As determined by the Clifton StrengthsFinder. Content of this page is from the StrengthsFinder 2.0 report prepared for Jay Bienvenu and is (c) Gallup. Annotations (italics and parentheses) are my own comments.

Top Themes

Futuristic	These people are inspired by the future and what could be. They inspire others with their visions of the future.
Relator	These people enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
Belief	These people have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.
Responsibility	These people take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.
Analytical	These people search for reasons and causes. They have the ability to think about all the factors that might affect a situation.

Section I: Awareness

As you read your personalized strengths insights, what words, phrases, or lines stand out to you?

Out of all the talents in this insight, what would you like for others to see most in you?

Futuristic

People who are especially talented in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be.
They inspire others with their visions of the future.

What makes you stand out?
Driven by your talents, you might enjoy a group problem-solving technique that involves the
spontaneous contribution of ideas from all participants. When you have acquired specialized skills or
possess specific knowledge, perhaps you can suggest alternative solutions for certain issues. Now
and then, your expertise excites your own or others’ imaginations. Maybe this occurs when you are
encouraged to think what will be possible weeks, months, or even years from today. By nature, you
think a lot about the coming months, years, or decades. You gravitate to projects and study subjects
that promise to shape the future. You enjoy talking about possibilities that exist only in your
imagination. You probably worry about being left behind if what you know and do were no longer
valued or needed. You prefer to be a pioneer and an inventor. Because of your strengths, you may
create some vivid images of what can be done in the coming months, years, or decades. Perhaps you
are prompted to transform your ideas into things you can touch, taste, see, smell, or hear. It’s very
likely that you may be enthusiastic about the future because certain visionaries describe it so clearly.
Perhaps their ideas for products, medicines, or inventions increase your determination to take action.
Instinctively, you might generate certain types of ideas quickly. Occasionally you draw links between
facts, events, people, problems, or solutions. You may present numerous options for consideration.
Perhaps your innovative thinking fosters ongoing dialogue between and among associates, committee
members, teammates, or classmates.

Relator

People who are especially talented in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others.
They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.

What makes you stand out?
Because of your strengths, you sometimes declare you are as productive as you can be, especially
when people allow you to work independently. Having to deal with teammates, classmates, or group
members may stymie — that is, hinder — your progress. By nature, you might feel happier if you are
busy, even if it means performing routine or mundane tasks. When you have nothing to do, perhaps
you are the type of person who looks for something to do. Chances are good that you bond with and
work well with people who tell you what they want to accomplish in life. Driven by your talents, you are
occasionally willing to be vulnerable. Perhaps you claim your talents or admit your weaknesses. Your
openness may help some people know you better as a person. Your straightforward style may
convince others you are honest, dependable, and reliable. Instinctively, you might sense that you are
being as productive as you can be. Perhaps you design methods for managing the details or
deadlines of certain repetitious tasks. Over time, your familiarity with the required steps may improve
how efficiently you use your time, energy, effort, or talents.

Belief

People who are especially talented in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging.
Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.

What makes you stand out?
Chances are good that you occasionally like to work on your own rather than with a partner or a
group. Even so, you may put aside this personal preference to contribute to the well-being of
humankind, the environment, or other worthwhile causes. You might be willing to sacrifice your
independence when it helps others reach certain altruistic — that is, unselfish — goals. It’s very likely
that you hope individuals choose to spend a lot of time with you, and that they recognize your
willingness to put aside whatever you are doing just to help them. Your unselfishness often wins favor
and friendship. Driven by your talents, you might come away refreshed after conversing with future-oriented
thinkers. Maybe you inspire them with your passion for projects or causes that benefit
humanity or the environment. Sometimes you feel restless when your life lacks great and noble
purpose. Because of your strengths, you refuse to be blinded by others’ enthusiasm about what is
possible. You are hardwired to isolate the issues that lie ahead. Working with overly optimistic people
is difficult for you. You have seen them accidentally derail more than one promising project or
unwittingly sabotage more than one inventive, yet undeveloped, idea. Instinctively, you may be
attracted to individuals whose honesty and integrity are above reproach. Perhaps you seek to
penalize people who betray trust by taking things without permission.

Responsibility

People who are especially talented in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do.
They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.

What makes you stand out?
Chances are good that you might be an individual performer who wants to be held accountable for
certain results. Why? You might accomplish a bit more when expectations are established. You
sometimes set expectations for yourself when no one else does. Because of your strengths, you may
appear to be a dependable person. Perhaps you know the right thing to do in specific situations. Your
methodical thinking and thoughtful nature sometimes influence your words or deeds. It’s very likely
that you might shoulder your obligations and duties with relative ease. You might be motivated to
behave in ways that cause individuals to say you are dependable. Driven by your talents, you may
wish to have a broader range of control and accountability on the job or in your personal life.
Instinctively, you might be motivated by your sense of obligation to finish what you start. Perhaps you
can fight the impulse to delegate or procrastinate. Maybe you remind yourself that you are the one
who is personally accountable.

Analytical

People who are especially talented in the Analytical theme search for reasons and causes.
They have the ability to think about all the factors that might affect a situation.

What makes you stand out?
Driven by your talents, you may have little difficulty finding the right words at the right time to express
what you are thinking or feeling. Maybe you can present your concepts in a reasonable, orderly, or
methodical way. Perhaps you generate a few options for others to consider. As a result, certain
individuals might say you know how to get your ideas across to people. Because of your strengths,
you might present yourself as a no-nonsense person to certain people. Sometimes this perception is
amplified when you acquire additional knowledge or skills in your area of specialization. Perhaps this
proficiency enhances your ability to perform your job, progress in your studies, pursue your hobbies,
or plan your travel. Chances are good that you might be able to convince people that their
accomplishments matter. Perhaps your well-reasoned explanations mean a lot to them. Instinctively,
you are fascinated by data. You examine numbers line by line. You usually know how grades, profits,
or budgets are calculated. You probably use established criteria, formulas, or equations to determine
scores, ratings, or rankings. It’s very likely that you may approach your work, studies, or other
activities in a levelheaded manner. Perhaps your common sense allows you to produce good results
in certain types of situations.

Awareness Questions

1. How does this information help you better understand your unique talents?

2. How can you use this understanding to add value to your role?

3. How can you apply this knowledge to add value to your team, workgroup, department, or division?

4. How will this understanding help you add value to your organization?

5. What will you do differently tomorrow as a result of this report?

Section II: Application

Which of these action items speak to you? Highlight the actions that you are most likely to take.

How will you commit to taking action? Write your own personalized action item that you will take in the next 30 days.

Futuristic

• Choose roles in which you can contribute your ideas about the future. For example, you might excel in entrepreneurial or start-up situations.

• Take time to think about the future. The more time you spend considering your ideas about the future, the more vivid your ideas will become. The more vivid your ideas, the more persuasive you will be.

• Seek audiences who appreciate your ideas for the future. They will expect you to make these ideas a reality, and these expectations will motivate you.

• Find a friend or colleague who also has powerful Futuristic talents. Set aside an hour each month for “future” discussions. You can push each other to greater heights of creativity and vividness.

• Partner with someone with strong Activator talents. This person can remind you that you do not discover the future, you create it with the actions you take today. You inspire others with your images of the future, yet your thinking may be too expansive for them to comprehend. When you articulate your vision, be sure to describe the future in detail with vivid words and metaphors. Make your ideas and strategies more concrete via sketches, step-by-step action plans, or mock-up models so that others can readily grasp your intent.

• Surround yourself with people who are eager to put your vision into motion. They will feel exhilarated by your Futuristic talents, and you can harness their energy to propel the vision toward reality.

• Be prepared to provide logical support for your futuristic thinking. Your exciting visions of future success will be best received when rooted in real possibility.

• Your Futuristic talents could equip you to be a guide or coach for others. Unlike you, they might not be able to easily see over the horizon. If you catch a vision of what someone could be or do, don’t assume that he or she is aware of that potential. Share what you see as vividly as you can. In doing so, you may inspire someone to move forward.

• Musing about the future comes naturally to you. Read articles about technology, science, and research to gain knowledge that will fuel your imagination.

Relator

• Find a workplace in which friendships are encouraged. You will not do well in an overly formal organization. In job interviews, ask about work styles and company culture.

• Deliberately learn as much as you can about the people you meet. You like knowing about people, and other people like being known. By doing this, you will act as a catalyst for trusting relationships.

• Let it be known that you are more interested in the character and personality of others than in their status or job title. This is one of your greatest talents and can serve as a model for others.

• Let your caring show. For example, find people in your company to mentor, help your colleagues get to know each other better, or extend your relationships beyond the office. No matter how busy you are, stay in contact with your friends. They are your fuel.

• Be honest with your friends. True caring means helping the other person be successful and fulfilled. Giving honest feedback or encouraging your friend to move out of a role in which he or she is struggling is a compassionate act.

• You probably prefer to be seen as a person, an equal, or a friend, rather than as a function, a superior, or a title. Let people know that they can address you by your first name, rather than formally.

• You might tend to withhold the most engaging aspects of your personality until you have sensed openness from another person. Remember, building relationships is not a one-way street. Proactively “put yourself out there.” Others will quickly see you for the genuine individual you are, and you will create many more opportunities to cultivate strong, long-lasting connections.

• Make time for family and close friends. You need to spend quality moments with those you love in order to “feed” your Relator talents. Schedule activities that allow you to get even closer to the people who keep you grounded and happy.

• Make an effort to socialize with your colleagues and team members outside of work. It can be as simple as lunch or coffee together. This will help you forge more connected relationships at work, which in turn can facilitate more effective teamwork and cooperation.

Belief

• Clarify your values by thinking about one of your best days ever. How did your values play into the satisfaction that you received on that day? How can you organize your life to repeat that day as often as possible?

• Actively seek roles that fit your values. In particular, think about joining organizations that define their purpose by the contribution they make to society.

• The meaning and purpose of your work will often provide direction for others. Remind people why their work is important and how it makes a difference in their lives and in the lives of others.

• Your Belief talents allow you to talk to the hearts of people. Develop a “purpose statement” and communicate it to your family, friends, and coworkers. Your powerful emotional appeal can give them a motivating sense of contribution.

• Create a gallery of letters and/or pictures of the people whose lives you have substantially influenced. When you are feeling down or overwhelmed, remind yourself of your value by looking at this gallery. It will energize you and revive your commitment to helping others.

• Set aside time to ensure that you are balancing your work demands and your personal life. Your devotion to your career should not come at the expense of your strong commitment to your family.

• Don’t be afraid to give voice to your values. This will help others know who you are and how to relate to you.

• Actively cultivate friends who share your basic values. Consider your best friend. Does this person share your value system? Partner with someone who has strong Futuristic talents. This person can energize you by painting a vivid picture of the direction in which your values will lead.

• Accept that the values of other people might differ from your own. Express your beliefs without being judgmental.

Responsibility

• Emphasize your sense of responsibility when job hunting. During interviews, describe your desire to be held fully accountable for the success or failure of projects, your intense dislike of unfinished work, and your need to “make it right” if a commitment is not met.

• Keep volunteering for more responsibility than your experience seems to warrant. You thrive on responsibility, and you can deal with it very effectively.

• Align yourself with others who share your sense of responsibility. You will flourish when working with people who share your determination to get things done.

• Tell your manager that you work best when given the freedom to follow through on your commitments — that you don’t need to check in during a project, just at the end. You can be trusted to get it done.

• Push yourself to say no. Because you are instinctively responsible, it might sometimes be difficult to refuse opportunities. For this reason, you must be selective. Ask for more responsibility in only the areas that matter most to you.

• You naturally take ownership of every project you are involved in. Make sure that your capacity to own does not keep you from sharing responsibility. Allow others the opportunity to experience the challenges of ownership. In doing so, you will contribute to their growth and development.

• Learn to manage your Responsibility talents by considering whether you really are the person who should be handling a particular issue. Defer to your existing responsibilities and goals before undertaking additional burdens, as you may end up skimping on quality if you have too many tasks or competing demands.

• Partner with someone especially talented in Discipline or Focus. This person can help you stay on track and prevent you from becoming overloaded.

• Working with a like-minded, responsible colleague is satisfying for you. Be sure to clarify expectations and boundaries so that each person can feel ownership for his or her particular tasks — without stepping on each other’s toes.

• Responsible individuals like to know they have “delivered” on their commitments, so create metrics and goals to gauge how effectively you meet your obligations. Also, make sure you have explicit and concrete expectations so that there is no question regarding quality outcomes and so that you can hit the mark as promised.

Analytical

• Choose work in which you are paid to analyze data, find patterns, or organize ideas. For example, you might excel in marketing, financial, or medical research or in database management, editing, or risk management.

• Whatever your role, identify credible sources on which you can rely. You are at your best when you have well-researched sources of information and numbers to support your logic. For example, determine the most helpful books, websites, or publications that can serve as references.

• Your mind is constantly working and producing insightful analysis. Are others aware of that? Find the best way of expressing your thoughts: writing, one-on-one conversations, group discussions, perhaps lectures or presentations. Put value to your thoughts by communicating them.

• Make sure that your accumulation and analysis of information always leads to its application and implementation. If you don’t do this naturally, find a partner who pushes you from theory to practice, from thinking to doing. This person will help ensure that your analysis doesn't turn into paralysis.

• Take an academic course that will expand your Analytical talents. Specifically, study people whose logic you admire.

• Volunteer your Analytical talents. You can be particularly helpful to those who are struggling to organize large quantities of data or having a hard time bringing structure to their ideas.

• Partner with someone with strong Activator talents. This person’s impatience will move you more quickly through the analytical phase into the action phase.

• You may remain skeptical until you see solid proof. Your skepticism ensures validity, but others may take it personally. Help others realize that your skepticism is primarily about data, not people.

• Look for patterns in data. See if you can discern a motif, precedent, or relationship in scores or numbers. By connecting the dots in the data and inferring a causal link, you may be able to help others see these patterns.

• Help others understand that your analytical approach will often require data and other information to logically back up new ideas that they might suggest.

Section III: Achievement

Look for signs of achievement as you read these real quotes from people who share your top five themes.

Futuristic

Dan F., school administrator: “In any situation, I am the guy who says, ‘Did you ever think about … ?
I wonder if we could … I don’t believe it can’t be done. It’s just that nobody has done it yet. Let’s
figure out how we can.’ I am always looking for options, for ways not to be mired by the status quo. In
fact, there is no such thing as the status quo. You are either moving forward, or you are moving
backward. That’s the reality of life, at least from my perspective. And right now, I believe that my
profession is moving backward. State schools are being out-serviced by private schools, charter
schools, home schools, Internet schools. We need to free ourselves from our traditions and create a
new future.”

Jan K., internist: “Here at the Mayo Clinic, we are launching a group called the Hospitalists. Rather
than having patients handed off from one doctor to another during their stay in the hospital, I envision
a family of providers. I envision fifteen to twenty MDs, of various genders and races, with twenty to
twenty-five nurse practitioners. There will be four to five new hospital services, most of which will work
with surgeons and will provide para-operative care as well as care for the hospitalized elderly. We are
redefining the model of care here. We don’t just take care of the patients when they are in the
hospital. If a patient comes in for a knee replacement, a member of the Hospitalist team would see
him before the surgery, follow him from the day of surgery through the days of hospitalization, and
then see him when he comes in six weeks later for his postoperative check. We will provide patients
with a complete episode of care so that they don’t get lost in the handoffs. And to get the funding, I
just saw the detailed picture in my head and kept describing this picture to the department chair. I
guess I made it seem so real that they had no choice but to grant me the funds.”

Relator

Gavin T., flight attendant: “I have many wonderful acquaintances, but as for true friends that I hold
dear, not very many. And I’m real okay with that. My best times are spent with the people I’m tightest
with, like my family. We are a very tight-knit Irish Catholic family, and we get together every chance
we can. It’s a large family — I have five brothers and sisters and ten nieces and nephews — but we
all get together about once a month and yuk it up. I’m the catalyst. When I’m back in Chicago, even if
there is no birthday or anniversary or whatever, I become the excuse for getting together and hanging
out for three or four days. We really enjoy one another’s company.”

Tony D., pilot: “I used to fly in the Marines, and, boy, you had better be comfortable with the word
‘friend’ in the Marines. You had better feel good about trusting someone else. I can’t tell you how
many times I put my life in someone else’s hands. I was flying off my friend’s wing, and I’d be dead if
he couldn’t get me back safely.”

Jamie T., entrepreneur: “I’m definitely selective about my relationships. When I first meet people, I
don’t want to give them very much of my time. I don’t know them; they don’t know me — so let’s just
be pleasant and leave it at that. But if circumstances make it so that we get to know each other better,
it seems like a threshold is reached where I suddenly start wanting to invest more. I’ll share more of
myself, put myself out for them, do things for them that will bring us a little closer, and show that I
care. It’s funny because I am not looking for any more friends in my life. I have enough. And yet with
each new person I meet, as soon as that threshold is reached, I feel compelled to go deeper and
deeper. Now I have ten people working for me, and I would call each of them my very good friend.”

Belief

Michael K., salesperson: “The vast majority of my nonworking time goes to my family and to the things
we do in the community. I was on the countywide Boy Scouts board of directors. And when I was a
Boy Scout, I was pack leader. When I was an Explorer, I was junior assistant leader for the Boy
Scouts. I just like being with kids. I believe that’s where the future is. And I think you can do a whole
lot worse with your time than investing it in the future.”

Lara M., college president: “My values are why I work so hard every day at my job. I put hours and
hours into this job, and I don’t even care what I get paid. I just found out that I am the lowest paid
college president in my state, and I don’t even care. I mean, I don’t do this for the money.”

Tracy D., airline executive: “If you are not doing something important, why bother? Getting up every
day and working on ways to make flying safer seems important to me, purposeful. If I didn’t find this
purpose in my job, I don’t know if I could work through all the challenges and frustrations that get in
my way. I think I would get demoralized.”

Responsibility

Nigel T., sales executive: “I used to think that there was a piece of metal in my hand and a magnet on
the ceiling. I would just volunteer for everything. I have had to learn how to manage that because not
only would I end up with too much on my plate, but I would also wind up thinking that everything was
my fault. I realize now that I can’t be responsible for everything in the world — that’s God’s job.”

Kelly G., operations manager: “The country manager in Sweden called me in November and said,
‘Kelly, could you please not ship my inventory until January 1.’ I said, ‘Sure. Sounds like a good plan.’
I told my people about the plan and thought I had all the bases covered. On December 31, however,
when I was checking my messages while on a ski slope, making sure everything was hunky-dory, I
saw that his order had already been shipped and invoiced. I had to call immediately and tell him what
happened. He’s a nice man, so he didn’t use any four-letter words, but he was very angry and very
disappointed. I felt terrible. An apology wasn’t enough. I needed to fix it. I called our controller from the
chalet, and that afternoon we figured out a way to put the value of his inventory back on our books
and clean it off his. It took most of the weekend, but it was the right thing to do.”

Harry B., outplacement consultant: “I was just a young bank manager in one of the branches when the
president of the company decided that he wanted to foreclose on a property. I said, ‘That’s fine, but
we have a responsibility to give the people full value for their property.’ He didn’t see it that way. He
wanted to sell the property to a friend of his for what was owed, and he said my problem was that I
couldn’t separate my business ethics from my personal ethics. I told him that was correct. I couldn’t
because I didn’t believe — and still don’t believe — that you can have two standards. So I quit the firm
and went back to earning five dollars an hour working for the forestry service picking up trash. Since
my wife and I were trying to support our two kids and make ends meet, it was a hard decision for me
to make. But looking back, on one level, it really wasn’t hard at all. I simply couldn’t function in an
organization with those kinds of ethics.”

Analytical

Jose G., school system administrator: “I have an innate ability to see structures, formats, and patterns
before they exist. For instance, when people are talking about writing a grant proposal, while I’m
listening to them, my brain instinctively processes the type of grants that are available and how the
discussion fits into the eligibility, right down to the format of how the information can fit on the grant
form in a clear and convincing way.”

Jack T., human resources executive: “If I make a claim, I need to know that I can back it up with facts
and logical thinking. For example, if someone says that our company is not paying as much as other
companies, I always ask, ‘Why do you say that?’ If they say, ‘Well, I saw an ad in the paper that offers
graduates in mechanical engineering five grand more than we are paying,’ I'll reply by asking, ‘But
where are these graduates going to work? Is their salary based on geography? What types of
companies are they going for? Are they manufacturing companies like ours? And how many people
are in their sample? Is it three people, and one of them got a really good deal, thus driving the overall
average up?’ There are many questions I need to ask to ensure that their claim is indeed a fact and
not based on one misleading data point.”

Leslie J., school principal: “Many times, there are inconsistencies in the performance of the same
group of students from one year to the next. It’s the same group of kids, but their scores are different
year to year. How can this be? Which building are the kids in? How many of the kids have been
enrolled for a full academic year? Which teachers were they assigned to, and what teaching styles
were used by those teachers? I just love asking questions like these to understand what is truly
happening.”

Achievement Questions

1. Talk to friends or coworkers to hear how they have used their talents to achieve.

2. How will you use your talents to achieve?