October 23, 2020

Blend

Last week we talked about the 4 different domains in the WeAlign StrengthsFinder coaching process.

Thinking (T)

Executing (E)

Relating (R)

Influencing (I)

 I mentioned that I was a blend of the four domains. I have 14 talents that are considered my “signature” strengths. In those top 14 I have 4 thinking, 4 executing, 3 relating, and 3 influencing.

dales top 14

Talents in the same domain amplify each other.

Talents in different domains modify each other.

I have coached people that have 7 or more in one particular domain in their top 10, which becomes a “superpower” of sorts for them.

Whereas I can basically go between the different domains and bring in aspects of other domains easily, see alternatives, and connect with all types of people. My superpower is in the blend of how my talents are combined.

I have been told that this is one of the things that makes me a good coach because I can relate to most people.

Each talent has a “raw” and “refined” aspect. When you start out as a baby everything is raw. Talent is refined through skill, knowledge, and experience. Often, but not always, this happens as you grow up in a very natural process.

For instance, my Strategic Talent (#1) was refined as I grew up because in our family we played a lot of dominoes -- count, 42, 21 (“Moon”), and later 88. There is a lot of strategy involved in 42 and the variations, from bidding to naming trumps to the actual playing.

Interestingly enough, the family never played a lot of card games when I was young. Being curious, I learned a lot of different games, starting with board games of all kinds (I loved Monopoly). Eventually, I got into card games. As a matter of fact, I remember buying a book that had dozens of different games you could do with a single deck of cards -- and I went through the whole book and tried out, as much as I could, each game -- sometimes with other people and sometimes by myself, playing different positions.

Because of my Connectedness (#3) I could see how the same essential elements of bidding, card playing, and trumps from 42 (with dominoes) would show up in Bridge (with cards). Then in late high school, I got into Chess, and that heavily layered in the Futuristic (#6) because it emphasizes planning ahead and “what if” scenarios.

When something is your strength you have the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance in a specific talent.

When your talents are refined, they work better. Each of the 34 talents is a “naturally recurring pattern of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied”.

To be the best version of you, it’s best to refine all of your top talents, whether or not you have a “superpower”. If you’re like me, it’s the blend that gives me my uniqueness.

What is one of your talents that you see currently as raw that you can take action to refine a little bit? It will take skill, knowledge, and experience. Refining your raw talents will take work. The effort will pay off to allow you to really come closer to the person God created you to be.

As always if I can help you with anything please reach out.

Blessings.

Coach Dale

972.365.9877
[email protected]
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