It can be challenging to develop your strengths by yourself, and so the StrengthsFinder Singapore Network with birthed in Feb earlier this year so that like-minded individuals could come together, learn about our talents and form a community that supports one another. Here’s my strengths journey, and the journey of how the network started; perhaps it would inspire you to start one for your area. And for those who are part of this network, this is also a form of thanksgiving during this Christmas Season.
The Beginning – First Contact
I first came across the book “StrengthsFinder 2.0” in Kinokuniya, a chain of bookstores. Since young, I’ve been intrigued by personality tests and I’ve done most personality tests I could get my hands on. So I’ve done MBTI, DISC, and any other weird assessments you see online. When I saw the StrengthsFinder Book, I immediately picked one up and promptly did the assessment. The results were so strikingly accurate that I bought one for a friend just so I could see his results as well! It is really one of the most powerful tools around.
The Famine – Getting Lost
Shortly after I’ve taken the assessment, the reports went into a drawer and I’ve never seen them again! The report actually comes with an extremely useful Action Planning Guide, but it was extremely challenging to implement those actions on my own (one of the reasons for setting up this network is the community!)
For about 3 years, I’ve not utilised the report. It ended up becoming a “good to know” report, but never really made a huge impact on my life.
The Revival – Strengthening Leadership
In 2012, some people in my church started looking at using StrengthsFinder to develop the leaders in the community. As the Borders chain of book stores was closing down in Singapore, we swiped all the StrengthsFinder 2.0 books we could get our hands on at a nice discount. We made everyone take the Assessment, and for the first time, I saw the power of StrengthsFinder in a group context. We could immediately see the biases of the community. We could also see who was different and understand why. In a way, it was a fantastic way for us to all know each other in a new and powerful way – what we are good at, and what makes us tick.
(Today you don’t have to buy the book to take the assessment. It is much cheaper to purchase the assessment online at www.gallupstrengthscenter.com)
The Deep-Dive – Strengths Immersion
A friend flew over to Omaha for the Gallup Coaching Certification on StrengthsFinder, and the original intent was to train a couple of us as facilitators to help implement this for our church community. We later discovered that Gallup was running it’s very first course in Singapore in Nov 2013. After giving it lots of though, and comparing it with other tools, I decided to give the course a shot.
And it was one of the best decisions I’ve made! The course gave me a deep understanding of the StrengthsFinder Tool, what it is about, and how to use it to coach others. As part of the certification requirements, I was required to coach 5 people using the materials provided by Gallup. My first coaching experience was exhilarating – to be able to help others gain greater awareness of themselves and use that to improve the quality of their life and work is a privilege.
After the Gallup Course, Gallup continues to provide support through various youtube videos, and regular coach reunions. (Special Thanks goes to Saurav from Gallup Singapore who’s pulling all these together!)
The challenge is, how do I continue to build my skills and keep my skills sharp, and also bring this tool to more people? I’m sure that there are many people like me who took the assessment only to keep it in the drawer for years to come.
The Birth – Community Building
And so in Feb 2014, the StrengthsFinder Singapore Network was born!
Next, I invited some friends whom I think might be interested in learning more of their own strengths, including those that I have personally coached. Without much budget, and the faith of a mustard seed, I scheduled my first StrengthsFinder Meetup which was held on 23 Feb 2014.
I didn’t want to make my phone number public, so there had to be some way whereby others could identify me. So I created a small table stand which says “StrengthsFinder Singapore Network” with a nice large Meetup Logo. This would help new comers to identify the group and join us.
The meetup was held at Starbucks, and the sequence was simple:
- Introduce myself and what StrengthsFinder is about
- Asked each person to pick one of their own themes that they would like to know more about
- Distributed the Theme Insight Cards based on the theme they selected
- Got them to share one thing about the theme that stood out to them and facilitated their understanding of the them using case studies and examples
Thankfully, we had a total of 10 people who showed up, and we had a fantastic time together! I learnt more about their talents and how it shows up for them, and they walked away with a greater understanding of themselves.
The Growth – Making Space
The group grew steadily, and it was getting more challenging to hear everyone. And so we had to source for a more conducive venue. I eventually found a sound-proof meeting room at a fairly central location at a very good price. I decided to give it a shot because it gave us a more private space to discuss, and they also provided projectors and screens.
I simply placed a cash box at the back of the room for the participants to contribute towards the food they had ordered and for sharing the cost of the room. Thankfully, the pooled amount usually covers the cost nicely. And so we continued to use the room which allowed us to screen videos, have group discussions and sharing, and engage in various interactive exercises.
On 20 Dec 2014, we had our first Christmas Dinner together where we really got to know each other, and some even stayed behind to go grab a couple of drinks together!
Today, we have a total of 154 members in the group each bringing their own unique talents and skills. We have in our midst, entrepreneurs, life coaches, strength coaches, nutritionist, book writers, students, documentary writers, HR practitioners, full time musicians, educators, amongst many others!
I’m proud that we have such an amazing group of talents, and hope that we will continue to grow as a community to impact the world by contribution through our strengths.
The Challenge
If you are not already part of a StrengthsFinder Community, why not join one today? There are many new meetups being held around the world. And if there isn’t one near you, how about starting one yourself? It’s an amazing experience!
To find a StrengthsFinder Meetup Group near you, visit http://strengthsfinder.meetup.com
Get more information about StrengthsFinder by visiting http://gallupstrengthscenter.com
