DEPENDABLE STRENGTHS WORKSHOP BIOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONNAIRE Property of Address Date Phone The Dependable Strengths Articulation Process Keys to growth, renewal, resilience There is excellence in each person. It starts early, continues throughout life. Dependable Strengths are skills, talents or traits a person has identified as essential to his or her future Good Experiences. Dependable Strengths are concentrated in Good Experiences. A Good Experience is defined as something you feel you did well, enjoyed doing and are proud of. Good Experiences are explored to find the unique pattern of Dependable Strengths each person possesses. In this form you look at what s right with you experiences. Then you can explore to see the foundation of skills on which to build the flexibility and stability you need for these fast-changing times. You begin to see your own Dependable Strengths. They are keys to using more of your potential, living a fulfilled life, doing well, having good relationships, less stress and greater employability. Many thousands of people have experienced DSA; nearly all (93%) said they learned new things about themselves. They could see how to influence their futures. KNOW YOUR BEST SELF, your Dependable Strengths and you open the door to seeing and using more of your potential. You really can influence your possibilities for success and happiness. It takes about two hours, one hour twice, to complete this. You need only your memory, patience and something to write with. Answer the questions in the order they appear. This is not a test! Complete and bring this form with you to the first DSA class. The Enhancing human potential one life at a time
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THE BIOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONNAIRE PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE YOU START What is a Good Experience? As you complete this packet you will be asked to list special events in your life called Good Experiences. Good Experiences are the foundation of the Dependable Strengths process so it is important you understand what these are and are not. Good Experiences are unique events which have a specific definition and criteria. They are not the same as nice times, good memories, or a happy experiences (although they may be connected to these). Check your Good Experiences to make sure they meet these requirements: 1. First, the definition: A Good Experience is SOMETHING YOU FEEL YOU DID WELL, ENJOYED DOING AND ARE PROUD OF. The important points of this are: A. SOMETHING YOU DID means you actively made this experience happen. It is not something that just happened to you or you were indirectly involved in. Example: No: My spouse took me on a wonderful vacation to Hawaii and we had a grand time. Yes: I planned and organized my wedding involving over 300 people, including designing the invitations, arranging for food, flowers, photographs, facilities, and the reception. It all came off without a hitch. B. YOU FEEL YOU DID WELL means you are the sole judge of how well you did it. It does not matter how anyone else might evaluate it. It is only your opinion and sense of accomplishment that counts. C. YOU FEEL YOU DID WELL, ENJOYED AND ARE PROUD OF... means a Good Experience must meet ALL three criterion, not just one or two of them. You may have done something you feel you did well and are proud of but DID NOT ENJOY. That, then, is not a Good Experience. Make sure it meets all three requirements. 2. ANYTIME, ANY PLACE a Good Experience can come from any time and any place in your life. Good Experiences can happen from early childhood to the present. You may want to think about each five year period of your life and search it for Good Experiences. They may occur in any part of your life home, school, work, hobbies, leisure, etc. Do not limit yourself to just one or two areas of your life. 3. SPECIFIC, NOT GENERAL Good Experiences are specific, concrete events with a time, place, action and outcome not general life milestones like getting a master s degree, raising three children or getting married. If you want to consider these as Good Experiences, ask yourself, What specifically did I do in that experience that I feel I did well, enjoyed and am proud of? give a concrete example. 4. OFTEN SMALL EVENTS, NOT LARGE Good Experiences do not necessarily involve great accomplishments, success, fame or fortune. They are often events which others know nothing about or might even consider insignificant. They can be the small triumphs in our life which give us a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. Don t eliminate it because it seems silly, trivial or unimportant. - 1 -
GOOD EXPERIENCE: Something you feel you did well, enjoyed doing and are proud of. 1. What is the Good Experience that first comes to your mind? (Briefly write it here). 2. What activities give you the most pleasure when you are not at work? Give two or more examples. 3. In your latest assignment, activity or work experience, which parts did you do best and enjoy most? Give three or more parts. 4. After leaving high school, which two or three subjects did you study and enjoy most? 5. Below, briefly outline as many of your Good Experiences as you can. Write them down as they come to mind; they won t be in chronological order. Look at your whole life: all parts of it family, school, work, sports, etc., childhood to the present. Sometimes they bunch together, and sometimes there s a gap between them. It may help if you try to think of two or more for every three years of your life. Write down at least 15. A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. - 2 -
K. L. M. N. O. P. Q. R. S. T. 6. Assign a value to your Good Experiences. Circle the letters of the ten that you feel were the greatest. If you have overlooked any add them to your list, lettering them U, V, W, etc. 7. Now prioritize the ten Good Experiences you have circled. Of these, which do you feel is the greatest one of all? Write the number 1 in the blank beside that experience, a number 2 beside the next greatest, a number 3 beside the next greatest and so on up to 7. If two of those you numbered seem about even to you, join them with a line. 8. How early can you go in remembering a Good Experience? Try to recall one from before you were ten or even before you were five. Give your approximate age and describe the experience briefly. 9. Although they may seem insignificant to you, describe three more Good Experiences you had before you were age 17. Give your age each time. 10. In the seven boxes that follow, describe each of your top seven Good Experiences (see #7). For each one, give the summary next to the letter in question 5 sufficient detail to show what you did when making it happen, and your age. - 3 -
Box 1 Box 2 Box 3 Box 4-4 -
Box 5 Box 6 Box 7 11. What are your hobbies? What do you do for fun, when you are not working? Give two or three if you can, and the number of years they have been hobbies. 12. What career, profession or work-related books and magazines do you read with some regularity? What studies do you undertake on your own? What are your other languages? - 5 -
13. Are you satisfied with your life/career progress at the present time? Yes No If you answer is no, write down two or more things you think may have interfered or might interfere in the future with your satisfaction. 14. Work history: For each paid or unpaid job, starting with the most recent, give the information asked for in the three columns. (The center column may be something not included in your formal job description.) Employer, how long Example: Northwest Association, 2 years Your best contribution on that job (as you see it) Noticed a water leak and gave warning which prevented serious damage Title, job description Research assistant. Do general and detail work - 6 -
15. Job Activity Components. It is not difficult to say what kind of activities you would most like in your ideal job. So here are 16 differenc6t activity clusters with 48 parts that combine to make up most jobs. Read through them, then check three to five of the 16 clusters that you feel must be in the job you d really like. 1. Design, color, shape 2. Calculate, count, keep records 3. Observe, operate, inspect 4. Write, read, talk, speak, teach 5. Hand skills: Fix, build, assemble 6. Analyze, systematize, research 7. Invent, develop, create, imagine 8. Helping, serving, being kind 9. Ideas, beauty, foresight 10. Outdoor travel activities 11. Manage or direct others 12. Independent work, own/collect things 13. Playing music, acting, demonstrating 14. Foods, cooking, homemaking 15. Persuade, sell, influence others 16. Sciences, engineering Of the clusters you selected, underline the parts you feel are most important to you. 15A. In the space below, arrange the underlined parts in order of their importance to you. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 16. What do you feel are three of your greatest abilities or natural talents? 17. To which community, business, professional, social, campus or other organizations do you belong or have you belonged? (State how long and offices held.) 18. Suggest five activities, factors or responsibilities that you feel should be a part of your ideal job. (This will not be a complete job description.) - 7 -
19. Briefly describe the experience you feel has done the most for your development. 20. Try to describe the next position or job you would like to have. 21. Is there anything you know of that could stop you from doing that job well? If so, give details. 22. Education and Training: What is your formal education, major studies, and when and from where did you graduate? List any additional self-training, study or other education (include employer training, correspondence courses, military training, etc.) What courses did you like and do best in? In primary school? In high school? In college/other? Responses to these 22 questions are a good start towards the identification of your Dependable Strengths. You will need to chart and reality-test them; also to articulate them on paper and with another person to make them more meaningful to you. Your seminar leader will help. ESSENTIAL: your Pre-work through #10 must be brought in at the start of this seminar; you ll find it helpful if you also take time to answer the rest. - 8 -