In this episode of Strengths on Fire, we chat with Karen Senger from the Food Bank of Northern Nevada and she’s a total strengths rockstar. Karen shares how she’s built a successful career in fundraising and leadership without any Influencing strengths in her top 10 (yep, really!). She gets real about how her strengths like Connectedness, Developer, and Input help her lead with heart, mentor her team, and make a real impact. We also laugh about her ‘Karen Land’ moments, messy desks, and what happens when Intellection takes over. It’s honest, relatable, and packed with strengths wisdom, don’t miss it!

To contact Karen:
https://fbnn.org/

Takeaways

• You don’t need Influencing themes to influence others, authenticity and relationships go a long way.
• Fundraising and leadership are rooted in listening and connection, not persuasion.
• When you know your strengths, you can lead and communicate with greater confidence and clarity.
• Your bottom themes don’t define your limits, your top strengths show you how to succeed your way.
• Leading with curiosity and connection can make you an effective communicator, even without commanding presence.
• You don’t have to “fix” your weaknesses when you can use your strengths to fill the gap.
• Being aware of your natural patterns like overcommitting helps you delegate and grow as a leader.
• Your strengths can pull in different directions self-awareness helps you find harmony between them.
• Building strong teams starts with understanding how each person is wired and what fuels them.
• You can create more effective conversations by translating strengths in others.
• When you overuse a strength like Input, it can overwhelm others unless you filter it through intention.
• Letting people into your thought process builds trust and avoids misunderstandings.
• Clear and kind communication is a strengths-based skill that creates stronger teams.
• Strengths maturity happens when you use your talents in service of others, not just yourself.
• The more you invest in knowing and using your strengths, the more impact you’ll have at work and in life.

Sound Bites

• I influence people, but in a different way—through relationships, curiosity, and connecting the dots. Not by twisting arms.
• It’s not a battle—my Responsibility and Developer can work together to help others grow.
• Sometimes I forget that I haven’t let people into my thinking. Welcome to Karen Land!
• I used to firehose people with articles. Now I ask, “Do they really need this right now?
• Fundraising isn’t about persuasion. It’s about listening, learning, and connecting people to what matters to them.”
• When something’s not working, I don’t jump to blame—I ask, is it miscommunication? Let’s get the right people in the room and talk.
• Clear is kind. And sometimes that means parking my Harmony and having the tough conversation.

Karen's Top 10 CliftonStrengths
1) Connectedness
2) Learner
3) Responsibility
4) Input
5) Intellection
6) Developer
7) Consistency
8) Adaptability
9) Relator
10) Achiever

Bill's Top 10 CliftonStrengths 

1) Individualization

2) Developer

3) Activator

4) Woo

5) Restorative

6) Empathy

7) Harmony

8) Connectedness

9) Relator

10) Learner

Sarah's Top 10 CliftonStrengths 

1) Positivity

2) Woo

3) Communication

4) Harmony

5) Activator

6) Developer

7) Input

8) Individualization

9) Responsibility

10) Arranger 

Official Strengths On Fire Website:  https://strengthsonfire.transistor.fm

GET MORE FROM BILL AND SARAH:
Bill's info:
https://billdippel.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamdippel/
https://www.instagram.com/billdippelcoach/

Sarah's info:
https://www.wearecollinsco.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahcoachcollins/
https://www.instagram.com/sarahcoachcollins/