these results your top 5 is providing you with the opportunity to have a better understanding of where your strengths lie. Some of the strengths in my top five I had expected, but others were a complete surprise to me. One of my top five talents I actually disliked at first, but I’ve learnt to appreciate it.
The second component of Strengths Training is to Claim It. Claiming it is the talent awareness aspect of the training, becoming aware of our talents. Before I found out that I had positivity in my top five I thought positivity came naturally to everyone, like it does for me. Claiming it involves not only knowing that I can be positive but asking how positivity shows up in my life. How can I be more constructive rather than destructive with the talents that I have been given? This awareness can come from further understanding how you are using your talents as an individual. Claiming your talent involves examining HOW your talent shows up in your life currently. How are you seeing your talent in both constructive and destructive ways in your life? When is your Talent helping or hindering you in your life right now.
The final component Aim It is about talent development. It is about having something specific to aim at that you want to grow or develop your Talent in. In using the example of my positivity talent, I am aware that I can be so positive that I do not allow my kids to be present to their own negative emotions for too long. So I am aiming to be more constructive by being present to my children’s frustrations for a little bit longer until I know they feel validated and heard before I move on to something more positive. Once you have a strong awareness then you have the opportunity to choose how you are going to use or apply your talent.
Over the next three videos we will go into each one of these components of Strengths development in more depth, one component per video. We hope you find it of value.