Ghostbusters and the San Francisco Symphony? A very unlikely pair. Yet, it really worked. It was fun and a whole new take on the movie. As green lights cast a Ghostbusters green slimy hue across the classical musicians, the audience knew this was not your every day Ghostbuster! As the audience chanted “Who Ya Gonna Call?”, Ray, Egon, Peter and Winston went to work to conquer the supernatural. As the Giant Stay Puft Marshmallow marched through New York City the symphony’s percussion section seized the challenge to sound like Stay Puft footsteps. Who Ya Gonna Call?
As unlikely as classical musicians, Bill Murray and Ghostbusters sound, it is a reminder that sometimes our most unlikely pairings can result in the greatest outcomes.
In the Gallup strengths finder assessment there are 34 themes, each a bundle of talents. Sharing your results with others is a fantastic way to leverage unlikely pairs.
The results of your strengths finder assessment rank your talents(themes) from 1-34. The top 10 themes are your dominant talents, 10-27 are your supporting talents, and 28-34 are often your lesser talents. (Note, not weakness). One of the hardest things for people to understand when they get their strengths finder results are the lesser talents. People often say, “but I do that all the time”. Lesser talents are a combination of energy and performance. People who use their lesser talents all the time are ripe for burn out. For example, if your number 34 talent is competition, you may be pretty good at competition for awhile but it drains you. Instead of working on being average and moving towards burn out…who is an unlikely partner?
Try this December challenge of Who Ya Gonna Call ?
First, identify an unlikely pairing for yourself. Instead of trying to get better at your lesser talents and being average, consider what would happen if you partnered with someone who has one of your lesser talents in their top five. For example, if your top five strengths are all strategic and your number 33 and 34 are executing strengths; then try partnering with people who have execution strengths in their top five. At first you may find you don’t see the world through the same lenses. Strategic people see the world as what’s possible and love to think, envision, plan and brainstorm. Executing people see the world through the lenses of tasks to complete and are energized by action steps, checklists and being busy. Strategic thinkers and Executors can drive each other crazy, yet they really need each other. And, they are actually stronger together.
Here are some questions to guide you in this December Challenge:
- What would you guess are your lesser talents?
- Who do you know who has one of your lesser talents as their dominant talents?
- What’s a challenge where you could work together?
- What’s your first step in starting this unlikely pair?
Who Ya Gonna Call?
