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Name: Vicki

Age: 32

Family Status: Married with no children

Occupation: Project manager

Strengths: Collaborative problem solving, process improvement, perseverance, strive for perfection, good communication skills

Weaknesses: Impatience with poor performance of others, strategic planning, can get bogged down into details, hold others to my work standards (which can motivate some and disenfranchise others) and strive for perfection (yes, I think this can be a weakness and a strength)

Biggest lesson from workshop: My biggest lesson from the workshop was that it's very important to allow employees to use their strengths as much as possible in their jobs, and don't push them to focus on improving their weaknesses. People will succeed and be more productive if they are focusing on tasks that allow them to use their strengths. Improving upon weaknesses should not be a core focus, which seems to be the standard process for performance reviews and development goals in most companies. It's important to understand the strengths of each member of a team to appropriately assign work tasks across team members. We've been able to do that some degree on the team I work on, and it is working great.

Update since workshop: I can now recognize the activities and tasks at work that are my strengths because I am good at them, and I enjoy doing them. I've also learned how to say no to the things I don't want to do and, through my manager, find ways to get those tasks assigned to someone else. My manager has been very open to help me design a position that allows me to focus on my strengths for the majority of my time. I'm more productive, have less stress and am happier at work.

Goal: My goal after the workshop was to find a new job that allowed me to use my strengths. I thought that meant finding a totally new job with a different company. Instead, I was able to redesign my work with my current employer to better fit my strengths.

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