Weekly Geek Outs - 08/26/16

Greetings!

Here's what is on my mind this week:

• Cloverfield

I caught this movie recently via Hulu after really enjoying 10 Cloverfield Lane. I never saw it when it came out back in 2008, but after seeing it now, I don't feel like I missed much. I really appreciate how they did some unique franchise building with 10 Cloverfield Lane, and it had to start somewhere, but the original movie just felt frustrating throughout. The found footage still was a neat stylistic novelty but it always creates more plot holes than it is worth I feel like. Witnessing an alien invasion from the ground is pretty cool, but it only carries the movie so much. The characters were mostly annoying and the driving force of the movie just felt silly.

• Strengths Finder

I took this assessment again the other day for work, and was pleased to see that most of my Strengths were the same from the last time I took it three years ago. Before, they were Ideation, Connectedness, Intellection, Input, and Adaptability. Now, there are Intellection, Input, Connectedness, Learner, and Responsibility. I love Strengths as a mindset and a way to approach teams and our roles in the world. We all have something valuable to offer, and we shouldn't feel like we all need to fit into the same mold. When we all bring our unique gifts to the table, we all win and we can do many more amazing things together.

• Not Safe with Nikki Glaser

My partner and I have been keeping up with this show on Hulu lately, and we love it. This show finally gives comedian Nikki Glaser a platform that works for her. The show revolves around exploring sexuality with a genuine, comedic curiosity. She's always been awesome on @midnight, and after some other ventures, this seems to be something that works for her. She gets to do some awesome recurring segments like Tinder Tap Out, and gets to have an avenue to talk about important topics like the gender pay gap, sexual assault, and more. I highly recommend checking it out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Strengths Finder, True Colors, and MBTI: Developing the Language of Leadership

I’m sure many of you are familiar with the popular personality tests Strengths Finder, True Colors, and MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Inventory). They give you a list of questions and output a term, a type, or a temperament that describes how you interact with the world and those around you. I personally have Ideation, Connectedness, Intellection, Input, and Adaptability as my top five Strengths, in that order (here’s a good list of them all. I am also a Blue/Green (logically emotional like Spock I like to say) and I am an INFJ (a good description listed here).

What I think is the best part of these tests is that it gives me the language to describe who I am and what is important to me personally, which obviously impacts my work. A large part of being an effective leader is knowing one’s self. Taking these tests, and even taking them multiple times at different points in my life to see how I’ve changed, allows for a great deal of self-awareness. I know how I am typically so I can either let people know that or work to incorporate others better since I know what my quirks are. While I have heard some naysayers to these tests speaking to how they don’t like to be put in a box but I think knowing any one or all of these results is a good place to start to just be able to get others to understand you. You don’t need these tests to understand yourself necessarily but they definitely help others understand you. I’ve learned recently that this is a big step in working well with a team. I can be okay with myself and how I work but I need to be able to get others to be okay with how I do things or else there is going to be a lot of friction.

I encourage you to think about bringing these tools into your teams, especially with student staff members. They are trying to find themselves and their leadership style. These tests can enable them to be proud of their unique strengths and traits that make them great, rather than focus on their flaws. I know I felt like being an introvert was an issue, after exploring myself and what I have to offer, I am ready to tackle any issue head on in my own way. I know now my difference is an asset, not a weakness.