Mynhardt van Pletsen

Just to recap, here is my five most prominent strengths, according to the Gallup StrengthsFinder test: 

1.     Input;
2.     Intellection;
3.     Connectedness;
4.     Srategic; &
5.     Maximizer. 

And not only that, but also am I the only person in about 3 billion people to have that exact combination of talents or strengths, in that spesific order!  Or so they say… 

Go here, or here, to do the test for yourself, and maybe get just that little bit closer to knowing who you really are, and what you are supposed to do with your time here. 

Good luck!

Next up: My Megachurch Confessions

Maximizer: If you are particularly talented in Maximizer, you focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. You seek to transform something good into something superb. 

Maybe one of my all time favourite quotes is this one by Jim Collins, from his best-seller book: Good To Great: 

I have often found that the worst enemy to being great at something, is not at all being bad at that same thing. The worst enemy to being great is just being satisfied at being good at something. 

Another advertisement for an investment company that’s running on tv nowadays, has the following tagline: Being ordinary has never changed the world. 

This last strength is exactly why I am on this quest: so that I can refine more and more God’s purpose for my life on this earth. So that when I look back on my life, I will be able to say that I did everything to be self-aware, and available to God, so that He could change the world in extraordinary ways through me! 

So, that’s my fifth strength: Maximizer.

Strategic: If you are particularly talented in Strategic, you create altrernative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, you can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues. 

I really enjoyed serving on StratCom, the governing body of a ministry I used to work for, called 13^th Floor. There we constantly talked about problems and obstacles in the way of our vision and plans for the road ahead. I especially enjoyed plotting ways in my mind on how to overcome financial and staffing difficulties as new ministry oppurtunities presented themselves. 

I must add however, that just as much as I enjoy thinking up a solution, I get frustrated by someone bringing up possible problems facing a spesific opportunity or project. This has made me into someone prone to be a little naïve to obstacles in our way, and sometimes a little impatient when somebody brave enough eventually mentions them! 

So, that’s my fourth strength: Strategic.

Connectedness: If you are particularly talented in Connectedness, you have faith in the links between all things. You believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has a reason. 

Maybe this is the reason why a couple of my core values seems to be realness, authenticity, transparency and honesty. I totally get irritated by the fact that sometimes people, and mostly Christian people, live these lives where they segregate the different aspect of their existence! It’s as if their faith parts have nothing to do with their work parts have nothing to do with their family parts, and so on.  

Well, you get the picture! 

It’s is as if every time I get up to teach or give my opinion about something, it has to do with being real, and integrating the different aspect of our lives. To just be the same person, everywhere! It’s as true as the poster to the movie Syriana, starring George Clooney, suggested: everything is connected! 

I guess I need to concentrate on this strength if we are going to effectively minister to a generation that integrates their so-called secular and sacred lives! 

So, that’s my third strength: Connectedness.

Intellection: If you are particularly talented in Intellection, you are characterized by your intellectual activity. You are introspective, and you appreciate intellectual discussions. 

Put another way, I always live with this constant hum in the back of my head! It was interesting for me to realize that my two greatest strengths both belonged to the group known as thinking themes. I guess that shouldn’t come as a surprise to me, since I sometimes enjoy my own company more that those of anyone else’s.  

This talent has greatly helped me to think through matters, and to constantly contemplate decisions long before I actually need to make them, or to put them into practice. 

So, that’s my second strength: Intellection.

To kickoff this new season of blogging for me, I thought I’d let you in on another great ministry resource that helped me, and our whole team, to align ourselves toward what we’re good at, and try to delegate those things where we don’t have specific talents or strenghts for. The StrenghtFinder test from the Gallup Organisation finds your strengths, and help you to focus more on what you are actually good at! I’m also busy working through the book Now, Discover Your Strengths.

So I thought I’d share my five strengths with you, and just maybe you’d also give it a try: 

Input: If you are particularly talented in input, you have a craving to know more. You may very well like to collect and archive all kinds of information. 

This is so true about me!  

Not only do I never erase a file, which I store on either my 160GB laptop drive, or on my 250GB external hard drive, but one of my favourite passtimes is to whatch Discovery, National Geograpic, History Channel or Animal Planet until three in the morning! I also have the inate ability to always help my colleagues find things, whether it be in books or online, they always come to me for random facts. In ministry. this has helped me to read often, and has kept me curios and a constant learner.

So, that’s my first strength: input.