“You always want to include people and make them feel part of the group. You’re positive—quick to smile. You like to stay on the lookout for the positivity in every situation. You celebrate every achievement. It is so good to be alive. There is little to be gained from conflict and friction. You can’t quite believe how much time is wasted by people trying to impose their views on others. You love to learn. You are energized by the steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence. You feel emotionally bound to follow through to completion. Apologies are not enough. When assigning new responsibilities, people will look to you first because they know it will get done. Your willingness to volunteer may sometimes lead you to take on more than you should.”

These are the ideas that my StrengthsFinder report listed that I feel represent me accurately. It also stated that my five strengths are: Includer, Positivity, Harmony, Learner, and Responsibility. My initial reaction after reading my report was agreement. I do believe that I thrive on happiness and success, like most people, and these things are included in that. I believe that positivity is the root to all happiness, and harmony and responsibility are the roots to success.

I wasn’t surprised by most of the report, but one thing did catch my attention. The report said, “The outcome of the learning is less significant that the “getting there””. I never thought about it that way. I do enjoy the process of learning, but I never thought I would enjoy that process more than the result. Overall, I like my StrengthsFinder report because I think that it accurately describes the skills I tend to use when I find myself in a leadership position.

My first theme is ‘includer’. I always try to make people feel like they’re important to the group. I believe that group success stems from the discussions of various viewpoints of different members. The more people that contribute their ideas and philosophies, the more united the group will be. In addition to making sure those who are already involved feel included, I also try to expand the group by bringing more people into it. I do everything in my power to not judge anyone before I know them and their background.

My second theme is ‘positivity’, which I believe is the most important one. One cannot get through life as a pessimist—at least not in a way that they’ll end up happy. Being a positive leader means having contagious enthusiasm and optimism. Many people need someone who can lighten their day or mood, and I think that a leader should absolutely be that person for their followers. I just can’t imagine a world where people don’t try to see the good in situations, or at least the possibility for good, no matter how much bad there is.

The third theme from my report is ‘harmony’. In my view, there is so little to be gained when a group tries to progress with conflict and friction. As a group with a common goal, I believe we should try to find common ground and sort out our differences for the sake of that goal. A group with inner conflict will eventually split apart. We’re all in the same boat, and we need to make sure our ideas and voiced opinions (as a unit) reflect on that.

My fourth, most foundational theme is ‘learner’. I absolutely love learning, and the feeling of significance that results from it. There are many ways to learn, but for me, I learn through experiences. Whether it’s working out a math problem on my own, or traveling to a country I’ve never been to before, I learn best when I’m forced to walk into something new or foreign. I like to learn from other people as well, and I think that leadership should be a kind of learning process that is reciprocated between both leaders and followers.

The fifth theme in my report is ‘responsibility’. In leadership, this is a big one. As a leader, I take psychological ownership of anything I commit to. Excuses are simply unacceptable. I believe that every leader has an obligation to be responsible for his/her group and the people within it. Without responsibility, good leadership does not exist.