The Four Archetypes of Learners - Coaching Guide
There are many different types of learners observed in the context of work and life. This article aims to bring out these distinctions for greater self-awareness. Singapore Ontological Coach, Victor Seet, shares the four archetypes of Learners as a coaching guide.
As a professional coach based in Singapore, I am passionate about helping people gain deeper levels of self awareness. I believe that in doing so, individuals can use the learnings to achieve more effective results in the area of personal growth and development.
This article is on the topic of learning and covers the different archetypes of learners. It is a follow up to the piece I wrote on the 15 beliefs that hinder learning. Both articles are written with the desire to create deeper self awareness.
As you have a read about the four archetypes of learners, my wish is that you can use the information to do a simple profile of yourself. See if you can identify a particular archetype that you might be engaging with consistently.
THE Dabbler
The Dabbler says “I want to pick up this skill as a hobby. It looks fun. The joy of learning is very important to me. I find lots of joy when I started off as a beginner and acquire the basic competency. I feel happy that I can tell myself and others that I now know this skill.”
“I’m not looking to excel. Longer term practice might not be part of the purpose I pick up this skill. I will work hard to acquire the skill to a basic competency level and I’ll be very satisfied. After that, I will move on to the next skill that I find interesting. At work, I am usually seen as a dynamic all-rounder, who has the required competencies of many different inter-connected skills relevant to my job scope and role. I am also known as the one who is constantly picking up new hobbies. I love work environments that are highly dynamic. I love the type of work that provides many opportunities to learn different types of skills.”
The Obsessive
The Obsessive says “I am results oriented and performance oriented. I am the type of person who is determined to reach my goals and my key performance indicators (KPIs). When I learn, it’s tied to my Return On Investment (ROI). The skill I am practicing must make me better and help me achieve my personal and professional goals. At work, I am usually seen as the outstanding performer.”
“Whenever I am not gaining the results from my learning practices, I’ll re-examine the process and find different ways to make it better. I take pride in producing results through my learnings and hard work. My satisfaction comes from the results I receive and not so much the joy of learning. The time to stop is when my goals have changed or I assess that the ROI is not worth the trade-off of my energy, time and resources.”
The Hacker
The Hacker says “I’m interested in finding the fastest way to pick up the new skill. I enjoy the hacking process. Finding shortcuts gives me the thrill and satisfaction. It’s about the speed of learning and knowing I can hack my way through. I’m not concerned if I have missed the foundations required for long term success. I feel happy when I get quick results from my initial investment.”
“Being seen as smart and a fast learner is important to me. I am often seen as the one who can deliver quick results within a short time frame. People see me as a good problem solver in time-sensitive situations because of my ability to hack my way through.“
The Master
The Master says “I’m in for the long haul. I believe in being the Master in a particular field. I understand the process of learning and how my body will take time to learn. I believe that a person needs to be consistent on this path towards being a master and there are no shortcuts to mastery. I will not rush through the learning process. I am determined to persevere through the periods of plateau. The plateau is necessary for my body to learn and adjust.”
“I fully embrace the paradox of being both the expert and a beginner as I pursue mastery. I believe in the Growth Mindset and I work hard to seek continuous improvement. I’ll enrol teachers and mentors into my practice and actively get supervision and feedback. At work, I am often seen as the leading authority in a particular field. I hope to be able to guide others as well in pursuing this pathway of mastery.”
SUMMARY:
Here’s four questions for your reflection and application as you consider these four archetypes of learners.
Which of these archetypes do you identify with most often (show up a lot in your life?
Which area of your life does other archetypes show up?
What advantages and disadvantages has the dominant archetype brought for you?
As you learn the distinctions of each archetype, what might be the next steps for you?
**IMPORTANT NOTE: The profiles are not my own and are adapted from the book “Mastery” by George Leonard. I will like to acknowledge his great work that has been extremely useful for my own learning. I have added in my own inputs and assessments as a Professional Coach so that readers can use the archetypes to generate more awareness in the day to day working contexts.
Written by Victor Seet
Activator • Communication • Strategic • Self-Assurance • Command
Victor is an accredited ICF Advanced Certified Team Coach (ACTC) and Professional Certified Coach (PCC) based in Singapore. He is also a Newfield Certified Ontological Coach and CliftonStrengths Coach. Victor facilitates teams to leverage their collective strengths, get clear on ways of engagement and ways of working to strengthen team and interpersonal dynamics. Victor specializes in integrating strengths-based and ontological approach into his team coaching and leadership workshops. Victor is Director of Coaching and Leadership Development at StrengthsTransform™
A Manager's Guide to Leverage The Strengths of the Team
As a manager, how are you managing team dynamics and team engagement? How much do you actively think about engaging your team more effectively? Knowing your team strengths is a powerful way to connect and engage the team you are leading. Here's some practical ways you can start engaging.
This article is written to share some coaching practices that I have been helping team leaders and managers with, especially those who are intentionally building a strong team culture. The question that is commonly explored:
What are some practices that you can do as a manager to leverage the strengths of your team?
1. Collect strengths data of the individuals and the entire team
Get some data on each individual’s strengths. Put all the individuals’ results together and attempt to make sense of the team’s overall strengths. This process can be done by using different profiling tools. Some of the profiling tools that focuses on strengths include the CliftonStrengths assessment, the Strengths Profile and VIA Character Survey. Using a profiling tool to assess your team’s strengths give you a common language to assess each individual. This is probably the easiest way to get to know your team strengths.
On a separate note, if you are using CliftonStrengths, the four domains of team or leadership strengths are a powerful way of learning and seeing the collective strengths of the team. You can check out this article I have written:
2. Have a strengths conversation with each individual
During the chat, ask questions like “Where are you at your best at work? What kind of tasks do you love doing the most or find yourself looking forward to? Other than financial returns or recognition, what might motivate and drive you? Which activities do you find yourself volunteering for?
This kind of conversation with your staff is a fantastic way to connect with them. Most staff are tired of managers doing fault-finding. Having a manager who seeks to learn and understand their strengths is simply refreshing!
It’s also worth noting that when an individual shares about a desire to do a particular task, your assessment might be there is a competency gap. This becomes a great opportunity to have a conversation about skills development. This can often exists if the staff is younger and less experienced.
3. Share Your Strengths as a Manager
Your staff comes to you with their proposals and ideas. From this perspective, each individual is expected to engage in some kind of collaborative work with you. As a manager, you evaluate the plans, proposals and ideas using your strengths (“are you aware this is an automatic lens you put on?”).
For more effective team communication, it is useful to share your strengths intentionally with your team. Your staff will appreciate knowing how you will evaluate their proposals. With the knowledge of your strengths, they can prepare themselves for discussions with you. They will also appreciate how they can think about leveraging on your strengths to improve their ideas.
Check out this article: A Manager’s Guide: Using StrengthsFinder in Personal Development
4. GET INPUTS around Your Team Strengths
No manager has all the answers. So why not tap on others’ perspectives? As a manager, you can intentionally set up discussions around your team’s strengths. Invite individual team members to articulate how they see the strengths of the team and get their perspectives. Invite other business leads, HR business partners etc to share their views. The diversity of views presented on the collective strengths of your team can empower you to leverage the team’s strengths more comprehensively.
5. CELEBRATE Contributions
Mark Twain says “really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great”. As a manager, celebrating strengths and contributions are a hallmark of a great manager.
You can intentionally invite individuals to share with the team about “this is what I bring to the team or this is what I can contribute most effectively”. You can also invite the other team members to validate and affirm what has been shared to strengthen the team dynamics.
6. EXPLORE WITH THE TEAM ON HOW TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER
It is intuitive for managers to see how strengths are linked to performances. It is perhaps not so common to see how strengths can be used to create support for others.
Managers can enhance team safety and well-being by facilitating a conversation on how the team can support one another by tapping into each other’s strengths. This can be a discussion around the idea of “where I need help.” The request can be as simple as “I often need ideas. I often need reminders. I often need a listening ear etc”.
This discussion is essentially an exercise on vulnerability and trust. If carried out successfully, this exercise empowers the team to help each other more intentionally. A high performing team develops when team members are mutually supportive of one another. This is an essential team standard to establish when building a strengths-based team culture.
Caveat: Work and strengths come together. Managers need to be able to demonstrate strong clarity about what's the work that needs to be done. When there is great clarity about the work, managers can explore with ease how the team’s strengths can be tapped. Leveraging the team strengths is a combination of knowing the work and knowing the strengths with great details.
Written by Victor Seet
Activator • Communication • Strategic • Self-Assurance • Command
As a Gallup and Newfield Certified Leadership Coach in Singapore, Victor is passionate about helping people be better observer of themselves to achieve the results they want, especially in the area of well-being and performance. Victor intentionally integrates the strengths-based and ontological approach into his leadership coaching and workshops.
Musings About Ontological Coaching
What is Ontological Coaching? How is it relevant for organizations and individuals? How is Ontological Coaching different from other coaching approaches? Can the Ontological Approach integrate with CliftonStrengths? Read how this approach has impacted the author.
When I was introduced to the ontological approach for intra-personal and interpersonal work, I found it very fascinating. I decided to deep-dive into this area. I am writing to share what I have learned and the impact I have experienced. I’m writing as a learner rather than an expert in this field.
You might be thinking: So what is Ontological Coaching?
It is a coaching approach rooted in “Ontology, the study of being.” This approach focuses on exploring how people function and make decisions, how people learn and adapt, and how people show up in different areas of their lives.
At the heart of the ontological approach lies two key ideas:
(1) The Concerned Observer
An individual (known in the field of ontological coaching as “the Observer”) sees, perceives and relates to the world in a very unique way that differs from others. A key word to summarize the uniqueness of each individual is “concern”. Each individual is a “Concerned Observer” and interprets and relates to the world based on his concerns. The interpretations will then lead the individual to a range of possibilities of action to achieve his desired results (relationships, work, finances, health, religion, etc).
(2) An Integrated Way of Being - Language, Emotions and Body
The Observer can be understood by examining three domains in an integrated manner – LANGUAGE, MOOD OR EMOTIONS, and BODY. The ontological approach not only addresses the importance of all three areas, it emphasizes the integration of all three domains to achieve sustainable or deep change. A person’s “Way of Being” is this dynamic interplay between the three domains that actively shapes perception and behaviour.
An ontological coach works with clients to examine their language (inner and expressed thoughts, stories, mindsets, beliefs), recurring emotions and moods, and their body (dispositions, breathing, fitness, health, flexibility). Given that many individuals have their “Way of Being” in a fragmented form, the very act of integrating the three domains often generate new results that can be transformational.
Here is an example of transitioning from an old “Way of Being” towards a New “Way”:
As an individual, I listened primarily to what people said and the words they used (language). I rarely pay any attention to my body and emotions (as well as those of others) when I communicate. In short, this is my fragmented “Way of Being” and I was not conscious of it.
As a parent to three kids, when I realized “language” was the last domain to develop in young children, I saw a gap in how I was communicating effectively with them. My fragmented “Way of Being” shows up in my default communication with my kids.
I started to explore how I could communicate with my kids using body, emotions, and language in a more integrated way. I started to give hugs and massages, scratch their backs, and hold their hands more intentionally. I committed to playing with them and being fully present. As I engage my kids in a more integrated manner, I notice my relationship with them has grown tremendously. I also noticed that this shift towards a new “Way of Being” has created a deep shift within my inner life. My kids have been responding to me more affectionately ever since this shift.
How is ontological coaching different from other approaches?
Here are some differences from my limited knowledge:
(1) First the WHO, then the WHAT
There are coaching approaches helping people develop new strategies, new skills, or new forms of communication. The ontological coaching approach is particularly interested in what’s happening in people’s perceptions and attitudes and how that affects the way people use their new skills and strategies. Borrowing the phrase from Stephen Covey, the ontological approach focuses on the Who before diving into the What.
For example, when a boss shares a new strategy with the team at a particular team meeting, different team members interpret the strategy very differently because of their unique concerns. These concerns affect our perceptions and attitudes (how we see things). And how we see things determine how we eventually act.
The ontological approach suggests that when we don’t address deep-seated perceptions and attitudes (WHO), we will miss out on massive opportunities to help people grow in their effectiveness (WHAT).For example, when a boss shares a new strategy with the team at a particular team meeting, different team members interpret the strategy very differently because of their unique concerns. These concerns affect our perceptions and attitudes (how we see things). And how we see things determine how we eventually act.
(2) First the WHO, then the WHY
In his book Start with Why, Simon Sinek taught us to ask why to seek out the purpose and meaning of what we do. However, having breakthroughs will require us to think differently. Have you had any of these thoughts before?
- Why do I struggle to trust this person?
- Why do I no longer feel excited about hitting my targets?
- Why do I lack confidence despite achieving consistently good results?
- Why did I put back the weight I worked so hard to lose?
- Why do I often feel that I am not being heard?
When we ask "Why" without working on the “Who”, we often do not see breakthrough results.
We assume we can generate breakthrough results using the same operating system. However, we keep seeing the same things and forming the same stories inside our heads. We make decisions “more or less” the same way.
When the operating system remains the same, any upgrading will eventually hit a limit. Even if there are breakthrough results, they do not sustain over some time.
Borrowing the words from James Clear (author of Atomic Habits):
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
Ontological coaching addresses the “who” by helping clients examine their existing system. This system is the dynamic interplay between the three domains. Ontological coaching explicitly focus on the “Way of being” to help clients upgrade to a stronger operating system.
(3) Not a Psychological Approach to Coaching
Unlike other approaches to coaching, ontological coaching does not have a psychological basis. An ontological approach to coaching is grounded in philosophy and the biology of cognition. Compared to other coaching traditions such as the cognitive-behavioural approach, ontological coaching is not based on the concept of mind but explicitly on the concept of Way of Being.
Many approaches are rooted in Descartes's concept of being human - 'I think, therefore I am'.
From an ontological perspective, human cognition is more than thinking. To consider humans only as thinking beings runs the risk of over-focusing on the domain of language and not explicitly attending to the equally important domains of emotions and body to facilitate change. Ontological coaching's methodology is unique in the explicit integration of language, emotions and body.
Article for Leaders and Managers
What’s the relevance of Ontological Coaching for organizations?
Ontological Coaching can be relevant to organizations and individuals in several ways:
(1) Ontological Coaching is a personal change methodology.
In the 1-1 coaching work, the coachees receive support in examining emotional habits and patterns, patterns that show up in the body as well as thought patterns. In exploring deeper concerns through uncovering these patterns, the potential breakthroughs experienced by individuals often bring deep and sustainable change. When individuals are transformed, team and organizational cultures will also be transformed. Apart from managers and employees, ontological coaching is powerful for anyone who might be involved in work that supports others (leaders, managers, parents, mentors, teachers, social workers, pastors, religious workers, etc).
(2) Ontological Coaching helps leaders do their Self-Work
Adding to the first point, ontological coaching is especially powerful for leaders in the organization. Though there are many offerings of leadership skills, lessons, tips, and strategies in the world, the distinctive belief is that leaders can only truly DO leadership from their way of BEING. If the leaders aren’t aware of what’s happening within them and do their self-work, the quality of their leadership and their influencing capacity will be compromised. The effectiveness of their leadership decisions and communication becomes limited and that has a great impact on the business results of an organization.
(3) The Ontological Approach is part of an Organizational Development (OD) Process
The ontological approach provides a lens that explores how organizations function. While it is often said that people are the most valuable resource and organizations run through people, the ontological approach suggests that it’s the interaction and conversations between people that make an organization tick. The ontological approach provides a very solid methodology and process to examine how leaders and employees are relating and interacting with others. The process empowers individuals to self-monitor and self-adjust the quality of their conversations.
On top of empowering individuals, the ontological process empowers teams in examining the kind of conversations that are taking place or missing (conversations of trust, decision-making, accountability, moods, etc). Ineffective conversations continually cause a waste of time, effort, and energy and stifle creativity and innovation. The ontological approach provides leaders and employees with a detailed set of tools to pay attention to the way they are engaging in conversations.
Conclusion: A Personal Story - how the ontological approach has helped me:
I discovered that when I change my behavior without getting a sense of the kind of person I am (WHO), then under stress, I’ll revert to behaviors that I am conditioned in. This was my blind spot. I have been addressing the WHAT without addressing the WHO.
One of the discoveries I made while learning the ontological approach: for years, I lived with a subconscious belief that I am a bad listener. To improve my listening, I got myself equipped with deep listening skills, went for active listening courses, read Stephen Covey’s book, and learned many great principles. Unfortunately, I found change hard to be sustained.
Under stress at work or home, I will revert to my usual behavior of dominating a conversation and seeking to convince others through my speech. I was unaware of my emotional habits and body patterns (how I show up to others). For those who understand the CliftonStrengths language, I have Communication, Command, Self-Assurance as my dominant themes. I have often been perceived as one who is domineering, high “D” or Alpha.
Through the ontological approach, I discovered a significant difference between “being a listener” and “listening as an action”. I explored new ways of being as a “listener”. I started learning to listen through my body and emotions. I also uncovered the body and emotional patterns that are deeply intertwined with my old behaviors.
As I learn to embrace an integrated approach to listening, I started building new emotional habits and new body dispositions, The integrated approach to being a listener was transformational. I now feel happy listening to others (I honestly could not imagine my old self saying this). I am now comfortable with silence. I saw improvement in my relationships, especially with my wife and children. As I experienced a sustained change within me, this transformation also ignited a new passion. I’m proud to say, I am now a certified ontological coach.
Written by Victor Seet
Activator • Communication • Strategic • Self-Assurance • Command
As a Gallup and Newfield Certified Leadership Coach in Singapore, Victor is passionate about helping people be better observer of themselves to achieve the results they want, especially in the area of well-being and performance. Victor intentionally integrates the strengths-based and ontological approach into his leadership coaching and workshops.
What is My Health Worth?
Having issues with high blood pressure? Aiming to lose weight? I finally achieved what I could not do in 20 years. This is a story about getting my physical health in shape.
My last article was about dealing with my emotional health. This article is about the process of getting myself into physical shape.
In slightly over 4 months, I managed to bring my weight down from 80KG to 67KG. It was the first time in the last 20 years that I had managed to achieve my ideal weight and I was pleasantly surprised at the result! For 20 years, my weight has never gone below 75KG. Physical health was never a priority for me and there was no existing system or discipline to look after my physical body. Here’s my story:
A Visit to the Doctor
Through a visit to the doctor in June 2019, I discovered that I had severe hypertension. Several readings of my blood pressure were taken, with the highest reading being a massive 190/110. This discovery was a shock to me. It was a shock to my family as well as I did not have any prior medical history in this area. I suspected that the high level of stress at work was a key contributing factor. Before this discovery, I had taken my physical health for granted. I ate what I wanted and paid little attention to my diet. There was also no attempt to participate in any form of regular exercise. I often worked late into the night and I struggled to sleep well. I also experienced a recurring back pain and a stiff back. This meant that there were times where I had to sit on the bed for a few minutes after waking up because my back was too painful. Despite these issues, there wasn’t any personal conviction to watch my health closely.
Enrolling in a Weight Management Program
After my visit to the doctor, I was certain of one thing: my lifestyle needed to change. I did not want my physical health to suffer further. My blood pressure was a big warning sign. I certainly did not want my wife to be a widow and my kids to be fatherless. As I shared in the previous article, I made the decision to leave my company and to stop what I was doing. I felt that the severe hypertension affirmed my decision to leave. I needed to get my physical health back in shape and time away from work was critical. To bring down my blood pressure in a sustainable way, I was recommended to reduce my weight and watch my diet. I enrolled in a 6 months long weight management program at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. As you now know, the weight loss was a success. My blood pressure also came under control and no longer causes me stress. Amazingly, my recurring back pain also disappeared! I suspected my weight loss was a contributing factor and I am very happy with the overall outcome.
A Contrast: Before the weight management program and after
How did I manage this change?
Upon reflection, I believe that part of the success was due to intentionally applying some lessons learnt from this book: “Switch – How to change things when change is hard" by Chip and Dan Heath. There were four principles from the book that stuck with me. In sharing my story, I hope it can motivate those who might be in similar situations to achieve change. For a greater understanding of the principles, I highly recommend that you read the book. (And in case you are wondering: I do not receive any monetary benefits from sharing about this book).
1. Find the bright spots:
This refers to leveraging what we already have and looking for what’s already working. For me, losing 13KG felt impossible but thankfully, the dietician from Khoo Teck Puat Hospital was a great help. I was pleasantly surprised that I did not have to go on a painfully restrictive and unhappy diet, like I imagined I would have to do. On the contrary, I realized that I could continue to enjoy food that I loved and keep to 3 meals a day. That was a bright spot.
I also wrote down a list of things or “bright spots” that were already true and empower me towards my goal of losing weight and lowering my blood pressure.
I’m motivated to lose weight for my family
I have a supportive wife. She is my greatest cheerleader
I love swimming and I can create an exercise regime in this area
I used to be a competitive swimmer when I was young. I can easily swim 20 laps or more
I have easy access to an Olympic size swimming pool nearby my place
I own an Apple Watch that can help me count laps
I have no desire for sweet drinks.
I can continue to drink coffee and I am able to drink coffee without sugar
I can eat my favourite food ONCE every week (this sounds great!)
I have little desire to snack
I am not tempted by ramen or baked rice (unhealthy food options)
I love fish soup (healthier choice)
I love Chinese style cooked green vegetables and I can eat lots of them (vegetables help to make a person feel full from a meal)
I have a weighing machine at home and I can closely monitor my progress
I have some good looking shirts that I will love to be able to squeeze into
The above list motivated me into action.
2. Script the Critical Moves
This refers to having clear and specific steps needed to reach the goals. For example, for a healthier diet, go for less or no sugar in coffee or drinks; use skimmed milk instead of full cream milk. To script the right critical moves, it is also necessary to first gather the right data.
One critical data point: The main bulk of weight loss (70% of the time) comes from a changed diet instead of exercise. Therefore, I needed to make a change to my diet to be successful. I found out from my dietician that FRUITS were a main source of weight gain for me. I love fruits and fruit juice. I had the idea that fruits were much better options to chips and fries, while fruit juice was better than bubble tea. I was WRONG in this aspect. Another helpful data point was that I could lose 0.5KG weekly if I kept my daily intake to 1500 kcal (this data is specific to my height and weight).
Using these specific data points, I scripted down my critical moves to reach my goal:
Take 2 fruit servings a day (I was taking 8 servings daily previously). Have a green kiwi / green apple / pear for lunch. Do the same for dinner
Stop drinking vending machine fresh orange juice (1 cup is equivalent to 4 serving of fruits)
Finish my large water bottle of water by noon every day. Refill and finish another bottle by evening
Swim 30 laps every Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Measure my blood pressure twice a day: in the morning and evening
Measure my weight every Monday morning
Use the Health Promotion Board (HPB) app to track my calories intake and find the combination of tasty meals that can hit the 1500kcal daily diet
Have one cheat meal (regular size portion) for Saturday and one for Sunday. Rest of the 19 meals will be kept strictly to the recommended options given by dietician
Read: “The Power of Naming An Emotion”
3. Point to the destination.
This refers to having a compelling picture and being clear of the measurable end goal. It is about imagining how success can benefit me and others.
My Measurable Goal: My aim was to bring my blood pressure under control by losing weight. My blood pressure needed to be below 140/90 and my ideal weight was 67KG. That was my end goal for the 6 months.
The Compelling Picture: I imagined the picture of my family spending quality time together. Without me being in good health, this might not be a possibility. I also imagined the extra energy gained from growing stronger due to exercise, which would allow me to play more effectively with my 3 young kids. I also imagined feeling much happier looking at the mirror: without a belly and with a sharper chin. I look forward to being fitter and healthier. I imagined having a sharper mind and having a greater ability to focus. which would expand my mental prowess which is important for me.
4. Shrink the change
The idea is as follows: If you want to motivate a reluctant elephant, you got to lower the bar, NOT raise the bar. Small emotional victories also bring more lasting changes! When a task feels too big, the reluctant elephant will resist.
For 20 years, I had no success in weight loss.To lower the bar, I bought new goggles and swim gear to make myself happy. I researched and found the swimming pool that had all the attributes I wanted - close to my place, not crowded and with good bathing facilities. I also worked out a morning routine that gave me 1.5 hours to swim and shower. I was ready to swim!
I started joining my wife and 3 kids in eating baby oats for breakfast. Eating together was emotionally helpful. I eventually got used to eating oats which was not only healthy, but also lowered blood pressure. I also stopped drinking fruit juice. I drank coffee or water instead. I also found an alternative drink with zero calories: Ayataka Green Tea!
My small emotional victories after the first month:
I aimed to lose 2KG but I lost 3KG.
My blood pressure stabilised and remained around the range of 125/85.
With this, I started to believe that I could do it. I implemented my new diet progressively. The HPB app allowed me to input the local Singaporean dishes with the required calories data attached to the food. What I did was simply to log all the food I have eaten and monitor the total amount by the end of the day. By being able to experiment and adjust my food intake daily, I soon found the combination of food that allowed me to reach my 1500kcal a day target.
Eventually, I started to achieve more emotional victories such as wearing M sized t-shirts instead of L size. My pants became looser. I started to get compliments and encouragements from friends and I finally hit my goal.
Conclusion: “What is my health worth?” This is a question that I had pondered when I was working hard at getting my health in order. I have never prioritised my physical health but that has changed. I have since gained a new perspective on the benefits of healthy living. I continue to swim 3 times a week and I now make it a point to eat healthily. This has made me happier. I used to wear L sized male t-shirts and I can now wear S size! I hope my story has shown that aiming for a weight loss is achievable and definitely not as torturous as it seems.
Written by Victor Seet
Developing Humility
Developing humility is one of the most difficult challenges faced in leadership and personal development. This article is written to explore more of the “how to” and to discuss a few practical ways to grow this character trait.
Humility seems underrated in corporate leadership. Yet, it is arguably the single, most important determinant of how power and authority will be used by a leader. There have been several articles written on the importance of humility in leadership. This article is written as an extension of the existing discussion(s), and in particular, to explore how to cultivate humility. I approach this topic not as an expert; far from it. In fact, I have lost staff because of the lack of humility on my part.
Humility has been defined in several ways. For the purpose of this article, humility will be taken as “not thinking that we are better than we really are in terms of our importance and our ability; but having sound judgement." In the same vein, someone said “people with humility do not think less of themselves; they just think about themselves less.” I fully agree.
Developing humility can be challenging because character formation works differently from the conventional knowledge-based approach to learning. In my previous occupation, my primary responsibility was to help individuals grow in character. The process was baffling. I discovered that one’s knowledge of a character trait does not necessarily translate into one’s practice of the same trait. Take my life for instance. Though I may cognitively know a lot about humility (due to my work), my personal failings remain because of a lack of self-awareness. Developing humility requires a great level of self-awareness, which is not easily acquired.
Suppose a student requires two magic bullets to ace an exam – knowledge of the subject matter and time management skills. Most will agree that knowledge of the subject matter will DIRECTLY affect the grades while time management affects the end outcome INDIRECTLY.
Knowledge of the subject matter will directly impact a student's ability to answer the exam questions and attain good results. Time management is also required for effectiveness. Unless we apportion time to study, time to rest, time to relax, we will not be effective. Too much studying and insufficient rest can be counter-productive. Without good time management, it is often difficult to ace an exam. Time management is a skill that indirectly impacts a student’s result.
I would like to suggest that character traits are best cultivated through INDIRECT means. Trying to be more humble in a direct way can only lead a person to be prideful. It is like making a statement “I’m so proud that I can become humble.” It simply does not work. Instead, allowing people to come to their own realizations of their pride may work better. This is self-awareness. Gaining self-awareness is an extremely important skill that a top leader must possess.
READ: WHY COMPLEMENTARY PARTNERSHIPS DO NOT ALWAYS WORK
How, then, does an indirect approach look like?
One possibility is through acts of service. Through acts of service, one may discover their prideful areas. Are there tasks I deem too menial to act upon? Am I upset when I am not recognized for the things I have done? Why am I reacting negatively to feedback given to me?
Another example of an indirect approach to cultivating humility is to practice listening. Intentionally listening to others and paraphrasing what they say is a way to realize if we are more interested in others or in ourselves. Leaders who are more interested to tell others what to do usually end up causing more hurt because of a lack of empathy. When the realization takes place, it often reveals how much focus we place on ourselves. Listening is one of the hardest things for leaders with big egos. I regret to say this is one of my most painful realizations.
In essence, humility is a realization of how proud we are. Engaging in good disciplines such as listening and intentionally serving others are powerful ways of gaining self-awareness. Other approaches to gaining greater self-awareness include journaling and giving thanks. Some may even engage a leadership coach to work through character flaws or business challenges together. I will not go into discussing the latter as there is numerous literature on it. I will, however, share a personal story.
One of my core beliefs about human relationships and interactions is that it takes two hands to clap. I do not believe marriages fail because of one party. Neither do I believe that relationships break down because of the failings of one party. The power of such a belief should ideally empower me to reflect, take ownership of my mistakes, and adjust to my actions and behavior. This belief should lead me to grow in my relationship with others. Unfortunately, a lack of humility meant that I ended up focusing on pointing out where the other party has failed. In short, I like to blame others rather than to search my heart. I increasingly realized how much pain I have caused my family, close friends, and my work team. My pride has caused me to reject feedback and suggestions. I even rationalized that I was less at fault and more humble since I was constantly adjusting my behavior. Sadly, behavioral change can sometimes be superficial. In thinking that I have grown in humility, I have ironically become more prideful instead.
Concluding Thoughts: The truth hurts. However, if we believe that humility is thinking of ourselves less, it is extremely freeing to be able to focus on the beauty and joy of growing our character.
Written by Victor Seet
Activator • Communication • Strategic • Self-Assurance • Command
As a Gallup and Newfield Certified Leadership Coach in Singapore, Victor is passionate about helping people be better observer of themselves to achieve the results they want, especially in the area of well-being and performance. Victor intentionally integrates the strengths-based and ontological approach into his leadership coaching and workshops.
Speed-Based StrengthsFinder Theme Combination
Ever wondered why some people can make decision so quickly and why others seem to be “slower”? This article (part 2 of the StrengthsFinder Theme Combination Series) explores how some StrengthsFinder themes are broadly categorized by speed.
As a person with Activator as my top CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) theme, I love the idea of being fast. I have decided to share some of my thoughts on the CliftonStrengths themes using the idea of “speed”. As someone who enjoys illustration by contrast, I will discuss some commonly perceived StrengthsFinder themes based on the idea of “fast” and “slow”. This is a follow up article to the last one I wrote.
READ: TIME-BASED STRENGTHSFINDER THEME COMBINATION
CliftonStrengths “FAST” Themes:
Activator: Those with Activator in their top 5 CliftonStrengths results or dominant themes are usually known by their friends as being impatient and impulsive in nature. Activators tend to be “FAST in taking action" because of their unique wiring. “Actions speak louder than words”; “I learn as I do”; “Take action now before the opportunity is lost!” These are common thoughts tied to Activators. We can describe them as people who move fast but they are often seen as those who do not think things through and prone to make unsound decisions.
Strategic: Those with Strategic in their top 5 CliftonStrengths results or dominant themes are usually known by their friends as those who are “FAST to provide alternatives”. People with Strategic intuitively see different paths to the same destination and love to explore the best option. We can describe them as those who can think quickly on their feet and talented in finding shortcuts. However, they can also be perceived as those who jump to conclusions rather quickly instead of taking time to hear what others have to say.
Woo: Those with Woo in their top 5 CliftonStrengths results or dominant themes are usually known by their friends as those who are socially adventurous. They are “FAST in making connections with people” and they usually pride themselves as sociable, outgoing and friendly. People with Woo enjoy connecting wide rather than deep and their speed in connection sometimes cause others to label them as “social butterflies”. They can also be perceived as people who prefer to make social connections over completing work tasks.
Adaptability: Those with Adaptability in their top 5 CliftonStrengths results or dominant themes are usually known by their friends as those who are easy going and flexible. They are “FAST in responding to sudden changes” and can be seen as highly spontaneous in nature. This unique ability empowers them to bounce back quickly and respond to dynamic situations. As opposed to many who prefer to be adequately prepared in nature, people with Adaptability can sometimes be perceived as those who are reactive rather than anticipatory.
READ: UPDATED GUIDE: USING CLIFTONSTRENGTHS FOR WORK
CliftonStrengths “SLOW” Themes:
Context: Those with Context in their top 5 CliftonStrengths results or dominant themes are usually known by their friends as people who enjoy reminiscing the past. Knowing the past helped those with Context to find emerging blueprints as well as tried and tested solutions. Before making a decision, those with Context need to know what has happened before, what contributed to the existing situation, why certain decisions were made previously etc. We can describe them as people who have a special ability to keep the connections between different generations by building on past successes. Because of the need to understand background and past information, people with Context are perceived to be “SLOW in decision making”. They can sometimes be long-winded and share unnecessary details when they chair meetings. They can also be perceived as those who drag out meetings because of the tendency to ask questions that require extensive sharing of background information and past data.
Relator: Those with Relator in their top 5 CliftonStrengths results or dominant themes are usually known by their friends as those who are authentic, trustworthy, loyal and will go the extra mile for their close friends, regardless of inconvenience. They take time to forge deep connections, believing that people take time to open up their hearts and build trust. We can describe Relators to be those who break work barriers and are able to cultivate genuine friendships. A work team filled with Relators can have the potential to build extremely tightly knitted groups with high trust and loyalty to one another. Relators can be perceived as “SLOW to warm up to new faces” and are cliquish and unfriendly. Relators can struggle in environments where the need to build fast connections is a work requirement.
Deliberative: Those with Deliberative in their top 5 CliftonStrengths results or dominant themes are usually known by their friends as those who are careful, attentive to details and socially private. They take time to think deep in order to assess potential danger. They are very confident once they have their own conclusion after adequately assessing the risks involved. They thrive in work that require high governance and strong attention to details. However, they can often be misconstrued as “SLOW in decision making” especially when urgent and quick decisions need to be made.
Harmony: Those with Harmony in their top 5 CliftonStrengths results or dominant themes are usually known by their friends as those who are collaborative and peace-making. In a team setting, people with Harmony dislike conflicts and will make efforts to hear each person out and to find a common ground to move forward. As a result, they can be “SLOW in decision making”, preferring to make sure people’s opinions are considered than to make a decision of their own. They take time to find consensus and get alignment in order to move forward. They thrive in work that require strong teamwork and are often the glue in holding together a high performance team.
CliftonStrengths (StrengthsFinder) Theme Combinations:
When any two of the “fast” CliftonStrengths themes are within the dominant strengths of an individual, the interaction is likely to cause the “speed” to increase further. For example, a person with Activator and Adaptability can suddenly decide to purchase an item while shopping in a store and the purchase will be completed almost instantaneously (regardless of the price). It does not matter if there could be a better deal at another store. It is the desire to act now in order to own a particular item that makes the shopping fulfilling.
When any two of the “slow” themes are within the dominant strengths of an individual, the interaction is likely to cause the “speed” to decrease further. For example, a leader of a team who possesses both Relator and Harmony will prefer to speak to each team member on a 1-1 basis to find consensus on a particular matter. Making a quick decision will be extremely uncomfortable for such an individual as he or she will feel that the best decision can only be made after gathering feedback from each individual.
Using another example, a person who has both Deliberative and Relator as dominant strengths will take more time to open up and connect to others in new environments. The speed that this individual takes to build trust with new faces and to work well with them will likely be slower in comparison to others.
When an individual has both a "fast" CliftonStrengths theme and a “slow” theme in the dominant strengths, the end result will usually depend on the maturity of the individual as well as the context. For example, a young person who has both Activator and Deliberative as dominant strengths could be careless when there is a need to be careful and slow in decision making when there is a need to be quick in order to grab an opportunity. In maturity, this individual will have the unique ability to display the right strength at the right time.
Concluding Thoughts: As a Leadership Coach who enjoys helping leaders in the area of personal development, I acknowledged that people’s perceptions are derived from many factors and not limited to simply “CliftonStrengths themes”. The broad categorization of the CliftonStrengths themes is by no means an absolute and this article is written to share my own personal thoughts and to create greater awareness of the interesting dynamics.
Written by Victor Seet
Activator • Communication • Strategic • Self-Assurance • Command
Time-based CliftonStrengths (StrengthsFinder) Theme Combination - A Unique Singaporean
Ever wondered why some people are so forward looking and others seem to love history? This article (part 1 of the StrengthsFinder Theme Combination Series) explores how some StrengthsFinder themes are broadly categorized by time.
In my personal view, the CliftonStrengths (formerly Gallup StrengthsFinder) Profiling Assessment is one that epitomizes uniqueness. I can often find some interesting traits that are tied to the CliftonStrengths talent themes. This CliftonStrengths (StrengthsFinder) Theme Combination Series explore unique traits tied to some of the themes. This article explores the themes that are time-based.
While everyone has a unique combination of strengths in their top 5 CliftonStrengths themes, some combinations come across to me as intriguing and interesting. Singaporean Student, Yu Fung, had a pretty interesting combination of CliftonStrengths themes. This combination caught my eyes because his themes have a time-based characteristic tied to them. Yu Fung has Context, Adaptability and Futuristic in his top 5 CliftonStrengths results. A person with Context enjoys looking into the past to make sense of the future. A person with Adaptability prefer to be in the present and enjoys the "now". A person with Futuristic likes to dream about possibilities that can happen in the future. This was the first time I came across such a unique and interesting combination since I started Strengths-Based coaching in Singapore. To top it up, Yu Fung also had Connectedness in his top 5 CliftonStrengths results.
I had the privilege to interview Yu Fung to understand a little bit more about how he naturally think, feel and behave. The interview is detailed below.
1) Could you share with us the sequence of how you go about making decisions having all 3 talent themes (Context, Adaptability & Futuristic)? If you can, provide an example so that readers can understand.
YF: I tend to find myself making decisions by first thinking of what has already occurred in the past, using "Context" to filter the answers to my question out. Following that, I will think of ways to "repeat" those occurrences from the past in the coming future, using the "Futuristic" trait. After which, I then adjust my current situation and myself to get the desired result I want to see in the future, thus using "Adaptability", and all 3 themes to make decisions. An example of how I make decisions like this would be my goal of studying at Waseda University. Firstly, I did some research on what kind of graduates the University produced in the past. Through the research, I decided that it would be good if I can graduate from this same University in the future, as it had produced influential graduates in the past. After making this decision and having a goal in mind, I used this information to change my subject combination now in the Singapore Junior College that I'm studying at. I decide to change the subject combination to one that I feel will give me the best chance to enrol in that particular University in the future. This is how many of my decisions are made using these three different talent themes.
2) Is there a difference for the sequence when it comes to smaller decisions compared to bigger ones?
YF: Regarding the sequence of talents utilised during choices, I mostly tend to lean towards solely my Adaptability theme when there are quick decisions to be made and I have only a few minutes to make these decisions. I use all the three talent themes of Context, Adaptability and Futuristic mainly when there are large and key decisions.
3) Which talent theme do you resonate with the most and why?
YF: Personally I feel I resonate the most with the Context theme as I really enjoy digging up the past with all its mysteries. I feel the past has a lot of meaning and I enjoy reading about what others have done. I love studying my history subject in school!
4) You're the first person whom I have come across who has all 3 "time factored" talents. How do you feel about this combination?
YF: Haha. I think that these 3 talents I have are quite special in a way to me. Using them is almost second nature to me. Now knowing that I am so unique is really surprising to me. I always thought such thinking is normal. I feel great about this talent theme combination because I really enjoy using these 3 talent themes. It is who I am.
5) How are these 3 talent themes shown when it comes to your studies or school life?
YF: I feel that the Futuristic theme is the one theme I rarely use in school especially in Junior College. Maybe I just need more guidance on how to use this theme effectively. I feel that the Context theme is very much visible due to the plain fact that I take History as a subject. I really enjoy studying about the past. I use my Adaptability theme frequently in my studies as I tend to adjust my study schedules a lot. I enjoy studying in a very dynamic and spontaneous way.
6) Have you taken any leadership role before? If yes, how do you think you use these 3 talents for your leadership role?
YF: I was appointed the head of the Secondary One students in my previous Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) during my senior years in Secondary school. I had to use my Context theme to recreate programs or initiatives that I felt was personally impactful to me in the past, while adapting minor changes to make the planned programs more effective to the students I was leading. I think the fine tuning was the Adaptability theme at work. Of course, the programs are made because my Futuristic believes that the students can grow in the future as a direct or indirect result of the planned program.
7) Do you have any interests/ hobbies/ favourite movies covering 1, 2 or all 3 of the talents?
YF: I do not really have hobbies that cover the Futuristic talent theme, but I do have some for the other 2 themes of Context and Adaptability . I enjoy building scale model replicas of World War II battleships, and am currently still working on one. This is because I deeply enjoy the history of WW2. I also enjoy playing RTS (Real-Time Strategy) games, as they force me to think on my feet and make decisions as and when something happens, using my Adaptability theme.
8) When you think and reflect on your own life, how do these 3 talent themes affect your thought process?
YF: Whenever I reflect on my life, I feel that I tend to follow the ranking of the strengths I have tellingly. I will always start by thinking of what have I done before, then move on to what outcome I desire to accomplish in the future. After that, I will decide on what to do in the present. This is my natural thought process.
YF: Thank you for this interview. I learn a lot about myself as I reflect.
Concluding Thoughts: Some people have very interesting combinations of talent themes in their top 5 StrengthsFinder results. These combinations provide very unique perspectives that can become a great source of strength and power to help a person succeed in what he does.
If you know of someone who you feel has a very unique combination of talent themes, let me know! I'll love to conduct an interview with this person to find out more! Do watch out for part 2 of this StrengthsFinder Theme Combination Series. The next article will explore StrengthsFinder themes tied to the idea of speed.
READ: SPEED-BASED STRENGTHSFINDER THEME COMBINATION
Written by Victor Seet
Activator • Communication • Strategic • Self-Assurance • Command
Mother's Day Article 2018: The Strength of Mothers
When we think about the idea of strengths, the imagery of a mother’s unconditional love and sacrifices for the family often comes to our mind. This article describes a journey of a wife who became a mother and written as a tribute to all mothers out there. Happy Mothers’ Day!
I often imagine how hard it must have been for my mum to bring me and my sister up when we were young. Now that I’m a parent, I find myself armed with a heightened awareness of just how different my imagination is from reality. Being a father to two children with a third on the way, I can now say that I appreciate my mum in a greater measure as I see up-close the challenges that my wife, Michelle, faces in the day-to-day routine of parenting.
As I think about the sacrifices that all mothers make, I am humbled by the kind of work Michelle does in her role as a mother. As I recall our journey from being a married couple with no children to becoming parents, I have seen how she has grown from a wife to becoming a wife and a mother.
5 years into our marriage, we had our first child. We had our second 2 years later and now our third child is about to be born. The transition from being a wife to becoming a mother has been challenging to say the very least.
“As I think about the sacrifices that all mothers make, I am humbled by the kind of work Michelle does in her role as a mother.”
We had a discussion about Michelle’s career and spoke at length about how she would manage working a full-time job with the challenging demands of being a mother to 2 young boys. In the end, we decided to try out several different options. Michelle took a year’s absence from full-time work and later filled a part-time role first before returning to teaching full-time. Trying out these different options brought about many challenges and disruptions that required much adjustments to made. I’m very appreciative of the sacrifices that Michelle has made for the family. I will never take for granted the fact that Michelle’s career progression and ambitions have been affected because of these sacrifices that she has made and I am very grateful.
I know that the experience of carrying a baby for 40 weeks in the womb is, for Michelle, not a comfortable one. To repeat that process three times is something I can only deeply respect. As a guy, I will never experience pregnancy but I imagine it to be similar to doing an Army Training Evaluation Centre (ATEC) evaluation in National Service (for 40 continuous weeks). The mental, physical and emotional energy needed is probably the most comparable in my lousy imagination. How someone can repeat this process 3 times is beyond me. In Michelle’s words, the simple action of lying flat down your tummy after giving birth is akin to tasting heaven. I can identify with that simple joy. To us guys, a similar joy would be to take a shower after an intense week of ATEC outfield exercises. It is so easy to take the small things for granted but my wife has taught me to cherish much.
“As a guy, I will never experience pregnancy but I imagine it to be similar to doing an Army Training Evaluation Centre (ATEC) evaluation in NS (for 40 continuous weeks).”
When I see what Michelle does on a regular basis and the amount of energy she expends to carry out all the tasks, it makes army life suddenly looks somewhat manageable. Her daily routine starts at 6am with preparation for the boys to be ready for school and the adults to be ready to work. By 12 midnight, after a full day’s work in school and at home, the wife will collapse onto the bed. The tasks of doing the never-ending laundry, ironing, putting the clothes back into the wardrobe, preparing the children’s cereals and porridge, mopping the floor and doing the dishes may seem ordinary to some but not to me. The intensity of these tasks have made the transition from wife to mother physically challenging. Looking back, I think that our capable parents probably sheltered us from much of this hard work, making our adjustment to the daily riguor of such parenting routines tough and often discouraging.
Apart from juggling the household chores to her daily work as a teacher, my wife, Michelle, now juggles the additional daily routine of looking after the boys. This to me is execution power at its highest level. There is an insane amount of detail one needs to be concerned about – from remembering to stock up on groceries and regular household items, to remembering the kinds of medicine the children need to take and the dosage, to all the different childcare details etc. I’m so glad that someone like me who is not a naturally detail-oriented person has someone like Michelle to share this burden with.
Michelle will always claims that “mother’s instinct” is a fallacy and I can understand where she comes from. I observe a huge amount of discipline that Michelle undertakes to make sure things get done and responsibilities are taken care of. She works really hard. I’m so glad that I married a wife who has Responsibility, Achiever and Discipline as her strengths!
“If God’s desire is to make us holy rather than happy, I can truly say with certainty that parenting is a divine work.”
Reflecting on the work my wife puts in for our family has made me think hard about the idea of Godly work. If God’s desire is to make us holy rather than happy, I can truly say with certainty that parenting is a divine work. Becoming parents is a path that Michelle and I made together by choice. I see it as a similar path to the one Jesus took when he carried the cross to Calvary – a path filled with pain and suffering but one that signifies obedience. This path is not one taken out of convenience but of conviction. Walking this path has led Michelle to seek God more in her times of need, reflect on her own character flaws and allowed God to continue to mold and shape her. If there is one aspect that I want to specially pay tribute to, it will be my wife’s resolve to please God in the holy work of parenting. I think that is a strength Michelle has truly exhibited. I am glad to have experienced my wife’s walk with God first-hand.
I now have a deeper sense of how motherhood is a high and divine calling, one that is holy work and certainly not lesser than other kinds of work. I pray that God's blessings and grace continue to be given to all the mothers out there. Happy Mother’s Day!
*This article was first written as a guest article for Church of Our Saviour Singapore, published under the title of "The Holy Work of Mothers". This version has been slightly edited and re-published.
What's in a Teacher?
Ever wondered what are the top 5 common strengths of teachers in Singapore? StrengthsFinder Gallup Certified Coach Victor Seet shares his research findings.
I have always admired what teachers do. I married a teacher, and I have so many good friends who chose this vocation.
As a Gallup certified coach in Singapore, I also have the added privilege of working with many school leaders and teachers, conducting Strengths-based Leadership Workshops for teachers and partnering with them in conducting Strengths-based student development programs.
Being a teacher is a high calling. To many Singaporeans, the profession entails imparting knowledge and developing the students’ potential.
But to me, it’s so much more than that.
The long hours, the intense marking of scripts, the pressure of managing a group of vastly different (and easily distracted) students every day, and the increasing administrative workloads make this vocation an extremely challenging one.
In fact, many teachers suffer burn-out because of the intense day-to-day demands. I’ve often heard first-hand the challenges faced by teachers, and I’ve grown to develop much respect for these teachers.
As we celebrate Teachers’ Day this week, I’m asking myself this question: “What’s in a teacher? What kind of strengths do teachers in Singapore have?”
Driven by that question, I took some time to compile data on different teachers in Singapore. I’ve coached almost all of them or conducted Strengths-based Leadership Workshops for.
In this analysis, I look into a sample size of 1,200 teachers spanning 30 different Singaporean government schools, including primary, secondary, and junior colleges.
What were my findings?
Amongst all the teachers I’ve worked with, the Responsibility talent theme is the most common. Out of the sample size of 1,200, 39% of them had the Responsibility theme in their Top 5 profiles.
The second most common strength is the Learner theme, coming in at 33%.
From there, Relator, Connectedness, and Harmony are the next most common themes (in that order). These three StrengthsFinder themes are found amongst 26-27% of the teacher population. (The difference in percentages was so small as to be negligible, although a larger sample size might reveal a greater disparity.)
On the other end of the spectrum, the rarest strength amongst Singaporean teachers is the Competition StrengthsFinder theme. Only 1% of the teachers in the sample had this theme.
The second rarest strength is the Significance StrengthsFinder theme, coming in at 2%.
What does this data tell us about teachers in Singapore?
1. Singaporean teachers are dedicated and committed.
This is evident from the Responsibility theme. This finding comes as no surprise, given what I’ve observed on a regular basis.
The high sense of ownership drives many teachers to have a deep dedication to their work. Pushing hard (often to the point of working on weekends) is incredibly normal to many teachers. The dedication to impact students often means going the extra mile too.
Married to a teacher wife whose number 1 strength is Responsibility, I often observe how this deep sense of dedication plays out. I have seen many times how she went beyond her duty to help her students with other aspects of their lives (beyond the academic portion). I imagined that many teachers are doing the same. There are so many stories I have heard from friends recounting how different teachers have impacted their lives. With my Responsibility strength ranked at number 22, I'm amazed at how powerful the deep sense of psychological ownership can be.
I think we should all celebrate the fact that as a nation, Singapore is full of dedicated teachers!
READ: USING STRENGTHSFINDER AS A TEACHER
2. Singaporean teachers embody lifelong learning.
When we talk about Singapore’s vision to cultivate a “Learning Nation,” these are people who truly walk the talk. This comes from the strong Learner theme within the demographic.
I am also mindful that the unique wiring of those with the Learner theme gives them the inclination to pursue this calling as a teacher. Many Learners enjoy the process of learning and they desire to impart their knowledge and skills to others as well.
I learnt a lot about Learners by observing my wife in action. Her motivation to make sure our kids pick up knowledge and skill sets from a very young age sets her apart from me (I'm quite low on the Learner theme). She spends quite a bit of time learning about how she can create better activities for the kids to learn more effectively, as well as creating platforms for the kids to pick up new knowledge and skills. This is in stark contrast to me – I do enjoy learning, but am often not very intentional about it. With the combination of Responsibility and Learner as her top 2 strengths, I’m thankful and assured that the teachers in our nation take extremely high ownership of their own learning and those of the kids.
I can safely conclude that the MOE mission of cultivating lifelong learners is a corporate mission that resonates deeply with our teachers. With Learner as one of their top themes, it’s more of an intrinsic desire than a job that needs to be done. Thank God that we have so many educators who have the Learner theme!
3. Singaporean teachers build deep lasting relationships.
This is a result of having such a large group of teachers possess the Relator theme.
Relators are those who build deep and lasting relationships. In a world where we are experiencing increasing number of broken families, some of the deep friendships that the teachers have forged with their students will make a huge lasting impact. I believe many of the Singapore teachers will look back and realized the trust and belief they give to their students will empower them to choose the right path.
Relators also value authenticity. This finding tells me that in the development of students, teachers will inevitably challenge and teach students to embrace the full measure of their own unique identities rather than trying to make them be like someone else.
With the growing increase of a narrative telling young people to pursue a quick shot at stardom, this trait is especially important, in my opinion. We, as a nation, need teachers who can help young people combat the lure of trying to be like their idols. We need teachers who can model authenticity to young people. Relators have that gift.
4. Singaporean teachers see the bigger picture behind their individual work.
There is a greater purpose and meaning to this vocation. This comes from the Connectedness theme. Teachers are not merely raising the quality of students. They are building a nation. They are equipping the future generations of Singapore.
It’s said that it takes a village to raise a child. The teachers with Connectedness probably understand the depth of such a phrase. There is now more and more emphasis on collaborative work with different stakeholders to help strengthen the development of our youth. There are more parent dialogue sessions. There are more internship arrangements with companies and different industry partners.
I am very encouraged to find so many school leaders and teachers who are willing to partner with us to impact the lives of the students. Rather than simply seeing us as vendors providing a service, many teachers view us as partners who also contribute to the work of building up our future generations.
It is heartening to see so many teachers with this theme. We need teachers who are gifted in connecting the dots. Rather than seeing education as a pursuit of paper qualifications, this finding tells me that our teachers are driven to help young people understand the impact of education on the different areas of their lives! That is worth giving thanks for!
5. Singaporean teachers embrace the collaborative narrative.
This comes from the Harmony theme. People with Harmony enjoy collaborative work. Rather than tearing ideas down, they seek to find alignment and consensus within the different voices.
In a world dominated by "I," "me," and "mine," it is so important that our future generations have teachers who can emphasize the "we" and "us" and what it means to work closely with others.
It is said that the increase of technology usage and social media has a direct impact in lowering the level of social skills of our future generations. I am glad to find that so many of our teachers are hard wired to seek for consensus and collaboration. This tells me that it will be natural for many teachers to teach and model teamwork and community building for the students. That will be such an important aspect moving forward. Our teachers are armed with the strength to counter the individualistic culture through the Harmony theme.
Other than building a collaborative narrative, people with Harmony are also people who desire to bring peace. In a world where racism is still a norm in many nations, we need teachers who can help the young cultivate a sense of respect for people regardless of race, language or religion. The lack of racial harmony has wrecked many nations. I’m thankful that a large group of our Singapore teachers intrinsically value peace and collaboration.
Concluding thoughts: After highlighting the 5 most common strengths found among our teachers, I discovered something interesting about the other spectrum. While there is a sizeable number of Singaporeans with the Competition StrengthsFinder theme, only 1% of our teachers have this theme.
This tells me that the teachers in Singapore are not likely to be obsessed with benchmarking. While the current system puts a certain pressure on students to go all out in pursuing stellar academic results, our Singaporean teachers might not enjoy such a system. There has been a gradual shift in the focus by MOE to move away from giving too much emphasis to the academic successes of our students. I’m guessing many of our teachers are quietly smiling in their hearts.
What are your thoughts?
Do you resonate with the findings? I'd be happy to hear your thoughts!
Regardless, join me in thanking all the teachers in Singapore for their dedication and passion to invest in the young and helping them to be "Future-Ready!"