MYBRAND: My strengths

In addition to identifying the "word" that I own, it has been suggested to me to write down my strengths. I actually took a Gallup poll to identify them. Here they are:

• Input: People strong in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.
• Intellection: People strong in the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions.
• Learner: People strong in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
• Restorative: People strong in the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it.
• Adaptability: People strong in the Adaptability theme prefer to "go with the flow." They tend to be "now" people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.

When I first read these "strengths," I was alarmed because the top three didn't appear to have a practical application to them. I also was concerned because I thought that these strengths didn't really differentiate myself from other writers. I'm sure plenty of writers like to think and learn about things. Also, it's great, in general, that I like to learn, but people don't want to hire someone who learns, they want to hire someone who already knows. That's why being an expert is such a big deal. I don't know if there's a demand for generalists.

Now that I have the flashlight idea, I thought maybe what would differentiate me is what I like to collect following the "input" theme, and what I like to think about, following the "intellection" theme. I definitely find myself desiring to write about something different, or write about something that's the same in a different way. In fact, I'm wondering if my writing reflects that to the extent I'd like it to.

The restorative theme is very good, because it's true I'm good at giving "notes" on people's scripts. However, combined with the other themes, I was paranoid that I was just well-suited for development, and not for writing. I think it may still be good in general when working with others... I just need to make sure I can point out what's wrong without shutting people down altogether, or painting myself into a corner.

Last, the adaptability is a nice-sounding theme, but I don't know how true that is for my writing. I would say I could adapt to different shows fairly well, but I find myself resistant sometimes to taking notes. Mostly because I don't want to do a lot of work. Maybe the sixth theme is being lazy :) Also, I don't want to be so adaptable that you can run right over me, which is probably why I'm resistant sometimes -- I can't always tell when someone's trying to take over the process or just giving me good notes.

I just remembered how in high school my English teacher said I was a natural deconstructionist. That's a school of literary criticism. I thought that was a little odd, but now I'm wondering if that can help me. Deconstructionists, I think, like to focus on what's not in the literature, rather than what is there. I guess I could go look that up.

Can anyone see any practical or "oo-I-want-to-hire" you angles for these strengths that I could emphasize?