The culture of asking individuals to reflect on “strengths” and “weaknesses” is extremely prevalent within higher education, so much so that there are numerous workshops, articles and presentations on the topic. Throughout my educational experiences I have been asked to reflect on and identify my own strengths for team building activities, professional development planning and in numerous interview situations. For the purpose of this reflection I define a strength as “the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance in a specific activity” (Gallup, 2020).

In 2018 I completed the Gallup CliftonStrengths Assessment to determine my strengths. This personal development tool identifies strength which explain “the unique ways you accomplish your goals by building relationships, thinking strategically, executing plans and influencing others” (Gallup, 2020). Over the years, these strength themes have helped me reflect on my personal, social, employment and academic goals, by providing me insight into the ways in which to lean-into my strengths in order to achieve success. From the assessment in 2018, the top-five themes that emerged were Achiever, Focus, Discipline, Competition and Futuristic.

Achiever: I take great pride and satisfaction from being busy and productive. Currently this has taken the shape of me working full-time as a university administrator while enrolling in the final TESL 3050 course of the TESL Certificate. I acknowledge I am at my best when I am being pulled in multiple ways and balancing multiple demands and it is one of the reasons I am excited about the possibility of returning to the public school system and being back in the classroom.

Focus: While balancing multiple personal, social and academic demands, I have the ability to narrow in on the detailed elements of a particular project in order to identify key completion milestones. With this area of strength, I am often the individual leading others through complex situations or projects to ensure completion. The possibility of returning to the classroom to provide direction and support to students learning English excites me.

Discipline: I enjoy routine and structure and spend considerable time on identifying personal, professional and educational goals and objectives. It is both the completion of tasks and the project or end goal that brings me satisfaction.

Competition: I enjoy friendly competition and seeks ways in which to motivate myself and others to the task at hand. This type of friendly competition within the education system can support others to achieve their best.

Futuristic: I am inspired by the future and what could be and often channel energy towards what could be accomplished in the coming months, years, or decades. This has resulted in leading individuals and groups through substantial change in order to create or re-define systems, programs and services.

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