“Ugh! My neighbor is suspicious of everything! He says every change I want to make on my house spells D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R and will cause problems for the whole neighborhood.”
“My wife shoots down every new idea I have. I can’t even get the details out before she’s picking it apart! She always finds something wrong with it!”
“The boss is afraid of any changes. He always says, “No,” to anything new that could really improve our workflow. I hate working in such an archaic place!”
Strengths: Vigilant and Guarded
Are you annoyed by the people in your life who always seem to be negative and pessimistic? Maybe you have someone in your office or in your family or other group you hang with who can’t seem to look on the bright side? Or maybe they take FOREVER to make a decision. Or maybe they burst your bubble when you bring forth an idea to improve something? Sometimes, they may even leave you feeling defeated and deflated. You may have have someone in your life with the StrengthsFinder talent theme of Deliberative.
Deliberative: Risk Manager
Those high in Deliberative are the Risk Managers of life. They were born to see obstacles that the rest of us cannot see! They are aware of and super sensitive to risk.
They can tell — well ahead of most people — when something has the possibility of going wrong. They believe that prevention is better than having to run around like an idiot, fixing the mess you got yourself into because you didn’t look before you leaped.
Those strong in Deliberative are serious, guarded people. They don’t gossip, ever. They would never know in whose hands the information might wind up, so your secrets are safe with them. They are careful listeners who observe and process, who are always looking out for the safety of others.
Carefully Planned
My husband, Chris, is high in Deliberative. He’s a manager for a fast-moving freight company and occasionally must restructure routes for his vehicles and drivers. He takes weeks to plot the stops, do simulations, get input from other employees, and do a trial run before implementing. It’s a route structure that they’ll have to live with for six months or so, so he’d better get it right.
Love Your Deliberative
The next time it feels like someone with Deliberative is about to pick apart your plan, ask them to allow you to get your whole story out, or look at all the information before making a decision. Or ask them to make a list of all their considerations so that you can provide answers. Ask them about the risk they see — because guess what? YOU can’t see it.
And don’t push for a decision from a Deliberative, or you’ll always get a resounding, “No way!” They need time to think and process, to search for the right solutions to problems. And they hold the keys for keeping the rest of us out of danger!
When dealing with someone with the Strength of Deliberative, ask yourself: where do we NEED to lower our risk or improve our safety, or make careful decisions?
Find all your Strengthsfinder resources at http://gallupstrengthscenter.com.
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