Build Your Strengths

“What would happen if we studied what was right with people versus what was wrong?”

This is the question the founder of the Gallup Clifton StrengthsFinder test posed that sparked the StrengthsFinder idea that we so lovingly adopt at George Fox. The test was created as an objective measuring tool to educate you about your greatest opportunities for success. Its focus is on discovering a person’s strengths and abilities rather than their failures and shortcomings. 

Not only are colleges across the nation having their students take this test, but 90% of Fortune 500 companies are now strengths-based organizations. Many companies have found that using an employee’s strengths in the workplace increases happiness, contentment and longevity on the job. Finding out what you are “good at” and sticking to it is more of a motivator than trying to mold yourself into someone else, which usually just results in burnout. 

The test has been implemented into the curriculum at George Fox to empower students to identify their own strengths, embrace their gifts, and encourage them to foster relationships and apply them to their academics.

What the StrengthsFinder test means to me

Taking this test has challenged me to be more introspective and self-aware. Most of my strengths are in the influencing and relationship-building domains, which means I value community and collaboration in the workplace and in relationships.

I have been able to build my confidence by understanding the strengths that make up who I am. We are all made in our own unique image of God, with talents and gifts that bring glory to him, so why try so hard to copy his creation? Be who he made you to be! 

Knowing my strengths also has helped me understand my learning style to improve study habits and collaboration in the workplace. I know I love being with people, but when it comes to buckling down and getting deadlines done, I need to retreat to a solitary space of my own to get my work done. 

Wendy Flint, assistant professor of management and former director of the IDEA Center, is a Certified Strengths Coach and teaches on how to do strengths-based advising. She believes success lies in continuing to build upon who you already are, telling students, staff, and faculty in campus workshops and classes, “Your strengths are a God-given talent within you. It’s like a tiny acorn that with time and nurturing becomes a mighty oak tree. Understanding your strengths helps you believe in your full potential.”

At George Fox, we strive to be good stewards of the gifts, talents and strengths that we believe are God-given. We want to foster growth in students and employees as they discover more about themselves in the classroom. This test ultimately prepares them for the workplace by preparing them in and outside the classroom.

No matter your age or education, you should take this test and apply it to your own life to truly understand your giftings, learn and encourage strengths in others, and ultimately understand your calling. 

To get more information about the Gallup Clifton Strengths Finder Test contact the IDEA Center by email at idea@georgefox.edu. To learn more you can also visit their website here.