We’re doing this right. Right?
“We Are Doing This Right. Right?” is your go-to podcast for humor-infused discussions that empower women to lead, succeed, and grow. Join us as we explore the smart side of life, business, and friendship, all while navigating the balancing act of parenting and work life. Get ready to laugh, learn, and find your path to success with a community that's cheering you on every step of the way.
We’re doing this right. Right?
Transformative Strengths: How to Harness Your Superpowers with Rachel Wainer
Text us! We know you feel like part of the conversation! We want to hear your input!
Join hosts Cheryl Medeiros and Colleen Hungerford as they dive into the world of strengths-based development with revolutionary guest Rachel Wainer, a workshop facilitator and Gallup certified strengths coach. Discover the transformative power of the CliftonStrengths Assessment, learn how to identify and nurture your unique talents, and hear practical applications for personal and professional growth. Rachel shares insights on using strengths to boost individual and team performance, reduce workplace conflict, and even help with career transitions. Don’t miss this empowering episode filled with valuable tips and strategies for leaning into your strengths!
The global strengths movement started six decades ago when Don Clifton, the founder of strengths-based psychology, posed the question: "What would happen if we studied what was right with people versus what's wrong with people? Decades of Gallup research reveal that a person's best opportunity for success is to recognize and develop their dominant talents. Those who do focus on using their strengths are more likely to report being engaged in their job and having an excellent quality of life.
Over 33 million people have completed Gallup's CliftonStrengths assessment. You can purchase the assessment at Rachel's website - use the code STRENGTHS for $10 off through the end of August.
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-wainer/
00:00 Introduction and Personal Anecdotes
01:35 Guest Introduction: Rachel Wainer
03:08 Discovering Strengths-Based Development
04:23 Personal Experiences with Strengths
09:10 Understanding the CliftonStrengths Assessment
15:21 Activator Strength: Embracing Action
23:26 Exploring the Woo Strength
27:15 Understanding Individual Strengths
28:22 Building Strong Teams with CliftonStrengths
29:38 Personal Growth and Appreciation
31:18 Leveraging Strengths in Career Development
32:43 Practical Applications of Strengths
34:58 Using Strengths in Leadership
37:44 Futuristic Vision and Team Building
48:47 Coaching and Workshops for Strengths Development
52:38 Conclusion and Contact Information
I will tell you, I have a lot of unfinished DIY projects in my house because my activator is like. You know what? Today I'm going to paint my living room and I just jump in the car. I go to home Depot, I get the stuff, I set everything up. And then like two hours later, I'm like, eh, I'm tired of doing this or, or something else excited me,
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:Welcome back. We're doing it right. Right, Colleen? Are you doing it right today? Oh.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:day is touch and go with my internet. So we're just figuring it out. Also, this is a different time for us to record, which is fine. But what I forgot was at 11 a. m. Every single Friday, the tornado warning testing goes off. And as we were logging on, I was like, Oh, Hey, this is interesting, but it's done. So. We're good. Everything's good. That's just life, right?
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:that is life. Yes. Okay. Well, we have a very fun guest today, revolutionary guest Rachel Wainer is a workshop facilitator and a Gallup certified strength coach who helps people understand the inherent potential And power within their unique talents. She specializes in coaching high performing teams and their managers on how to apply their strengths to meaningful goals and create workplaces that people love to work for. Rachel has 15 years of experience in learning and development and draws from positive psychology and behavioral science to create transformative learning experiences for her clients.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:Yes.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:Oh my gosh. Break that down girl. Who are
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:know. I was going to say, well, that sounds like I'm doing it right for sure when
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:you, are totally doing it right. before we dive in you know, our, our third person who is always with us, who's not with us on the show is Susie and Susie is who introduced us to Rachel. And so we're always thankful for that introduction. And. Rachel did a presentation for our group and that was amazing. And Cheryl and I were like, totally geeked out. I think our whole, our whole group was like completely geeked out after you came and talked to us and we did all of our stuff. So we had to have you on the show. So we're so excited and we're so excited to have all of our listeners like completely geek out as well.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:I love that. And I am also grateful to Susie always for her friendship and incredible wisdom and connections like these, there is nothing I like more than talking about strengths with people. And so I'm so glad to be invited to talk about strengths with you guys and your listeners, because it's just, you know, it's, it's not trivial to use the word transformative in your, In your bio to say you teach transformative material, but I so deeply in my guts believe that this message and approach to personal development really is transformative. And so it's just the best to talk about it and it really is. Yeah.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:I think one of the things that really resonated with me, and obviously we'll dive into this, is this is the first test or thing or whatever method where you're really focusing on your strengths versus what you need to improve on. And I was like, This is where it's at. Like this, this is what we need to be teaching people instead of focusing so much time and energy on, you know, I think you said like, this is like a positive, like on the negative of what you're not good at or what, you know, maybe your strengths aren't in spending all that time working on that. This was very freeing for me to be like, just lean into what you're good at. So I'm excited for you to tell us everything you want to tell us,
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah. I love, I love hearing that Colleen, and that's what resonated with you. And I can tell you, you know, when I was first introduced to this idea of strengths based development, which I'll explain. You know, in, in just a moment, I was 20, 22 years old. For me, that was about 20 years ago. And I was a kid who really wanted to be good or even better than good at everything. I, I I'm joining you from New Jersey. I was born and raised in New Jersey. Definitely like a fast moving, high achieving competitive place. And. I really had this idea that like to be excellent meant I have to be good at everything and I worked really hard to be good at everything. And then I got through college and I kept having this like nagging thought that I think a lot of young people do. And even a lot of totally grown up people do, which is like, what am I supposed to be doing? doing with my life? Like, how do I, how do I know what's the right career? Or how do I know what's going to make me happier? How do I know how I can like have the biggest impact on my family or my community? I mean, these were the things I was, I was thinking about. And then I was introduced to this assessment you mentioned, which is the, then it was called Strengths Finder. Now it's called the CliftonStrengths Assessment. And I was taking a graduate school course. I needed one more psychology class to, to graduate. And the local community college was offering this course called positive psychology. And I was like, that sounds interesting. And I took this course and we read, our main text was this book. book called authentic happiness, which is written by Martin Seligman, who is considered the founder of positive psychology. He's at the university of Pennsylvania. And among other things in this book, I read about the idea of. identifying your unique strengths and that once you identified your unique strengths you could really focus on developing and using those strengths to live a good life. And that just really resonated with me. And so I then, you know, took, took Strengths Finder, which was created by a different psychologist named Don Clifton. And I, you know, discovered And had the language for the first time to name and talk about my strengths. And the experience was just so freeing. Like you said, I felt so like free, like, yeah, this is what I'm good at. And I found I had direction and hope and purpose and energy. And it was just such a, you know, 180 from what I had been doing up until. That point. So that's, I had, you know, the experience you just described is what I experienced also, you know, all those, all those years ago.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:I just think it's so I don't cool. It's not the most eloquent word, but like, well, to, to, especially, I wish I had it at 22 but at 41. It to, to recognize, especially for women who, to your point, have typically high achieving women who are the people that listen to our show or, you know, like entrepreneurial people, you are told growing up, especially as a woman or a girl that you have to be good at everything. Right. Like you have to get a 4. 0 GPA. You have to be on student body. You have to play sports. You have to play an instrument. You have to blah, blah, blah. And that's how you would succeed in life. Right. And it's never like lean in to the things that you're good at. And it, and so. Anyway I would just love for you to, to, to kind of talk, talk through all of that with us. And, and, Cheryl and I both have taken these assessments now. And I really thought Cheryl, I thought ours would be much more similar than they are because the personality ways were similar, but they're different, but which I thought was interesting as well.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:feel so seen with my results.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:hmm. Mm hmm.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:I'm like, Oh, that is me. That's
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:Yeah.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah. And that feels good, right? Like to be seen.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:So good. And I think it highlights some of the things that maybe you knew about yourself, but weren't recognizing or other people don't, other people don't recognize in you that it does validate that, right? It's like, Oh, you know what? You are based on your responses based on you. Here are these wonderful things about you. So, so tell us a little bit about the assessment and then we'll get into how you approach to that.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah, definitely. So, you know, we've all said strengths and talents and positive psychology a bunch already. So why don't I sort of define those things so folks can be on the same page with us. So what we're talking about here and the assessment that, that Sherilyn Colleen took and that I coach around is called the Clifton Strengths Assessment. And it is an online tool created by Don Clifton, who was a psychologist, and it is Drew Gallup, huge, huge organization on employee engagement, you know, worldwide leader in employee engagement. So I'm sure many of your listeners and you too have probably taken lots of different types of assessments and I work with all different ones. But this one is very unique in that it is meant to identify your unique talents. And so a strengths based approach to development focuses on identifying and nurturing. And individuals innate talents and abilities. So like those things that come naturally to us and it, you know, rests on the idea that we are all uniquely talented and that our greatest chance to succeed, you know, at work, but really, you know, anywhere lies in strengthening what you naturally do best and doing more of it. So like you mentioned, it shifts the focus from fixing weaknesses to building on strengths, which fosters, you know, a more positive and productive pathway to growth. And. You know, like I experienced, many people experience that a strengths based approach improves a person's confidence, direction, hope, even kindness towards others. When you start to see other people as uniquely talented and really having something valuable to bring to the table. So talent as, as we're talking about it, we define talent as a naturally recurring pattern of, of thought, you know, the way we think, The way we feel and the way we behave that can be productively applied. So some examples of talent as, as we talk about them in CliftonStrengths and his strengths based development is maybe naturally recognizing patterns in data and stories, right? That's a natural talent thinking in an orderly, in timely manner being driven to get things started is a talent or confidently trusting your gut. Living life on your own terms. These things are talents. And so we don't often think of these things as talents. Sometimes we think of them as, you know, quirks or idiosyncrasies. And this is really shifting our mindset to seeing those as our innate. talents. And so that's, you know, kind of the bedrock of strengths based development and what this assessment is trying to measure. So the CliftonStrengths assessment measures the presence of, of your talent in 34 different, You know, themes or talent areas that, you know, Gallup and Don Clifton have identified as being most directly related to a person's potential for success. So ultimately, you know, when you take the assessment and you get your results, it shows you in rank order from one to 34, you know, your strongest talents one through five and then ranked ordered all the way down. And essentially it gives you a name for what it is you do best. And so that's right. That's that's kind of the overview of this amazing assessment and approach to development.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:I'm interested, I'm looking at my results right now and, you know, obviously we focused on the top five because this is a strength, you know, we're trying to focus on our strengths with what I'm sitting here finding myself doing is looking at my bottom, four or five
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah,
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:and, and shifting my focus to what am I worst at? And I'm seeing on their discipline and consistency are number 32 and 33, and that also feels very accurate. Okay.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:Yeah.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah. Yeah. It's totally, it's totally natural and a lot of people can't help but sort of go to those bottom ones, but I hear you sort of chuckling about it and not being particularly discouraged or distraught by it. Is that, you know, when you first read the report, is that how you felt, you know, looking at those bottom ones?
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:the consistency and the discipline just hilarious because I com Yes. That is the things I'm the worst at, and it's fine. It's not breaking my life. Like I'm doing fine with that
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:but it's like, oh, like no wonder I can't stick to a diet or keep an exercise routine or journal every day. It's because I. I am the worst at disciplining consistency,
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:things that you said, Rachel, made me kind of start to think about, like, you know, these, these things that we're good at and being positive about them. And what's cool about for me, at least where some of the things that are the top were my top 5 are also things that I was told as a younger person, or even as a young adult, like, that those things were not. Or that those things are not okay. You know, like, and we can get into it, but like, you know, I'm an achiever, like that's number five for me. And like, I want to achieve and I want to do things and whatever, or like I'm an activator, that's my number one activator is like, I just want to get things going. I want to do stuff. I want to start it, blah, blah, blah. But it was, I mean, there was a lot of times where I was told like, no, you should know more about that before you start, or you should, Slow down for that, or don't go too fast into those things, or, you know, I think as an activator also, and maybe, and obviously, you know, more because you're the expert, but like an activator, somebody wants to get things started. They don't necessarily want to take it all the way to the end. Right.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:And that is.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Oh, yeah.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:That is me too. It's like, great, let's do this. I think we're going to get it started. We're going to get it going and you guys figure out how to do the rest of it.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:yeah, yeah,
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:But I love that. I love that. That's a strength, not a weakness, right?
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:yeah, totally. And I'm like grinning from ear to ear listening to you talk about this. Cause I also have an activator in my top five. And so yeah, Cheryl also. And so let me just, you know, share for everyone, you know, what, Activator is the first step in using your CliftonStrengths assessment is naming your talent. So what do these words mean? Right. How are we defining them? So people exceptionally talented in the activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They want to do things now rather than simply talk about them. They create momentum. They bring a catalytic catalytic sense of urgency. They require less discussion, more action. They love initiation and instigation. They hate wasting time or waiting. And some of their barriers are they leap before looking. And so all three of us have activator in our top five. And, you know, I heard you. Colleen saying, you know, earlier in life, right, some folks flagging that for you and, and the Achiever strength also flagging that as, you know, Oh, you got to look out or kind of rein that in a little bit. And so I'll speak to sort of weaknesses, you know, that you mentioned, Cheryl, and also, you know, the ways that our strengths sometimes get in our way as well. And, and how that level of self awareness comes from this incredible assessment. So you know, to start with the idea of weaknesses, the Gallup defines a weakness as anything that gets in the way of your success. You know, to identify a potential weakness, you know, we encourage folks to ask, ask themselves, does the theme ever undermine your success? So, you know, whether it's your low ones Cheryl, or your top ones, Colleen, like, you know, do those themes ever actually get in the way? Because sometimes people gravitate to the bottom of the report and I ask them like, Well, does it matter that you're low in that? Like, has that prevented you from succeeding or getting the things you want? Or is it more, you know, we have these cultural or societal or familial Expectations of like what it means to be good. And so we wanted those because that's just what we've been raised to value. So is it getting in the way of my success? Then have I ever received negative feedback related to this? And does my role require me to. Do this more. And if the answer is yes, right, then there are different things you can do, right? So if the answer is yes to that, you know, we say, don't ignore your weaknesses, then focus on your strengths and how your strengths can help manage those areas that get in your way. So if I were, you know, coaching someone who really identified a weakness at the bottom of their report, right? And I asked them those questions and they said, yeah, this really does, you know, get in my way. I'd say, okay, you know, what does success look like and how is this weakness getting in the way? And now how can we use one of your strengths to achieve that goal? And so it's still, it keeps drawing us back up to those strengths, right? And then when we look at our strengths and we identify, right, a really powerful question is, you know, does this strength sometimes get in my way? And the answer is definitely. Yes. Sometimes they do. We can think about our strengths as in like a raw form, which is they're just kind of firing. They're coming out of us. Like we don't have a lot of control, right? Undeveloped. Or we can think of our strengths and aspire to having like a mature version of our strengths. And so, you know, I will tell you, I have a lot of unfinished DIY projects in my house because my activator is like. You know what? Today I'm going to paint my living room and I just jump in the car. I go to home Depot, I get the stuff, I set everything up. And then like two hours later, I'm like, eh, I'm tired of doing this or, or something else excited me, like, and I go do something else. Right. So like I, I have, you know, to what you said, Colleen, like people have pointed out, I should sort of slow this down, you know, you ask yourself then, like, when does activator get in my way and okay, what can I do to kind of mature that strength a little more. So, you know, for me, it's my husband is a good check because he is much more measured than I am in jumping into things right. So then you like put into place different strategies to help you keep that strength from derailing you specifically the activator one.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:for sure. I might have now realized, uh, that I just need to find someone else to do the doingness of it. Like I want to, you know what I mean? Like to your point of like, I would love to do this DIY project. But instead of doing it myself, I'm going to hire a painter to do this because that is That way I know it's going to get done because I know if I start it or my husband and I start it, there's too much in our life going on that it won't, that it won't get done. Right. So that's something that's just kind of come up in the last few years of, of trying to figure out like how to handle this energy.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Yeah.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:This is failure.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:on. No, no. It's all about right. Figuring out how to productively apply our talents. And that's, you know, I said the first step in, in when you read your report and you're exploring your strengths, the first step is to name them, right? So read the definitions and kind of really get to understand what the theme means. So I read the definition of activator and the second step is to claim. the, the talent as your own. And sometimes we say it's to love it, right? So like when I'm working with folks, a big part of my job is to get them to love their strengths. And a lot of times people read their reports and they name them and they're like, yes, like that is me. And I see how that brings value every day. And for some folks, it's like, It takes a little more, right? A little more, a little more digging. But the claimant bit is saying, how does this strength bring value to your life? And how has this strength helped you be successful? So for me, when I think about my activator, And I think about how does this strength bring value to the teams I'm a part of? What comes to mind for me is during the pandemic, at the beginning of the pandemic, I was on the executive committee of my synagogue and I'm sure we all remember, like it was a really paralyzing, fearful time. And the activator in me was like, we got to do something. Like we got to do something now. We got to organize, we cannot waste time. People need us. And that was tremendous value that I brought to that team. And other people brought other value to that team. But in that situation, and I can think of many other situations where I was the one saying. We've got to do something now. And so, you know, if you're listening and you're the one at the end of a team meeting saying, you know, okay, but like, what are the action items, right? You might have activator in your top five. Like when I, now I, I'm sort of a solo. person. I work, I work for myself, but I think back to teams I was on and I was always the one like, okay, but like, what's the action item and who's responsible for it? And like, when are we going to get started and what are we going to do tomorrow? And what are we going to do right when we end this meeting? So that's like the claiming part. So, you know, I'd love to toss it over to, to you, Cheryl or Colleen to, you know, you both have your reports open with you right now. I have your reports also. You know, if you wanted to take a look at it and. You know, maybe it's activator, but maybe there's another one that really resonates with you. And I'd love if you wanted to give us the definition and tell us how it's added value to your life.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:Okay, I'm gonna go with my number one strength, which is woo. And I have to tell a little story first. I have a friend, Jackie, shout out, who did this long before I did. And she had woo. And I remember her just talking like, I have woo. Nobody has woo as number one. I like, she was so excited about this woo. And I'm like, I don't know what this fucking woo thing is
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah. What does woo
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:Like, what does woo mean? Okay. Well, woo means winning others over. And I was like, Oh, so then when I did it and I got woo as my number one and I was like, Jackie, guess
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah. I love it. I love it. All right. So do you want to read the definition of woo for us, Cheryl? Says how you can thrive. Why don't you read that part
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:how You can thrive? You love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. You derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making connection with someone
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:Oh, my God, that is very you.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:Yeah. Very, very me.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:I'm good at
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah So, so what parts of that really resonate with you? And you know, what we're looking at the screen for everyone listening is we have these reports open and it lists all your strengths in order and then there are a couple of pages of on each of your top five strengths. Those are the ones that we're looking at. Really are showing up every day for you and the ones that you know, you should really aim to strengthen and then intentionally apply. And so for each of the top five, you get a personalized description of that theme based on. The combination of all your other themes. So just, I'll point out Cheryl and Colleen, your woo might actually read a little differently. The full definition. So Cheryl, as you're looking at those colored boxes with the descriptions, you know, what, what kind of words or phrases really jump out to you as like, wow, that's really me.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:You genuinely enjoy the friendly give and take as much of as much as another person does when you're like bringing somebody in. and
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:hmm.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:like to help others overcome obstacles. That's very true. See what I find so interesting, just even the word connection. So in my happier human call this week, shout out Sky Michaels. Um, he, we talked about what's our purpose in life. And my purpose that I've defined lately for myself is genuine connection. That truly is. And everything that I do, the underlying theme is I want genuine connection with whoever it is I'm working with and whatever level I'm working with them. And so then to come over here today and see like, Oh, well. Yeah, I value making a connection with someone as my number one strength. No wonder. And then it's also interesting because I think we think that our innate talents, but I'll speak for myself. I think that my innate talents are not, I'm not the only one with these other people. Everybody else also has this, but then when you look at this report and you see there's 34 things and everybody has a different order, it's so eyeopening to realize, Oh no, this is unique to me. And everybody else has their own set of strengths. So, and that can help with understanding, like if I'm working with a partner and they don't have the same activator there, you know, it's like, I really obsess over this, just start Dunn's better than perfect, you know, don't get paralyzed by perfection, but I'm sure there's a strength in here that somebody has that actually paralyzes them and puts them in the opposite category as me, where I'm like, let's just go, let's just go again, the activator, let's just start. So it's just so interesting when you see the perspective of like, Oh, this is not, this is just me. I'm this way. I can't expect everybody else to be this way also.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:Well, Israel, I would, you know, I think people would argue that you and I are very, fairly similar, right? Like we kind of are like the same type of gal, but Woo for me is 26. It's nowhere near the top. And that is interesting to me. And not that it's like a comparison game, but like, I think it's just interesting to look at those things when you do feel like, you know, you're, you're similar to somebody or like you guys are whatever that to your point, Cheryl, we all do have different strengths. We all do have all of these different things that we do similarly well, but then similarly different. Um, so
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:Well, and
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Uh huh.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:I can't help but think as we're doing this, and I'm sure this is Gallup's intention. And I'm sure you coach this too. Rachel is when building an organization or a team, combining people's strengths in a way that makes you so powerful, having this information can really put you in a position to do that.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Totally, totally. So my, my business, you know, the business part of this for me, I specialize in working with teams. So, you know, there are some Gallup coaches who specialize in executive coaching or who specialize in creating a whole organizational team. culture of strengths development. My specialty and the groups I've been working with the last 10 years is, is teams and their managers. And I really get excited by this idea of bringing together a group of, you know, usually eight to 20 people. And the goal of these workshops, you're, you know, they're usually half day to full day, is At the most basic level, it's an awareness and appreciation of our own strengths, right? And then the strengths that everybody else is bringing to the table. And you're just, you know, so spot on Cheryl that that awareness in and of itself can reduce friction, right? Like conflict in the workplace that results from we're in the meeting and I'm saying, let's go. And somebody else is like, we need to do a little more research, right? And having that common language and understanding to say, you know what, that's my activator coming in right now. Like I'm happy to pause for a minute, but right here are my concerns. Or so it's, it's having that shared language is a big thing. But But at the beginning, I said, CliftonStrengths and strengths based development can actually make you kinder towards others. And You know, I'll, I'll open up here for a minute and say, it has definitely made me appreciate and really love people more. And instead of being frustrated by the things that I, you know, identified as interpersonal conflict or other people's ways of doing things. And I have self assurance in my top 10, which is, I feel real confident in what I'm doing and how I'm doing it. And I really have shifted my mindset. And when I see people and look at people, even when we're in conflict or there's friction, I think. But you are a uniquely talented person and you have something to contribute. And that for me on a personal level has brought me like a lot of. peace and joy and love into my, into my life. And so I don't guarantee that every team gets that experience. Right. But you know, for me and what excites me about this, this work is like, it can be really deep and you know, I, I'd love to add on, you mentioned like the life purpose stuff. And it's fantastic. You know, for you, that you sort of could articulate what you saw as your life purpose, and then strengths was a way to sort of affirm or validate that. But for a lot of folks, they're really like, I don't know what I'm here to do. And it's not a stretch to say that doing the CliftonStrengths assessment and understanding your strengths can really help you find. That purpose and and direction. And for me, in terms of like what brings me to this work, right? I look around our world and see a lot of problems at need fixing, and I think my role in that is helping people figure out how they can make the most impact in this world. Like how can you. bring your best talents to the table to like solve these problems. Both. So we like actually get some solutions, but also like, you're going to be happier. You're going to be nicer. You're going to have more energy. You're going to feel good when you are using your strengths. And so like, you know, it's, it's a global movement. It's like a real powerful way to think about making a difference you know, in our world. So that's what lights me up.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:Yeah, I, I like, yes, all of what you're saying, I'm just like, it's all happening in my, in my brain. But, and 1 of the things I was really thinking about is, I'm thinking about 2, 2 teams or 2 groups that I've been a part of through my career, particularly where there was a lot of conflict and where this would have been. So helpful,
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:Okay.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:one where I was in a leadership position and one where I was not. And, and I think, you know, one of the things that I, when I was not in a leadership position, but part of a team or part of a group. One of the things that I was feeling was that there was this expectation to perform or expectation to be a certain way, but here we were, you know, eight, nine different people. Clearly we're all not going to be the same and you know, this would have been a really amazing, no, we had done the disc profile, which was interesting, very different, right? Because
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Mm hmm. Yes.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:least how it was presented to us, this was meant for us in a sales position. To analyze and use towards other people to adjust to the other person. Right. And this is all, so this would have been more interpersonal, like interrelational in our team. And then in my leadership position where I was kind of thrust into the helm of the very dysfunctional department and no one wanted to be there this would have been really helpful to like lean into, like, understanding what people are. What their strengths are and then be able to chat with them on how we can support somebody in those strengths or how we could use those strengths to our advantage in the department and whatever. And as I'm building my team now, this will definitely be a tool see myself using to, to really help and guide and people into, you know, if they're becoming new agents or trying to change or whatever it is, right.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:It's so cool to understand, um, To have something really concrete to understand a little bit more about somebody so it feels a little bit like the easy button, like to, you know, like, yes, you have to spend time with people and get to know them, but here's something really concrete where you get a little insight. Yeah.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:on getting to know people on a team. I, my husband has his rapport and we share them with each other and it has really helped us, you know, as business partners in our running our family and also as, you know, romantic partners, like better understanding each other and, you know, to the point of strengths based partnerships, like this is what I'm good at. This is what you're good at. Like. How much more powerful would we be if we were more intentional about using our strengths at the right time and maybe stepping back and letting you use your strengths at other times, right? Cause that third part of the CliftonStrengths and the Gallup approach, we said, it's name it, right? Claim it like, how does this strength bring value? And then the third part is aim it, which is all right. Now, you know what you're good at. You'll love it. You know how it brings value. How do you now more intentionally? Do those things you're good at because our potential for excellence is really in doing more of what we're naturally good at. And so aiming it can look like, you know, I have this very concrete challenge in front of me. I have a very concrete goal in front of me. All right, let me look at my strengths and think, how do my strengths give me traction in achieving this goal? Right? The three of us would all approach the same goal in different ways. And we should, right? And, and to your point Colleen about, You know, kind of in the workplace, we're sometimes on teams where we feel like there's this like ideal way of being and everyone should fit into, you know, in an American business culture for a long time. And still there's right, like a certain archetype that's like celebrated and promoted. And it really takes a manager who understands and appreciates this approach. You know, I'll give an example of a manager I've worked with who has someone on his team. who's highly analytical. All right. And that person had been given feedback that they should, you know, if they want to advance, they really need to get better at like public speaking and giving presentations. And this manager was like, This person does not have to give presentations to be good at their job. It has nothing to do with their job. So like, let me develop their analytical skills more because that's where they're going to make a big contribution. And let me develop this other person's, you know, who has communication. Let me help them develop that. And on the team, they'll be the presenter and they'll be the researcher. And like, who, like now we're really firing on all cylinders. Uh, but it takes a leader or manager to know that, right? Otherwise we are stuck sort of trying to, to meet the standards of other people's standards that probably aren't right for us,
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:I brought this home, not brought it home. I did it at home. So it was home, but my husband came home and I was like, I just want you to see all these things about me that are my strengths. It was so weird. I was like, these things are my strengths. And he was like, and I, you know, you've said this and I am so desperately want my husband to do it because he and I are very different, but that's, you know, part of this, Part of what makes us work really well, and he would be analyzer and I am the community, like, that is a perfect example of how we would work together. But I also I'm thinking like, you know, for those who, because he's in a little bit of a period where he's looking to make a either a job change or a career change or something like this would be a really great tool for somebody in that position to, I mean, you tell me, but like, To take this assessment and say like, wow, okay, here's what I'm good at. How can I apply these skills? I think this really helps too. When people are looking to make a career change, which is something I've done several times, right. Where you're trying to find that common thread. Like, how do I transfer these skills to this? Right.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Go ahead. Yeah. Go
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:if you're interviewing for a role, so maybe you're going to be like, how powerful to bring this ammo with you. Like my strengths are woo, positivity and communicator. That's going to serve your business in these ways. Like how powerful and smart and you're going to set yourself apart from anyone else also interviewing for that job.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Totally. Both. Both of you are just spot on, on how this assessment can be leveraged for folks who are looking to change careers or on a job search. If, you know, if there's anyone who is interested in getting connected with an awesome CliftonStrengths career coach, they're out there and I'd happy, you know, be happy to help folks connect with them. In general, the CliftonStrengths assessment, you know, I love telling people who are at the most basic level, right? Like you're not gonna, you don't want to invest in a coach, right? Like you're not into all that right now. Just take the assessment, read the descriptions. and use those descriptions on your LinkedIn profile, on your website, in your bio, in your cover letter, like the language of the CliftonStrengths assessment, right? Right. It's like, it's so simple.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:these are my
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:just take the assessment and,
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:These are great tips.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:You know, even for myself, I have communication in my top five, which might not be, you know, surprising. Cause here I am just like, yeah. Talk, talk, talking. And communication, right? We're going to name it is people exceptionally talented in the communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words and they're good conversationalists and presenters. So I love to talk. I love to talk with people. I have a really hard time writing. It's really hard for me to write. And so even for myself, I have pulled from the CliftonStrengths report when I, you know, started to go out on my own and, and have my own business now and consulting practice, I really struggled with writing copy. And it was, I took my own advice and I looked at my report and I've pulled language from the report to use in my marketing materials to describe myself and the value I bring. So totally like use it in your written stuff, prep. For an interview with it, right? When people are prepping for interviews and you know, then to what you said, Colleen, like, it's great to know what kind of work lights you up. And while the, the themes and the strengths, right. Don't always align perfectly with a particular task when you're exploring a job description, when you're, you know, being interviewed and you get that chance to ask questions, you know, knowing your strengths. There's parts of the report that tell you like what you need to succeed. Right. So like I have high discipline and discipline is a strength where I enjoy routine and structure. So if I were interviewing for a job. You know, and I could be choosy. Of course, I know it's a tough job market right now, and we can't always be choosy, but I'd want to know, like, how structured is this team, right? Do we have regular weekly meetings? Is there clear roles and responsibilities? Do we have strategic objectives? Because I need that to really thrive. And so, so many ways that even just taking and reading the assessment can really help you out on your job search and marketing your business. Yeah.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:how I'm going to take my existing bio that I have, and I'm going to take my CliftonStrengths top five, and I'm going to plug it all into ChatGBT, and I'm going to tell it to rewrite this and, and highlight my strengths.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:I'm so excited to see what comes out. So you guys
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:I'm excited to see what comes out
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:keep an eye on my website. I'm going to be updating my bio, I
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:I know, I was just like, I just like, I just launched my website yesterday and now I'm like, damn it. I wish I could adjust, like we can edit, but oh my
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:can totally edit.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:gosh, such a good idea.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Great. Easy tip though. Colleen, I'd love to, I'd love to ask you, we got to hear Cheryl talk about her Woo theme and you know, I I'm wondering as you look at your top five, which of those top five most resonates with you?
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:Oh, all of them all
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:All of them.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:We talked about activator, which is my number one, but one of the ones that I, God, I mean, so my top five, but I don't want to give people like not understand these words, but we can also put it in the notes, Cheryl, maybe we can put some definitions of these in the notes or whatever futuristic is my number two, and that is one that I just love, and that is something that I do constantly all the time. And I'll read that and so that one says, how can you thrive? You are inspired by the future and what could be you energize others with your visions of the future. And that is just like, that lights me on fire. Like I just, and for me, I'm somebody who like, if I don't have a goal or a future that I'm working towards, I feel very stuck and I feel like unpurposeful. So for me, I'm. You know, like I can be very present in the moment and that's fine. But what I, but what really lights me up is thinking about what could be or what can be, and like, what is, what else is there to achieve an achiever is on there also. So like when I read all of these together, I, again, to your point, like I just felt so validated about these strengths, you know, and It was funny. I told Cheryl yesterday, my the woman who's doing my website, she's writing some copy and doing some stuff for me. She's like, I'm going to put together these neighborhood guides for you. And they're going to be like 20 pages, which is a little bit more than what normal people do. It's a little bit extra. She's like, but I feel like you're a little bit extra. And I was like, I am, I am a little bit extra. This is So like,
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah. You get me.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:when I read these, you know, my first five strengths are activator, futuristic arranger, maximizer and achiever. Those are really extra, but I have leaned so hard into those in this nice part of my life where I feel very confident in myself in my early forties where I feel confident in myself and in my career and even like seeing these things like I think at other points in my life, or, you know, maybe in my twenties where I wasn't, where I was trying to figure out where I fit or how that, how that all worked, these things would've felt almost embarrassing to me. You know, like when you're a little bit extra like that could, that, you know, you're like, I'm gonna just, like, I'm gonna chill out a little bit. Like I'm gonna,
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Mhm.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:little bit smaller, but. in this moment of those things feel so really spot on and, and so freeing is, is again, like the, the word that comes to mind, I just, I just think that it's so, it's such a great tool. And again, in my futuristic way, I'm always thinking about how I could use this for other things or how I'm going to use this future.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah. Yeah. On the, on the futuristic, I'm, I'm wondering if you could tell us a little bit about how you see futuristic adding value to like what you're doing right now,
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:yeah.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:to, to your, you know, your business or your clients, like how does futuristic help you?
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:I see a vision of what things could be very easily. And very quickly, and that's something that I can communicate and translate to people. So, like, I'm building my team right now. And when I sit down and talk to people about that team that I'm building. In the future, right and what that looks like, they can see that and they can and they get excited about that. Or, like, when Cheryl and I talk about. You know, our, our inspire her groups, which are national, you know, national networking group. And we're talking about that with people. I can see how big that can be. Like I have no limit on, on what that looks. And, um, and I feel like because I also have, you know, communicate communication is in my top 10. Like I have the ability to then communicate those skills and inspire people to do things. And I think that that has been really helpful as a leader. I think that's been really helpful as a, as a teammate. To people who don't have that skill. I think that that has been really helpful. Not with Cheryl, Cheryl and I can bump up, up, up. We're like in the future constantly, but you know, when I am at a brokerage here in Indianapolis that is new to Indianapolis and growing, and so I, you know, when I'm having conversations with other agents who are at the brokerage or. Or even, you know, my managing broker or people who are in leadership positions here, I can, that's something that I get to use. That's a skill that I get to bring that not everybody has.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah.
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:and it's been very helpful to me.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:It sounds like it.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:Colleen, do you have communicator communication in your top five or ten?
colleen_1_07-26-2024_110447:Yeah. It's 10
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:Okay, because I'm just like watching our clock here and I feel like we could go on for another three hours and I'm like, we clearly have several people that
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Right. All three of us have communication in our, in our top 10. Yeah. And so while one to five are, you're definitely, you're, you know, they're showing up all the time. They're your most powerful for most folks, six to 10 really rounds it out for them. So when I'm coaching with folks, you know, we definitely spend some time looking at that six to 10. You know, for me, discipline is number six, but it really, wow, it like really comes into play for me. Or even my number 10 is something called input, Which I, I really love. I mean, I love all my strengths, but input I'm talented. I need to collect and archive things. I accumulate information, ideas, artifacts, or even relationships. And so, you know, as an instructional designer and a course facilitator, you know, I've got so many. files and PowerPoints and documents where I'm just collecting podcast episodes or, or books or studies or skills or interventions. And so when I'm putting the course together, right, I have this huge collection of awesome stuff, but that's my number 10, right? So it's not a huge force in my life every day, but it is there. And when I can intentionally use it, right, it really brings a lot of power to my life. to my role.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:Rachel, how can people work with you and what does it look like?
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Yeah. Great question. So at the most basic level you can, you know, just simply purchase the assessment through my website. You can also purchase the assessment through the Gallup website on the shop website. page. I did include for you all to put in the notes a 10 off code for your listeners to purchase through my website so they can get 10 off the assessment. Right. So that's like the most basic way to interact. You know, I'll, I'll put you on my, my mailing list. I send out once a month, you know, tips for continuing to. Strengthen your talents. I occasionally offer free workshops for folks to, you know, to reengage and be with other folks exploring their strengths. I do work with folks on individual coaching. So if you want to, you know, do your report and do an individual coaching session where we will explore your strengths, you know, work on naming, claiming and aiming them. That's an option for, for people there's, you know, A lot of value in just doing one. One hour coaching sessions to really dive into report. I also do coaching packages for folks who want to continue to explore. And then lastly, you know, the team workshop where folks with teams, you know, bring me on for, like I said, usually half day or full day. It's great for an onsite, you know, a team retreat. So many virtual working teams. You know, you're coming together for two or three days. Yeah, I mean, I see your faces and I know your listeners, unless they're watching, you know, can't see your faces, but you're both like, Ooh, yeah, yeah, a lot of, a lot of power in doing a team workshop, especially for a virtual team. Who's coming together, but really any team, you know, you're a manager of a new team. Teams have merged. It's your annual retreat. You're just finding people are hungry for, for learning and development. You know, this is a great workshop. And then, you know, the next level is I, I also work with teams on a yearly basis. So, you know, I work with a team where we're doing a half day or a full day Workshop to do this deep dive, and then I'm coming in once a quarter to do, you know, a one hour workshop or group coaching session with those folks. So, you know, for the individual or the team. Really great options to develop your strengths. But if nothing else, everyone should just take the assessment. The top five report is the most basic report. It is only 25. That one only shows you your top five, but it's a really great starting point, especially if you think you're going to, you know, you know, maybe fixate on your weaknesses. Sometimes it's better to just not get the 34 report because you don't see your weaknesses. So the top five report is 25. It takes about 30 minutes to complete the assessment. You immediately get your personalized report. The 34 report, which is what you both took, is the full report. Really robust. So much great information. That's 60. And again, it's the same on Gallup or my website. And then there are lots of other reports. I'll just, you know, mention for folks, maybe you've taken CliftonStrengths before and you know, you're not, you're not aware you can buy a code to get a leadership report. Right. Like what's your leadership strengths, a manager report, there's reports for students all different kinds of, of reports. But folks are welcome to, you know, reach out to me, shoot me an email. Happy to talk to anyone about strengths and, and just, you know, sort of learn more about how you can bring strengths development into your life. If you like books, if you like podcasts, remember I have input. I like, I've cataloged all the stuff. So if you're like Rachel, I want to read more about this, you know, send me a message, I'll give you some book recommendations. If you love podcasts, I'll send you some great ones to listen to. So I'm excited to, to engage.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:So we'll put this, your contact information in the show notes, but just for those in their car, not writing it down, not looking at their phone. What, where can people find you?
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Sure. So you can find me on my website, which is rachelwayner. com. It's R A C H E L W A I N E R. com. I'm also on LinkedIn and post quite a bit. So if you're on LinkedIn, you can find me, you can find me there.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:Awesome. Well, Rachel, thank you so much for your time. I'm feeling so empowered and excited to lean into my strengths and I hope everybody else's too. So thank you. Thank you for being here.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Thank you for having me.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:Yeah, we'll see you guys next time.
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:All right.
cheryl_1_07-26-2024_080447:Bye
rachel-wainer_1_07-26-2024_110448:Bye bye now.
