The Gift of Individualization

The antique grape salt and pepper shakers were an unexpected, yet touching gift. From my friend, whom I'll call T, they were part of her family's legacy. T, you see, knew me well enough to know why I would treasure these pieces of her family history.

There is no one-size-fits-all to T's gift-giving, nor is there a one-size-fits-all approach to any people in her life. I'm amazed at how observant she is about the particularities of the people around her and just how many details she remembers about the people in her life. T loves to collaborate with diverse people, encouraging and helping them utilize their particular aptitudes and interests. In her profession, she is a master at tailoring her approach to each person with whom she works and to each audience she addresses. In the language of Strengths, these talents for customizing approaches with and for individuals are referred to with the talent theme name Individualization.

When T first was exposed to Strengths more than 10 years ago, she seemed a bit resistant. She innately recoiled from a system that seemed to classify people.  I think her feelings about this may have been exacerbated by the way some of us spoke about talent themes: She's a Woo. I'm an Input-Learner. You're an Achiever! To her, those statements seemed to reduce individuals to labels, to classify humanity by categories like some Linnaean taxonomy for people. I don't buy into labels, she said.  I'm not into categorizing people.

She raises an excellent point that invites reflection.

I've taken T's response as a personal reminder to be careful in how I speak to people about Strengths. Across the desk, in my family, on the phone, in conference rooms, are people, not Top 5 or Dominant Themes Lists. And all of these people have distinct manifestations of talent, distinct life experiences that have shaped their points of view, knowledge and skills unique to them, and challenges that have been theirs and theirs alone. T's resistance reminds me to focus my Strengths conversations on people, with the vocabulary of Strengths serving only as a means by which we might communicate to help them ignite their intentional use of talent productively toward goals. 

Here’s to those people with Individualization talents, who may remind those of us working with Strengths to always see the person before us. T, just as the grape salt and pepper shakers have a special place in my home, your insights have stayed with me.  

To  friends and fellows who use the language of Strengths, I hope you'll remember my Individualization heroine, dear T, who would cheer you on as you approach people not as lists, category representatives, specimens or labels, but as the utterly unique Individuals they are.

For more information on Gallup's approach to Strengths, or to take the Clifton StrengthsFinder™ online, go to https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/