Strengths Advisory Council

By Mary Jean Billingsley

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Each day we’re faced with decisions. What can I eat for breakfast? What do I wear for the weather? How long should I wait to get gas for the car? Do I need to read more to be ready for class? Should I … and the list goes on. Research shows that, on average, we are making thousands of decisions every day.

When you know your strengths, decisions are easier because you can choose situations that suit your strengths.

In the book Find your Strongest Life, author Marcus Buckingham talks about deciding with confidence. He points out that we might regret an outcome, but we need never regret having made the decision. While we may not control the outcomes of our decisions, we can control how we think about and think through our decisions.  Continue reading “Decisions, Decisions “

By Jessica Garcia

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In 2017 the Gallup Organization changed the name of the StrengthsQuest assessment. The new name is officially CliftonStrengths or CliftonStrengths for Students. When I first heard about this change I was a confused. I’ve been an advocate of StrengthsQuest and its underlying principles for over 12 years. Why change the name of something with such a loyal following?

In “meme” terms, this was me:

As I read about the reason for the change, I let go of my negativity and focused on the positive, just like Don Clifton would want me to! Regardless of the name, the assessment has always been about understanding your personality from the perspective of positive psychology. Even when it was called StrengthsQuest or StrengthsFinder 2.0, it was still the assessment invented by Don Clifton.

CliftonStrengths and CliftonStrengths for Students identifies individual traits that have the greatest potential for building strengths. According to Gallup’s technical report, CliftonStrengths “presents 177 items that each consists of a pair of potential self-descriptors. These items are based on the theory and research foundation associated with semi-structured personal interviews that Selection Research Incorporated and Gallup … used for more than 30 years”.

Knowing that the research behind CliftonStrengths has been around for 30 years … well, in “meme” terms, this is me now:

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Happy JCCC Strengths Week 2017!

Learn about all the activities happening this week by stopping by one of the many information tables around campus or find out how you can participate online.

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Monday, October 2nd

Understanding CliftonStrengths®

Written by Jessica Garcia. Jessica’s top 5 strengths are Strategic, Learner, Individualization, Ideation and Relator. Her post will focus on  the change from StrengthsQuest and StrengthsFinder 2.0 to CliftonStrengths and CliftonStrengths for Students.

Jessica is a Counselor in the JCCC Counseling Center.  The Counseling Center assists students in reaching their goals through educational , career and personal counseling, including comprehensive academic advising  and support of mental health initiatives.

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Tuesday, October 3rd

Decisions, Decisions

Written by Mary Jean Billingsley. Mary Jean’s top 5 strengths include Individualization, Maximizer, Arranger, Communication and Empathy. Her post will focus on  how decisions are easier  when you focus on your strengths!

Mary Jean is a certified etiquette and business protocol trainer. Register for an upcoming  Workshop and learn proper business etiquette while enjoying a great dinner. Continue reading “Meet the 2017 Strengths Week Bloggers!”