Profiles in Strengths: Sian Proctor, Ph.D.
Futuristic
Activator
Relator
Positivity
Intellection
Dr. Sian Proctor is a geology professor at South Mountain Community College. Throughout her adult life she has pushed herself to take on new challenges and to learn new things. She has a B.S. in Environmental Science, M.S. in Geology, and a Ph.D. in Science Education. She is SCUBA certified, has her pilot license, and was a finalist for the 2009 NASA Astronaut Program. She has taught and travelled around the world. She is a captain in the Civil Air Patrol and the aerospace education officer for her squadron and engages in search and rescue activities. Recently, Dr. Proctor appeared on the Discovery Channels reality TV show called The Colony. Dr. Proctor believes in life-long learning and tries to instill this mentality with her students.
Q. Do you call upon one or two of your strengths on a daily basis more than others?
Yes, Activator comes up for me a lot. If something comes up, I have to get it done. Futuristic, as well. I’m always planning ahead, setting up my calendar. I prefer knowing what’s ahead so I can work toward it and focus on it. I also think my students, in particular, appreciate when my Positivity comes through. They can really tell that I have a positive approach, which also comes into play with looking toward the future and activating to realize that future.
Q. You’re eclectic in your pursuits – how does your choice of activities reflect or exercise your strengths?
My Futuristic strength drives me to visualize where I’ll be in a month, in a year, in five years. I’m very opportunistic, which I think is what you get when you combine Futuristic with Activator: I feel constantly propelled to find unique opportunities and pursue them. If you’re always visualizing your future, then you find ways to make it happen.
Q. Speaking of future endeavors, which strengths will really be tapped in your upcoming pursuits?
Futuristic and Activator are really strong, so those are with me at all times. My Positivity makes me feel like I’m lucky to be doing what I’m doing and embarking on what’s next. Everyone should have Positivity in their top five; it’s the best way to be! On sabbatical, I will hopefully be using my Intellection – thinking through various options, questioning what I find, playing at possible scenarios, and possibly I’ll get to use Relator, if I meet people along the way who I find really fascinating or surprising.
Q. Any final thoughts on your strengths?
I’m new to this stuff, and I really didn’t know much about it going in, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised at what I’ve learned through the process – about myself. I can see myself in a different way and analyze my actions. It’s kind of fun to see how the strengths play out in my day to day life. Now, I am just eager to learn more about how to put these to work for me even more, to use them to my advantage.
