Leveraging Strengths at I2I
Few things in life are better than being truly seen and appreciated by those close to you. Highlighting personal strengths gets us closer to understanding ourselves and those we work with. One tool often used to help understand our own strengths is the CliftonStrengths Assessment from Gallup. Strengths are the talents that come naturally to us that we have decided to invest time and energy to develop. Understanding and acting on our strengths provides a plethora of positive results. People report having ample energy, feeling well-rested, being happy, smiling or laughing a lot, learning something interesting, and being treated with respect when they have the opportunity to use their strengths. Being able to live out your strengths every day requires self-awareness, a common language, and a supportive environment.
What this means at I2I
Living in our strengths brings us into alignment with our values in the daily grind. It helps us be INTENTIONAL in the way we divide and conquer to tackle a project. It helps us recognize our INTERDEPENDENCE by showing us that we are greater than the sum of our parts. It allows us to be INTROSPECTIVE about what lights us up and how we can continuously grow in our work. It reminds us that INTELLIGENCE comes from many different sources in many different forms, recognizing there is more than one way to approach work. And it allows us to have a greater IMPACT by finding opportunities to leverage our personal strengths and show up as our whole selves.
Greater than the sum of our parts
Everyone has a unique profile of strengths that includes places of overlap and points of differentiation. Connecting the dots between our strengths gives us the power to lift each other up and lean on each other to achieve common objectives. The CliftonStrengths are divided into 4 domain categories – influence, strategic thinking, execution, and relationship building. While we all have strengths to varying degrees in each of the domain categories, we see some more prominently displayed than others.
Together, we have top strengths in all 4 domains. Nina inspires us with influence and strategic thinking, reminding us WHY we are all here together and envisioning how we can go further. Kathleen pushes us forward with execution and leans into relationship-building to bring teams into harmony. Kelly leads with relationship building to cultivate a sense of deep connection and uses strategic thinking to understand how these connections can build a better future.
Keep reading for our personal reflections on how our strengths show up in our work together 💖
Nina’s Top 5 Strengths: (1) Woo 🥳, (2) Strategic 📈, (3) Communication 🗣, (4) Positivity 🤗, (5) Intellection 🤓
Nina’s Reflections
“I have to admit, I was shocked to learn my top strength is “woo.” Is that even a real word?! According to the CliftonStrengths report, people who lead with “woo” thrive when meeting new people, breaking the ice, and making connections. The more I read about it, the more I unapologetically saw myself. At the end of the day, I am your biggest hype woman. I am endlessly fascinated by people and enjoy discovering what makes them tick. I started Intention 2 Impact because I wanted to build bridges between decision-makers and social impact consultants. There is nothing that pumps me up more than the collective energy of creative minds and passionate souls working towards a common cause together. I mean, can you feel it right now?! I can. I feel incredibly lucky to lead teams of brilliant consultants and serve game-changing organizations.
My second and third top strengths are strategic and communication. As a business owner, I am forever dreamin’ + schemin’ about how to turn our shared dreams into reality. I am known for quickly spotting relevant patterns, formulating solutions, and effectively communicating ideas. Thankfully, Kathleen is my right-hand woman to help me execute my best-laid plans & Kelly uses her relationship-building strengths to harness our collective powers. Intellection rounds out my top five. Although I’m first a people person and strategic visionary, I am also a deep thinker (read: huge nerd). I often lose myself in philosophical musings and enjoy pausing to reflect and see things from as many perspectives as possible. This explains why I can’t stop going back to school and why I truly believe my purpose in life is to (attempt to) make sense of this messy, chaotic, beautiful world.”
Kathleen’s Top 5 Strengths: (1) Achiever 🏆, (2) Harmony 🤝, (3) Discipline 📏, (4) Focus 🎯, (5) Developer 🏗
Kathleen’s Reflections
”In reflecting upon my top strengths, I recalled that in 2015 my top domains were different. While executing had remained at the top, my secondary domain shifted from strategic thinking to relationship building. I attribute this shift to an intentional effort. I have always bent towards getting things done, setting timelines, and retaining laser focus on the goal at hand. In the last few years, I became aware that my lust for productivity could alienate me or be off-putting to partners. With that realization, I have truly leaned into my love of group harmony and service to others. I truly believe that each day I am inching towards a perfect balance of task master and team builder.
My career at I2I is thrilling because it allows me to bring my unique strengths to work each day and encourages me to find complementarity with my fellow team members. As Project Manager and Lead Consultant, I get to flex my knack for discipline and focus as the keeper of the ClickUp to-do lists and creator of the work plans. I also find my relational-side prospering in I2I’s environment, which prioritizes relationship building, with colleagues and clients alike. Ultimately, within this context, all my achiever dreams come to fruition; I2I is a wonderland of ideating, collaborating, and of course, my favorite, doing.
I am grateful I get to bring my whole self to my work: the task-master, team-builder, and just plain ol’ Kathleen.”
Kelly’s Top 5 Strengths: (1) Futuristic 🔮, (2) Connectedness 🔗 , (3) Includer 👋🏽, (4) Woo 🥳, (5) Positivity 🤗
Kelly’s Reflections
“I don’t think it would be a surprise to anyone I’ve had the pleasure of working with that 7 out of my 10 top strengths are in the relationship building domain. My secondary strengths domain is strategic thinking, which for me compliments my ability to build strong connections with people. I am always daydreaming of how people can come together to build a better future. I feel most energized when I’m able to connect with others and work together to strategically achieve our common goals.
One of my favorite parts of working with I2I is that we come together to decide on priorities, work through roadblocks, and connect on a personal level. We get to align our daily tasks with our personal goals while still focusing on what brings us together. We deeply care about each other, about our clients, and about the vision we are collectively working towards.”
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