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Carol Anne McGuire
What does Ideation, Activator and Input Equal?
Ideation + Activator + Input = ?
Apparently it equals: "McNugget", "Mrs. Cluck", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Bok Bok Choy"!
Read moreA Whirlwind Week!
What a whirlwind of a week! My new book had the first edition come out! It sold out in the first 24 hours! And now the VERY cool thing is people are posting their pictures with it. I still can't believe that it's done, let alone on different continents right now!
Thank you, for supporting this project! My prayer is that it will get into the hands of Strengths coaches and enthusiasts so they can better understand each theme, and how it manifests in their own lives. Each one of those pictures has a back story!
One of my favorite funny ones is Ideation. Before I started sketching, I told the Gallup Certified Strengths Coaches that I had only 2 more sketches to go: Consistency and Ideation. To finish up those themes, I asked if they'd like to be a part of a think-tank so we could brainstorm them as a group before I started thinking about the direction I wanted to take on each one.
But IMMEDIATELY, I had 50 people in my Ideation brainstorming group! They were throwing out ideas left and right! You couldn't even believe it! They shouted out ideas like, "It's like fireworks!" and "It's like a firehose that never shuts off!", "Popcorn!", "A run away train of thought!"... Ideas were BURSTING!
As they gave me ideas, I just started sketching them...furiously! I tried to include them all! But the one that really got me was Florence Hardy's comment, "It's like mushrooms!"
Mushrooms??? OK, you got me stumped there!
"You know, They can appear and pop up in numbers!"
So, of course I had to add add some mushrooms for Florence. The definition of Ideation: "People exceptionally talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated with ideas. They are able to find connection between seemingly disparate phenomena."
Oh, Consistency... I started out working with 3 amazing people who really helped me think deeply about that strength. I struggled with it because it was my #34. And I think it may be one of the favorite ones I drew because I came to appreciate that particular strength more through this process!
Thanks Bob Van Baren, for posting your picture with my book! You were the very first one to receive it in the mail!
Ideation
People exceptionally talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated with ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.
I had a blast sketching this theme! I contacted a bunch of friends who are high in Ideation, and (OH BOY!) the ideas were rolling! I had to draw this one with combustible colors...because it reminded me of our brainstorming sessions! Ideas exploded like popcorn and fireworks! It was a water hose on full blast!
I got to watch this theme in its full strength and loved every minute of it!
This theme is in my Top 10 and I resonated with the ideas of being able to link ideas, spontaneous creativity and a pioneering spirit. I left the word "Idea" in Ideation blank because I just LOVE blank canvases! There are whole new worlds in a blank canvas... it's just begging for lively colors and visualization.
A person with high Ideation is fascinated by ideas. They can dig under a complex issue and discover a simple way to explain why things are the way they are. Looking at the world in unique ways is a joy. They love ideas because they can be profound, novel, clarifying, contrary, and bizarre. Most of all, they love to find new and creative ways to accomplish a goal.
Tips for People with High Ideation:
- Capture it: Find a way to capture your ideas so you can come back to them. Even this act can be creative: writing, recording...even sketching!
- Clarify it: Practice articulating your ideas. Get feedback from colleagues, family and friends, to make sure they are able to follow your train of thought.
- Cultivate it: Grow this strength. Learn how to focus and feed your Ideation.
Next week is my last theme in the StrengthsFinder sketches! The sketches are available in Top 5 prints as a limited edition. Packets are $99 for your Top 5, plus S&H. And very soon, they will be published as a book for Strengths Enthusiasts!
