Talents #2

Reference, once more, Buckingham & Clifton's Now, Discover Your Strengths.

Some of my natural propensities or "talents":

• Ask questions! Lots of questions.
• I'm curious about everything.
• I love to "tell the story" . . . or, I should say, "retell" the story. Once I have discovered something, I like--I really enjoy--telling others.
• I don't create stories. But I enjoy telling them. Real stories, that is. I'm not at all good at fiction.
• I love to edit. It's fun. I feel like I'm playing the sleuth: "How can I make this communicate more effectively?"
• I love communication. I love engaging in it. I love thinking about it, theorizing about it, working on it.
• I love (future post!) Fierce Conversations. (Reference to a book by Susan Scott and, far more, for my purposes, to a concept.) So I'll engage in such conversations. Naturally. I will either start them, whenever possible, or I will gravitate toward them when I hear one occurring.
• I want the truth. I hate pussy-footing around tough subjects. Let's just "wade right in" and "mix it up" intellectually. (I detest physical combat. I am talking about a form of intellectual battle.) Speak the truth. Live the truth. Tell me what you really think, because you may be sure I will tell you what I think. . . . Hopefully "seasoned with grace," as it were (Colossians 4:6). But I'd rather get the truth and apologize later for having hurt someone's feelings than, out of concern for feelings, never get the truth! Yes,
• I'll "step in it," "put my foot in my mouth," say something less than perfectly gracious, etc. and then later apologize . . . just to get the conversation moving. It's the communication that counts. Not being considered "a nice guy."
  • I want to be a nice guy, too. But conversation first. Let's talk. Apologies, groveling, forgiveness, "please forgive me," etc. can come later. Avoid the costs associated with apologies and groveling, etc., and the conversations likely will never come. . . .

More later.