- Command leads you to take charge. Unlike some people, you feel no discomfort with imposing your views on others. On the contrary, once your opinion is formed, you need to share it with others. Once your goal is set, you feel restless until you have aligned others with you. You are not frightened by confrontation; rather, you know that confrontation is the first step towards resolution. Whereas others may avoid facing up to life’s unpleasantness, you feel compelled to present the facts or the truth, no matter how unpleasant it may be. You need things to be clear between people and challenge them to be clear-eyed and honest. You push them to take risks. You may even intimidate them. And while some may resent this, labelling you opinionated, they often willingly hand you the reins. People are drawn towards those who take a stance and ask them to move in a certain direction. Therefore, people will be drawn to you. You have presence. You have Command. - **Shared Theme Description** - People who are especially talented in the Command theme have presence. They can take control of a situation and make decisions. - **Your Personalised Strengths Insights** - __What makes you stand out?__ - By nature, you easily confront the thoughts, ideas and opinions of others. Usually you are bold and straightforward. You see no reason to change your approach for individuals or groups. You express your views in an evenhanded, impartial manner. You simply want everyone to know what you think, feel, expect, value or recommend. Because of your strengths, you are more comfortable talking about ideas than issuing orders or dealing with conflict. You gravitate to conversations with intelligent people. You intentionally cast aside emotions and concentrate on the facts. You continually search for evidence to make your points and wish others would do the same. Instinctively, you purposely interject highly technical language into your conversations — language that may be understood by a limited number of people. Your vocabulary, in and of itself, tends to alert listeners that your ideas and opinions carry extra weight. Simply put: Your air of authority causes individuals to take quite seriously whatever you tell them. Chances are good that you often tackle assignments with great enthusiasm and speed. Your “Let’s just do it right now!” attitude causes many of your friends to pitch in and work alongside you. They probably share your desire to capture topmost honours and first-place titles. It’s very likely that you quiet outspoken people with your quick and clever thinking. You rely on facts and reason to support your ideas. Many individuals choose to submit to whatever you tell them to do. Few dare to resist and ignore your orders. Frequently your mental agility overpowers people who traditionally like to take charge. - **Questions** - 1. As you read your personalised strengths insights, what words, phrases or lines stand out to you? - 2. Out of all the talents in this insight, what would you like for others to see most in you? - **Action Items** - o Your Command talents might compel you to wrestle for the reins of power because you love being in the driver’s seat. But remember that even when you are not formally in charge, your presence can be an unseen yet powerfully felt force. - o Step up and break bottlenecks. Others count on your natural decisiveness to get things moving. When you remove roadblocks, you often create new momentum and success that would not have existed without you. - o Consider taking the lead on a committee. You have definite ideas about what you would like to see happen and you can naturally influence a group to follow you. You might be comfortable spearheading new initiatives. - o Seek roles in which you will be asked to persuade others. Consider whether selling would be a good career for you. - o Find a cause you believe in and support it. You might discover yourself at your best when defending a cause in the face of resistance. - o You will always be ready to confront. Practise the words, the tone and the techniques that will turn your ability to confront into real persuasiveness. - o In your relationships, seize opportunities to speak plainly and directly about sensitive subjects. Your unwillingness to hide from the truth can become a source of strength and constancy for your colleagues and friends. Strive to become known as a candid person. - o Ask people for their opinions. Sometimes your candour will be intimidating, causing others to tread lightly for fear of your reaction. Watch for this. If necessary, explain that you are upfront simply because it feels uncomfortable to keep things bottled up, not because you want to frighten other people into silence. - o Partner with someone with strong Woo or Empathy talents. Some obstacles do not need to be confronted; they can be circumvented. This person can help you avoid obstacles through relationships. - o Your “take charge” attitude steadies and reassures others in times of crisis. When faced with a particularly trying challenge, use your Command talents to assuage others’ fears and convince them you have things under control.