Mondays with Madison: Leading with Strength

One week later and I'm back! This week's post for Mondays with Madison is inspired by the content from one of my classes. I was recently chosen to be the representative for Alpha Delta Pi (my sorority) on Iowa State's Emerging Greek Leadership Council. This council is a select group of fraternity men and sorority women who work to be great leaders who will serve in the Greek community and elsewhere. The council will plan philanthropy events and work to unite the community.

My membership on this council will be from this semester through the Fall semester of 2017. For the first eight weeks of this semester, I am currently taking a Leadership Studies course that is a required element for the council. We all meet once a week to talk and learn about leadership through a Greek community perspective. I am really enjoying this course and all that it has already taught me. One part of this course is reading the book Strengths based leadership: Great leaders, teams, and why people follow and taking the accompanying Strengths Finder Quiz. This is the topic of this week's post.

The focus of the book is the importance of identifying your strengths because this knowledge can build confidence and make leadership more meaningful and purposeful. Barry Conchie and Tom Rath, the authors of the novel, want to help cultivate leaders who's impact will extend beyond their organization and who will make a lasting impression. The first line of the novel is in the last photo below.

Strengths Based Leadership

Strengths Based Leadership

Strengths Based Leadership

The book includes three parts, Investing in Your Strengths, Maximizing Your Team, and Understanding Why People Follow, as well as resources to go along with results from the test. When you purchase the book new there is a packet at the back that includes your unique code which allows you to take the Strengths Finder test. This test is composed of 180 pairs of descriptors. Those taking the test must choose which descriptor most describes them. The output of this assessment is the top 5 strengths of the test-taker (out of the possible 34 themes).

My strength themes were:

1. Learner

2. Arranger

3. Input

4. Belief

5. Developer

34 Themes

Learner

The book provides wonderful descriptions of what people with these strengths are like, do, and how they can maximize these strengths. I am hopeful that being aware of my strengths and how they can play into my daily life, and my leadership roles. As I look forward to the future, I am eager to possibly obtain a position within my sorority chapter and I know that this information will greatly affect how I lead. Even as I move into a job these strengths will influence how I perform and interact with others.

I would highly recommend purchasing the book for reading but also to take the assessment. If you just want to take the assessment you can just purchase the access code as well! I strongly believe that leading with strength, and better yet, leading with YOUR strengths can transform your perspective. I am excited to see its effect on me and share what I find.

Much Love,

Madison

#LIFESTYLE