A “Discover Your Strengths” event, facilitated by Stacey Zimmerman, assistant director of Called to Lead, was held on Tuesday, Feb. 11.

The event focused on a StrengthsQuest inventory students took before the event, which gave them their five top strengths.  The test contains 34 different talent themes, such as achievement and empathy. The psychology behind the test was invented by Don Clifton, who stated, “What would happen if we actually study what is right with people?” Clifton’s view is based on positive psychology, focusing on people’s talents rather than their weaknesses. Zimmerman stated that positive psychology will “help [people] reach levels of excellence … and people will be more fulfilled.”

Zimmerman began the lecture by asking why it is important to focus on developing talents instead of just working on weaknesses.  She explained that, according to strength psychology, a person’s weaknesses can never become strengths; however, if people develop their talents, those talents will eventually develop into strengths.

Talents differ from strengths in that a person has a natural inclination toward a talent, whereas a strength must be developed. Zimmerman presented the formula for developing a strength as talent times intention equals strength. Zimmerman also defined a strength as something that can be done to a near perfect performance.

Strength development is also key in the vocational field as well as the career field.  Zimmerman explained that people should be aware of weaknesses but should focus on their strengths.  By doing this, the individual will not only have more self-confidence but also can apply their strengths directly toward their major and career.  Zimmerman used the quote by Clifton: “The best of the best build their lives around their talents.”  Each of the 34 talents should be thought of as a positive asset to the individual and can be especially helpful in the individual’s chosen career field.

Zimmerman also explained how developing strengths can be applied to help in the interview process and the career field. During a job interview, the question of stating strengths and weaknesses often arises. Zimmerman said most individuals try to spin their weaknesses into strengths; however, the individual could take more advantage of the situation by using their top five strengths instead.

She said the best way to do this would be to take each strength and give an example of how the individual has applied this strength to their daily lives.  It is easy to spot who is just trying to say what the interviewer wants to hear, but by utilizing individual strengths the individual “will really impress the individuals [they’re] interviewing with … [it] shows you’ve done your homework,” Zimmerman stated.

The test does not distinguish between genders as much as it differentiates strengths.  Zimmerman said that a male and a female with the same top five strength themes in the same order would likely use their strengths in very similar ways. Some strengths are more common to one gender than the other, though. For instance, Zimmerman explained that males are more likely to have the strength of competitiveness than females.

It is very unlikely to have identical strengths as other individuals.  Zimmerman said that the odds of having someone with the same top five strengths is one in 278,000, and the odds of having the same top five strengths in the same order is one in 33 million. Strengths themes can also appear differently from one individual to the next.  Zimmerman stated that one individual who has relator as one of their strengths but is also high in achievement will most likely be more strict with relationships than someone who is also a relator but high also in harmony.

One aid to developing strengths unique to each individual is learning to apply them in everyday life, Zimmerman explained. Zimmerman stated that this gives individuals the opportunity to apply their strengths to their major as well as furthering the application to their careers.