Which strengths make you a unique leader?

In a previous post on Chat GPT, I promised to write more on Marcus Buckingham's StandOut  questionnaire. So here, I'll explore what this FREE questionnaire offers to leaders, or potential leaders.

The questionnaire takes around 15 minutes to complete, at the end of which you're e-mailed a report with your results. The questionnaire identifies 2 roles from a total of 9.  The responses you give to different situations can reveal how you behave when you're at your best. The assessment helps you identify where you're at your strongest and how you can make your greatest contribution at work.

The 9 StandOut roles and their definitions:

Advisor - Advisors are practical, concrete thinkers who are at their most powerful when reacting to and solving others people's problems.

Connector - Connectors are catalysts. Their power lies in their craving to put two things together to make something bigger than it is now.

Creator - Creators make sense of the world, pulling it apart, seeing a better configuration, and creating it.

Equalizer - Equalizers are level-headed people whose power comes from keeping the world in balance, ethically and practically.

Influencer - Influencers engage people directly and convince them to act. Their power is in their persuasion.

Pioneer - Pioneers see the world as a friendly place where, around every corner, good things will happen. Their distinctive power starts with their optimism in the face of uncertainty.

Provider - Providers sense other people's feelings, and they feel compelled to recognize these feelings, give them a voice, and act on them.

Stimulator - Stimulators are the hosts of others' emotions. They feel responsible for turning them around, for elevating them.

Teacher - Teachers are thrilled by the potential they see in each person. Their power comes from learning how to unleash it.

Those of you who are regular readers will know that I'm a practical person who likes to try these things out to see whether I find them useful before recommending them. So what do you get?

What's in the report?

• Each profile presents a statement and paragraph which combines your 2 top strengths roles.
• The report explores each strength separately and identifies when you're at your most powerful, with examples of activities that aim to illustrate this.
• The report identifies phrases that might describe you, drawing on both your strengths. For example, my strengths were identified as Creator and Teacher. One phrase stated: "I've been told I'm a very creative person, always looking for better ways of doing things." I would agree with that. It's also true that  "I'm a constant learner." However I don't agree with the next part of the statement that I enjoy excelling in a particular skill. I'm more of a curious generalist. There were a number of the statements that didn't quite ring true for me and made me think that if I was putting the 9 strengths in rank order that Connector and Influencer were perhaps a better fit for me.
• There is a section called Your Career Advantage- what you bring to a team.
• How to make an immediate impact and how to take your performance to the next level.
• What to watch out for.
• How to win as a leader.
• How to win as a manager.
• How to win in client services.
• How to win in sale

Bonus content

Alongside the personalised report you can also access and download additional resources. You can reflect on your role 'fit' and identify examples of times when you've demonstrated your strength in action- handy for forthcoming applications and interviews.

You're encouraged to discuss your role with others, to see what you each have to offer, and to explore the complementarity of what each person brings to a team. So you could try this exercise out in a leadership team and compare notes.

There are expanded definitions of the 9 strengths, which help you understand how to handle others with the same or different strengths.

My verdict?

On reflection I like the idea of what the report can provide more than what it actually delivered. I wasn't overly struck on the 2 strengths identified for me. I wondered whether, if you're a leader and are looking for more more authentic descriptors that it might be worth completing the questionnaire with someone who knows you well- either a member of your team or a colleague. We all have our blind spots and you will have a different perspective of your strengths than  your team members.

I did like the expanded information about each strength and how to communicate effectively with others. I found these more helpful than my personal report.

It's a free questionnaire, so may be worth exploring to see whether you get more out of it than I did. Personally I found both Cappfinity's Leader Strengths profile and the Clifton Strengths questionnaire to be more accurate and more nuanced than StandOut.

I'll be interested to know your thoughts!

More on Cappfinity's new Leader Profile soon!

First published on www.thecareercatalyst.co.uk

To receive my weekly e mail subscribe at www.thecareercatalyst.co.uk.