By Published On: June 1, 2020

Several months ago, the d.trio team collectively took Tom Rath’s StrengthsFinder test – a bestselling online assessment tool from Gallup. From a young age, we’re asked to improve our skills in areas where we struggle. StrengthsFinder, however,  identifies the areas that we’re not only good at – but that we actually like doing – and encourages us to do more of them. Working as a team, we can now lean on co-workers who excel in different areas to achieve better overall results with an added bonus of happier employees.

With the majority of the workforce operating remotely, it’s easy to think you’ve got to do everything by yourself. But it’s more important than ever to turn to your teammates for help. We recently revisited our individual results to determine which strengths we’re relying on most. Here are some highlights of how we’re coping – or in some cases struggling – to play to our strengths under new working conditions.

Achiever – hard workers with a lot of stamina

Users: Beth, Mark and Megan

Beth and Mark are both working hard to stay self-motivated and keep busy without the structure of a normal routine. They both continue to push themselves to stay inspired and bring new, creative ideas to the team. Megan takes great satisfaction in accomplishing seemingly impossible tasks – both mental and physical – which makes her more resilient during difficult times like these.

Responsibility – take ownership and fulfill on promises

Users: Sheryl and Carol

Carol and Sheryl are both working harder than ever to help clients – who are facing new struggles and distractions of their own– stay on task and meet deadlines. A few extra check-ins or reminders ensures our clients we’ve got their backs.

Adaptability – “now” people who go with the flow

Users: Beth and Fred

This is an enviable strength to have these days – allowing both Fred and Beth to take it as it comes and discover the future one day at a time.  Beth is finding new ways to spark creativity without having other people around while Fred continues to lighten our loads by finding humor in every situation.

Empathy – imagine themselves in others’ situations

Users: Danette and Carol

A huge part of empathy is listening. Danette is tuning in to clients and co-workers to understand what concerns or challenges they might be facing. Carol recently interviewed several New Yorkers for a client project and took time to ensure they knew NYC was on everyone’s minds and in our hearts. Most of them were deeply touched that folks in the Midwest were aware of the massive crisis they were facing and that we cared so much about them.

Learner – seek continuous improvement

Users: Megan and Sam

Sam believes you can continue learning wherever you are and has not been hampered by different working conditions. Megan is using her learning strength to “read all about it”. In turn, she shares useful articles or tidbits of information with both her staff and her clients. So we all ultimately benefit from her passion.

Relator – enjoy relationships with others

Users: Mark and Sheryl

These might be the people the rest of us are relying on to keep in touch – whether it be through video chats with friends or phone calls to check in. Mark is bringing a fun, engaging activity to our weekly team meetings while Sheryl keeps an eye on the AE squad via emails, phone calls and instant messages. There’s no place to hide…

And then there’s Tim

If you’ve met him, you already know there’s no one else like him. While many of us have crossover strengths, Tim stands alone. Tim claims Positivity as one of his strengths but in his own words “Right now sucks”. (Hmmmm – that doesn’t sound too positive). It’s a good thing he’s also Futuristic – while trying to stay focused on being grateful for everything we currently have, he’s looking forward and optimistic that the future will bring brighter days.

And our challenges…

It wouldn’t be fair to showcase all the things we’re excelling at without noting a few that we’re not. We’re all in a difficult situation and we’re bound to have struggles.

Danette can’t find any Harmony. Even as a self-proclaimed introvert, she looks to others for input, insight and consensus – a more challenging task in this digital world.

Sam typically relies on his Input strength to gather information and ideas to feed his Learning skill. He’s not able to draw from outside experiences or other people at the moment and feels restricted by what he can source on his own.

Fred is the lone team member with WOO. Sounds exciting! But it’s defined as the ability to meet new people, break the ice and win them over. Not too much of that happening right now. BOO to the WOO!

Summary

If you haven’t taken the StrengthsFinder assessment – or if it’s been a while since you did – now might be a good time to take a look at it. It may not only help you adapt to a new work environment, but your entire team could benefit from knowing who to turn to when they need a hand.

About the Author: cat-tonic

cat-tonic
Born of curiosity and enthusiasm, we’re a scrappy group of smart, passionate marketers who work hard and play hard. We show up every day and fight for our clients who are making the world a better place. We listen with curiosity, explore deeply, ask hard questions, and sometimes put forth ideas that might make you squirm. Because we believe the status quo is good for growing mold but not much else. The way we see it, change is the way forward and the magic happens when curiosity, math, science, instinct, and talent intersect.
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