Abstract:

In her new job, Laura Reasoner Jones takes a professional development quiz to identify strengths and learns something about herself with some of the descriptors.

Jones, L.R. (2004). Curiouser and curiouser. Teacher Leaders Network diaries. Retrieved from the Teacher Leaders Network 11 Apr 2008. Link: http://www.teacherleaders.org/old_site/diaries04_05/LJ37_04_05.html 

Full Text:

Curiouser and Curiouser

For the last four years, as I have met more people in the school system, I have been curious about a piece of paper I have seen multiple times in many administrative offices. It seems as if every single person who is not a teacher — the director of staff development, the head of the TV network, the manager of the school-based technology specialists, the preschool coordinators, the woman who sorts out my convoluted pay history — all have this paper in common. The iconic object is a piece of 8-by-11 regular printer paper – usually framed. It has the person's name at the top and a list of five words printed in four muted colors. The terms are usually unfamiliar to me — odd words like WOO, IDEATION, RELATOR, and MAXIMIZER.

Well, I have finally been let into the secret. I now have one of those pieces of paper hanging on my wall. And I have a lot to think about.

A few years ago, my school system decided to work with the principles of management outlined in the book Now, Discover Your Strengths, a follow-up to the best-selling First, Break All the Rules.

(Gee, I wonder why they didn't choose that one?)

Now, Discover Your Strengths is based on the premises that

    1. "Each person's talents are enduring and unique" and

    2. " Each person's greatest room for growth is in the areas of his or her greatest strength."

This has become a background for system management and is used to various degrees in non-teaching offices and programs. And it is very intriguing.

During the first week of my new job, as I sat down with one of my many bosses, I was given the book and the key to access the "test". She asked me to take the online assessment and then send her the results. So that Friday night I wrapped myself up in a blanket on the couch with a cup of tea and my feet propped on a stool, and used my laptop to go onto the site and "discover my strengths."

I must say, I went into this with a certain amount of skepticism. Although I was looking forward to having that piece of paper on my wall, I really didn't think that a multi-question online survey could really show anything about me that I didn't already know. So, before I signed in, I skimmed the book and wrote down what I thought I would get, trying to foreshadow my "score."

I predicted that I would get high scores as an arranger (because I am a person who plans things), competition (because I can't stand to lose), context (because I am obsessed with the story behind things), discipline (because the first words in the description are "Your world needs to be predictable"), and responsibility (because I get things done).

What an interesting way to spend a Friday night! I sat there under the blanket and made fast, 20-second choices about how I see the world. The test developers seem to agree with the current theories being proposed in the bestseller "Blink" that split-second decisions are reliable and reveal the most about how you really feel and think.

Fifty or 60 split-second decisions later, I was done and waiting for my list of strengths to pop up. And there they were, and my predictions were wrong. Totally and completely wrong. I guess I either know less about myself than I thought, or the test is way off. I think it must be the former.

These are the five strengths that showed up for me, based on that hour-long session back in January.

    Learner: "The process, more than the content or the result (of learning), is especially exciting for you."

    Focus: "Each year, each month, and even each week, you set goals."

    Achiever: "By the end of the day, you must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about yourself."

    Ideation: "You are fascinated by ideas."

    Input: "You collect things. Whatever you collect, you collect it because it interests you."

Oh, this is fascinating! This test really picked up some things that I would have never used to describe myself. I do like to learn. And new ideas intrigue me. I like to master things, and then move on to learn something new. I also like to learn things by myself, to have the sense of achievement that I did this all alone. I like a steep learning curve; it makes me work harder and get there faster.

But then, look at the Input piece: I like to collect things, so when I learn something new, I collect all the paraphernalia that goes with it, and never get rid of it. Old hobbies and jobs still take up space in the basement, and I can't bear to get rid of the stuff. And the description fits me to a T: "At the time of storing (the things you collect) it is often hard to say exactly when or why you might need them, but who knows when they might become useful?" Oh man, this completely validates my "You never know" phrase that has become an issue in my house.

The Focus and Achiever descriptors are me too. I have always had a list of things that need to be done on the kitchen counter, and I feel a sense of completion when I can tear it up and make a new one. It becomes a point of pride when I don't have to transfer any items from the old list to the new one — I got everything done. When the girls were little, they had a teenage babysitter who went home and told her mother that she thought it was so cool that I had a list on the counter.

"You mean you don't do that?" I asked her mother. "No, of course not," she said. I can't imagine living any other way.

And I also realize that focusing on the job at hand has served me well and will be a strength in this new job. What will get this job done is keeping my eyes on those moving targets, and not getting distracted by other issues. Focus is what got the DELI built, and focus is what will bring Internet and computer access to these families.

So, it looks like the test picked up on some strengths that I was either not aware of or able to articulate. But I immediately go to the chapter in the book entitled "How can I manage around my weaknesses?" The authors define a weakness as "anything that gets in the way of excellent performance."

I think about what I am not: I am not strong in the area of Command-I never want to have to supervise people. I just wish people would do their jobs and do them well and not make me remind them or tell them again. I am also not strong in the area called Futuristic — I already know this about myself. And I am really weak in Self-Assurance. All it takes is a look or an off-hand comment from someone and I am full of doubt about my ability to do anything right. I need to be aware of these things and work on them somehow.

Now that my curiosity about the piece of paper with five words has been assuaged, I have another question: how are they going to use this information? Will I have opportunities to learn new things? Will I get to be on committees that create new programs? Will I be put in charge of something that has lots of goals and objectives? Will I have a lot of 'stuff' to look after?

Oh, wait, that's what I'm doing now — creating a new program that has multiple goals and lots of new equipment.

"Curiouser and curiouser!" cried Laura again.

• Tagged
• XML
• BibTex