How KPM Shareholder Becky Harmon Uses Her Strengths

As a shareholder at KPM CPAs & Advisors, Becky Harmon spends a lot of time managing relationships—coworker relationships within KPM’s Springfield office, community relationships at KPM’s Branson office and personal relationships as she juggles family responsibilities. That’s where StrengthsFinder, a Gallup-designed personality assessment, comes in handy. Harmon considers herself a people person, which is clear based on her designated strengths: Responsibility, Consistency, Developer, Relator and Harmony. “I think [my strengths] are useful for dealing with people internally at the firm,” Harmon says. “It’s also useful dealing with external people, but it largely affects management style. In fact, when I first took [the assessment], my results probably affected every communication that I had.”

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Harmon appreciates the insights she’s gained from tools like StrengthsFinder. However, she points out that even her strengths can occasionally pose a problem. She cites two of her strengths, Harmony and Relator, as examples. “I consider myself someone who looks to keep harmony among others, but you can’t always make everybody happy,” Harmon says. “At the end of the day, the least I can do is let people know that they’ve been heard and their thoughts were considered.”

Ultimately, Harmon appreciates the opportunity to look inward and use her own strengths to take her leadership to the next level. That includes serving as a coach for newer KPM associates. “If you can help people see the skills they have—skills they’ve already developed to get toward their goal, that’s a great start,” Harmon says. “From there, you can see what is left and give them some suggestions to bridge that gap. I think sometimes we’re overwhelmed by everything we’re missing the mark on, so being able to show somebody how far they’ve come is great.”