Thoughts on Strengths...

Analytical. Achiever. Focus. Learner. Significance. When viewed individually, these five words have little consequence, but together they represent my five strengths as an individual, my areas of personal competitive advantage that I bring with me to the table in any situation. When first introduced to the concept of the StrengthsQuest program, I believed it to be similar to the many other personality inventories that I have taken over the years as a part of leadership development and training series. But soon after my five character themes (or strengths) were revealed to me, I began to see the true value in this assessment. It enables participants to realize their strengths and capitalize on them, rather than overspending effort in areas of weakness.

Over time businesses and economies have discovered the benefits of tapping into their competitive advantages, rather than trying to compete in markets where the advantage just cannot be gained. Why then when individuals such as Ray Lee Hunt say that “it is more important to know your weaknesses than your strengths,” do we as human beings believe that he means we should focus on bettering ourselves in our weaker areas? Would it not be wiser to follow the aforementioned model and tap into our own strengths, our personal competitive advantages? I believe so.

Since the revelation of my strengths nearly one year ago, I have tried to see their effect in everything that I do, be it in academics, the professional realm, and even in my relationships. People usually say that they change significantly throughout their undergraduate careers; I think there is some changing that occurs, but more than anything, I think it is the time when people become more aware of themselves as they already were. In learning my strengths, I understand why I wanted to pursue a degree in Industrial Engineering and why I now wish to begin my graduate studies in engineering management. My competitive advantages, my innate yearning and dedication to analyze any system, commitment to accomplishment, ability to apply focus in any situation, compulsion to glean information from any avenue possible, and desire to garner the feeling of significance among all who surround me, make me an ideal candidate for management, especially within the engineering field.

- From my personal statement to a few graduate schools...