Profiles in Strengths: Tim Budworth
Achiever
Maximizer
Learner
Strategic
Activator
Tim Budworth is the Director of Instructional Technology & Media Services at South Mountain Community College
Q. As you look back at the career path that brought you to your current position, which of your strengths do you see as instrumental on your journey?
A. If I had to pick just one strength that I believe was instrumental to me in my career path which brought me to my current position, I would have to say it is my number one strength – Achiever. This strength is what pushes my drive and need for achievement on a daily basis. It is what makes me want to come to work early and get things done before the normal business day starts. I used to love the Army commercial from the 80’s that had a tag line of “we do more before 9 a.m. than most people do all day.” Early on in my career, I worked for a remarkable leader who was very busy and didn’t have a lot of time to spend supervising me. My achiever strength allowed me to be successful without the constant need of motivation from my supervisor – and because of this I believe that Senior Management saw the potential in me.
Q. We think of our strengths as being used most when we’re doing something that energizes us – what about your career energizes you most and why?
A. One of the things that energize me most about my career is the immediate satisfaction of being able to help fix someone’s problem. Working in the technology side of the business, we are presented with opportunities on a daily basis to make someone’s life a little better – or at least the opportunity to make a frustration go away. This reflects my need for a sense of achievement throughout the day. In my current position I don’t spend a lot of my day working on or fixing computer problems – but when the opportunity comes up, I enjoy the challenge and sense of accomplishment.
Q. We also use our strengths as a way to face challenging situations or as a means of getting through difficult experiences. Which strengths power you through the tough parts of your day?
A. The one strength that I feel powers me through the tough parts of my day is learner. A tough day could be the result of not being familiar with a process or something that is out of the ordinary. Because I love to learn – this strength guides me through some of the tough times and enables me to focus on the journey from not knowing to a state of competence. I don’t mind change – and because of my learner strength, change is something that challenges me and motivates me because I get to learn something new or a new way of doing something.
Q. Since learning your strengths, what realizations have you had, what changes have you considered, or what goals have you set for the future?
A. The biggest realization I have had since learning my strengths is that I now make a conscientious effort to incorporate the ability for easy “achievements” throughout my day. Some days I spend a lot of time working on long-term plans or strategic processes – and they don’t provide the immediate satisfaction of achievement unless I break them up into smaller bites. Doing so allows me to recognize the sense of accomplishment and fulfill that need of feeling good about what I’ve done for the day. Additionally, my learner strength has me thinking of the various educational opportunities that Maricopa Community Colleges present. Within the next 6 months, I would like to start taking classes for my private pilot’s license out at the Williams Field Campus of CGCC – feeding that need for constant learning.
