Raise your hand if you haven’t heard of Gallup’s StrengthsFinder. Most of us have.
The book, which introduced the concept of nurturing your strengths, came out in 2001: “Now, Discover Your Strengths.” Since then, there’s been a worldwide conversation about the importance of identifying, nurturing and developing one’s strengths, rather than focusing on the difficult and counterproductive task of overcoming weaknesses. Even Benjamin Franklin got it. He said, “Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What’s a sundial in the shade?”
Makes sense. And it’s a lot more fun than swimming upstream, taking the path of most resistance, rather than flipping over and floating with the current of least resistance.
That’s where WOO comes in. It’s one of the 34 themes in the StrengthsFinder repertoire. WOO stands for winning others over. Individuals who have this as one of their five greatest strengths enjoy the challenge of meeting new people and getting others to like them. Strangers are energizing if you’re high in WOO. Learning the names of others, asking them questions, and finding areas of common interest are fun and exciting for you.
Once a connection is made, those high in WOO are happy to wrap it up and move on to meet new people in new places. It’s not necessarily about making friends; it’s about making connections.
Sounds like the quintessential net worker in today’s speed-meeting, Facebooking, LinkedIn world, doesn’t it?
If WOO is you:
- Be prepared to explain to others that making connections is an innate part of who you are and how you’re wired. To those with a lower WOO ratio, you could seem insincere and overly friendly otherwise.
- Tap your talent for meeting and greeting new people and putting them at ease. You’re the ideal person to serve as a greeter at your church! Find a job where you interact with lots of people over the course of a day.
If WOO is NOT you:
- Don’t despair. (Imagine what the world would be like if everyone had WOO as a top strength!) Reach out to someone with strong WOO talents and let them help you expand the range of your network. It’ll be a win for both of you.
- Don’t take it personally if those with WOO as a strength are super friendly, but then don’t stay in touch. It’s not about you. They’re just a sundial looking for more sun!
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