Just before Christmas I decided to pick-up Gallup’s StrengthsFinder 2.0 and “find my strengths”. In the book, Tom Rath, takes issue with some of the rubbish I just mentioned. In particular, that myth that we are told that we can be anything we want if we just try hard enough (or I would add, are lucky enough, or are blessed enough). Rath submits that, “you cannot be anything you want to be”, which put a knot in my throat and really rubbed me the wrong way at first. I can be anything I want damn it! But he continues on to say, “but you can be a lot more of who you already are.” Ah… now, that’s something I want! I want more of what makes me good to begin with!

The basic idea here, folks, is quite trying to be something you are not. Instead, be better at what you are already good at… in fact, try to be great at it! Its not a revolutionary thought until you start to apply it to your life! I probably spend a good 70% of my life trying to be something I’m not. Not really on purpose, but because that’s what I’m suppose to do, right? I need fixing, right? Well, in some ways, yes. But I want to spend my life living in the strengths God gave me… not the weaknesses I have been living in!

So without further ado… my top five strengths:

Strategic. I see patterns where others see complexity. Its a way of thinking, a perspective on the world, which allows me to play out “what if” scenarios until I’ve found that path which makes the most sense to move forward with. And then I strike.

Activator. I’m impatient for action. Only action is real. Once a decision is made, I cannot not act. Action and thinking are not opposites; in fact, action is the best vehicle for thinking and the only way to stay fresh and informed.

Adaptability. I live in the moment. The future isn’t a fixed destination but something yet to be determined. I hold my plans loosely because change is expected and inevitable.

Maximizer. Excellence is my standard. Give me the diamonds-in-the-rough, not the other “precious stones”. If I’m going to put in the effort, I want to go from good to great; not fair to average.

Woo. I enjoy winning people to the cause. And I probably won’t give up until I have. I’m rarely at a loss for words or reasons or arguments to convince you the cause is worth your time too.

Those are my 3 words. At least today they are; its the best I can do on such short notice. I’m putting together my résumé and as I’ve been looking at others, one had their 3 words listed under their name (I wish I saved where I saw that, but I didn’t). I loved it. And it got me thinking, what are my 3 words? So today I spent some time thinking about that and this is what I came up with.

Leader. I’m a leader. In my family. In my business. Even in my interactions with others. Every day I have a choice to lead or relegate. I want to choose to lead, and lead well. What’s amazing about leadership is we are all given that choice every day. We are all leaders. Unfortunately we don’t always take that seriously or do it well. But I’m taking it seriously and I’m striving to do it exceptionally well in whatever situation I find myself with that one choice: lead or relegate.

Creator. I debated between creator and inventor. But I felt like inventor sounded like I was some mad scientist toiling away my evenings in the garage. I still wonder if creator is right. Perhaps innovator. Or explorer. Or visionary. Whatever the case is, its that certain way at looking at the world that brings clarity to chaos. It finds the best solutions to complex problems and ways to maximize opportunities while minimizing obstacles. Its that instinct, that way of thinking, that lets you create your own path and see your own vision. Its about helping and making others better because you can see in them what they have not yet seen. Its that creator gene. And I’m making it my 2nd word.

Storyteller. One of the greatest distances between us homo sapiens and all the other creatures in God’s Big Zoo is our ability to tell story. I love story. I could tell stories all the time. True stories, fake stories, those in-between stories. All of them. My favorite program (on any medium) is still This American Life because its all about story and the art of telling the story. I’ve learned more about being a storyteller from that program than all the other resources I’ve ever used to hone my craft. My future is in flex, but I do know that storytelling will always be part of it.

Update 01/31/10: So I did a google search for “my 3 words” and apparently this isn’t a novel idea… at all! Just wanted to let the internets know that before the self-assigned honesty police come on by to flame me!