I’m a WOO. Who are you?
In the Spring of 2017 I asked a certified strengths coach to spend some time in coaching me and he replied yes but I had to wait until he had an opening. So I waited. And waited. And it was worth every moment of waiting.
Little did I know what was in store for me
Gallup is an organization that has created an assessment to help people get to know what they are naturally talented at doing. They then recommend coaching so that you can take those talents and move them into strengths by actively working towards engaging with them. There are 34 total strengths and typically people relate most to their top 10, sometimes 12.
Rodney was and still is my coach. He sat down with me that first day and asked me strange questions about myself – like how would I describe myself and how would other describe me. I had no idea! I mean somewhat of an idea but nothing worth sharing! But I did. I shared, “ummm, I guess amusing? Maybe funny? Outgoing for sure.” NOTHING about my answers were insightful I thought. But my coach just listened and observed. I squirmed in my chair hoping he didn’t notice too much and acted as if I was not completely uncomfortable with not knowing more about myself. After all, I am a counselor by trade. I should know.
He then told me about Gallup Strengths and how it was a helpful tool to help get to know who you are at your core. He described how it was developed and how they got to just 34 different talents from hundreds and hundreds of skills. I was fascinated. This made so much sense to me. The very first day of my coaching I could see myself helping others come to their own conclusions about who they are. I decided then I wanted to be a coach. (more about that later)
So after that first day we met fairly regularly. I don’t know how he felt about the coaching sessions but I was elated after each one. I had a crazy amount of energy and power after each session because I was learning how to just be me and not just being me but LIKING being me.
My top themes are WOO (winning others over), Positivity, Communication, Includer and Ideation. Through coaching I could see how my whole life I have had these themes and how there have been times when they have been in a very raw form of them and others when you could even call them STRENGTHS! My goal was to make each of these more of a strength and moving it from a raw form to a mature form. We kept the coaching sessions and worked through the other 5 – Adaptability, Arranger, Input, Futuristic and Strategic. One of my favorite moments was when I argued with my coach about where competition is in my list. I had always been told I was crazy competitive and agreed with others observations. We spent time talking about this and I realized that I was not a competitive person because I like competing with others and have a need to win but I love competition because I have FUN with it and can bring the crowd in and include others. This was just one of the many realizations I had during this time of coaching.
Another favorite moment was when I asked my coach if he would do a session with me and my husband. He of course agreed. I coerced my husband into taking the assessment AND got his full results. Not at all surprised or shocked we realized that his top strengths were at my bottom and visa versa. We went to that coaching session unsure of what would be said. Turns out the world better watch out because with our strengths combined we can be a power couple. Seriously. I put my keys down somewhere and he will put them “where they go” (Thanks to his consistency). Through that session and many conversations and podcasts later we still relate back to our strengths and how when we find ourselves in the midst of conflict can see how our strengths play into that conflict.
I could talk/write for hours on strengths. But I won’t. Today anyway. I do want to share one last thing though – my coach asked me to reflect on all the things we had talked about and how I had grown in this process. He had me go through my top ten themes and identify when I was in the raw forms of them and when I was truly living through them – my highs and lows. This made me stop and think of real life examples of when I was awake and living my truth.
What is your truth? How can you wake up in your life and start living your truth? Stop sleepwalking. Stop thoughtlessly going through the motions of life and WAKE UP! Start living! Grow in your strengths. Be intentional throughout your day. STOP SLEEPWALKING! This is YOUR time. Be you. Not someone else. YOU! I make an effort everyday to be ME and sometimes I do it and do it well and other times I am hiding out in the basement pretending. Let’s get to know each other and edify each other in who we are. Me? I am a people person. I love and adore people. I love having fun and laughing – a lot. My brain often feels like ideas are popping everywhere and if I’m not careful I can sound like an old fashioned popcorn popper with the lid off! I lose my keys, coffee, notebooks, money, chapstick, vitamins, you name it because there is not an ounce of consistency or discipline in me. I know the best route to get something done and I have already thought of 20 million ideas of what COULD work. I like for people to be included and hate seeing the outliers. I welcome people in. I love communication and communicate well when I put effort into what I want to say. I have a crazy positive outlook and spin on life but that does not make me naive to the ugly that is in this life. I can transition quickly and easily and can get frustrated at those who don’t. I love thinking about the future and what is to come – because after all, it includes being with people, having fun and loving fiercely.
Who are you?
Want more information on Gallup Strengths? Drop me a note! We can talk more about coaching 1:1 and in larger group settings!
Have your own story to share? Let me talk to you! I want to hear it!