This document discusses strengths-based leadership and developing one's talents. It describes how identifying and using one's strengths leads to greater engagement, performance and fulfillment rather than focusing on weaknesses. The Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment tool is presented as a way to discover top natural talents. Leaders are encouraged to nurture their talents responsibly and share them with others for the benefit of the community.

1. Strengths Based
Leadership
for the Engaging Parish

2. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
What is Your Experience?
• When have you faced a challenge for
which you did not feel equipped? What
made the task difficult for you? How did
you complete the task?
!
• When have you faced a challenge for
which you knew you had just what was
needed? What within yourself did you
draw upon? What was the result?

3. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
Created in God's Image, !
Called to Holiness

4. • “Unless people know the
grandeur for which they
are made, they cannot
reach fulfillment and
their lives will be
incomplete. Nor will they
know that they are called
into interpersonal union
with God and each
other.”
(Go and Make Disciples, 5)

5. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
Stewards of All We Are
Members of the Body !
of Christ, the Church

7. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
Clifton StrengthsFinder
7
• Donald Clifton, PhD
• What would happen if we studied what is right with
people?
• Strengths Philosophy
• Use talents as the bases for consistent achievement of
excellence
• Individuals are able to gain far more effectiveness when
they expand effort to build on their greatest talents, rather
than when they spend a comparable amount of effort to fix
their weaknesses

8. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
Not Using Strengths
8
• 6 times as likely to be disengaged
!
• Dread going to work
!
• Have negative interactions with colleagues
!
• Achieve less
!
• Have fewer and less creative moments
!
• Earn less money

9. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
Becoming All God Intended for You to Be

10. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
Clifton StrengthsFinder
10
Web based tool based on 30 years of research with over 2
million people in 25 countries- 177 items
!
Identifies 34 themes or talents
!
Identifies top 5 signature themes
!
Results are reliable from about age 15 on
!
One theme is not more valuable than others- there are
many different gifts, but the same source

11. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
Insights into your Strengths, think about…
You tend to enjoy and excel
at what comes naturally to
you…
…and are drained and frustrated by
tasks that are not enjoyable or natural
A Great Day
A Bad Day

12. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
Natural or innate way of thinking, feeling, or behaving
Consistent, near perfect performance in an activity
you enjoy
How Gallup Defines Talents & Strengths
TALENT
STRENGTH

13. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
What You Do Best is VERY Unique
• 1 in 275,000 chance of meeting someone with your
“Top 5”
• 1 in 33 million chance of meeting someone in your
lifetime with “Top 5” in same order
• 1 in 447 trillion meeting someone with your 10 in same
order.
You are uniquely created

14. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
Discovering Talents
14
1 in
295,232,799,039,604,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000
!
U.S 316.684,301
World 7,111,553,348
1:35pm September 15,2013

15. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
Incorrect Assumptions
15
If you try hard enough, you can do anything!
!
If you want it badly enough, you can make it
happen!
!
If you dream it, you can achieve it!

16. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
Correct Assumptions
16
Some behaviors can be learned, but many are
impossible to learn.
!
Finding weaknesses prevent failure, but don’t
necessarily lead to excellence.
!
You will be successful being who you are, not
what you do!

17. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
5 Clues into Talents….
1. What kinds of activities are you naturally
drawn to?
2. What kinds of activities do you seem to
pick up quickly?
3. In what activities did the “steps” come
automatically?
4. In what activities have you just “lost
track of time?”
5. During what activities have you had
moments when you were asked “how
did you do that? or when you said
“When can I do that again?”

18. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
Be the Star
God Has
Gifted You
to Be!

19. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
It’s Fiesta Time!

20. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
The 4 Fold Character of the Steward:
Return the gifts to God with increase
Share God’s gifts lovingly
ReceiveGod’s gifts gratefully
Develop God’s gifts responsibly

21. ©Catholic Life and Faith. All rights reserved.
It’s a Cyclical Process
RECEIVE God's gifts gratefully
Discovery & Acceptance
…a desire to
NUTURE God's
gifts responsibly
Exploration and
Expansion
“What might be”
…a call to SHARE God's gifts justly/sacrificially
Partnership and Collaboration
...RETURN
God's gifts
abundantly
"Glad and
Generous
Hearts”
Positive
Core
grows into...
grows into...grows into...