HTH 630

Strengths-based
Leadership Profile
Part 1 Molly Maher
My Strengths What does it mean? What brought you joy
Positivity from this? What surprised you? Why does
it matter?
WOO
I realized that each of us brings something to the table,
(winning others over) the test was a confidence booster and definitely helped
me self-authorize some of the attributes that I can use
Includer in my leadership. Furthermore, I feel like understanding
my strengths helps guide my direction and the future
Connectedness position and work that I will do.

Communication
Why would people follow you?
*Use examples and ideas from Strengths-Based Leadership to consider how might you leverage your Strengths to…
Build trust?
I would build trust by creating norms, holding
myself and my team accountable to those set
norms. Every strength that was identified in the
test is evident that I am a team person, I feel
success when my team feels success. I also am
very transparent, I am honest, and modeling
those two qualities would allow the people I lead
to trust me.
Show compassion?
Showing compassion is easy, being compassionate is
another thing! We are a team, we step in and help others
when their world crashes or when personal or
professional lives throw them a wrench. I will be sensitive
to those who take advantage or don’t ‘put out’, casting
more work or emotional burdens on other team members.
To truly be compassionate, you have to show up for your
team, invest in listening to them and creating a space
where they would share with you in the first place. I
believe I use this principle for both students and
colleagues; I am intentional with what my conversations
are about and listening to the details of what they share.
Ultimately, people will not share more than “I’m good” if
you don’t take the time to spend with them and ask; to be
compassionate you have to be able to connect with others
in the first place in order for them to share.
Provide stability?
My connectedness allows me to gage where the team or
when an individual is at. My ‘including’ allows me to get
people on board to reach a goal; and my communication
creates stability. If communication is high and our norms
are set, it brings stability to the group; those I lead will
feel a sense of belonging and safety. Although my title
could be ‘leader’ I will listen and truly hear those I lead by
including their voices and collaborate when it comes to
issues and decision making.
Create hope?
I’ll create hope by first getting to know my team
or the team I lead. I want to know what their
aspirations are and what their role on the team is
could help them reach their own aspirations. Also
I feel like appreciating those around me and the
work they contribute is seen and valued. I want
my coworkers or those I manage to have the
ability to grow, be heard, and recognize the
impact of their work on a daily basis; this is how I
will create hope in the work environment.
Part 2
Knowing what I mean, and meaning what I say…
Innovation…
-Working with students and allowing
them to see the strengths, interests,
and talents they already have and how
they could apply it in a real situation
-Looking at the status quo and the
structures that benefit or oppress
students and others, then working on
the change agents that could benefit
or create opportunities for those who
are oppressed/limited by the
structures
Culture…
-product of norms and how we
interact or treat one another
-how do we react, how do we talk to
one another
-we swim in one big culture pool!
Creativity…
-working with a student, meeting
where they are; figuring out how to
get them access to the content or
interested in a project
-creating a space for colleagues or
teams’ minds to collide so that they
collectively can reach a goal or
produce a problem solution of which
all members are invested and
committed to
-peeling back and naming the layers
to a complex problem and not stating
the obvious solutions or faults at a
first glance
Equity…
-pushing those to meet their potential
and giving them the opportunity to get
there
-providing multiple access points and
supports for a student to engage and
excel
-diverse perspectives valued, shared,
and included into decision making
-people of diverse backgrounds
holding and representation in
leadership roles
Part 3
Tools & Resources...

● Coyle, D. (2018). The culture code: The secrets of highly successful groups. Bantam.

● Kegan, R., & Lahey, L. L. (2016). An everyone culture: Becoming a deliberately developmental

organization. Harvard Business Review Press.

● Kohll, A. (2018, August 14). How To Build A Positive Company Culture. Retrieved from

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alankohll/2018/08/14/how-to-build-a-positive-company-culture/#3427e

36649b5

● Renner, S., Renner, Mayer, J., & Catholic Relief Services. (2019, May 30). Diversity in Leadership

and its Impact on Society as a Whole. Retrieved from

https://women2.com/2019/05/30/diversity-in-leadership-and-its-impact-on-society-as-a-whole/

● Rath, T., & Conchie, B. (2009). Strengths based leadership: great leaders, teams, and why people

follow. New York: Gallup Press.

● Sanchez J. E. and Thorton B, (2010). Gender Issues in K-12 Educational Leadership. Advancing

Women in Leadership Journal. (30) 13.