Gather

Occasionally to keep myself from giving up on this personal blog writing thing I link up with other writers across the nation for something called “Five Minute Friday.” We write for just five minutes from a one-word prompt. Today’s word is “Gather.” GO.

Recently I’ve been asking those in my closest work relationships to share with me the results from their Strengthsfinder assessment. It’s a great tool to build teams and help team members understand and work together better.

According to my test, my top strength is INCLUDER. It means I’m instinctively an accepting person. I don’t want anybody to feel left out, and I want to “stretch the circle wider.” It means, when I’m having a meeting or a party or a group function of any kind – I want to GATHER up everyone I know and help them feel included and important.

This kind of behavior I’m finding can drive some people crazy – including my husband and some of my closest colleagues. Thankfully we gatherers have learned how to get along with our hunters and learn and grow together. I’m grateful for the opportunities I have to work together with those in our church to make everyone feel welcome. If you’re an INCLUDER, too, you’d probably enjoy working in outreach like I do, or maybe you’ll find your sweet spot as a greeter in church.

No matter what your strengths, I hope you’re getting involved so you can feel the warmth of the group. Everyone is welcome.