Tuesday, October 21, 2008

my yelo

Two weekends ago, Mosaic hosted an event we call yelo. Here is the tagline from the website:

yelō uses the Gallup StrengthsFinder, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and Character Matrix to help individuals uncover their unique strengths and make their irreplaceable contribution to humanity. Join us for this unrivaled experience and discover the life you are created to live!

Our goal is to continue to develop yelo in order to impact and serve the Bay area - no strings attached, no set expectations or obligations for those who come. At this last event, my entire interiors team wanted to come! It was exciting to see how excited and interested they were in really making the most of this information.

So post-yelo we have decided to have one person a week, from the team of seven, share their strengths in their own words and then develop a few goals or tasks. I thought I'd volunteer to go first, as I've been exposed to yelo for a few years now and have had some extra time to think. I was so excited about it I wanted to post it for all my friends and family.

My top-five strengths:
Input:
I am inquisitive. I find so many things interesting – the world is full of variety and diversity and I am energized by keeping my mind fresh and open to knowing more. I am challenged by the unknown.

Intellection:
I am introspective. I am energized by taking time to process and reflect on the things I find interesting. I have a complex internal world – with my own board of directors. I like to pose questions to myself and try out different ideas. I am good at taking a lot of information and breaking it down into the most important or relevant parts.

Restorative:
I am energized by breaking down complexity and finding the core or source of problems/information. I thrive on independence and freedom – and being given the responsibility to find out different ideas/solutions.

Responsibility:
In the process, I tend to develop a psychological bond to the problems and information that I ponder. Because I am drawn to ideas and solutions, I am compelled to share them with those around me though I find the responsibility to carry them out to the maximum amount of detail to be overwhelming. I work best with clear boundaries… knowing what is expected of me.

Arranger:
I am committed to finding the best way or idea or solution possible. I am an example of “effective flexibility”, whether I am changing travel schedules at the last minute because a better fare has popped up or mulling over just the right combination of people and resources to accomplish a new project. Hence I will resist too much rigidity or structure – always keeping it open to change in case a better way is found.

Goals to develop strengths:
1. Organization: I can get lost in a sea of information and need to continue to develop effective systems to help retrieve or make the most of all the information.
2. Expression: I need to continue to find ways to express or share the information and thoughts that I develop.

Measurable Goals/Tasks for the office:
1. Making time to share ideas and information such as through in-house presentations, articles, or reviews.
2. Breaking down sustainability criteria into tangible tools other designers can use.
3. To be developed!

2 comments:

Josh said...

woah nice nik, gonna have to look into that. i am jealous of your ability to concisely talk about your strengths.

p.s. see you on thursday.

Leah said...

Hey! Two of my top 5 are Input and Intellection also! (Craig and I have read the "Now, Discover Your Srengths" book...loved it!) How fun! :)