Maximizing Strengths for Optimal Results                       Clint A. Wilson, Huntington University Introduction to Social Work (SWX171-(EX16)-X1, SP-2017-UNDG)     Maximizing Strengths for Optimal Results   Identification of strengths, which is our dominant traits, is crucial so that we can best serve our clients and reach our fullest potential. It is imperative as well as necessary to identify and utilize one’s strengths to their fullest extent. People should know their strengths, and once they are learned, they should play to them. It is my belief that focusing on our weakness’ will lead to our strengths not being as sharp as they could be. I would rather be astonishing with my strengths, and not so good with my weakness’. In other words, why be mediocre when we can be excellent? The five strengths that were determined that I have are Maximizer, input, intellection, developer, and competition. My strengths show that I am a person who likes to develop and cultivate the fullest potential in others, as well as stimulate group and personal growth. I am a person who thrives on knowing more, enjoys studying especially philosophy and psychology related studies, and collects and archives relevant information. My personality strives to win at all that I do and desires to excel higher than others in the same areas. I was very astonished, with the results. These strengths could not describe me any better. When shared with friends and family they all concurred that the are very much true. As a maximizer according to the Strengths Insight and Action-Planning Guide a maximizer is one “Seek roles in which you are helping people succeed. In coaching, managing, mentoring, or teaching roles, your focus on strengths will prove particularly beneficial to others” (“Strengths Insight and Action-Planning Guide,” 2017, p. 10). In the action planning guide, it challenges the maximizer to consider how our “talents relate to the mission in your life” (Vinson, n.d., p.1). That statement encouraged me to think more about my desire to social work, as well as how being a maximizer would work in the social work field. I went back and forth on the path I wanted to take social work or was it psychology. All I knew was I wanted to give back; I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. My ministry is all about making differences mostly in a subtle way that people never see (the only way I would want it). I have always had a passion for counseling, but found that several of our therapists have more of a social work background than that of psychology. Realizing that with the social work degree it would lead me to more opportunities within White’s where I hope to retire from, it only made sense. The maximizer strength allows me to empower people, to help them reach their potential. The maximizer does not try to fix what is broken, but finds the strengths and invests in building them up. I believe by building strengths up, the brokenness in most cases will fix themselves. I have always sought out individuals and mentored to the best of my ability and helping them to build up their strengths. The next strength is input, I struggled with understanding how this fits me, but after reading through I was able to start to put the pieces together. The input strength in my words is a talent that allows a person to soak up knowledge, and then to organize it in a way that it can be easily found and utilized. The strengths insight report made mention that the input strength needs to store information for the ease of locating (Reyes, n.d.). As someone that used to work in IT and has done a lot of database programming, I have several SQL databases in which I keep track of everything. I have a database which lists all my databases and the pertinent information for each. I had no idea how this was advantageous to social work until a friend pointed it out to me. She stated that by having a diverse knowledge of things, I would more easily be able to connect at a deeper level with clients. If a client were a mechanic, I would be able to talk to them and use terminology they could relate to. In my life, I have done many things, and have studied many subjects. I am always seeking to learn new things, maybe not to become an expert in everything, but enough to be knowledgeable. I have been called a jack of all trades multiple times in my life; this is all due to seeking of knowledge and inputting it into my memory. All of this combined with maximizer can allow connections to be made, to build strengths of others. Intellection, this is one I do not wish to discuss. The reason I do not like to discuss intellection, is my intellect and IQ scores have in the past caused relationship problems. These problems were due to my egotistical behavior that I once had. I have a thirst for knowledge as apparent from input; this knowledge has allowed me to excel at many things in life from building a car engine from the ground up to engineering a corporate network and putting it in place. Logic and problem solving are second nature to me, The insight mentioned that an intellection person would spend time alone to problem solve or to think (Reyes, n.d.). I often do this; I prefer to work alone and solve problems by myself. As strange as it will sound, one of my favorite places to think is in my wife's walk-in closet. Once the door is shut, it is pitch black and silent. I can reflect and meditate, but it is also where I come up with my greatest ideas. I often take an audio recorder with me, so I can speak what I am thinking for more reflection later on. As this strength relates to social work is something I am not sure of. Perhaps, I can take the situation of a client, go into my quiet space so I can reflect on it. After reflection, I may be able to find a solution that would be feasible for everyone. The developer is another strength that fits well with maximizer, the main difference I perceive is maximizer identifies and actively builds. The developer strength uses praise to aid in the building of others. The developer does have a negative trait that needs to be watched out for. They are often led to help or mentor more people than they can handle (Reyes, n.d.), which would lead to compassion burn out. The developer fits into social work, as they are one that facilitates growth, and can teach others to strive for excellence. The final strength that was identified was competition. This one is very true to me, as I am very competitive. I like to excel and be the best at everything I do. Nine short months ago I began working in cottage five at Whites. The cottage was the “worse” cottage on campus, but in all fairness, it has only been open three months. The kids were not motivated, the staff was not motivated, and things was failing drastically. Monthly inspections were averaging around a 55 out of 100, as the accountability was not there. I came in after a few weeks observing offered rewards for passing inspection, or for not losing school points. I told everyone I wanted cottage five to be the model cottage on campus. I challenged our kids to create a banner and a flag we could hang outside; I wanted them to make this cottage their own and to be proud of it. This cottage is now the best overall cottage on campus, our staff is second to none, and all new hires do their training in our cottage. How does this work with competition? It was my desire for us to be the best, that through positive reinforcements and maximizing the potential of my youth and coworkers, we excelled this cottage to the top. I feel that this competitive nature can help a social worker in their daily interactions with clients significantly. By having a competitive strength, one will look for the best possible resolution for their clients. They will strive to excel; they will not cut corners and settle for mediocrity they only were perfection. However, the key is when that ideal can not be met, we have to remember not to take it personally and to keep the goal in focus. In summary, how can all of these strengths tie together so that I can reach my fullest potential as a social worker? By striving to be the best and seeking perfection as someone with the competition strength, I will empower my clients to reach their goals. I can help the clients to achieve their goals by identifying their strengths. Once their strengths are determined, I can work towards maximizing them to their fullest potential. Reaching their full potential is not solely related to maximizing their strengths, but instilling trust, courage, and other traits. These qualities can be developed through praise, advising, and encouraging the client. The only way to improve and maximize so that our clients can reach their fullest potential is by knowing and solving problems. Knowing is the process of learning what is potentially wrong or what problem needs to be addressed. Once we have that knowledge, we can seek to find information that we already have or find it elsewhere. By inputting this information and accessing it, we can then use our intellect to find a solution to whatever issue we are dealing with for the client.             References Reyes, W. (n.d.). Strengths Insight Guide. New York: Gallup Press. Strengths Insight and Action-Planning Guide. (2017). Vinson, D. R. (n.d.). Action ­ Planning Guide. New York: Gallup Press.