Wordsmith: I can easily put my thoughts into words. Sometimes it’s a bit difficult, but once I manage to say or write something down exactly as I had it in mind it gives me great satisfaction. If you ask me a question, words come out spontaneously. I usually think while talking: sometimes I repeat things in another way because I want to make sure I convey the message accurately. When I have written a nice text, I sometimes catch myself reading it again for my own enjoyment.
Example: When I’ve written a Newsletter or Newsflash. When I’ve written a blog or just a social media article. When I’ve compiled and proofread group/team work or assignments.
Engaged Listener: In one way or the other, I always manage to create a context that feels so safe that people tell me more than they intended. I’m after this type of conversations, because they give me energy. During such a conversation, other things simply don’t matter: it’s just me and the other person. While I’m listening, I vicariously experience the story. My interlocutor also feels this, which makes it possible to have in-depth discussions with him/her. When I’m stressed, I actively look for conversations like this, because they help me to relax.
Example: People often tend to share their problems with me and I create a safe environment that makes them welcome to share and be encouraged or helped in one way or the other. Most times, it begins from me observing that they don’t seem alright and asking what’s wrong. These kind of conversations also help me relax as I place myself in the shoes of the person sharing and most times get emotional alongside the person. E.g. with course mates, church and neighborhood folks, fellow student council members, mere acquaintances, etc.
Selective Star: In everything that interests me and that I consider important, I strive for excellence and the sky is the starting point. I’d rather ignore the things that don’t interest me or that aren’t important to me. I like to be involved in the decision-making process, not out of a desire for power but because I want to have an influence on the decisions made. I only want to learn from the best, mediocrity frustrates me. However, I often feel guilty about this: I’m never completely satisfied.
Example: This is evident when I write, when I’m working with individuals in a team, etc. I always strive for excellence and I never give up until I achieve it to the best of my knowledge at that particular time/for the task at hand, but most times I’m never satisfied because other teammates are not taking the task as seriously as I am. I actively take part in decision making processes, not necessarily because I want to exercise or obtain power, but because I want my opinion to count and I detest mediocrity. However, I sometimes feel guilty about this because the team mates I might be working with obviously have different work ethics.
Visual Organizer: I like to organize things. As soon as I get started, a scenario of what should happen starts to unfold in my head. I am also good at executing those ideas and know exactly what to do. I have no problem with multitasking, because I have a clear picture of the goals in mind.
Example: I love to organize things and get a pictorial imagination of how things will look once I set my mind to place them in order. E.g. My laptop, my room, team projects’ deliverables, individual assignments, etc.
Inspiring Captain: I know which direction I want to go and blindly rely on this. I can motivate others and convince them to take that same direction. I like it when I’m successful in making other people choose for the direction I had in mind. I have a small group of people that I consult for feedback. They may be very outright; however, I don’t allow others to be that close to me. In a way, I like a crisis: it makes me calm and decisive. In those moments, I usually experience some resistance and I am forced to take decisions that are not fair to everyone. That is why I sometimes have to clean up collateral damage afterwards.
Example: I usually have a fore sight of what I want to achieve and can motivate/persuade/convince others around me to see the same thing(s) I’m seeing. E.g. during team work. I am very delighted when I succeed with this because then team effectiveness would be on track. I believe crisis makes a team work better, so I don’t panic when I encounter them, rather, I maximize them as they make me set myself aside to think and become more calm and decisive.
Briefly see how I currently use my talents and competencies below
Dewulf Talent Test Score Sheet
My Mood Board
My reflection on being a participant in this learning group session
This session is a typical and good example of me being a very good participant during learning group sessions. I am often very contributive that even my course mates sometimes say that to me after learning group sessions. I displayed this attitude during this learning group session. I also make sure that I speak very good English during learning groups where I’m just a participant so that the other participants can get a good idea and summary of the point I am making.
Sometime during this learning group session, the lecturer split us in smaller groups where we had to discuss the moodboards we had all made while preparing for the session and then in other smaller groups (our regular class teams) where we had to discuss our top five talents according to the Dewulf talent tests we had taken. When I was giving my teammates my example of being an engaged listener, I explained it very explicitly to them. I told them about a specific example of when one of our classmates had some troubling issues and I noticed and asked about what was wrong. I told them about this our coursemate responding that all was okay and me rephrasing the question by asking "are you sure you're okay?" because I knew in my gut that she wasn't. I told them how this course mates of ours opened up a lot to me and how I was able to just listen first and then help her afterwards (as much as I could). I of course didn't tell them who the course mate is or what the details of the troubling issues she had were to avoid betrayal of trust.
I explained to my teammates that what helps me in being an engaged listener is that I always try to put myself in the other person's shoes and imagine what it would be like to be going through the kind of things they're going through. In some cases as well, it helps that I have probably had (or am still having) the same experiences they're currently having, then it's even more relatable to me and that way I can be of even more practical help as enabled by grace.
I think everyone deserves to be heard and be supported, so I try as much as possible to be that participant who makes work easier for the class chair, note taker and other participants as well.
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