As students and faculty of West Texas A&M University, we are familiar with Gallup’s StrengthsQuest. WTAMU is partnering with the Gallup, Inc. to become a strengths-based campus, which will engage students in both challenging and meaningful experiences that aid in their intellectual and personal development. It is important to know our strengths because they help us discover and talk about people’s greatest talents.

Dr. Jessica Mallard, Dean of the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities, presented the theme of the week, Arranger, to students and faculty last Thursday to deepen the theme’s unique characteristics. Dr. Mallard’s strengths, in order, are Maximizer, Harmony, Arranger, Input, and Achiever. People exceptionally talented in the Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibility that complements this ability. They like to determine how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity. In other words, Arrangers see the chaos and bring it to order. Other words used to describe an Arranger are juggler, multi-thinker, orchestrator, and controller. They need to bring flexibility and interactivity to the table, intuitively sense how different people can work together, and work effectively and efficiently through others.

Gallup.com defines Arrangers as conductors. They continue with, “When faced with a complex situation involving many factors, you enjoy managing all of the variables, aligning and realigning them until you are sure you have arranged them in the most productive configuration possible. In your mind there is nothing special about what you are doing. You are simply trying to figure out the best way to get things done.”

Dr. Mallard says, as an Arranger, inefficiency is a big pet peeve for those who hold the strength. This can give the misconception that Arrangers are bossy. However, Dr. Mallard thinks it’s important for others to understand that, “[Arrangers] appreciate wanting to have the most effective way to get things done, so getting input from people is helpful—even though they may seem bossy.”

Dr. Mallard believes that Arrangers would be great in leadership positions because of their passion for the responsibility to create and modify plans, and need for opportunities to think on their feet. “It’s important to understand and appreciate our strengths,” Dr. Mallard states “We have to look at what it is we do well and what kind of positions we fit into.”

Arrangers have a natural ability to orchestrate people and resources for maximum effectiveness. Beethoven encapsulates the theme when he said, “Tones sound, and roar and storm about me until I have set them down in notes.”