Describe one of your strengths: What is something you have learned to do well (list a skill)? I can… be a great active listener.
What is something you know about (list some knowledge/expertise you have)? I know… how to communicate productively.
What is something you have a natural ability to do well (list a talent)? I am… optimistic
How could you combine these to describe a specific strength? I wold say this would describe the strength of kindness.
Read through your Top 4 results from Pairin In your own words, what do these top 4 qualities tell you about yourself? These qualities tell me I am a goal oriented person who likes to be correct, does not cause waves and stands up for what is right.
Do they resonate with you? Why/why not? Yes, I would say these are all strengths that I see within myself. I pride myself on being organized, thoughtful, and calm.
How do they relate to the strength you wrote about in Prompt #1? The strengths I choose for myself are all mentioned in the explanations for the strengths.
Challenges with strengths What can make it challenging to recognize your strengths? How can you work through those challenges? I find it is easier to recognize your weaknesses and how they outshine your strengths. To work through these I am focusing on the positive impact my strengths create, and having a growth mindset toward my weaknesses. Looking at how far I have already come and all that I have learned helps me recognize the growth I have made.
Do you ever see yourself overusing certain strengths? In what circumstances would you want to use them less and amplify other strengths? How could you adjust your approach in those instances? Yes, I like to always be correct and this can cause me to get stuck and not move forward when I am uncertain. To adjust my approach I am going to use my cohort relationships and take my best guess because it's acceptable to be wrong.
Strengths in action Write 1-2 sentences describing how you like to work (i.e., Do you pre-plan? Do you talk through your ideas first? Do you work better with deadlines? How do you stay organized?) I Like to pre-plan and try to foresee any problems that will arise. I work better with deadlines because it keeps me on track of knowing what I should be working on.
How could you describe these working preferences to your project teammates? Your mentor? Your instructors? I can describe my preferences to my team by telling them I like to plan ahead and think through problems. I would describe this to my mentor by telling her I need time to think before I act but value feedback so I can learn for next time. I can describe these preference to my instructors by letting them know I need clear deadlines and time to contemplate.
What would you need to be aware of when working with people who have different strengths from you? I need to know their working styles and how we can work together most productively. If they are going to communicate with me or if I will have push for communication.
How could your Pairin results help you better understand your everyday working preferences? The Pairin results put a spot light on what I find important and my underlying strengths. They help me understand how best to plan my day to day work.
Continued growth Is there any particular strength you’d like to sharpen while you’re at Turing? Any area you consider a weakness that you’d like to strengthen? I would like to strengthen my leadership skills, I have previously held leadership positions and feel Turing could help me fine tune these skills. I would like to strengthen my public speaking skills and try to develop a more creative set of problem solving skills.
What are some steps you could take here? I could take on the role of SLC to try and work on these skills. Although I am waiting until after mod 1 so I can know what to expect from the program and get a handle on the speed of the course. I am also going to try to start attending more meet ups to expand my network.
How could you be aware of progress you’re making? I am going to keep a journal that I can look back on and see progress. I am also going to try and take on more leadership positions outside of Turing that can help with networking.