Lead Through Strengths (Lisa Cummings and Brea Roper)
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| Date | Titre | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Aug 2024 | How to Pick a Coach | 00:24:34 | |
About This Episode This episode is all about how to choose the coach that’s right for you, right now. Listen in as Brea & Lisa discuss what to look for in a coach, the different types of coaches available, the importance of finding a good fit, and more. If you're considering working with a coach, this episode will give you some great insights and advice. Check it out! Work With Us! If you need a Strengths Hype girl, for yourself or your team, connect with BREA at brearoper.com. Whether you bring her in to deliver a keynote, training, or workshop… or, you’re looking for an expert guide to support your internal Strengths efforts… Brea’s ready to create a custom solution for any need, any budget. To work with LISA, check out team workshops and retreats at the Lead Through Strengths site. For 1:1 strengths or life coaching, check out the Get Coached link. For independent coaches, trainers, and speakers, get business tools support with our Tools for Coaches membership. Takeaways Not all coaches are created equal: For as many different reasons you might hire a coach, there are different types of coaches out there. Just like an athlete might have several types of coaches for different needs, understanding the different types of professional coaches will help you pick the one for you.
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Let’s Connect! LISA Website | LinkedIn | Facebook BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
Remember, you already have everything you need to succeed! Sometimes, you just need a coach to help you see it. 🌟Reach out to a coach today!
AI-Generated Transcript Lisa Hi, I'm Lisa. Brea And I'm Brea Lisa And today's topic is how to pick a coach. Brea How do you pick a coach? Oh, man. What a great question. Lisa I know it makes it makes me go in a lot of angles. And the first one is so many people I run into don't even know what a coach is. Of course, they know what a basketball coach is. And when you get into our world of strengths coaching, they're often thinking strengths and conditioning coaching for sports. And then what about the rest? And I want to hear your opinion, Brea. For me, I think there are a lot of kinds of coaches. Of course, people have heard of a life coach. Maybe people have heard of a CliftonStrengths coach because of our world. But then also, I think of other categories like a position coach would be in sports. So if you were on a basketball team, would you have a position coach for a forward? Or would you have a strength and conditioning coach more for other elements of the game? So I think that is important. You could have a business coach, you can have an entrepreneurial coach, you could have a position coach who's actually been an expert in a role that you've been in, then you can have a mindset or growth coach kind of person who helps you observe your brain. You could have an accountability coach. You could have a mentor coach who's been there, done that, and they're more advicey, whereas most coaches are going to be asking you the questions so that you can make the self-discovery. But that's not all there is in coaching. So once your experience, when you think about things like, what even are the genres of coaches that are available out there to people in the world beyond sports. Brea Yeah. Oh my gosh. I'm imagining myself as the person looking for a coach and I'm already scared. My head is already spinning. There are so many options and I don't know where to start. And what even is coaching and what do I expect? And it's a lot of money and is it going to work? I'm excited that we're having this conversation. I like the role coach. I see a lot of people that come in for that. They're in a new position at work. Maybe they just got a promotion or they're trying to get a promotion or they are in a managerial role, let's say, and so they want to be coached on how to be a better manager. Or maybe it's a parent who comes to me and says, hey, I have been pretty good at parenting up until this point. And then I had this other kid and like, wow, they are very different than me. And I just like the way I've disciplined the other kids not working anymore. What do I do? So whatever the role is, I think I see a lot of people that that come for that. Yeah. Lisa Yeah, I think that's great. And the same thing that you just described with parents, it happens with managers all the time where they say, Hey, I had this team and we were amazing together. And then these two people came in or something happened to someone on the team and everything changed. And I just can't get that feeling that I'm a good leader anymore. What's going on and taking that next level. And your growth. So I think what that brings me to is the idea that if you can pick a problem to work on, or a challenge to work on, even if that challenge is, Hey, I want to become a great leader. Or let's say you have something in your mindset - there's some narrative that comes on replay. I had one recently where a guy was like, “I'll never make over $100,000.” And he, he caught himself and said, “I don't know why that story replays in my head.” Those are great things to get a coach for, because they can help you get in there and get that out of there. But they help you observe your brain like that. Or something really specific you want to do really well at, like you said, come into the new job and do really great and get results. Anytime you have that challenge, obstacle or that next level you're trying to reach, aiming the coaching experience at something specific, I think, to your point about it being an investment, that's where you're going to tell the coach what you're wanting to get out of it so that you're aiming them at where they're taking the questions and the process. And then also, you're more likely to know whether you got something out of it, because it's not just a nebulous conversation about nothing. It is really directed at something you want to achieve. How do you view that when it comes to picking a CliftonStrengths coach? Brea Yeah, I mean, you're right. So many people think of life coaching. It's such a vague place to be. What are we going to even talk about? How are they going to help me? And yeah, so bringing your own problem or just your aspiration. I love working with people who have a specific challenge that they're trying to hit. How can we use your strengths to do this and do this successfully and with excellence and ease and enjoyment and all the things. I also really, really love working with people who are absolutely crushing it at work and at life or whatever. And they're like, gosh, this is going really great. How can I get more? How can I get more of this awesomeness? And as strengths coaches, we can do that. And I think there are many different kinds of coaches out there who can do that. So yes, it might be a problem. It also might be that you want to continue to grow in whatever way. Lisa Yeah, I think that's big because those are also people who are more likely to want to hire a coach, the ones who are always trying to uplevel, always trying to grow, always trying to become a better person or more of who they can be. Or even just the dreamers who say, I have this big aspiration and no one around me gets it. And either I get made fun of or no one understands. I just need someone to talk these kind of things through so that I can be my own compass instead of getting kind of slung around by the people around me and the reactions of people around me. I think it's a nice way for people in that situation to upgrade their peer group, so to speak, by finding a CliftonStrengths coach and having someone around them who really believes in them, often more than the coachee believes in themselves. Brea I love that. Earlier you were talking about limiting beliefs. We all have them. We're all working to overcome them. But to have a coach who actually has your best interest at heart, they really want you to win. I think that's what the best coach brings is they want you to win - whatever that means for you. That's all they want. They're not there with their own agenda. I've had some people come to me and they say, what can, what can I expect from coaching? You know, what's the outcome here? And my answer is always, well, what do you want? What do you want to get? Where do you want to go? That's for you to decide. If you can ask yourself that question and get really clear and bring that to your coach and say, look, Here's where I am today. Here's where I want to go. Then it's the coach's job to help you get there. That's it. And a lot of times what ends up happening, at least in my experience, I don't know, Lisa, if this is how you coach as well, but sometimes what people come in with we discover is not actually the real thing. There's usually something underneath the thing that is getting in the way or a limiting belief they may not even know they have. And so a good coach is, of course, going to be listening to what you ask for and also listening to what you're saying that you may not even know yourself and be able to reflect that back to you. It's good to have that expectation up front and to be open to there being something more - that maybe neither of you are seeing at the beginning. Lisa I love that point and how what it makes me think of is how so often, they'll come in with one thing. And then they're in the middle of the third call in, and they say, “Oh my gosh, I'm so frustrated with my mother in law right now.” And they're, they're talking about something that is totally off the path of where you've gone before, and they've come to you to help them get promoted in their leadership position. So they think it's off the table and they come in and they're saying, “Oh, my mother-in-law.” And then you say, Okay, and you help them step through what they can control, and how they're showing up in the situation. And they realize they can't change another person. And they would never expect that through your coaching conversation with them, where you can't coach the mother-in-law who's not there, and you can't control a third person's behavior. So if you help them see how they can show up in a situation and potentially change everything, both about how they view that person, how they decide to show up, and then they realize, Whoa, a coaching relationship, this could be anything, my mind's exploding. It doesn't have to be the thing I hired you for. It doesn’t have to be CliftonStrengths every time. I can change my mind three minutes before our call. I can talk about anything in life and you can help me up level and observe my own brain and see my patterns that affect the way my thoughts and feelings and reactions cascade through all of that. I think that's such a cool element of coaching that a lot of people discover. But now I'm going down a rabbit hole of what happens after you pick a coach. Can we back up to where you were going? Okay, you were getting down the idea of fit. And I would like to bring up the fact that most coaches will do discovery calls with you. So you can assess the fit with each person before you ever engage in the the money exchange - before you're ever actually engaged as a coach. As a professional coach, Brea, they're calling you. What do you hope they'll ask you? What would you advise them to be thinking of and going through when they're assessing fit with someone? Brea Well, gosh, this feels a little bit like one of my favorite movies of all time, The Wizard of Oz. I feel like the wizard, the man behind the curtain. I'm going to lift the curtain a little bit to what it's like on the coach's side. I'm actually assessing fit with the person on the other end of the call as well. So, I think the fit goes both ways, and personality is a huge part of that. Just like when you meet someone on the street, you're going to know how you feel with that person. Can you communicate easily and freely? Are the questions that you're asking being heard? Are you being listened to? Sometimes there are really great coaches out there that just have a different personality, different communication style, or for whatever reason, it's just not a good fit. And communication is key in life, but especially when it comes to coaching. So find someone that you feel safe with, someone that you feel like, I can talk about anything, right? You feel free and safe and heard. For me, that's, that's what I look for in a coach. And that's what I hope to provide to the people that I coach. Lisa Yeah, I mean it really does say it all. I think of it pretty simply too, just do you like them? Yeah. Do you respect them? If you totally don't respect them and they're saying things or even asking you questions, And it's in a way that you can't receive them, even if they're good questions for someone else, but they're not for you, then maybe you're not for each other right now. So that “style fit” to me, it's absolutely so important. I think that fit is important in all the ways. Even my replacement for the concept of selling is just like assessing fit. It's same goes for workshops, the same goes for coaching for any of those. Relationships, are we good for each other? And you want both parties to get something out of it. You want the person making the investment, the coachee, to say, Oh, my gosh, these hours change my life hour by hour, this is more than worth it. And you want the coach to feel enriched and growing and invested. And you want that to be mutual, a mutual benefit. And I love exactly what you said. And I also think that once you choose, it doesn't mean you chose. We said in the title, how to pick a coach. And I really specifically didn't say how to pick THE CliftonStrengths coach, because you might have a lot of coaches over time. You might go for a group coaching versus a one-on-one at some point. I'm a variety gal. I've had lots of coaches. I love having lots of different coaches. I don't think I've ever had more than five sessions with the same person. And it's not because a single person isn't adding value, but I guess in a group program I have. But outside of that, as in a one-on-one, I like the variety of how other people can observe my brain and bring different things to me. And then I start to see trends like, oh, this person's reflecting it back to me. So did two coaches ago. So did one coach ago. And they've said it in really different ways. And it helps me personally grasp it more deeply. And I think if I had the same person, I might not have understood it in a way that I could actually make the change. So I happen to be a variety gal, and I'm not in it looking for a marriage. So how do you handle that, Brea? Long-term, group, one-on-one, how do you look at all of that? Brea Yeah, I think same. I mean, I've had so many coaches over the years, and even at the same time, it's kind of like the friends that are in my life. I go to certain people for certain things. If I need someone to tell me exactly what's up, I want them to hurt my feelings. I don't want a yes man. I know who to go to for that. If I need someone to help me think creatively, then I might go to someone else. And I have coaches that fit those different boxes. So again, begin with the end in mind, right? Know what it is that you're looking for, know what it is that you need to grow, and that will help you choose which coach you want. But also, maybe you're high in CliftonStrengths Relator and you need to build that relationship over time. Maybe you want someone who you can build a coaching relationship with. Then there are coaches who also love to do that, and they want to stick with you for the journey. There are other coaches like Lisa and myself who are like, Hey, show up for one time, and we'll just go with what we've got and see you later. Bye. You know? So again, knowing what you want to get out of it, I think is super important. Lisa Yeah, and what you just brought up, that's another fit element. I do that often. I have this get coached link on my site. I don't require a discovery call. I don't require a bunch of backstory. I don't require an ongoing relationship. I'll just do a one off and a whole lot of coaches don't or won't because there's a whole relationship thing that can go along with it that really enriches it. That that's a unique thing that you just drop in and get a coaching session. And a lot of CliftonStrengths and life coaches wouldn't like that. And a lot of coaches wouldn't get out of it with what they're hoping for. So that's another one, just the offering. You know how I was talking about genre of coach - position coach, mindset coach, accountability coach, mentor coach…and then you layered in this thing about how you want that person to help you think. You know, do you need someone to take you in a creative angle? Do you need someone to be straight with you and call you on your BS? I love that angle as well. There are all these filters and questions you can ask yourself. And sometimes even what you might prefer isn't what you need. And I thought that was interesting, as you were talking. Yeah, so okay, sometimes what I prefer isn't what I need. So what I prefer isn't someone who is slow and present, but is what I need, and is how I grow. When I'm in the vetting process as a coachee, I try to make myself aware of that - where the person I need isn't necessarily the person I love being around the most. I love when coaches are super direct with me. I enjoy a quick answer, a quick-witted person. I appreciate advice. And then also, that may not be what I need. A lot of times I need a coach who sits there with a lot of silence and asks you a question. And if you sit for 15 seconds, not answering. They will just sit there with you. Let your mind work. And let me get present with my challenge. Let me get into it instead of the surface level responses that we want to give. I mean, it's probably a coach joke at this point that people say, well, I don't know. And then coaches will say, if you did know. Brea Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. That was, oh man, the worst fit for me is to go to a coach and be like, I'm stuck here. I don't know where to go. And they're like, well, what do you think you should do? And I'm like, I don't know. That's why I'm here. Lisa And those are sometimes things like, could you figure that out before going in? Well, now that you heard Brea and I say that example, maybe, maybe, you know, and that'll be part of your question and your discovery. But those are all different styles. Sometimes it just unfolds after you've had a call or a few with a person where you understand their questioning techniques and how they help you observe your brain. So just know those things about yourself: · What do you like? · What's your approach? · What do you value? · What do you jive with? · Are you willing to make an investment in one or three sessions to see what you think? How do you approach all of that? Brea I think this is a really good, really good point is how unregulated, is that the right word? This industry is. And the word coach means something different to every coach who calls themselves a coach, okay? So it's important to get good, clear communication before you enter into that coaching relationship just to better understand what it is that we're talking about. Because, yeah, maybe someone calls themselves a coach, but they approach it more as a mentor, where they're saying, I've done this before, you know, I'm a little bit further down the road, let me help you and mentor you in your journey. Or they're a consultant or an advice giver, right? And they want to come with suggestions of what to do, and they're going to tell instead of ask, you know? And all those things are fine, right? Maybe someone wants to teach, you know, there's so much teaching that is possible, especially when it comes to strengths, you know, that understanding our strengths and bringing awareness, maybe that's the coach's specialty. So just know that the word coach doesn't always mean the same thing. And it's good to get clear on what you want and also what the coach brings to see if there's there's that fit. Lisa Yes, I love that. As you were describing that, it was making me think of, now I'm not a golfer, so hopefully I won't get any of this wrong, but I imagine how growing up in sports, we always watched film. So you watch the videos back of yourself playing. And it's a way for you to observe yourself the way the coaches did. I mean, coaches would come to you and they would see trends in your biomechanics or in something about you and they could come back and raise the issue, whether it's causing an issue in your performance now, or maybe it's going to create an issue in your body later if you keep operating your body with that motion. So I think about something like a mechanics review that would happen in golfing. And this idea of watching back video of your swing is kind of like what happens with a coach in our world because a coach is being the video. They're hearing things replayed back. They're hearing patterns in your language as the coachee. They're hearing narratives that you can't see because you're so close to them. And then they can replay the video back for you, metaphorically, because they're just reflecting it back to you with a different light and a different lens. They're helping you see your brain in action. And I think people can really relate to that. So if you're a listener and you've never had a CliftonStrengths coach or a coach of any kind, I think that's a good way to view it. That is a role that a coach plays that you really can't play on your own. I mean, you can be very self-aware. And we do some self-coaching, of course, as humans who are trying to grow. But you get a third party in there who can observe your brain and believe in you and your potential. You put those two things together, and you bring the questions that come forward and the conversations that come forward in those coaching calls. And that's where your life can really start to shift in big ways and much faster than you could ever do on your own. How does that resonate with you, Brea? Brea Totally. I actually have a client and a friend who, a client who's become a friend, who always says, if you want to get there fast, go alone. If you want to get further, go with someone. I think a coach can help you get further faster. Lisa Now, Brea, if they want to go further faster with a CliftonStrengths coach and they want to work with you after hearing all this today, tell them how to work with you. Brea Well, go to my website and schedule a call. I'd love to hear more about what it is that you're looking for and, and see if we're a good fit. Lisa And this is Lisa. If you are interested in working with me, if you go to leadthroughstrengths.com, on the main navigation, you'll see a link called Get Coached. And you can just book a single session straight away from there. And also, if you're interested in just looking at different coaches and what their styles might be at leadthroughstrengths.com slash about, you'll see some of the coaches that are on our team directly, and also some referral coaches who we really believe in, who are listed, so you can get a sense for different coaches, what their specialties are, and who might be a great fit, just by reading some things about their descriptions. So with that, We love that you're here and you're exploring coaching in your life and this idea that if you're suffering, it doesn't have to be a habit. Coaching can help you through that. But also, if you're just doing well and crushing it, hard work doesn't have to be so hard. And those are other things coaches can help you with. What would your closing thought be with finding a coach, Brea? Brea You have everything that you need to succeed. It's already inside of you. reach out to a coach to help you see more clearly what it is, the awesomeness that's already inside of you that you're working with, and just reflect back to you what is good and also maybe what you may not be hearing, but you already have everything that you need. Lisa Yes. And I'm just going to hype Brea because Brea is your strengths hype girl. I mean, if you need somebody to be like, I see it all and I'm going to get it out, go talk to Brea Brea Thank you so much. Lisa All right. We'll see you next round. Brea Bye.
Let’s Connect! LISA Website | LinkedIn | Facebook BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
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| 15 Dec 2024 | Will My CliftonStrengths Change? | 00:15:29 | |
People are always asking us, “Will my CliftonStrengths change?” and “Should I retake the assessment?”
Since these questions are really two sides of the same coin, the short answer to both is the same: probably not. For the longer answer, be sure to listen in as we explore if/when to retake, and how to get the most from your CliftonStrengths results. 🌟
Work With Us! Brea Roper If you need a Strengths Hype Girl, for yourself or your team, connect with Brea at brearoper.com. She’s ready to deliver an inspirational keynote, empowering training, or transformational workshop. If you’re looking for an expert guide to support your internal Strengths efforts, reach out today! Lisa Cummings Strategic | Maximizer | Positivity | Individualization | Woo
To work with Lisa, check out team workshops and retreats at the Lead Through Strengths site. For 1:1 strengths or life coaching, check out the Get Coached link. For independent coaches, trainers, and speakers, get business tools support with our Tools for Coaches membership.
Takeaways
Take Action ● Shift your focus from rankings to actionable outcomes: Remember, the assessment is merely a tool for self-discovery. True growth comes from taking action based on your strengths. So, instead of seeking validation through changes in rankings, focus on identifying your desired outcomes, and then explore how to utilize your strengths to achieve those outcomes. ● Work with a CliftonStrengths coach: A coach can provide personalized guidance on applying strengths to specific goals, overcoming perceived limitations, and navigating potential confusion or frustration related to strength rankings. Lisa and Brea are both accepting new clients. Reach out today! 🎧 Listen now! p.s. - Don't forget to share this episode with friends who might find it helpful! Strengths develop in relationship. Don’t keep the good news to yourself. 😀
Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
AI-Generated Transcript Lisa:
Brea: And I'm Brea. Lisa: Brea: Lisa: Brea: Lisa: Brea: Lisa: Brea: And I can say, from my own experience, I have seen dramatic shifts in some, moving from the top to the bottom, and the bottom to the top— Lisa Brea: Lisa: Brea: Lisa: Brea: Lisa: Brea: Lisa: Brea: Lisa: Brea: Lisa: Brea: Lisa: Brea: Lisa: That isn't where you should retake. That's where you should work with a coach to figure out how to bring out the really good side of competition, like how you like to help everyone win, like how you're really focused on key performance indicators, and like, all of these elements of competition that would be really good, and not get caught up in how your corporate team uses a word that matches Gallup's labels. This whole thing with labels, if the word gets taken out of context, or isn't the one that Gallup means, sometimes people get really wrapped up in that. And they're trying to pull one up, or trying to push one down. And just like what Brea said, it's going to be a lot more effective for you to work with a coach on bringing out all the good stuff that is natural in you, rather than trying to stuff down these natural elements of you, because that isn't going to go that well over the long term. And this retake, sometimes it's just curiosity. And if it is, I get it. And if it's not just curiosity, it's one of those other things. Pull one up, push one down. Call Brea Roper instead, and work on bringing out the good side, and really maturing the ones that you have. That—that's going to be a much bigger return on your effort, and time, and money. Brea: Lisa: Brea: Lisa: Brea: Lisa: Brea: Lisa: Brea: Lisa: Brea: Lisa:
Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram The Fine Print: This podcast is not sanctioned or endorsed by Gallup in any way. Opinions, views and interpretations of CliftonStrengths© are solely the beliefs of Lisa Cummings and Brea Roper. | |||
| 14 Apr 2019 | Career Branding When Harmony Is Your Strength | 00:16:11 | |
I hear a lot of curiosity about how to apply your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Harmony to your career. In this series, I break down one strength per post — so that you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make a better alignment between your job and your strengths. - If you’re exploring this concept as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. - If you’re exploring this concept for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. You’ll get three layers to chew on: 1. Career Branding 2. Red Flag Situations At Work 3. Fresh Application Ideas Career Branding When Harmony Is Your StrengthYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. Think about your personal resume, CV, or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it's full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing is usually "the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. Chances are good that you are a lot like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t physically see your teammates and customers every day. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting - to see who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. So here are a bunch of Harmony-related adjectives to consider using in your career branding efforts and your LinkedIn profile:
Red Flag Situations For HarmonyThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Harmony. They might even make you want to quit the team. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might get the urge to quit the job or become detached and disengaged at work. Here are two Red flags for Harmony:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for HarmonyThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Harmony at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re exploring this concept as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Harmony, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
So there you have it. It’s a quick tour for building your career through the talent theme of Harmony. So, here’s your homework:
Rock Your Talents As A TeamIf you’re thinking about doing a virtual or in-person event to kick off your strengths-based culture, head on over to our training page to see if our current offerings are a good fit for you. Until next time, thank you for being part of this powerful strengths movement that helps people unleash the awesomeness already inside them. Enjoyed The Podcast?To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. | |||
| 15 Aug 2017 | Strengths Fuel Your Leadership Journey - With Dave Stachowiak | 00:28:29 | |
This Episode’s Focus on Strengths Dave is a consultant who works with top-level managers to build their leadership capabilities and amplify their strengths. So, tune into his examples and tips to improve your personal leadership skills as you listen. Dave's Top 5 CliftonStrengths StrengthsFinder Talent Themes: Futuristic, Relator, Intellection, Learner, Responsibility Lisa’s Top 5CliftonStrengths StrengthsFinder Talent Themes: Strategic, Maximizer, Positivity, Individualization, Woo Resources of the Episode Strengths Tools Subscribe To The Lead Through Strengths Podcast Here's a Full Transcript of the Interview [00:00:27] Today, you’ll get an episode filled with an exploration of leadership as a journey. You know how on social media you compare your everyday life with everyone else’s highlight reel? Well, I believe the same thing happens with careers. People compare themselves to successful leaders, and they forget that those successful people they’re looking at went through a process to get there, and often a long process. [00:00:52] Your guest today is a perfect picture that he has a windy career path from being in a junior police academy in high school, thinking he was going into law enforcement, all the way through working as an executive at Dale Carnegie. So, some very different twists and turns along the way, both in expectations and in achievements. [00:01:14] For those of you who worry that you can’t make huge career shifts or that you have to pick right now what you’re going to be for the rest of your life, it’s proof right there from our guest that you surely can change your mind. [00:01:26] Your guest has also failed along the way. He got passed over for some promotions. He ran his first business that he owned into the ground. Yet, if you learned about him today and you only compared yourself to his highlight reel, that he has a top 10 careers podcast called Coaching for Leaders that has 150,000 monthly listeners, including me, you’d think, “Man, what a thought leader.” Or, if you knew that he’s been highlighted in the Wall Street Journal, and Forbes, and Inc. Magazine, and US News and World Report you might think, “Whoa, only the special and elite can ever get there so I’m not going to compare myself.” [00:02:08] I’ll tell you your guest today is one of the most humble guys you’ll ever meet, and he makes leadership success attainable. Today you’ll hear how you too can have a career path that does some zigging and zagging, and that you can have plenty of bumps in the road. Yet if you focus on your personal leadership journey over the long haul, you can really live a successful life. [00:02:33] So, Dave Stachowiak, welcome to the show. Dave Stachowiak: [00:02:37] Lisa, I’m so glad to be here. Thank you for the wonderful introduction, and it got me thinking that I had seven majors officially in college, too, so we can just throw that in there as far as a windy road things I’ve done in my life. Lisa Cummings: [00:02:49] Oh, that is such a good one, too. I just did a speech the other day for a university group and I was asking them what’s stressing them out right now about their careers, and that was it. They were like, “We have to pick not only the major, but we feel like this is the biggest decision of our life, because if picked the wrong one we set forward this decision that will create a ripple forever. And it feels like this is it. And if I pick wrong, I’m screwed.” So I think it’s a beautiful picture that, yeah, you can change your major, and you can change your career, and it all works out just fine. Dave Stachowiak: [00:03:18] Yeah, it seems so stressful at the time, and I remember just being so, I mean, it’s such a difficult time in my college years. I’m trying to figure out what I was going to do and what I was going to major in. And I look back now and I realize that because, ironically, I went through seven different majors and did all these different fields of study in school, I’m way better at my job than I would’ve been if I had focused in one area, because with my career in training and coaching, I work with all kinds of clients in all kinds of industries, and I know a little bit about a lot of different areas. And that’s turned out to be a huge benefit actually. So it’s kind of ironic. [00:03:58] Well, and there is the mark too, and I tell this to clients all the time, is you create your story. You tell the story of your career. If you let someone else tell the story of your career, and define it for you, then they’re going to define it however they’re going to define it, and it may or may not be the story you want told. And so, on a serious note, I really do think that we all need to think about what is our career story going to be, and how does our journey align with that, and the things that happen along the way. Lisa Cummings: [00:04:26] I think that’s the perfect setup for this concept of personal brand and how, when you and I have talked in the past, you’ve talked about how you made a conscious decision that your strengths would support your success, and that you were going to brand yourself around those. So let’s start off, since we do so much with StrengthsFinder and strengths-based development, let’s start off by just getting the listeners your top five Talent Themes, and then how you see them showing up on you at work, and then we’ll use those to segue into the story part. Dave Stachowiak: [00:04:58] Certainly. So my five themes are Futuristic, Relator, Intellection, Learner and Responsibility. And I’ve taken StrengthsFinder a few times over the years and they’ve always been fairly similar, maybe one difference, but as I look at those today they very much speak to me in the kinds of strengths that I feel like I’m better at than the others. Lisa Cummings: [00:05:18] Which one do you think resonates with you the most right now, that you see showing up on you all the time at work? Dave Stachowiak: [00:05:24] Relator is a big one right now because of the work that I’m doing both in my work at Dale Carnegie, and in my work running the Coaching for Leaders Academy, which is a membership organization that’s part of my listening community. It is really important and critical for me to develop really strong relationships with clients, and particularly clients who are part of our Academy, that I’m with for at least a year if not longer. [00:05:50] Those relationships really come down to how well do I relate to my clients, but in addition to that, and perhaps even more importantly, how well do they relate to each other. So I need to not only be really good at doing that myself, and thankfully that’s a strength, and so it’s something that I feel like I’m pretty good at, but I also need this to set the bar and expectation for modeling that for the entire membership community, and to encourage the members to be doing that for each other. And that’s the part for me that’s really exciting when I see that happen in a pretty substantial way. Lisa Cummings: [00:06:30] Yeah, I love how you made the double duty out of it, using it for yourself and then using it to model so others can see how the interactions can look. That’s really cool. Now, you seem pretty ninja with your awareness of your strengths and being able to use them the way you just described, but I’m pretty sure you didn’t start like that fresh out of school. [00:06:49] So take us back a little bit. Tell us about your career journey and how it has evolved, and how your strengths uncovered through that process. Dave Stachowiak: [00:06:58] I really did struggle a lot in school and I felt like I didn’t know what my path was going to be, and I felt like I had talents in a few different areas. I actually hired a coach when I was a junior in college. I was working for someone at the time who had a colleague who was doing coaching on the side, and she was coaching students at the university. And the boss I had at the time said, “You know you may want to talk to her, and just kind of see if she would help out.” [00:07:21] I was really stressed, I was overwhelmed with time management, I was over-committed like a lot of people go through when they’re going through school. I started working with her, so I’ve always been conscious of the importance of investing in one’s self and recent awareness of one’s self. I took things like the NBTI and StrengthsFinder at the time, and by the time I was done with school and in the first few years of my career I’d probably taken Myers-Briggs half a dozen times and I’d taken other assessments. [00:07:49] One of the interesting things that happened to me that was, it’s a cautionary note for utilizing assessments, and you and I are big fan of assessments, Lisa, is that I took Myers-Briggs a bunch of times, and I always came out as an extrovert. And so I really thought of myself as an extrovert and I made career choices that an extrovert would make. I really tried to do the things that extroverted people I think should be doing. [00:08:16] It wasn’t until I went through certification myself on how to administer NBTI assessments that I discovered, in a pretty jolting way, that I wasn’t really an extrovert at all, because they can just give the assessment and take you through a whole series of exercises over a course of days and really did a lot of self-reflection. And it became apparent that my core strengths weren’t really as an extrovert but they were really much more aligned, and my preferences were much more aligned as an introvert. [00:08:41] And that was really surprising to me at the time because, one, I thought all this time I was more extroverted and, secondly, I had a belief at the time that in order to be successful in business that you have to be extroverted. I didn’t think an introvert could be successful in the career that I was in and the industry that I was in. So it was really a difficult thing for me to process once it became apparent that, yeah, I was probably more introverted. And, of course, as I told this to people, they’re like, “Well, of course you’re an introvert. We’ve all known that for years.” [laughs] Lisa Cummings: [00:09:11] [laughs] There’s a lesson from the show right there. Just ask people around you. Sometimes they know a lot more than you do. Dave Stachowiak: [00:09:17] Totally. Totally. In fact, I had a colleague for years who’d be like, “Oh, yeah, you’re such an extrovert. Ha, ha. Like how could that happen?” because they all knew but I didn’t know. I had to kind of reframe my identity of like, “Okay, I’m in this business in the training industry, and the people of this business, where I have to interact with people a lot where I’m an instructor or I’m a coach or I’m a salesperson. I’m required to, and need to, interact a lot with people in order to do my job well. How am I going to do this as an introvert? If truly I’m an introvert, what can I do?” [00:09:47] And it also sort of made sense, too, because I always felt like I was kind of a square peg in a round hole in the industry, and in my position, because it seemed like the things that came naturally to everyone else, like cold calling, and going and making lots of sales connections every day, those are things I really struggled with early on in my career. And I couldn’t figure out, “Why am I not good at this? What am I missing?” And it turned one of the big things I was missing is I had an incorrect view of myself from an assessment that didn’t come out accurately. It took some time to unpack that and really to realize also that whatever strength you bring, you can leverage. It’s just I wasn’t leveraging them at the time. Lisa Cummings: [00:10:32] Yeah, that’s really interesting. And now, looking back, thinking about the StrengthsFinder results, like some of your potential success factors, seeing a preference with your Intellection. People I meet with Intellection are usually totally fine being alone for long periods of time, and want to do the deep thinking, and so it doesn’t lend itself often to the kind of extroversion scale. It’s based on different things. It’s not personality typing – StrengthsFinder. But if I saw Relator and Intellection, I would not assume you were an extrovert. I would think you might like that smaller close circle of friends and some healthy dose of time by yourself. [00:11:10] So, that all sounds good from an academic level. So you figured that out. Great. But now let’s get back to the real part. You had to make cold calls, you had to do sales, and you had to deliver training and coaching to people. So you know this now. What did you do? Dave Stachowiak: [00:11:27] Well, I was so bad at my job the first year at Dale Carnegie that I went into our president’s office after the first year was complete, and I offered my resignation; that’s how bad it was. I mean, from a results standpoint, I got along well with everyone, people liked me. That wasn’t an issue, but it’s from a result standpoint I was not doing well. [00:11:45] He, quite brilliantly, which was not what I was expecting, but he said, “How can we rework this job to honor your talents and your strengths?” And I was expecting him to say, “Okay. Thanks. I appreciate it. See you soon. Good luck with your future endeavors.” So like, “Wait a minute. You were supposed to let me off easy on this.” All of a sudden I had to think about, “Okay, what do I do differently?” [00:12:14] And I started thinking about like what were the things I was already doing that I’d done successfully. So I had actually started writing an email newsletter a few years back even before I worked for Carnegie. And so I started thinking, “Well, what if I tapped into my talents more in writing? What if I did some more one-on-one coaching?” which we weren’t doing at the time, at least not in our office at Carnegie. [00:12:41] I ended up putting together a coaching program and doing one-on-one coaching. I ended up starting to do a lot of writing and doing things like, over time evolving that into things like webinars and doing more things online. And it turned out, not only was I pretty good at that, but a lot of other people in the organization weren’t, because we didn’t tend to attract people who were as good as writers or doing things one-on-one. We tended to be more of an extroverted business, and still are today. [00:13:06] In addition to that, being a really a fantastic listener. All of a sudden were things that people were connecting with, and I was doing it so differently than everyone else that it was very unusual. Within a year or so I’d really found a place where I was a lot more comfortable in my own skin, and I was doing it in a way that made sense to me, where I actually enjoyed putting things together versus when I tried to cold call on my first year was just kind of a disaster. [00:13:34] I remember this one day, Lisa. I built up all this momentum and I was like, “Okay, I’m going to go to this one office building. I’m going to knock on people’s doors, knock on businesses’ doors. And I went. I drove all the way up there. I drove up to Los Angeles, parked the car, had all my brochures, everything, and I walked in the building and I couldn’t do it, and I walked out back to the office. [00:13:59] I was like, “I’ve got to figure out a better way to do this, that is not so hard.” So that’s what I started doing. And today that has turned into so many wonderful talents and experience, now being able to leverage in so many different ways, and Coaching for Leaders in a lot of ways came out of that. Lisa Cummings: [00:14:16] What a good example of job shaping. I’m talking about this with people all the time in training sessions about how you think your job description is fixed, but you just gave a perfect example of how a sales job, then got turned into a one-on-one coaching job, but you reframed it and thought about how you could apply the talents you have to be awesome at it, and you were doing something innovative for the company in bringing them new business at the same time, and basically letting your hidden talents out of the closet. [00:14:44] Let’s say that a listener is experiencing what you were experiencing there where they know, “I’m not the typical model for this job,” and they’re not brave enough to go quit it yet. If somebody feels like they’re not the typical mold, what next step would you recommend to somebody who’s experiencing what you were? Dave Stachowiak: [00:15:05] Well, I think a lot about leadership, of course, and so one of the things that really worked for me, I don’t know if I would’ve done that on my own, Lisa. My president at the time really challenged me on that, and he was the one who took the lead initially on that. I think it’s really cool when people do that for themselves, and I’m also conscious of the fact that not every organization, not every leader is supportive of that, so I’m a big believer in testing things, trying things out. [00:15:27] So if you’re doing something one way, let’s just use sales as an example since that’s the world I grew up in and going to Carnegie. If you’re doing one sales activity and it’s not working, certainly if your organization has that as a requirement and that’s the way they need to do business, keep doing it. But test something else out. So take a half hour a day and try something out differently. [00:15:50] If you want to write, take a half hour to write. And if your organization isn’t going to like you do that, put in an extra half hour of work off the clock, and try something that’s a little bit different that’s a little bit more innovative. I think anytime we’re trying to challenge the status quo or do something different in our careers, we’ve gotta be willing to put in a little extra effort. [00:16:07] Worst case scenario, the organization is supportive of it. Spend a little extra time outside of work hours and try something a little bit different that you think could work. You’ll find out one of two things: either it doesn’t work then you don’t do it and try something else, or it does work. And I have yet to see a situation with a client or an organization I’ve worked with, where an employee has brought a new idea to the leadership team or to the customer, and said, “Oh, look, I tried this new thing and I’m getting really good results. Can I keep doing it?” [00:16:40] Of course, every time, someone says, “Well, yeah. Oh, you’re getting good results? Good.” Now the challenge is a lot of times people don’t think to do that. What they do is they say, “Well, I’d like to do this differently,” but they don’t have any evidence to support it, so I think that it’s incumbent upon us, if we’re trying to do something different, if we’re trying to be creative, you go try it first. Get some results that show that what you’re doing is going to make sense for the company to invest time into doing. That is a strong case for being able to do it more, and then you present it, get approval from the people you need to. But I think we have to take that step first, if we want to do something different in our career. Lisa Cummings: [00:17:16] I love that. And on the other side of your example you mentioned the selling part and how you came about that with an innovative way. And in the other example you gave was coming up with the one-on-one model that didn’t even exist. And so the way I look at this through a job shaping is if you’re coming up with something the company has never even done, and you’re going to put in extra hours to do it, I’m totally with you, sometimes you have to put in the extra time. [00:17:43] But you do it and you’re doing it thinking about, “What’s going to put me in my zone of genius?” then you’re going to be pretty energized by that thing you’re creating. So it’s not like it’s going to be the last slog of the day. You’re going to be pretty excited about that 30 minutes, and you’re not going to want to switch over to the other way because you’re so psyched about what you’re about to create, so I like the energizing part of it, too. Dave Stachowiak: [00:18:04] Yeah, indeed. I remember I spent a lot of time on that at the time, and we actually don’t do it anymore which is sort of another interesting part of the story. I developed talents in doing other areas so well that I actually went back to doing more the traditional parts of our business eventually, but it wasn’t like work. It was, “How can I do this in such a way that’s going to really leverage my talents, help the organization be successful, get everyone else on board, because we got a team of people that didn’t know about coaching at the time.” And so it was really fun. Lisa Cummings: [00:18:30] Well, you used that today. I know using your Relator talent, and you had these really deep relationships with your Leadership Academy members. Given that, if we switched gears and fast forward to today, I would love the listeners to learn from what you hear because you have these really deep one-on-one relationships with a bunch of senior leaders, and you get to have those interactions every day. So, just in general, what have you learned by marinating constantly in these interactions with senior leaders? Dave Stachowiak: [00:18:59] How much we all want to be noticed. That’s one of the biggest things I see again and again. How much I want to be noticed, how much so many of us are alike as different as we looked, as different as our experiences are, as different industries that many leaders are in, the situations that we find ourselves in. [00:19:19] We get in Academy sessions a couple of times a month with our members, and it’s so surprising, I mean, it’s not surprising to me anymore. But initially we’d have someone who was in Paris, who was telling us about a situation, and we’ve got someone else in Texas and someone else in Toronto who’s literally dealing with the same thing or had the same thing come up last week, or is about to run into this same thing. We’re so much alike. [00:19:40] And also I keep getting hit smack in the face with the reality that leadership is a really lonely pursuit in a lot of ways. If you’re a leader in an organization, even if you’re not the top person, you’re responsible for making a lot of decisions, you have to navigate the internal politics of the organization. So it’s not like you can sit around and talk with a bunch of people internally in the organization, and talk through all the things you might do or might not do. [00:20:02] You can do that with some people, sometimes, and I think it’s really helpful to have those relationships internally. But it is, it is a lonely pursuit in a lot of ways, especially the higher up you go in an organization. That’s something I hear again and again and again from our Academy members. That’s one of the reasons the Academy is there, is to create the space where leaders be able to develop relationships with each other, where they can support each other, give confidence and give encouragement, because it is really a difficult thing to be an effective leader. Lisa Cummings: [00:20:29] I totally echo that experience when I do leadership development programs. I’m constantly hearing in training. And sometimes it’s just a virtual session, in chat, they’ve met each other three times, and someone drops a thing that they’re struggling with in a two-sentence description in the chat box. And you just see a stream of, “Oh, you’re dealing with that, too. Oh, I thought I was the only one. Oh, I’m glad I’m not alone.” [00:20:54] And, wow, that really backs up what you’re saying because you’re not, as a leader, going to model that behavior and go bellyache about the things you’re struggling with in front of other people, so you keep it to yourself, and it can make it lonely. [00:21:07] I feel two really strong angles here. So, one, I’m hearing it’s lonely, and the leader is going to want to be seen and needs that tribe or those relationships so that it’s not such a lonely endeavor because you don’t have to sow all this on your own. And then the very first part of the answer that people just want to be seen. Instantly my mind went to the almost desperation in people to be seen, be heard, be appreciated, be listened to, even if you don’t have the answer they want to hear, but just knowing that you care enough to hear them out, or listen deeply. [00:21:42] So if you take that angle, I’m talking all the time to people about notice what works to get more of what works because if you can notice and recognize someone it’s a repeatable behavior, they know how to do that again. But I think you’re going beyond recognition and you’re talking about really helping people feel seen and heard. What do you find as one or two things that leaders end up doing to help people feel totally seen, heard, appreciated? Dave Stachowiak: [00:22:09] It’s one of those things that they care about doing a really good job as a leader so they’re already thinking about those things. What they run into is, “How do I get it all done in a day, where I’ve not only need to do that but I have to answer to an organization that has very aggressive timelines and schedules, and metrics that I need to hit, and keep customers happy, keep suppliers happy, executive team and all those important stakeholders. [00:22:35] The leaders that I think of in our Academy who are really, really talented at doing this, meet twice a month for an hour and a half, to give feedback and to coach each other within their teams. They are very diligent about making the space for that to happen. And those weekly one-on-ones happen, or maybe it’s a monthly one-on-one’s, or whatever is appropriate for them and their team. All of the sudden, some really great things start to come out of those conversations and relationships. [00:23:01] And I think that’s something that I’ve seen again and again is often the difference-maker between leaders that are doing the things you’re talking about, which is making that time and giving recognition and understanding what’s happening with people. And those that maybe intend well to do those things, but in practice aren’t doing those things nearly as much as they’d like to be. Lisa Cummings: [00:23:23] What a bookend, where you start off the show with your dual use of things, and now we’re ending with a dual use of openness, because it’s not just openness in your calendar for your team. It’s openness in your heart and mind as well, and I love that dual unraveling that happens for them where they realize, “Oh, gosh, it’s not just making openness in my own time so I can grow as a leader, but I have to open this up so the team can get the same from me.” That’s big stuff. That really does reflect the leadership journey so well. Just when you think, “Oh, yes, I hit the next step. I’m doing something great,” then you realize, “Oh, so much more reveals itself that I need to learn. Dave Stachowiak: [00:24:03] You get to this point where it’s like, “Okay, I figured this out. I’ve arrived.” And then, of course, later that day you realize something like, “Oh, I haven’t even started to figure this out.” Lisa Cummings: [00:24:16] That is so it. Okay, on that theme, that’s the perfect ending question which is the question I’m borrowing from you, because it was my all-time favorite one I’ve been asked in an interview, which is, “What do you know to be true about leadership today that you didn’t know personally five years ago?” Dave Stachowiak: [00:24:34] The importance of starting. So let me say more about that. My natural tendency as a person is to have things really figured out. I tend to be very attention to detail oriented, I’m very much a planner, the Futuristic talent that I have works against me sometimes because I like to think about, “How should it work and how should it be?” and have it all planned out perfectly. [00:24:58] I have found that the thing that often holds me back, or at least in the past have held me back from staring something new or trying something new. I have really learned the importance of starting. And I think about a quote, I actually pulled it up here, from Colin Powell. Colin Powell said, “Use the formula P= 40 to 70 in which P stands for the probability of success and the numbers indicate the percentage of information you’ve acquired. Once the information is in the 40 to 70 range go with your gut.” [00:25:32] And that quote, for me, very much captures what I think is really important not only for leadership, but being successful in your career, is if you’d wait until you got things 80 or 90 or 100% figured out, which is what I used to do, I found that I never started anything. Or if I’d start things I get very quickly caught up in the, “Oh, this isn’t perfect. That isn’t perfect,” and I miss the big picture of things that I really should’ve been focused on. [00:25:55] Today, I really work on letting go of some of that control. I find something that I think will be valuable or I test an idea and I go with it. And with our Academy, a lot of times we’ll test things, we’ll try something, we’ll go with it. If it works, great we’ll keep doing it, we’ll make it better. If it doesn’t work we set it aside and it’s a lesson learned. [00:26:13] For me, it’s been very much a process of just getting used to starting a lot, continually starting, continually refining, continually making things better, but not getting hung up on getting it all figured out at the beginning, because you’ll never have it all figured out. Lisa Cummings: [00:26:26] Oh so true. And what a good metaphor for how life works. You just start and then you adjust along the way, and I think people are going to want to start listening to your show. If you don’t already, you’ll want to, I’m telling you. It’s called Coaching for Leaders. So I know you’re a podcast listener because you’re hearing this, so go to your player and check out Coaching for Leaders. And where else should they go, Dave, to check out more of your content? Dave Stachowiak: [00:26:50] Oh, that’s a great place to start. Probably the other place to start is to just go to CoachingforLeaders.com. There’s a free membership setup there that gives access to our whole library of episodes for the last six years now that the shows been going on. And, in addition, there’s a free membership there where you can setup access to a free course that I offer, that’s called Ten Ways to Empower the People You Lead. It’s a 10-minute a day audio course, and it’ll give you a lot of the tips and lessons that I’ve learned myself, and from the expert guests over the last six years on the show. Lisa Cummings: [00:27:23] And thanks for making it bite-sized, yes. Dave Stachowiak: [00:27:27] I love bite size. Lisa Cummings: [00:27:28] Me too. Dave Stachowiak: [00:27:29] Start it, right? Rather than four hours, 10 minutes. Makes it easy. Lisa Cummings: [00:27:33] Exactly. And a combination of both of us spending a lot of years in the learning and development field, if you make it too big and hairy, people are going to go do it. Dave Stachowiak: [00:27:40] Indeed. Lisa Cummings: [00:27:41] So for all of you out there, if you want some more strengths-focused tools to use with your team at work, also check out LeadThroughStrengths.com/resources. So, between Coaching For Leaders and those resources, you’ll get so many ideas for helping your team feel seen, and helping you extend along your leadership journey. [00:28:04] With that, thanks everyone for listening to Lead Through Strengths. Remember, using your strengths, your personal natural talents, makes you a stronger performer at work. If you’ve been putting a lopsided focus on fixing your weaknesses, you’re choosing the path of most resistance. So claim your talents and share them with the world. | |||
| 12 Jan 2016 | Influencing Audiences Through Your Strengths - With Andy Sokolovich | 00:32:33 | |
This Episode's Focus On Strengths Andy Sokolovich joins us to help you lead through your strengths at work. You'll find this episode especially useful if you need to influence others at work. He does it with his talent called WOO (Winning Others Over). He also shows the world how your natural talents are cooler than purple rain.
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Here's The Full Interview
Lisa Cummings: You mentioned Woo as one of your top talents, and it is one that interestingly, when I'm doing training events or speaking events, people probably more than any other, mention that one, and have a negative reaction to seeing it on their list, and they say, "I've been told that I talk too much in my career," or, "I've been told that I'm shaking hands and kissing babies, and that it doesn't look genuine," I've had a lot of people show a lot of concerns about that talent, and several others give a similar response. So Andy, talk to people about anything that you see in people where they've been trying to squash their talent and their career, because it's not really a virtue. Andy Sokolovich: Yeah Woo is definitely one that often gets highlighted a lot. Either you hear people talk about Woo and say, "The first thing I think of is the smarmy salesman that gives you a nice firm handshake and brings you in for that half hug with the sole desire of getting to buy something from them." That's not the case. I do see a lot of people suppress their Woo, because they do not want to come across as that. Granted, I embrace my Woo. I give it the double hug, bear hug. Bring it in. I love having Woo. Why? It has really allowed me to build my social capital to a level that I would never be able to do if I don't think I had that. Here's the thing. I'm not very good at noticing emotions in people, so some of those emotionally driven strengths, or people will notice that, "Hey, you're coming across to strong," or, "Hey, this person is kind of freaked out by the fact that you're super positive and excited, and way outgoing." Lisa Cummings: So when they stick out their hand out to shake your hand…and you give them a big bear hug instead they think, "Whoa buddy." Andy Sokolovich: Yeah. What is that? That is just the type of person that I am. But what I'm finding now, more and more, is that people are receptive to that as opposed to get offended or feel like they need to go on the defense. I tell people, "If you have the strong desire to go out and meet others to shake hands, to foster relationships, to grow your social capital, use it," because that's an untapped talent that a lot of people are not willing, especially managers, are not willing to foster that growth within their organization. This is my pet peeve on job descriptions. I feel we've created this way that we employ people: we give them a paragraph of what they're going to be paid to do. You have to have this degree, you have to have this amount of years experience, you have to have this, this, and this. Once all of those items are checked off here's a block of text that says what you're paid to do, yet we don't take enough initiative to unearth those untapped talents from those individuals and see what they're naturally good at. Now just imagine if you had somebody who was just overflowing with Woo. Someone who wanted to go out and meet people, who wanted to grow new relationships, wanted to bring new people into the business. And instead they were stuck in a cubicle crunching numbers. Is that the best use of their talents from a business perspective? My answer is probably not. Don't let them just sit there and wallow and own their own self defeat because they need to get out there and meet people, they need to go out there and shake hands. You've seen people like this if you work in the corporate world. They are the people that walk around and start up little conversations with everybody, and never really seem to be focused on their work. Why? They need to go out and communicate in order to feel like they are contributing something to the overall goal of the organization. Lisa Cummings: Yeah, and it's likely that that actually helps them relate better, influence better, and get their work done. It just looks different. Andy Sokolovich: Absolutely. Lisa Cummings: I always talk about it like a Jack-in-the-box where you have this talent (pick Woo or any others that you've been trying to squash down), and on the inside what's going on is that thing is getting cranked up, and do do do do dooodledo, do do do do dee do [singing] ... It's just getting tighter and tighter, and sometime when you're not expecting it, or when you don't want it, Bam, it's going to pop out and scare people. If you actually invest in it instead, and watch the effect that it has on people and use it to your advantage--double down on it, while you're maturing it and investing in it--it has a great effect for you. But if you're just trying to squash it, it comes out eventually. It's a part of you, so if it's your natural way of thinking or feeling, it's going to pop out at you. Trying to squash it isn't going to do you a lot of good in your career. Andy Sokolovich: Yeah, no, I reflect back onto the small part-time jobs I had before I joined the military, and I always think of reasons why I was either 1) fired, or 2) counseled for my bad behavior, and they all relate to me over communicating. I was always talking (first job when I worked at the grocery store) instead of stocking the shelves. I was always talking to somebody—to the customers that were walking up and down--sparking up conversations because of the jersey they were wearing for my favorite football team. Or if I was working at a grocery store up at the cashier station, I would get chastised for the fact that I'm spending more time talking to the customer than actually ringing them out and getting them out the door so the person behind them can come check out. All of the things that I ever got in trouble for were because I like to talk, and it wasn't just I like to talk because I wanted to kill time. It's because I needed to communicate with others in order to feel good about myself. Lisa Cummings: I can see with communication being such a strong talent for you also that you talk to think, and talk to figure stuff out, whereas other people might just go back to their cube and be able to do that stuff alone. There's such a different need from each unique person. How did you find the roles that would shine the light on those in a good way, instead of, early in your career thinking, "Oh my gosh, those are getting me in trouble all the time, getting me fired." Obviously you did the right thing. You didn't say, "Well, I guess I suck as a human." Instead you found how to make those work for you. How did you figure all that out? Andy Sokolovich: Yeah, it was a long maturing process. When I left the military, I had this overwhelming desire to be an entrepreneur. I can't really say where it came from. I knew nothing about business. I knew nothing about marketing. I knew nothing about any of that stuff. But when I moved to Clinton Iowa, I was looking for a void in the marketplace that I could fill. It's a small blue-collar town with a population around 26,000. There's a lot of small business growth, but there is the larger businesses in industry. We have large corporations in this community that really support most of our qualified workforce. So when I got here I was looking around at the small businesses—at what they were doing to market themselves. Really nobody at that point was leveraging the power of the Internet, and I started doing some research on marketing. Really what I found out was that marketing is being able to tell a story in order to draw in new business. Whether that story would be told via platforms like social media, websites, press releases, whatever it was, I needed to get out there and tell the story of these local businesses in order to draw in more business. I thought, "Man, would I be good at that?" I remember sitting there one day and I was talking to a friend on the phone and he said, "Well you like to talk, and you tell a pretty good story, actually half the time we don't know if you're telling the truth, or if you're stretching the truth," because I'm a storyteller, and actually, professionally, that's what I call myself: a professional storyteller. I tried it, and I got my first client. I realized that the client-relationship part of it--the sitting down, trying to create a narrative and tell a story--was a little difficult because they already had a story in their mind. My expertise was really to highlight those areas of their business that nobody knew about. Those little hidden gems that nobody really knew existed, but man if only they did, it would bring up a whole new level to that business, and there would be a huge attraction factor, and we just need to get it out there. It was slow growth at the time, because I had a lot of maturing to do. Believe it or not, I was that type of person who thought they were never wrong for a long time. I was so confident in my own abilities that I thought, "I'm never wrong," so once I got involved in client work, I really had to understand that, "Listen, we have to work as a team in order to make this effective." I started to grow the marketing business, and there was a time about 11 months after I actually started that where my business started to plateau. I wasn't losing clients, but I was having a hard time getting new ones. I went to a friend of mine, a mentor of mine, here in the Clinton area Chamber of Commerce, and he handed me a book called Strengths Finder 2.0. "Take this assessment." I thought, "An assessment? Dude I don't need something to tell me what I'm good at. I know what I'm good at." Lisa Cummings: I'm good at everything, huh? Andy Sokolovich: Yeah. He said, "Do me a favor and just take it. See what happens." Once my Top 5 were revealed, I did the Andy way of doing things at that time. I basically stuffed the report in my desk drawer for about another year. Now we're two years into my business development, and things are continuing to plateau. Again, not losing clients, but just not getting any new ones. What was even worse was that I was no longer in love with the fact that I was an entrepreneur. I was no longer in love with the fact that I was building my own business. I hated it. I went back to the same guy and I said, "What am I doing wrong?" He said, "What are your Top 5?" I said, "Dude I respect you, but I could not tell you because they're in my desk drawer collecting dust." Needless to say he was not surprised by that, because he just assumed that was going to be my course of action moving forward, but he said, "Go get them, bring them back in, and let's review them." Strategic, Futuristic, Woo, Ideation, Communication. What we quickly realized as we reflected back on my business growth and what I was actively doing, is I was spending an awful amount of time on the logistics of running a business. Tweaking the business plan, applying for financing, sending out invoices. All the little nitpicky numbers things that I hated, hated, but it had to be done, and I was the only one doing it at the time. He said, "What are you good at?" I said, "Man all I want to do is go out and talk to people about my business. I want to talk about their business. I want to go out and I want to share their passion for why they do what they do." He said, "Why aren't you doing it?" I said, "Who's going to do all the rest of this stuff?" He said, "Outsource it, find somebody else." And that was probably the single most important turning point of my career, when I started to realize, "I don't have to be good at everything, and there are people out there who like crunching numbers, and just because I'm not one of them doesn't mean I have to take that action on. I don't have to take on that responsibility." I started outsourcing whatever I could, whenever I could, and focus 80% of my time on just getting out there and speaking, doing what I naturally loved. From that moment on, things began to skyrocket. Not necessarily in result to my bank account, but in the way that I feel towards my business, and the social gains that I've been able to make over the last almost a year now. Lisa Cummings: There's so much good stuff in there…with identifying your talents and doing something with it. The career slump that was sneaking up on you, I mean you were at a point saying, "What's going on here? What am I doing wrong?" That stuff just happens over time, and people feel that in their careers all the time. For a lot of people listening that are in the corporate world--they may manage people, or they may not--a lot of them have had this experience of the career slump sneaking up. Let’s say they're digging the Clifton StrengthsFinder report out of the drawer…and if you are Andy talking to them now…and you want to give them a couple of ideas for what to do with this. Okay, they know their Top 5 talents now. How can they handle this at work in a corporate setting? What could they do next, just action taking? Andy Sokolovich: Yeah, the first step is always to be able to identify where your talents lie, and I think you and I probably have had similar success in the fact that when we get people in the room, and we show them their Top 5. When you have managers, supervisors, even C suite employees reviewing their Top 5, it sparks a conversation where people start to talk about, "Hey, what other skills do you have? Why are you so good at this? How have we been ignoring this the whole time?" My first little bit of advice is make it known. Okay? Don't keep your talents to yourself. Now it doesn't mean that you come in with your favorite kazoo and play your kazoo down the hallway, and say, "I'm musically talented." That means have that conversation with your supervisor and let them know what you are naturally good at, because if you keep it a secret, nothing is ever going to happen. The other thing I tell people is often when I give this conversation, or I give this speech in a large setting, people want to talk to me about the entrepreneurial side of things. "Well Andy I'm really good at this, and I've always wanted to do this as a business, but I'm scared to." Listen, the power of the World Wide Web has never, ever been stronger. I mean if you have it a desire to crochet for a living, and you think you can do it, and you're naturally gifted at crocheting, pursue doing that and try to draw in some extra residual passive income. Whether it be through online courses, or maybe crocheting stuff and selling it on Etsy, just try it and see if you actually like it first, because sometimes when people think they actually really would do well at something, whether it be starting up a business, or selling a specific product, they quickly realize that they don't like it as much as they thought they would. So test out the waters, grab a hold of your talents, figure out a way to apply them. If you want to try something outside of your normal 9-to-5 grind, use the power of the Internet to maybe start a little online business for yourself. Lisa Cummings: I've been wanting to start a kazoo band on the side [laughs]. Andy Sokolovich: It's really the only instrument that I play. I'm actually talented all across the board, but the kazoo… [laughs] Lisa Cummings: I couldn't let that one drop, you know you mentioned the kazoo… Andy Sokolovich: I have zero musical talent, I can't carry a note even on a kazoo [laughs]. Lisa Cummings: Oh Andy you were singing with me earlier, so that's pretty good. Andy Sokolovich: Yeah we were, Purple Rain I think is what we were jamming out to. Lisa Cummings: Yeah, now that's going to be in everyone's head the rest of the day. Purple rain [singing]. Oh, so let's talk about managers. Those are really good tips for employees, and then the next layer that happens is managers will say, "Okay I get it, I need to pay more attention to what's going on with the team, and I want to do this to lead my team through their talents instead of trying to scale humans." Let's say one of the listeners leads a team and they want to get better at just spotting Strengths on the job, even without StrengthsFinder, what do they look for, or how do they start this? What do they say? What are they watching for? Andy Sokolovich: Yeah, I mean as you and I know, every manager is different. Not everybody manages the same. What I found to be most effective is I always ask the managers that I work with to start communicating with their employees. To just start talking about things, and once you become aware, once you mentally decide, "I'm going to start searching for talents, I'm going to start mining for abilities that maybe are untapped in the organization." You will find that you are more in tune in the conversation to pluck those things out. It could be something as simple as, "Hey, what did you do this weekend?" Listen to what people are saying. Listen to their hobbies, look for when their eyes light up, when maybe they've spent the weekend with their son, and their granddaughter. Start to mine for those abilities that maybe you didn't realize existed, and ask them … You and I have talked about this in the past. There's an exercise that we do with some of our clients, and it's called “The Best Of Us.” Really what the conversation is about is asking people, "What do you need from me in order to be successful?" It's not a bigger budget. It's not a front row parking space. It's not a bigger office. You've got to think of this emotionally. What do you need from me as your manager, in order for you to be successful? That conversation goes both ways. Managers can say, "This is what I need from you in order for me to be successful." Again, it's not budget minded type of stuff, it's, "Hey, what I need from you in order to be more successful is five minutes of your time," or, "What I need from you to be more successful is maybe a little bit of information before moving forward." "What I need from you to be more successful is maybe that you understand that I'm a Deliberative person, and I'm not going to ever be late in getting you this report, but you've got to understand that I'm going to read over it 10, 15, 20 times and make sure that every I is dotted, and every T is crossed before it comes across your desk." That conversation usually yields massive results, but you have to be open and willing to have it. I guess my advice would be as a manager, is start asking people what they need from you in order to be successful. Ask them deeply. What do you…you…not your department, not whatever office you serve…what do you, first name, last name, need from me in order to be at your very best? Lisa Cummings: That's so good. To bring some examples like you did. And be ready. Give them context about why you’re asking this because if that question comes out of nowhere, and you haven't asked that kind of thing before, they might be looking at you with really blank eyes, like “what is up here? What's going on?” You mentioned something way earlier in that answer that is so cool to tap into. You mentioned somebody's eyes lighting up when a person was talking about a hobby. It's just taking those moments and saying, "Oh, you really lit up on that one. Tell me more about that." It can be the simplest sentence, but just noticing that that thing got them really fired up, and asking one more follow-up question, that's where the deep part comes from. Andy Sokolovich: Yeah, I'll use one example that I keep remembering, and it was early on when I started coaching, but we were sitting there and it was a group about 25 of us. I issued that same response, you know what I would do if I was manager, and I could see that there was this person to my left crying, I mean noticeably sobbing. I looked over and I said, "Are you okay?" She said, "Yeah, I'm okay." She said, "So and so is my manager," and he's sitting right there, and she's like, all I want to say to him is, "I need five minutes," and I think that's why I use that example all the time, "I need five minutes of your time in the morning." He says, "What?" She's like, "When I come by your door first thing in the morning, you're doing the standard zipping through 250 emails, do I need to reply? Junk, trash, the standard thing that most of us do every single morning when we sit down at our computer." She said, "In order for me to be effective, and to serve the position that you hired me to do, it's important to me that I have five minutes of your time every morning so I can go over my action steps for that day." She was like, "I don't need you to approve them, I don't need you to agree with them, it's important for me to verbally speak with you and tell you that." He was like, "Oh." She's crying, and he's like, "Well, I didn't realize it was that big of a deal," and she was like, "Yeah, because there's several times where I had my letter of resignation typed up and ready to send." Lisa Cummings: Wow. Andy Sokolovich: All because all she wanted was five minutes of his time, but she didn't know how to start that conversation, she never had permission to in her own mind. Now he would not have cared if she came up and said that. In her mind, she didn't give herself permission to share that, why? She thought that in doing so, she would be perceived as weak, or needy, or different from the others. The fact she was different, because she needed that five minutes, and then he started welling up a little bit and said, "Oh my gosh, I never knew it was that bad," and she said, "Well it is, and now we're talking about this, and I just want you to know that if you give me that five minutes every single morning," he said, "You got it. You have five minutes of my time between 8:00 and 8:05 is dedicated to you. I won't be at the coffee pot. I won't be putting my food in the refrigerator. I won't be checking emails. I'll be in my office waiting for you so we can have this five-minute sharing session of what you’re going to do that day," and as long as he was there ready to listen it changed everything for her. Lisa Cummings: It's so big. Five minutes, and just that moment to have this conversation and what you were doing opened that up. Andy Sokolovich: Yeah, and to think she was willing to pack up her office and leave in search of somewhere else that may have yielded less results financially who knows? Lisa Cummings: Who knows? Andy Sokolovich: The willingness to test the waters because of five minutes. Lisa Cummings: This also makes me think of one more question, which is how sometimes people have trouble seeing the other person's virtues, or preferences, or talents. You know, to pick that thing, and get into a mental habit about how you think about your boss, or how you think about that employee. It can go either way, whether you're the manager, or you are the employee with the relationship. Instead of viewing it like a lost cause going, "This person…we're just never going to click." How do you instead approach that when you're in a situation like this: you have an employee who you know has some goodness, because everybody has genius and talents, but they don't know how to uncover it. How do they even get started with the process of opening up to understand each other? Andy Sokolovich: Well, we always say as strength coaches, and strength enthusiasts, be able to look through a lens of strength. I think that comes with maturity, and it actually comes with an increased feeling of responsibility and discipline, because for the longest time I never was seeking out talents in other people. I mean it wasn't something that I totally ignored, but it was not on my priority list. I was focused on my own personal growth, but once I started to become really in tune to what other people brought to the table, no matter what level they are ... We've all seen the movies, you look at Goodwill hunting where the janitor solves the algorithm, but those people out there exist, but you've got to find them. I think the starting point is start with yourself, being able to identify the talents within yourself. First become aware of what talents look like. It’s one of the beauties of StrengthsFinder. I say this time and time again, I'm in love with the concept of strengths-based development. The 34 Talent Themes are great verbiage to add to your arsenal of tools to help you identify talents with others. I love the fact that Gallup has taught us (and Dr. Donald Clifton has taught us) that there is this whole strengths movement where we're actually starting to identify what's right with people rather than what's wrong with people. Once you start to realize the terminology of strengths, the 34 Natural Talent Theme names, you can start to look at people and be able to not judge. Instead, pluck around, or pick different talents until you can zone in on what you think they definitely have, and you don't want to say, "Oh, you're a Woo," or, "Oh you're a Deliberative, that's why you're taking so long to get me this report," or, "You're this." Be aware of it, and start asking questions to try to mine for that talent, and see if it actually exists, and then think of ways to apply it. Here's what I hear all the time. "That's great Andy, but that's not within..." and this is going back to my job description rant, but they say, "That's great Andy, I'm good at this, and yes I probably make a better salesperson then an accountant, but that's not within my job description, that's not what I've been hired to do." To me, that retards business generation, and forward momentum because you're not allowing people to grow within the company, and fill those cracks or voids using their natural talents. For the life of me, I can't understand why businesses still expect that. They just expect you to be happy in the position that you're hired in and never seek out more. If I went to my boss and said, "Hey, you know what? I know I'm an account, that's what you hired me to do right out of college. I'm an accountant today. I don't mind doing that, but I'm telling you what, I just have this deep itch to be in the sales floor and to go out there and talk people. Is there any way that I can maybe transition out of this office into that position?" When managers, or supervisors, or CEOs or whoever say, "No." I think, "Man, why would you ever say no? Why would you ever deny somebody the chance to express themselves and go out there and try to do something amazing for your company?" I probably just derailed your whole question there. Lisa Cummings: No I love that, because there are so many good conversations that come out of this. When I work with teams and people have that same feeling you just described--then I say, “all right, well, if you're doing something that's within your control, and you're the accountant…and you want to go be a salesperson…it's a serious change. So think about projects you can take on, teams you could be a part of, some extra stuff you could go build your network in that area. Test it out, and maybe build some chops as well. Be able to have that conversation with your manager so that you say, "Hey, this is what I'm interested in trying on."” Take on something that's low stake. Try a project where you can get involved. Then people start seeing you in that light. Managers aren't mind readers. I mean they don't know this stuff about you unless you have the conversation. Now I hope they're having the conversation, and I think listeners are the types who try to pull this out, but if you're in the employee perspective here, you've got to go think about what you want in your life. What do you want more of? What talents, what yearnings do you have? Then go ask for it, and say, "Hey, I'd really like to try out X," because if you haven't asked for it, it's not going to be on their mind. They have 4000 other things competing for that priority, but if you spark that thing that says, "Hey be on the lookout for projects that would let me test this out, I would love to do it," a lot of times, they come back and bring you the opportunity, and then those turn into roles, and they turn into relationships that 10 years later you're getting a job from somebody you worked with on a project because you expressed interest. Andy Sokolovich: Right, absolutely, and every corporate boardroom has that buzzword called retention. People constantly try to think of how to solve for it: how do we keep people here for the long haul? How do we bring them into our family, our culture and make sure that they continue to grow and they become enthusiasts about what we're trying to do? How do we make them want to stick with us forever? How do we do that? Well, the secret sauce is what we just said. You ask them what they want and what they need. You ask how you can foster their growth internally. Don't just expect them to live within your guidelines, i.e. that job description that they got hired under 11 or 12 years ago. I mean really start to invest in people, and you'll see things just mature to a level that's mind blowing. I've done it personally, even with folks that I worked with online. I do stuff with virtual assistants, and I do stuff with graphic artists, graphic designers. I try to constantly tell them, "You are naturally gifted at design, keep doing what you're doing. I really really enjoy this," and even when I'm not working with them, I'll go back every once in a while and say, "Hey, I just want to check in with you and see how you're doing. Is there anything I can do to help your business grow? Can I direct you to anybody? Is there a certain niche, or is there a certain group that you're trying to target? How can I help you grow, because I really believe you have the talent and to do what it takes." We've talked sometimes about low points. Just imagine being at a low point in your life, where maybe your career is not firing on all cylinders. Your family life is falling apart. Your health is going away--who knows--but when somebody comes and actually acknowledges or recognizes a talent that you have, something that you're able to do better than anybody else, how much of an uplift is that? How much of a boost in confidence is that? I think that little gesture makes all the difference. Lisa Cummings: I so agree. You never know what's going on in people's lives, and taking that moment to appreciate a talent that you see, and like I had an experience so similar to what you're talking about recently. I was working with a client, they were going through a merger and acquisition process. I was working with somebody who was a really heavy part of the due diligence process, and I know she was working insane hours. She was sleeping four hours a night. Otherwise working the other 20. I asked for something that just seemed trivial, and I knew it was going to be a pain. I didn't even want to send a request to the person, but it was something that I needed. So I made mention, "I appreciate you so much for taking the time to get this. It was so accurate and fast, and I know you must be so slammed right now." Then she wrote back this very heartfelt note. It was just about noticing what she was going through, and acknowledging that she took that extra time, and it was really cutting into her few hours of sleep that night, and she appreciated so much the notice. I think that's such a big deal--taking 30 seconds to tell someone what you see in them--just like you do with the designer you work with, or whomever, and say, "I really see this spark in you," and it gives them the juice to go, "There really is something to that," and maybe the difference in pursuing a whole different career. Andy Sokolovich: Absolutely, well said. Lisa Cummings: Andy this has been such a blast. Now I know the listeners want all sorts of Andy now, so how can they find you? Andy Sokolovich: My website is over at unleashstrengths.com Lisa Cummings: Thanks Andy, for joining. And thanks to all of the followers of Lead Through Strengths. Remember, using your strengths at work makes you a stronger performer. If you’re focused on fixing your weaknesses, you’re choosing the path of most resistance. So claim your talents. Then share them with the world. And help your team do the same!
Andy also has an excellent podcast focused on Strengths. It’s called Theme Addicts | |||
| 01 Dec 2014 | Career Q&A: Stop consuming training courses - go learn on the job instead | 00:12:09 | |
What You'll Learn In The Audio - 4 ideas for getting learning opportunities on the job...all without having to change roles or companies. And without having to attend hundreds of training courses. - How to narrow down your career development steps into a zone you can succeed with. - There's a theory in the Learning & Development world called 70-20-10. It says that you learn 70% of what you know from on the job experiences. You get about 20% by learning from others. And you get about 10% from formal learning like training courses. So this question is exactly on track with real world learning. - What's missing from nearly every career development plan I've seen. - People don't remember what you said. They don't remember what you did. They remember how you made them feel...taking wisdom from Maya Angelou and applying it to the skills you build. - Why you should always be becoming something you're proud of. - There’s so much more to you than the skills you can write on paper. 90% of the career impression you convey has nothing to do with what you actually say with words (Source: John Maxwell). Get beyond your technical skills and impact how the world sees you. Tweetable of the Episode Resource of the Episode Book: The EQ Interview: Finding Employees with High Emotional Intelligence Subscribe to the Career Q&A Podcast Related Episodes to Go Deeper on The Topic - Many people think they need an MBA to have the business skills to skyrocket their careers. This episode debunks the MBA requirement. | |||
| 18 Oct 2016 | What BS Story Are You Telling Yourself About Your Career? - With Kim Ades | 00:26:29 | |
This Episode’s Focus on Strengths Today's episode includes an interview with Kim Ades, president and founder of Frame of Mind Coaching. You'll get some insights about how your strengths come out (or get hidden) based on your mindset. She also helps you see how your ability to thrive in your strengths is shaped by the way you're interpreting the world. What You’ll Learn In This Episode You'll learn several different tools to help you move beyond your current way of looking at the world around you. These ideas move you toward a life that's not as limited by your internal biases and traditional thought patterns. - Notice What Works To Get More Of What Works. Kim says that to find what you are really good at, you need to look at all the clues around you. Look at when you are actually in the zone. This is when you are at your highest peak, focused, putting forth your best effort, and highly productive. In other words, look at where you're enjoying yourself! - Write It Down. She highly recommends journaling for several reasons: 1) it shows you how how your thinking impacts your results over time 2) it gives you a sense of how you react over a series of circumstances so you can spot your patterns of behavior that aren't obvious to you, 3) journaling helps you to separate you from your thoughts. Kim stresses that we are not our thoughts; thoughts are things that momentarily pass us by. Looking at things from a distance gives you a better perspective. - Get Clear On Your Triggers. Understanding your patterns of behavior in certain circumstances will enable you to see things that trigger your default responses. - Decide How To Respond. The behaviors of others that trigger strong responses in you can lead to judgments about things that may or may not be true. If you know your triggers in advance you can decide what you're letting them mean to you. - Do Something With The Trends. It's important to look back at your journal entries to find your patterns and triggers so that you can limit your judgments that interfere with team success. Kim has a surprise for those who listen to the show. She poses three questions during the interview. If you submit the answers to Kim, she'll assign one of her coaches to review insights about your answers by phone. How cool is that? Answering these questions will help you explore what's getting in the way of you reaching your goals. The last thing Lisa and Kim address in this interview is values, both the values you live and the values you'd like to incorporate. They are two different categories. Kim believes that your highest values always come with contradictory consequences. For example, take an employee who sees a teammate not finishing his part of a project. She jumps in to finish it because she makes the assumption that no one else will. She also assumes her customers would otherwise suffer because the product wouldn't go to market. Her value of taking care of customers is important, yet adding these tasks to her already packed workload will hinder her overall performance (and therefore customer satisfaction). Can you see an example like this in your life? Do you have a belief that no one else will jump in when a ball is dropped? If yes, are you showing a lack of faith in your team? This is an example we see in our StrengthsFinder training as well. Often someone who leads with the Responsibility talent theme will take on extra work to save a project, only to find himself drowning and struggling to meet deadlines because of the extra workload. This vicious cycle leads to burnout, or it makes you feel like your values are getting nurtured and insulted at the same time. To understand what your values and beliefs really are, ask yourself two questions: 1) What do I believe to be true about myself? 2) Is it the absolute truth? The answer to the second question will help you create a little wiggle room. That way you can question some of the assumptions you're making and spot patterns in your thinking that you want to change. Go Live Your Talents Remember, using your strengths every day at work makes you a stronger performer. If you’re always focused on fixing your team’s weaknesses, you’re choosing the path of most resistance. Go claim your talents and share them with the world! Read The Full Conversation: Lisa Cummings: Today you're going to get some insights about how your strengths come out or even get hidden based on your mindset and how you're interpreting the world. Your guest owns a business called frame of mind coaching. She works with leaders internationally to help them improve performance by managing and even reacting better to their thoughts, reacting differently, and hey, for those of you who think that it's a time-luxury to get to your strengths by working on your thinking, Hey, she lives a busy life as a company president and a mother of five kids at the same time. So busy is not an excuse this time to skip this stuff and maybe we'll get to chat about some of the fun of working with leaders internationally because that global element is one of my very favorite things about business. So Kim Ades, welcome to the show. Kim Ades: Thank you very much. I'm very much looking forward to this conversation. Lisa Cummings: I've heard you talking about “seeing what you can't see” and I often find that people have trouble seeing their own strengths and I kind of find it that usually they know they're good at that thing, but they don't think that it's anything special. They assume everyone can do it, so it must not be valuable and actually everyone can't do that thing easily. So how do you suggest people find what they're great at? Kim Ades: I think that people leave clues, right? And, if we look back at where they succeeded or what people tell them, or more importantly than that, were they enjoying themselves and just in a flow and a state of flow and you've ever heard of the term just kind of “I'm in the zone.” There are clues to be found when you're in the zone, when you're in the zone, you're working at your highest peak, you are focused or concentrated. You're enjoying yourself and you're probably putting out your best productivity or effort. And so if you look at moments when you're in the zone or strengths will most probably lie there. Lisa Cummings: I love that. Okay. So this makes me think of journaling because I know you're big on that. Give us a little bit on your perspective on journaling. Why do it and how could you use that to spot your strengths? Kim Ades: Well, I use journaling heavily with my clients, so I coach high end executives and what I do is I look at how their thinking impacts the results and so we have phone calls and we record our phone calls and we asked people to listen to them, to their themselves, to hear how they show up the language they use, the stories they tell, etc. But then in between every call we ask them to (journal) every single day. And so what we do is we give them a question and they answer the question. The question goes back to their coach. I have a team of coaches and the coach reads and responds. So there's this back and forth dialogue going on every single day. And so the purpose of journaling in this case is to really get a sense of how a person thinks across a different series of circumstances. And our job as coaches is to start to pick up the patterns, the patterns of thought, the patterns of belief, the patterns of perspective values, the triggers that people have. Kim Ades: And so what is journaling for? The journaling is to capture the stories that allow you to go back and pick up the patterns. It's a process where you can unload and so a lot of times people can't sleep at night because they have all these thoughts turning around in their brain. And journaling allows you to put it down and then pick it up later and review it. The other thing that journaling does is it allows you to separate yourself from your thoughts. We often believe that we are our thoughts, but we're not. Thoughts are kind of like things-are clouds floating by and we are actually separate from us. they don't have to inhabit us. And if we can put them down and look at them from a little bit of a distance, we gain massive perspective. And so for executives who are interested in strategic advantage, there's no greater strategic advantage then to understand how your thinking is affecting your results or your outcomes. And journaling is a venue for making that happen. Lisa Cummings: There are so many good pieces to plug into.One, I love the consistency of it because if people want to grow the fact that you're interacting with them consistently over time, that's beautiful. And then your concept of triggers and the story you're telling yourself, you made me think of this situation. Alright, I'm looking back and I'm totally going to fib on myself. But about 10 years ago, I remember having a direct report on my team. She was a manager and I had concluded that she didn't like salespeople based on her behaviors. That's the interpretation I made. And what would happen was when they didn't get her the data she needed to serve customers fully, she would use this phrase and she would say, garbage in, garbage out, garbage in, garbage out, and that's all she would say. So over and over again, this thing drove me nuts. Lisa Cummings: It became a real trigger for me. Super hot button and it's funny, even this day today saying the story, I can feel it in my body of frustration by telling the story and I felt like she was telling the salespeople that they weren't being accountable to gathering the right data, but she was doing it effectively, but ironically she wasn't being accountable to the client because she wasn't solving the problem. She just kept repeating the same phrase to kind of throw it in their face. It drove me nuts, but looking back, I realize it was a trigger for me and my mindset about her approach was getting in the way of me being a good manager and a good supporter for her. So talk about situations like that where think you're dealing with a difficult person. I thought I was dealing with her as a difficult person. Yet really your mindset and your interpretation needs its own spring cleaning of those triggers. Kim Ades: Well, what happens is we do interpret other people's behavior and their words and their language all the time and that affects how we respond and how we react. And part of the issue is that we forget what we want, and so if we think about a game of basketball, for example, and your defending your or you're trying to block the opposition and you grabbed the ball, usually you're facing the wrong direction in what you need to do is you got to turn around and make sure you're facing the right net but we forget about that. We forget about the game and we forget about the goal when we're interacting with someone like a direct report or someone like that, or even a colleague in an organization. When we interpret what they say, we decide that they're wrong. We get defensive, we use it as a trigger. We grabbed the ball and we forget to turn around. And so and so. What does that mean? That means that in your case, what is it that you really wanted from her? Lisa Cummings: Yeah, I wanted her to find a way to show the sales team what it would look like when, you know, maybe provide a model, hey, this person always brings really great data. And, to go to that person and say, how did you decide it was important to go get it? I wanted her to solve the problem and find some people who were doing it right and use them as a model. I wanted her to dig in and understand why those who weren't doing it, why they didn't think it was important and I felt like instead of trying to solve the problem, she just came up with this catchphrase and used it as a block. Kim Ades: And so what you wanted to do was help her achieve her goal. And what interfered was that one phrase that had you not even wanting to help her achieve her goal. Right? Because your opinion of her, your experience of her was taped it, you know, you said you had a physical reaction even just now. And so that's what happens: is that we get in our own way. You got in your way of helping her. She got in her way of helping the salespeople get what she needed them to get. And so there's this big, huge, massive trickle-down effect. Now, in the case of a lot of senior professionals, executives, managers, if they can apply this concept, assume positive intent, what does she want? She wants to succeed, and she wants her team to succeed so you know, here's how you help them succeed. Let me show you. Lisa Cummings: I love the concept of assume positive intent as well because I admit that over time, I started to let that color the assumptions about where she was coming from on things and I've seen it a lot in work places too. You just get down to the most basic watercooler talk situations. I remember having a team member who was concerned that people were talking about her in the office and when I asked her more about what made her think that it all came back to a situation where she was at her desk and she looked up and people were looking at her direction and giggling and in her mind it was that they were looking at her, making fun of her and she looked up and then she started avoiding them because she thought, oh, they were making fun of me behind my back. And in reality, once we unraveled all of what was going on, the people who were looking in her direction and making the face that she was interpreting, they weren't looking at her at all, they were looking past her at another situation and it's all about the meaning she made of it and then it colored her interactions with them after and then it affected their relationships. And over the course of a couple of weeks productivity's going downhill or not getting along. They're not collaborating and it's all over this one bad assumption. Kim Ades: And so what you're really saying is we tell stories, we invent stories about what's going on around us and what it means. And we're doing that all the time. That's how we make sense of the world. You know, we need to have judgment. You know, if something bad is happening, if something dangerous is happening, we need to use our judgment. Unfortunately, often times we use our judgment, maybe at all times, we use our judgment as a protective mechanism. And that protective mechanisms sometimes has us interpreting things in a way that isn't true, isn't real. We make up stories. Lisa Cummings: I'd like to talk about the stories that people make up about their careers, even in a bigger picture, like the frame of mind that they take on. I get story after story from people who they are looking up and they're far enough along in their career and it happens to people at all different times. I hear them in their twenties, thirties, forties, fifties. They look up and they feel a little bit trapped and they say, this is not what I expected of me. I thought I would be somewhere else and now I have big kid bills or have responsibilities or I can't make a rash decision because kids are relying on me or whatever thing they're putting in the way and once you get there, obviously they know there's a block, but often they don't know that their mind is getting in the way, but how do you help people get that realization? How do you know that your mindset is holding you back in your career? What are some of the signs? Kim Ades: Well, the only thing ever holding you back from anything is your mindset. How do you know your mindset is holding you back? It's always holding you back, is the only thing that holds you back. So now the question is what is my mindset doing? And so, you know, sometimes it's, I don't feel strong enough, I don't feel capable enough, I don't feel like I have the education or the experience and so, you know, we're talking about all the self-doubt that's there and really that fuels a lot of the feeling of being unable to make a decision about whether to move on or how to move on or how to move up. And sometimes a lot of people feel like they're victims. I was overlooked for a position, you know, they keep hiring someone else for these major higher-level positions, etc. And so what we want to do is help people understand what they believe to be true about themselves and how the world operates. Because the way you see the world is the way you live the world, is the way you experience the world. Lisa Cummings: I think there's a lot to that and we've all had examples of so many times when you're living in what feels like a parallel universe with someone else, they're in the same room hearing the same conversation and they took away something totally different about it. So if we apply that concept to personal leadership, I know you focus a lot on self-awareness because it's all. Getting back to the mindset thing, what is one thing people can do to get a little bit more self-aware about how they show up at work? Finding the good, finding the bad, finding where their minds are on target and where it is not. Kim Ades: Again, I'm a big believer in journaling, so if you're okay, I'm going to give your listeners an assignment. Is that cool? Lisa Cummings: I think they love assignments. Kim Ades: Okay, so here's the assignment. Grab a pen and a piece of paper and write these three questions down, their journaling questions and what I'm going to do is say to you that you fill this out and send it to me, I will assign a coach To you will read and review your questions with you over the phone in a coaching role. So why am I offering this? Because I know that your listeners will say that's cool and then they won't execute it, so those that do, it's a very small portion of the population, walk away with huge value. So here are your three questions: Question number one, what do I really, really want and why are there two reallys? Because it's not what somebody else really wants for you. It's not what you think you should have, but what did you authentically, genuinely want for yourself? What do you want? And it could be related to your career or not and why not? Because sometimes what you want is a little more time in your day and then you look at your career and say, hey, does this accommodate that? What do you really want? And it could be anything. It could be something tangible, it could be something intangible, it could be an emotion, it could be a state, it could be a relationship, it could be anything. So what do you really, really want? Kim Ades: Question number two is: why do I want that thing? In other words, what would it mean to me if I had that and would I be okay if I never had that? Would I be happy with my life if I never had what I really, really want? And then question number three is so: why don't I have what I really, really want right now? What are all the reasons? What I will suggest to you is that number three question starts the journey of exploring your thinking and your beliefs about what's really getting in the way of you living, the kind of life you want to live, achieving the goals you want to achieve, getting the job you want to get, moving up in your career, having the relationships you want, being the type of parent you want. That one question is the beginning of your journey to really exploring what's getting in your way. Lisa Cummings: That's deep. I like it. I can tell just from the things that were going through my mind while you were saying the questions that even if they did nothing with the homework, if they just consider those questions, they're going to get some real insight into what's driving them and what they should focus on and really just making that pivot like you were talking about, to actually face the basket and figure out what they're aiming toward. Kim Ades: Let me give you my email address so if you can send it's: kim@frameofmindcoaching.com. Lisa Cummings: Perfect. I have to admit also, the other thing that kept going through my mind while I was listening to them was the Spice Girls song from way back when, “so tell me what you want, what you really, really want.” Lisa Cummings: so there'll be sending you these emails, Spice Girl questions. Yeah. I think that's a cool lead and actually not the Spice Girls, but hey, Sporty Spice might be proud with these basketball references. You have a book, what you focus on grows and that is what I was thinking of while you were talking about facing the outcomes you're actually trying to get. I love the concept so much and one thing I do with people is try to help them focus just in the day to day work responsibilities, the smaller stuff, the situations that they want more of the tasks and responsibilities they want more of because if they can spend even three more minutes a day getting more in their strength zone and getting in the things that bring them energy, what you focus on grows, they're going to get known for that. They're going to get more of those opportunities. They're going to be able to attract more of that kind of work in their life. So when you're working with someone to help them focus on their talents like that and help those grow in their career, what are one or two actions you like to help them take to do that? Kim Ades: So I'm a little bit backwards. Most coaching is around helping people take actions. for me, I want them not to take action for a bit. I want them to save their action for later because what I find is that when you take action that is not really aligned with your thinking, it doesn't really turn out well for you. That's what I find, so what I want to do with people before, or let's call this the action, I want them to really, really start to pay attention to the moments that create peaceful peace for them or ease versus the moments that created stress or tension. I want them to start to just track it so that would be the action for me, is paying attention to where you're feeling great and where you're not feeling right and then start to pay attention to the dialogue that runs through your mind in both scenarios. For some people that's extended meetings. For some people at certain meetings really with certain people really lift them up and once you start to collect that data, you start to learn what you want more of and what you want less of. I feel that a lot of people just don't know because they're not paying attention. Lisa Cummings: Yeah, I think that's a really great idea. Just the idea that you're paying attention, it could be at a task or responsibility level, it could be at the people you're around level. I kind of like to go with the who, what, when, why. It's all that you know, who are you around, what kind of work are you doing? Where are you? I mean, for some it's even fueled or drained by being outdoors or indoors. Being around a lot of people are being alone. It's all of those kinds of scenarios where you just start paying attention and asking yourself what's the situation and then why does that make me feel excited or drained? The more they're willing to dig into it and watch the patterns, the more they're going to, the more insight they're going to pull. Kim Ades: and if for some people it's something as simple as, I love my job, I hate the commute it’s killing me. Lisa Cummings: Yes, and then figuring out is there a solution in that environment? So one last thing I'd like to talk about a little bit, his values, because as you were talking about some of the drains and life being in or out of alignment way early on in the conversation today, you mentioned something about values and my hypothesis is that some people are out of values alignment with something going on at work, whether it's overall a company culture or whether it's a manager and they just feel like it's not keeping them true to themselves, but I don't think it's always obvious and in your face. It's not necessarily some requests for them to have unethical behavior. That's really obvious. It's just something that grabs at them here and there and something's off, but they can't place it. So, what do you do to help people get in touch with the value side? Kim Ades: It's an interesting thing right there. I think that there are two buckets of values, the values you live and the values you'd like to incorporate, the values you'd like to raise in a matter of importance. And so what I always want to do is look at the values people live. So for example, I was talking to a woman today and she was describing her marriage and she described how her husband is a very successful, business owner and that essentially, and she said, you know, I wake up early in the morning with him at five in the morning. I said, why? And she got quiet and said “be with him, to help him in whatever you know, she does it so that she can help him make breakfast or whatever that she does. But so her key value is to be of service to the people in her world. Kim Ades: And that's the life she lives. However, in almost every case, our highest values, while we feel great when we're living them, they also have a counter effect. And in her case, it's self-sacrifice which ends up hurting her. So what we want to do always as look at how people are currently living their values, we always live our values and it could be that someone confronts you and what you do is you just stay quiet. Why? Because your value is not to be in conflict. You'd rather have a polite, nice exchange. And so when someone's attacking you, your decision is to withdraw and that's a reflection of your values, but that doesn't always serve you. And so what I find is that our highest value always comes with a contradictory effect. Always. So, I like to first just look at how do people actually express their values. You always do, and you always are. Lisa Cummings: I've had at least several events lately where people on the team had this deep sense of responsibility for the team, for each other, and they'll pick up a ball that they think is dropping because it looks like no one else is going to and they feel really responsible to the outcome that has been promised and keeping commitments is, you know, my honor is my word is one of those core values for them. But then the dark side is they're over committed. They start giving up their own life or taking care of themselves in order to meet these commitments. And then they're not meeting their commitments to themselves and then they, they're in the doom spiral on that. So then let's say you've noticed that. So, okay, they spotted that about themselves and they've done the reflection and they see that pattern in them and then what do you do to spot the queue and when it's happening. What do you do to break the pattern and get out of the habit? Because your values are going to drive your habits too. Kim Ades: What I look at is the beliefs attached to that. So in your situation, the belief was someone's dropping the ball, it's my job to pick it up or you know, there's another belief that goes with it. I don't believe the others have the capacity or the capability to pick up the ball even though they've dropped it. I don't have faith in lighting. And so we try to address and identify the beliefs that are really getting them in trouble and trapping them and we try to challenge those beliefs so that they can say it's true. I am seeing the world through that lens and that lens isn't serving me or them. I'm not building leaders. I'm actually keeping us set this low level because I keep jumping in. Lisa Cummings: That's great. And then do you find that people are able to go through their own belief systems to kind of figure out that thing alone? I mean, obviously I could say yes, fine, find a coach like Kim and she's going to be able to get to it really quickly. So that's the obvious one, but say they're, you know, maybe it's a peer accountability partner or they're trying to do it for themselves. How do you get to it when you're trying to get through your own belief system and know that you're going to muck up your own thinking, Kim Ades: ask yourself the question, what do I believe to be true about this situation? And once you write all your beliefs, there they are. Is this true? I'll give you another example. I'm coaching a lawyer and so one of the things she wrote about her beliefs is that things work out better for other people, whether they do for me. And so the. So the question is, is that always true? Is that true? Is that an absolute truth? And that's the question you want ask, is that an absolute truth? No, it’s not the absolute truth, right? And so when we can start to just even create a little wiggle room in a belief, then what we're doing is we're creating another possibility of stepping in, right? We're creating another possibility. So in your case, the example of the gentleman who stepped in because someone was dropping the ball, well, if I don't step in and pick up the ball, nobody else will. What was that at an absolute truth? Is that true? Lisa Cummings: And then he says, no, somebody else would. Or maybe they want to, but they don't know how. Or maybe they don't think it's their role… Kim Ades: yep. Right. So what can you do to enable other people to set that? Right? So now the conversation changes Lisa Cummings: and it changes from that one trapping to a lot of possibilities. Kim Ades: Right? And so the question that you want to ask is, so list your beliefs, what do I believe to be true? And then is it the absolute truth Lisa Cummings: I have a hunch that the answer is normally no. Kim Ades: Often times it is no. And often times it is, they believe it's absolutely true. They still hold onto it for dear life. Right? Well, it is true. You know, sometimes they need to like when somebody holds onto something tightly, we need to kind of wedge their hands away from that idea. Lisa Cummings: Good visual Kim. This is so deep and insightful. I love it. I know listeners will want to dig in a little bit more to your work. So what would be the best way to do that? Kim Ades: Best way to do that is frameofmindcoaching.com on that website. I mean there's a lot of information, blogs, videos, all kinds of stuff, there, audios, but one of the most important things on that site is an assessment. And what that assessment does is it allows you to take a snapshot of what direction you're heading in. And I think before you think about making any change, you've got to understand where you're pointed is the single most important starting point for any personal development or leadership concept. Any change to take place, you got to know where you're starting. And so take the assessment and again, you'll be introduced to one of our coaches who will review the assessment with you. Very, very important and powerful first step. Lisa Cummings: Thanks so much, Kim. I love the offer of that. So we'll link up to the site and the resources you mentioned and your book and I think everyone's going to appreciate that so much. And speaking of you guys, appreciating it, I also want to say I appreciate you the reader. Thanks for reading “Lead Through Strengths” and remember that using your strengths at work makes you a stronger performer at work. If you're always focused on fixing your weaknesses, you're probably choosing the path of most resistance. So claim your talents and share them with the world. | |||
| 21 Jan 2018 | If Every Person Has Unique Gifts, Shouldn't They Be Easier To Spot? | 00:14:10 | |
Strengths Focus For This EpisodeIn this episode Lisa answers the question, "If every person has unique gifts, shouldn't they be easier to spot?" She uses the example of her trip to Bratislava, Slovakia, to explain that it's hard to see what's going on in our own heads every day. To help us learn what our strengths are, and the strengths of others, Lisa provides individual and team exercises that are easy to follow. She points out that it's extremely important that you bring out the talents on the team. You can do it by noticing what’s working so that you can get more of what’s already working for you. This notice-and-say-something approach allows you to leverage areas of team potential that bring out your top performance in life and in work. Resources of the EpisodeYou'll find lots of StrengthsFinder, leadership, and team tools on our Strengths Resources page. Here's the video of Lisa telling the Bratislava story as an example of not being able to see things in yourself that stand out to others. Strengths ToolsOne of the best ways leaders can build a strengths based culture is to offer appreciation of strengths in action. If you'll notice what works, you'll get more of what works because people can replicate what they've already done well. On our home page, you can download this awesome tool that offers you 127 easy ideas for recognizing your team. Scroll down and look for the box that says "Great Managers Notice What Works". Here's a Full Transcript of The ShowYou’re listening to Lead Through Strengths, where you’ll learn to apply your greatest strengths at work. I’m your host, Lisa Cummings, and today I’m here to help you answer this episode’s question, “Hey, if everyone has unique gifts, wouldn’t they be easy to see?” This is such an important question. It came from someone at a recent StrengthsFinder training event. She felt totally competent on the job, but she didn’t feel “gifted” in any way. Now, if you’re listening as a people leader or a Strengths champion this is doubly important to tune in to, because it makes your role in strengths-spotting that much more important. People often can’t see their own strengths. One of the most important roles you have as a manager, or as a leader of a strengths movement, is to develop the talent on your team. There’s so much power in you seeing and unleashing their talents. You can change the course of your team and whether it meets its goals. You can even change the course of your team members’ entire careers - just by being able to tap into their potential. So let’s back up and get to the why of the original question. Why Are Talents So Tough To Spot?The essence of the original question is, “Why are talents so tough to spot?” I experienced an example on a business trip that explains it really well. I went to Bratislava, Slovakia to deliver a training event, and on the way, I needed to pick something up from the store, and I’m noticing, as I’m driving through the city, that cars were double parked and they were blocking each other in. This was something I noticed at first and didn’t think a whole lot of. I just thought, “Oh, maybe someone blocked someone in.” Then I noticed it was everywhere around the city, or at least everywhere to me. Everywhere I looked, I saw cars blocking each other in. They were stacked two deep all over the place. Pretty quickly I thought, “There’s no way this is an accident, because this is not one rude person blocking another person in. There’s something going on here.” So, the next morning I go to the event and I asked my host, “Hey, tell me about this thing. I noticed these cars parked this way. How does this work? What if you go into the store to do something fast, like buy a loaf of bread, and then someone blocks you in, but they wanted to shop for one hour? Are you stuck waiting for them for that hour?” He laughed, because he knew where I was going with that, and he said, “No, no, we have a parking shortage here in Bratislava (and we all drive cars that are standards) so you can leave it in neutral, so that it can roll." Luckily it’s a very flat there so cars won’t roll down a hill. If you were the person who bought the loaf of bread and you came out and you wanted to leave, you would literally go to the car that’s blocking you in...and you would push it with your hands. Okay, guys, if you’re listening to this, you’re imagining, “Cars are really heavy.” Most of the cars there are pretty small, so you can literally push it with your hands. And, in fact, if you’re being courteous, you might even turn your wheel so that, as it pushes out, the car rolls out nicely into the aisle-way behind it. Isn’t it crazy or what? I love this so much. This is how they fixed the parking shortage. After you get your car out, you take the car that you pushed out, and you push back into the front slot. Now, as a side note, some of my clients who live in Bratislava, Slovakia today (we have fast-forwarded a few years later) - they said they’re having fewer problems with parking, so you don’t see much of that any longer. What was so great about that moment is that he said, “Huh, this is funny that you asked me this question because the first time I visited Austin, Texas, where you live, I went to Target. I parked in the parking lot, and I was stunned at how far apart, side to side, the cars would park from each other.” He thought, at first, that it looked rude, because if only they would squish in tighter to each other they could fit so many more cars in the parking lot. Of course, you know where it’s going here. In Austin, Texas, with this giant expanse of land, we can park far apart. The lines in the parking lot are even designed way further apart than the would be in Bratislava, Slovakia, because we’re trying to be polite and not door-ding each other, because we don’t have the same shortage in parking. If you’re listening and you’ve been to any other country in the world, you’ve experienced some thing like this where you go somewhere else, and you realize, “Oh, wow, this is really different here. I wonder what’s behind it.” Then you can really see the contrast. You can really see the differences, because it’s something you’re not used to. Look At Your Talents From Another Point Of ViewWell, likewise, this all gets back to the original question of why talents are so tough to spot. It’s because you live in your brain every day. You have to get out, as though you’re in another talent country, to see how different your talents are from theirs. I hear every single day examples of people saying, “Well, yeah, I’m pretty good at that but it’s not anything special. Yeah, that’s just kind-of naturally how I think.” Catch yourself, and catch people on your team, when they’re making comments like this so that you can make notes that, you know what, that probably is something very special that you have. In fact, it likely doesn’t come easily to other people. Just like in those moments when I was in Bratislava and I was noticing, “Oh, wow, this is so different here,” and then he was able to show me how Austin, Texas, looked so different, I thought, “Oh, yeah, I can totally see that now but I wouldn’t have noticed it without the contrast.” This is how you, as a team, can get really good at spotting what your greatest talents are, and application on the job if you start spotting them as a team, and you start talking about them with each other. You can really bring out those contrasts that you couldn’t see if you hadn’t been doing it together. What do you do with all this information? Show this Bratislava video to your team as an example, and then talk about what talents you can see in each other that they can’t see in themselves. Personal Strengths Scavenger Hunt: YouIn the "Self" part of the exercise, go on a personal scavenger hunt and you look for five things this week. Each one is described in more detail below.
1) Something you’ve always been into. When you’re noticing these things at work this week, you start to see, “Oh, yeah, this is something that I’ve always had a penchant for.” This item description is a bit informal compared with the rest (in the way that I ask the question). So as an example, I notice that I’ve always been into doing something physical. My first couple of jobs were 100% physical and active. I was a lifeguard and an aerobics instructor in my late teen years. Both were active jobs where I was moving a lot. It’s no surprise that I got into the training field. It’s up, it’s active, and it’s moving around. It’s no surprise that inside of that I like to do a lot of StrengthsFinder activities that get people up and moving around and experiencing something physically. It’s no surprise that when I work, I’m often at a standup desk, or that I’m a drummer in my spare time. So for this first scavenger hunt item, watch yourself in action and go, “Yeah, this is something that I’ve always been into. No wonder it’s showing up like this today.” 2) Something that’s easy for you, but not to others. This is the time when someone goes, “Oh, yeah, you’re so good at that.” Someone makes the comment. Or you notice it in yourself. Even if you notice it in a negative way, give yourself some forgiveness. Even if you notice something really obvious and think, “Okay, what is up with these dum-dums? They can’t think of this thing that was so easy.” Well, that’s something that was probably really easy for you, yet not for others so take note of that. And, of course, don’t tell them that you thought they were dum-dums. 3) Something that energizes you at work. If you get a jolt of, “Oh, yeah, that was a cool moment,” note that. If you feel good after completing a task, or something makes you feel alive and alert, write it down. That’s one of the items in your scavenger hunt.
4) A moment this week when you lose track of time. You’re in the middle of a project and you have no idea what time it is, or you could get lost in that for eight more hours if you didn’t have a meeting coming up. 5) When someone notices you’re good at something. Now, this one can be really hard because you think, “Well, gosh. What if I work from home, and I don’t have a lot of feedback like that? And I don’t have in-person moments for someone to say that I'm great at something?” Make this as easy as possible, so it can be the slightest comment. Don’t wait for a trophy or an award or something really formal and big. This can be a tiny moment where someone sends you an email to thank you for a spot-on response to a customer. Or you’re having a phone conversation and someone goes, “Oh, duh, that was so obvious after you brought it to light.” Take that as a clue to your greatness. Someone noticed you’re good at something. They noticed that you had an easy way of thinking about something that they couldn’t see, so take that as a sign that someone noticed something that you’re good at. These five things align with Gallup’s work on the Five Major Clues to Talent. In the "5 Clues To Talent" image, you're seeing Gallup's version of them. I offered ours in the same order so that each number 1-5 corresponds with theirs. The Three Things Exercise: OthersThe other part of this exercise is getting "Others" focused input. It’s hard to spot talents because they’re right under your nose. It's exactly like the Bratislava example, where you have trouble seeing what's in the "easy-everyday-obvious" category to you. This exercise will help you see things that stand out to others. It's called the Three Things Exercise. This is something that was originally inspired by Dorie Clark. Check out this Dorie Clark episode to get a deeper look at your personal brand. The Three Things Exercise is to get a group of trusted advisors. This can be something that you do in person with a group of people. Or you can do a few quick phone interviews. Or you can literally post the question in social media. Ask people:
That’s it. “What are the first three words you think of, when you think of me?” You’re going to get adjectives that tell you whether your personal brand and your experience with your talents is the same as how they show up in the world. Now don’t be scared of this exercise. A lot of times I mention it and people say, “Oh, my gosh, I don’t know if I want to hear what people have to say.” So far, to the person, I have had zero people tell me that anyone has ever come back and said anything but positive things. So expect positive words to come back. These are people who care about you and they’re going to share three words that are virtues. What’s interesting is the trends, so make sure you ask enough people that you can see patterns in their answers. Ten is a great number. If you do it on social media, who knows...you might get 50 answers. But you start to see words that reemerge, and you think, “Aha! You know, this is really part of how I show up in the world, and this might be one of my gifts. I haven't been giving it any credit, because I don’t even notice it’s a thing.” The bottom line is, it is difficult to see something that comes so naturally and so easily to you. Yet it’s extremely important that you bring these out, that you notice what’s working so that you can get more of what’s working for you. Do this so that you can leverage those areas of your greatest potential. They bring out your top strengths, and your best performance, in life and in work. The Three Things Exercise: Team
If you’re a leader, I encourage you to do a version of the scavenger hunt or Three Things Exercise with your team. Spotting talents (and telling each other) can be one of the most meaningful, memorable experiences that people have together. Step 1: Pass out one sheet of printer paper per person. Have each person write his or her name on it (really big in the center with a marker) so that it’ll stand out. After that, you'll be passing them around, and everyone will use a pen on everyone else's sheet. So be sure to have paper, markers, and pens on hand. This works most easily if you're in a big circle around a conference table. Alternate method: If you don't have tables, you can attach a string and wear your sign on your back. That sounds a little strange to people because wearing a sign on their back often has them associating bad memories from 3rd grade when someone wrote "kick me" on their back, so you'll have to do a strong reframe of what it means to have a sign on your back. As you can guess, if you use that variation, you rotate by walking to the next person rather than passing the paper around. The rest of the description assumes you're doing this with the standard set up at a conference table. Step 2: Pass the sheet to the right one time. Have each person write 1-3 words about the person whose name they have in front of them. Write adjectives that describe what you appreciate about that person. Then (this is important), all together...at the same time...all synchronized at once, you pass the paper to the right. Tell them up front that you will do the passing at the same time. Using a timer with a dinging sound can be effective. Make sure you give people enough time to think of a few words. If you’re asking them to do three words and not just one, you might even tell them in advance so that they can begin thinking of words that describe people that they work with. I mentioned how important it is to pass at the same time, and to set this expectation up front. If you don't, you will have a pile up. A few people will be really fast at this, and they will process people's papers by writing their words and sending them to the next person like it's a speed competition. Then it stresses out the slower people, who stop being thoughtful about what they write because the person beside them is giving them a pile of work. I’ve seen teams do this activity and then keep the sheets so proudly. In fact, it’s an exercise that I did with a team over 10 years ago, and I still have a piece of paper. The example you see in this post was from about 15 years ago. It still means a lot to me to see the words that people wrote, and they really were great clues to my talents. Also it becomes a memoir for the team and helps you understand what is valued about you as an individual. As a leader, it’s a really great gift you can offer the team. With that, I hope you’ll take this inspiration and will do some level of this exercise personally or with your team, so that you can help them claim their talents and share them with the world. Subscribe To The Lead Through Strengths PodcastTo subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published.
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| 02 Sep 2018 | Strengths Q9: Team Reputation | 00:03:00 | |
In this 12-week strengths implementation series, you get one conversation per week to help your team start each week with strengths. If you “did” StrengthsFinder with your team and you didn’t follow up after the initial conversation, this is a great way to make Strengths part of your work culture. Go to [http://leadthroughstrengths.com/challenge] to get the series emailed to you one week at a time. You’ll get the question and examples to make it sound real and practical. You’ll also get additional angles so that you can take the answers beyond the surface. If you’re a manager who wants to make culture-building part of everyone’s job, have each person on the team sign up for the email series. That way, it won’t rely on you doing the question-asking each week. You can get the team to share their answers after they receive the email. This series is usable even if you’ve never used CliftonStrengths. Although the questions work in excellent alignment with the StrengthsFinder 2.0 book, they also work with no assessment at all - just conversations about what already works on the team. | |||
| 09 Jun 2019 | Career Branding When Discipline Is Your Strength | 00:14:24 | |
I hear a lot of curiosity about how to apply your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Discipline to your career. In this series, I break down one strength per post — so that you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make an even stronger alignment between your current job and your strengths. - If you’re exploring this concept as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. - If you’re exploring this concept for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. You’ll get three layers to chew on: 1. Career Branding Career Branding When Discipline Is Your StrengthYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. Think about your personal resume, CV, or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it's full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing is usually "the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. Chances are good that you are a lot like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t physically see your teammates and customers every day. So many of us work on remote teams. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting - to see who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. So here are a bunch of Discipline-related adjectives to consider using in your career branding efforts and your LinkedIn profile:
Red Flag Situations For DisciplineThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that might feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Discipline. They could even make you want to quit the team if they get really bad. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might become detached or disengaged at work. Here are two Red flags for Discipline:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for DisciplineThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Discipline at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re exploring this concept as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Discipline, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
Here's Your Personal Branding Homework
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| 17 Nov 2024 | Can You Become Anything You Want | 00:17:35 | |
Throughout our lives, many of us have been told we could become anything we want. Unfortunately, without understanding our natural talents and motivations, this belief can set us up to pursue goals that may not align with our true selves and capabilities. That’s why we look to our talents: to understand our true desires, and align our aspirations with our strengths. By embracing the strength-based mindset of becoming more of who you already are, you can achieve meaningful growth that aligns with your most authentic self. This approach fosters a healthier relationship with your aspirations, reduces pressure, and ultimately leads to greater happiness and success. 🌟
Work With Us! BREA Roper If you need a Strengths Hype Girl, for yourself or your team, connect with Brea at brearoper.com. She’s ready to deliver an inspirational keynote, empowering training, or transformational workshop. If you’re looking for an expert guide to support your internal Strengths efforts, reach out today! LISA Cummings Strategic | Maximizer | Positivity | Individualization | Woo
To work with Lisa, check out team workshops and retreats at the Lead Through Strengths site. For 1:1 strengths or life coaching, check out the Get Coached link. For independent coaches, trainers, and speakers, get business tools support with our Tools for Coaches membership.
Takeaways
Take Action ● Reflect on Your Aspirations: Take time to explore why you want to achieve certain goals or become a certain type of person. Ask yourself where those desires come from, and whether or not they align with your true self. ● Focus on Strengths: Instead of trying to become something you are not, identify your existing strengths and how you can leverage them to achieve your goals. Consider how you can use your natural abilities to reach desired outcomes. ● Seek Support: Find a coach, mentor, or trusted friend who can help you navigate your aspirations. They can ask you the tough questions that lead to deeper self-discovery and help you stay accountable to your true goals. ● Embrace Self-Love and Growth: Acknowledge and appreciate who you are while also striving for personal growth. Commit to loving yourself enough to seek improvement and development in areas that matter to you. Be sure to listen to the full episode for more insights and to reflect on your own journey of becoming. Remember, it's not about becoming someone else; it's about embracing and enhancing the incredible person you already are! 🎧 Listen now!
Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
AI-Generated Transcript Lisa: Hi, I'm Lisa.
Brea: And I'm Brea.
Lisa: And today's topic is around the question, can you become anything you want?
Brea: I say no.
Lisa: Whoa. That is decisive. Decisive. Tell us.
Brea: I mean, sometimes I want to be Michael Jordan. No, I'll never be him. Sometimes I want to be a penguin because penguins are awesome. No, never going to be a penguin. Doesn't matter how much I want it, how much I believe it, how much I try hard, believe hard. Doesn't matter. I'm never going to be that.
Lisa: Okay, now I have some of these too, like, hey, I wanted to be a pro beach volleyball player, but I'm 5'5 and I don't jump that high and me trying to become that may help me grow, but I'm still not going to become that. But what about something that you want to be more of? Let me give you two examples I hear often. I want to be better at time management or I want to be a person who works out every day. Now, can you be that if you want to?
Brea: Yeah, I think the word be might be where my hesitation is. Can I show up on time? Absolutely, right? Can I change my behavior? Can I work toward a different outcome, right? If I don't naturally or often show up on time, but I want to do that, can I do that? Sure. Can I be a person who naturally always with grace and ease and excellence show up on time? No, I just don't think that you can change who you are in that way.
Lisa: What do you think? I like that you were able to find that it was the word be, like the being.
Brea: Yes, I think it's Tom Rath that said this in Strings of Pride 2.0. You can't be anything you want to be, you can only become more of who you are. I believe that to the core of my being, you know?
Lisa: This idea of becoming more of who you already are is what we hope our coaching is stepping someone through, that discovery of figuring that out.
Brea: And that's where I think becoming anything you want or becoming anyone you want to be, it reminds me of, you know, people talk about like rewiring your brain. And I think for me, one question is, can you? which I think is what you're asking now and what we're kind of talking about.
But to me, that doesn't even feel like the deepest question, I think. Should you? Sure, there's plasticity in our brains. Sure, we can change a habit, even a deep habit. I can choose to change what I think about something. Yes.
I think that's so amazing. As humans, we can choose in a way that animals can't, non-living things can't choose in the way that we can. I think that's so cool that we can do that. And should I? Should I invest so much time and so much effort and so much resources into completely trying to change how I approach something? Is that the best use of my time and my money and my effort?
Lisa: I love where you're taking this because I know the neuroscientists seem to disagree on these areas of plasticity anyway. So be like, yeah, neuroplasticity exists. How much is nature? How much is nurture? We can't really know. How much is it plastic?
How far can you take it? So if they don't have a clear, easy answer, why worry about the debate of can you? We know to some extent you can. But to what extent, if they all disagree with each other, wouldn't it be productive as a human to explore the other question you raised? Should you?
When I hear that question, I think about how then do you get closer to discovering who you really are and how do you get further away from the pressures of who you think you should be and how to even know that you think you should be someone because you might just unconsciously be internalizing these pressures and you don't even know it. So how do you handle that as far as coaching goes to help someone unravel these who you think you should be factors?
Brea: Yeah. For me, it all comes back to what is the truth? Like, if you came and said, Brea, I want to be a pro beach volleyball player, you know, okay, what does that entail? Can you actually meet the requirements? Do you meet those requirements right now? You know, is there an actual height requirement to be a pro beach volleyball player? Or do you just think that you have to be taller than 5'5"? What's the actual truth?
Or, I want to be a person who makes my bed. Well, why do you think that? Well, because all the gurus tell me that if I'm going to be a successful CEO, I have to make my bed every day. okay, let's explore that because it worked for them doesn't necessarily mean it will work for you or that you have to follow in that path. So that's where I would start is what is the truth, the truth of what you want and why you want it and also the truth of what is and then where do we go from there?
Lisa: Yeah. What do you think about somebody who's in a corporate environment and they're like, Hey, I want to be a leader because that's the career path they know and they want to be a senior leader. They want to get promoted. What if you're this person who is saying my goal is to be a senior leader?
But how do they even know if they want to be that because that's just the career path they know of and seems available and seems to be where the paycheck is compared with the idea of, hey, is this just because this is a pressure of who I think I should be because it's the only thing I know? So then how do you navigate that situation through this lens?
Brea: I, yeah, again, I think that is what I mean by we start with the truth. You know, if they say, I want to be a senior leader. Okay, why? You know, what is it about that, that you want, right? Is it the title? Is it the paycheck? Is it the responsibilities, the quarter office? Is it the opportunity for impact? What is it? What about that? do you want? And why do you want it?
And will it actually give you what you want? Because sometimes when we look at an opportunity, we think that there's potential there, or we think that it might be something other than what it actually turns out to be. Sometimes when people are in, let's say, a sales role, crushing it. They are constantly at the top of the leaderboard and they just are such a great salesperson.
And so they're tapped for management. And they hate management. They get there, it's this promotion. But being an amazing salesperson and being an amazing manager of people are just completely different, right? One person is out on the road all the time, one person is at the desk all the time, you know? It's just different skills, different all the things.
Lisa: You're making me think of that saying about when you're climbing up the ladder and then you realize it was leaning on the wrong wall and you're raising such good questions that they seem confronting. I think, I know I've been confronted with some of those questions. I know, I remember a senior VP asking me, why, why are you interested in this role? Really pushing me on the why and the why and the why behind the why. And I was like,
Brea: It's not intended in an aggressive way. It's intended in an exploratory way, a discovery way.
Lisa: Yeah. And this guy specifically, I remember thinking, I wonder if he just wants me to admit there's ego in it. That, yeah, I do like the title. Yeah, I do like the money. There were other elements I was describing in my why. internal motivators that made me feel alive.
If you don't have someone in your life who will ask you those questions, whether a coach like Brea or like this senior VP, if no one asks you those questions and you don't confront those early, you might find you get promoted four steps along the way and then you realize, whoa, I created a life for myself that I am not into at all. How did I get here? What did I do?
Brea: Yes, it's important to understand why you want that to see if taking the next step is what you should do. Also, there are times in our life when we're like, I just really want to be a pro beach volleyball player, or I really want to be Michael Jordan. I don't. really want to be Michael Jordan, okay?
Like, what is it about that? Why am I attracted to the idea of being like Michael Jordan? Asking those questions and figuring out why does this aspirational identity, why is it attractive to me? Why do I want that? Can help us identify the deeper down things that we can actually attain or achieve or become, right?
Because they are in alignment with who we are. Becoming a pro basketball player is not in alignment with who I actually am as a person, okay? I can never become a pro basketball player, nor do I really want to be. But there are aspects of Michael Jordan, who he is as a person, his intellect, his hard work ethic, his entrepreneurial journey, the impact that he's made. I mean, I could go on and on about him as a person. There are so many things that are in alignment with talent that is inside of me and things that I can aspire to imitating or striving for.
I think that's that's where I'm at is we ask those questions of why. Why do you want that thing? Because it might not actually be that thing you want. It might be certain elements of that that are attractive to you that you can find in a different thing that will be better suited for you and that will actually allow you to grow beyond.
Lisa: Yeah, absolutely. You're making me come full circle on our conversation and it brings it all together. What you were just talking about, it's the perfect tee up for strengths because inevitably somebody in a workshop or in a group or a team will say, I don't like this one or I wanted to see this other one because they like the word or it reflects a goal they've been working on. Usually that's another definitions issue.
But if you're trying to accomplish something and you back into it from the outcomes level or the results level, this is where the useful conversation is anyway. So if somebody says, Oh, I really wanted Achiever. Oh, I really wanted Includer. If the next conversation is, tell me about what result you would want with that or tell me about the outcomes. What are you trying to achieve where that would come into play for you?
And then they give you some examples and they're like, oh, well, I've been having trouble getting it done and hitting my deadlines on this global team with all these complexities and matrix reporting structures. And they give you this whole example. And then you just ask the question, and what if you use the ones you have, which ones could you lean on? And you get them down a conversation there, and they realize, I can achieve, I can get things done, I can hit my deadlines, and lean on the ones I already have, because those are the ones that are easy for me to lean on.
If you spent your whole life trying to grab your achiever that's down at number 20, you're spinning your wheels and kind of draining yourself. And you could get there, you could raise it up, but it wouldn't be a high leverage way to spend your time. And I feel really confident that we agree on that point. So it's more like backing into it from the result or the outcome. Am I right? Am I right? Do we agree?
Brea: Well, of course we agree. Yes, this is a very strength-focused partnership here. And that's where I think my sticking point is, again, it's the difference between being and becoming or doing, right? Is this who I am, my identity as a person, or is this just what I do or how I do it? I don't identify as an entrepreneur or a business owner. That's not who I am. That's not my identity. That's how I make a living, you know? That is how I spend a lot of my time, but that is not who I am as a person. This is where this conversation really pokes the bear inside of me is because I grew up like a lot of people, I think, believing that their identity is what they do, what they can do, how they perform.
That's where I get really passionate about this. That's where the mama bear comes out. And I'm like, no, being something or becoming something or believing you can become something that you're not is not true. I think believing that sets us up to fail. I'd love to hear from listeners.
Lisa: Yeah, we would love to hear and come tell us in a review, come communicate, let us know. And BreaBear, if they are like, hey, this is blowing up my idea of parenting or this is blowing up my idea of my career goals. And they now feel compelled. They've got to work with you. How do they do it? Tell us about how to bring out the Bria bear. Yes.
Brea: Brearoper.com. B-R-E-A-R-O-P-E-R.com. Just come on over, schedule a call, and let's talk about your outcomes that you want to achieve and how you can do that using the tools that you already have. Beautiful.
Lisa: I highly recommend. Brea is an amazing coach. And if you want to work with me, Lisa, let's move. I think on mine, I'll talk about the entrepreneur one. If you're like, I am in corporate, I have a side hustle career with training and coaching, etc. And I just need to get my head around what it's like to do and or explore the being. Who do you want to be? How do you want to show up? How does all this work?
I would love to support you in that. We have a membership for coaches where we support you with the skills and a lot of the doing things so you can spend your energy being who you already are naturally at your best. And I can cover you on the operations, the visuals, the decks, the tools and all the things you have to build in those first years when you're getting started. On the website, LeadThroughStrengths.com, check out the link, Tools for Coaches.
Brea: Love that. And so many people are already finding so much success using those tools. Yeah, it's really fun.
Lisa: Yeah. Yes. OK, well, with that, I guess we should leave people to to go off and find their moment. And so if you believe you can fly, we're here to tell you today. No, you can't. Sorry.
Brea: Not a bird.
Lisa: Not a bird. Go back to being what you are best.
Brea: Oh, my gosh. Unless you think you are the Wright brothers, you know, and you want to go build a plane, then do that.
Lisa: There you go.
Brea: Love yourself as you are. You are amazing and good and beautiful and strong and smart just as you are. But love yourself too much to leave yourself there, right? Find yourself a coach. Find yourself a friend. Find yourself someone else to push you to become more of the amazing person that you already are.
Lisa: The way you said that was so beautiful. Love yourself too much to leave yourself there. I love that.
Brea: I promise to all my clients, I'm going to receive you just as you are. And I'm going to love you there. I'm going to believe in you there. But I'm going to love you too much to leave you there. So you can do that for yourself. You can find someone else who does that for you. I know people are listening.
Lisa: You're worth it. Yeah, they're like making the heart sign with their hands while they're listening. We'll see y'all next time around.
Brea: Bye!
Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
The Fine Print: This podcast is not sanctioned or endorsed by Gallup in any way. Opinions, views and interpretations of CliftonStrengths© are solely the beliefs of Lisa Cummings and Brea Roper.
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| 16 May 2017 | 10 Ways To Improve Your Company Culture - With Sam Smith | 00:25:18 | |
This Episode’s Focus on StrengthsThis week Lisa speaks with Samantha Smith, who joins us to talk about what it's like to create an amazing culture at your company. She gives very specific examples of ideas you can implement, no matter what your current title is. Unlike our usual audio-only interviews, this one was onsite at the Jobs2Careers headquarters in Austin, Texas. You also get a bonus interview with Suong Luu. She gives the cultural overview from the employee perspective. Her first job out of college was with Jobs2Careers. She has already progressed through several roles from intern to marketing coordinator. And she has been able to experiment in functions from IT to marketing. Resources of the Episode If you go to the J2C homepage for job seekers you'll see roles in tons of industries, locations, and companies. Check out their careers page to explore their open positions inside of Jobs2Careers in Austin, TX. Keep in mind, even though they're a software company, their workforce is onsite in Central Texas. Working together in the same location is actually part of their secret-culture-sauce. Finally, if you're a hiring manager, you might be interested in the J2C For Employers page to check out their unique Pay Per Application model. Here's the live interview with Sam and Suong on camera. Strengths ToolsYou'll also find lots of StrengthsFinder, leadership, and team tools on our Strengths Resources page. Subscribe To Lead Through StrengthsTo subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. Here's a Full Transcript of the Interview Lisa Cummings: [00:00:08] You’re listening to Lead Through Strengths, where you’ll apply your greatest strengths at work. I’m your host, Lisa Cummings, and I gotta tell you, whether you’re leading your team or leading yourself, it’s hard to find something more energizing and productive than using your natural talents every day at work. [00:00:27] And, just the other day I got a new idea for the show. I got in the mail this magazine that had the best places to work. And even though it’s an Austin, Texas publication, I’m thinking, “Oh, cool. Strengths and great company cultures and employee engagement, they’re all so intertwined so it’d be really cool to get some great ideas to share with listeners.” [00:00:50] And, you know, I was so disappointed. I opened this thing up and, as it describes each of these award-winning companies, it gives some bullet points on what they do to make their culture great. And do you know what the answers are? Oh, gosh, let me give you a sampling. Number one: generous retirement plan. Number two: charity involvement. Number three: rewards program. And number four of your sample: a health and wellness program. [00:01:19] Oh, my gosh, I was so bummed out when I read those, because I thought it would be full of inspiration and ideas, and although those bullet points are fine enough words, it’s just like when you see on a resume when someone says they’re a motivated team player. It’s like, “Well, yeah, that’s the same thing everyone else is saying. Give me something different. Give me something specific and inspirational.” It was lacking all of the telling details. And that led me to the idea of what the next couple of interviews are going to be about. [00:01:48] Today you’ll get one of several episodes I’ve recorded that gives you specific examples straight from leaders who have built an awesome company culture. There are so many direct ties between strengths and employee engagement on your team, so you’ll get this peak behind the curtain at workplace cultures that can give you an inspiration to come up with your own ideas that are riffing off of the one you’ll hear here. [00:02:14] The bulk of today’s interview was recorded on site at a company in Austin, Texas called Jobs2Careers. So you’ll hear us also refer to this company as J2C. Of course we’ll link J2C in the show notes so you can check them out all the way. [00:02:32] Now this show highlights Samantha Smith who runs their marketing team. And then in the next episode you’ll hear from their CEO and from their Head of HR. That way you’ll get specific examples that are unique from each angle inside of the business. And at the end of this episode, you’ll hear a recap about how Sam’s examples fit right into our RAMP model for nurturing team culture. [00:03:00] So as a quick teaser, the four RAMP factors to always be nurturing on your team are R relationship building, A accomplishment, M meaning and purpose, and P positive interactions. So RAMP makes it an easy acronym to think about your culture. [00:03:19] You’ll hear the tone of the audio change a bit as we move over because it was an onsite recording, so if you do want to see the full impact, with video, you can also watch this interview portion on the show notes page. Just go to LeadThroughStrengths/SamanthaSmith and it has everything except for that recap at the end. [00:03:38] So, with that, let’s jump over to the onsite interview. [00:03:43] We have Samantha Smith, you’ll hear me refer to her as Sam, and she runs their marketing team. And I thought it’d be fun to give you all of these different angles of people and different roles around the company because people start to say, “Oh, yeah. Culture, that’s an HR initiative,” or, “Culture has nothing to do with HR. That’s only what happens out in the business.” [00:04:07] So, no matter what side of that fence you’re on, you get to see lots of different angles at J2C. And I’ve been Jobs2Careers but J2C. Is that internally your name? Samantha Smith: [00:04:18] Internally that’s the slang. Lisa Cummings: [00:04:19] Yeah, that’s your slang. And you have to have team slang to have a team culture. Samantha Smith: [00:04:23] Yeah. Lisa Cummings: [00:04:24] So what’s your favorite thing about culture here? Samantha Smith: [00:04:26] I would say that we try and do things differently. We’re very opposed to, “Oh, we’ve always done it that way.” And one of the things I like is that Bruce (Ge), our CEO, and management team really want to hear what the employees have to say. I believe that Bruce’s philosophy would be that you hired good people and that the success of your company is mostly dependent on your team. [00:04:48] And one of the things that I like is Bruce does a CEO Circle program. And what that is, is every quarter he will give us a business challenge that he’s facing. It could be what to name a new product, or it could be how to brand us in a creative way, and it has to be easy to implement and inexpensive and solve a problem. [00:05:08] And every quarter somebody wins it. Three people, actually. And when you win it, you get to go to a family event with Bruce and his wife and two kids, you get a $1,000 bonus, and you get a chance to implement your program. And one of my favorite examples is our social ambassador program, and that was the answer to a question of, “How do we maintain our culture as we grow?” because we’ve just about doubled employee headcount year-over-year for the past four years. So how do you keep the culture of a small company when you get big? [00:05:41] And so the social ambassador program is run by one of our client success analysts, and basically when there’s a new person that starts, it’s you get a schedule to have lunch with a new person. So they get to have lunch with somebody from a different department every day so it’s not you’re just going to a lunch. Here’s there’s 80 people like that you don’t know exactly. Lisa Cummings: [00:06:01] It’s like high school again with a tray where you’re walking around going, “Where do I sit?” Samantha Smith: [00:06:06] Yeah, exactly. And so we don’t want anyone to feel that way, and we want them to know us, and we want engineers and marketing and sales and HR to all eat lunch together and not get too cliquey. Lisa Cummings: [00:06:16] Oh, I like. And when you first said it, I’m thinking, “Marketing,” I’m thinking, “Social,” as in social media, so I expected your answer to be about something to the external world. I love hearing that this is an internal, how you get to know each other and work with each other. Samantha Smith: [00:06:31] Definitely. One thing I thing is cool is that when I started with Jobs2Careers we had 40-some people, and now I think we’re 90 plus. And I think I still pretty much know everybody’s name, which I’ve worked with companies much smaller I can’t say that about. Lisa Cummings: [00:06:48] It says something about people really caring about each other and you can’t make somebody care about each other. What are the things that happen here that allow that environment to happen? Because I could certainly see that in a room of essentially every employee, there are really deep relationships that you can tell it’s different from those who, “Oh, that’s that guy in accounting who I don’t know.” Now how does that happen here? Samantha Smith: [00:07:14] It does feel different than other places, and I’ve thought about why. And I think a big factor is that we all eat together every day, and every afternoon at 3:30 we have tea time which is a 20-minute break to not let your blood sugar dip too much, and you have to mingle outside if it’s nice with people in other departments. [00:07:33] And so we really all do know a lot about each other and that helps when you need to ask for someone’s assistance with something, or somebody comes to you. And it also helps that we know what everybody does because sometimes we’ll talk about work at lunch and people know what everyone’s role is. It’s never like, “Oh, I don’t know who you are. What do you do?” That doesn’t really happen. Lisa Cummings: [00:07:54] “That’s just that lady with brown hair over there. I’ve seen her around but I have no idea.” Samantha Smith: [00:07:57] Right. Lisa Cummings: [00:07:58] Right. So when you were talking about the CEO Circle – did I get the terminology right? Samantha Smith: [00:08:02] Yes. Lisa Cummings: [00:08:03] Okay. You mentioned the brand as one of the examples of maybe how you bring the brand to life. I looked that there were constraints in it too. It’s cheap to implement those sorts of things, that’s cool. That made me think about branding and how many companies I work with are trying – I’m sure listeners are feeling this way – “Oh, we want to have an employment brand. We want to be known for something to candidates. We want to be an employer of choice. We want to be a place that people want to come work.” [00:08:31] Then there’s the other side of branding that the typical marketing person would be focused on – your company brand and the brand personality traits. They seem very aligned here. So how does that all come together from your perspective? Samantha Smith: [00:08:42] Well, our mission statement is, “Innovating the way employers effectively find talent, and the talent effectively find employers.” So, we’re helping both sides of the coin there. And there’s the key word of innovating, which is that we want to do employee branding differently and we also want to do searching for a job and hiring differently. [00:09:03] This company is only five years old, so it’s not a legacy brand that you have to give a facelift to. We could start something new and it wouldn’t affect any existing business. And even, for a simple example, expense reports, they’re really easy to do. We’ve got software to do them. It’s not a lot of cutting and pasting and it works quickly, and that’s just an example of something that doesn’t get bogged down in red tape. Lisa Cummings: [00:09:30] And if you’re going to make simplicity a key part of your mission statement you want to live it out and model in everything you do, and you really do it. Samantha Smith: [00:09:38] There is efficiency all the time. Even as simple as dishes are piling up next to the sink. Let’s put a basket there if the dishwasher is full. And it sounds silly but in a big office little things like that help. Lisa Cummings: [00:09:53] And I would imagine they would start to be the small things that create a culture because just like when you walk into a public restroom and you see trash all over the place, similarly if you start to see dishes all over the place then people don’t care about the space as much. And so coming up with solutions for things and being efficient and being simple, it does feel like it’s really built into what you do here. Samantha Smith: [00:10:16] It does. Lisa Cummings: [00:10:17] Another thing we’ve talked about outside of the interview is perks. Let’s actually talk about some of the perks you actually have, because this is a typical go-to for culture. People go, “Okay, it’s a tech company. Let’s make some cool company perks. Those do attract people, and it has to go beyond that.” So talk a little bit about what perks you do have. You’ve mentioned lunch every day. Samantha Smith: [00:10:40] Yeah, that’s pretty good. Lisa Cummings: [00:10:41] And tea time is pretty cool. What else, and then how do you go beyond that? Samantha Smith: [00:10:46] Well, we have everything we need here. We have lunch, we have tea time, we have coffee. Its purpose is to make us work more efficiently. So we have everything we need, and we don’t want for anything here. But I would say that beyond the perks, there’s the cultural perks too, like to always learn and to try new ideas and to communicate. [00:11:08] And one of my favorite things that Bruce says is to allow for interruptions. And so what that means to me is like a C-level officer, you can just go in her office and ask them something. And if somebody comes to you, it’s sort of the same expectation. So really being transparent, I think that says a lot about our culture beyond, you know, we have a ping pong table and we have a beautiful office space in the hill country, and we see rainbows out there. Lisa Cummings: [00:11:37] That’s a great view. Samantha Smith: [00:11:38] Yeah, and we grill steaks out there sometimes. And there’s these moments like, “Well, this is…” Lisa Cummings: [00:11:43] Like every Friday? Samantha Smith: [00:11:44] Yeah, mainly. And so there’s these moments, like, “Well, we’re really well taken care of.” But I think the part that I feel luckiest about, is that I work with such a smart group of people. I mean, the process is rigorous to be hired here, but it’s worth it because there are no weak links, and it’s really amazing to work that way. Lisa Cummings: [00:12:05] That makes a big difference in culture. Let’s end there with a little more specific look at people and how they come into the role that they’re doing, and even how work is assigned? So something I noticed, for example, working with Callie that she’s just so energetic. It seems like everybody I interact with, they love what they do. [00:12:28] And it’s not just I want to make the cliché comment about passion because I feel like there’s a lot of explanation that needs to happen beyond that, but the energy that people bring. What happens from you being a people manager when you’re trying to imagine, “How do I take this person, know their skills and interests, and align them to what puts them at their best so that kind of energy connection show up at work?” Because it’s showing up all over the building. Samantha Smith: [00:12:54] Well, one thing that’s neat about how fast we’re growing is it gives you room to change your job. For instance, we had an account executive who became a sales manager, who then became a sales operations manager; we’ve had people transfer departments. And so because we’re growing so quickly, these new avenues open up, and if you really jump on them and own them, then you can have that and then somebody else will do the other part. [00:13:20] So everyone is passionate because you’ve kind of get to choose your job to a certain extent. There’s always support from management, but there’s not necessarily, “Okay, this is what you need to do every day.” So when I started my job nobody told me, “Okay, so for marketing materials, we’re going to focus on doing case studies, and doing content marketing, and get our blog redesigned.” No one told me that. It’s just you see a need and you go for it and then you see that there’s value to it. If you go into your manager’s office and have an idea that’s going to bring value, they’ll let you do it. Lisa Cummings: [00:13:52] Yeah, I love it. We have a lot of listeners who are at tech companies and that’s an environment they’ll be able to really touch and feel. And then, I also have a lot of listeners who work for big companies and add maybe a couple or a few zeroes to the headcount. If, for that person, just to go out on an idea of what could they do so it’s going to feel more bureaucratic, a little less able to just say, “Oh, my gosh, I can craft my job”? What advice would you give for somebody who’s a manager at a company where they’re a little more mature in the business so things don’t change as fast and they’re trying to blaze a trail as a manager and create their own team culture? Samantha Smith: [00:14:34] I would say don’t underestimate the power of going out once a quarter for a department event. We just did that recently with marketing. We did a “Build your own terrarium,” which is a thing in Austin, and there were about 12 of us, and we built our own little plants in this jar. And we thought, “What an interesting idea, what’s that going to be like.” And it was so fun. [00:14:55] But that something that simple which just shows you care about getting people outside the office, and I think that really says it all, it’s just that you value somebody more than what they’re producing. One of, I think, the best benefits at Jobs2Careers is management training. It started with our CEO Bruce doing a management training session every two weeks and, of course, that’s how we met you. We have guest speakers once a month. [00:15:20] And there’s something about being in a room with all of your colleagues, during company time, where that’s an hour and a half or two hours where you’re not producing work for the company. There’s something about feeling that value that’s very flattering and very motivating. Lisa Cummings: [00:15:35] It really intrigued me. It’s the only company that I worked for where they call it management training. You use that terminology because you hear that, and any other company that means people managers only, and it gets referenced a lot by employees, by managers, and it really is like the personal leadership development that everybody here wants for everybody else. I love the tone that it sets, and it says, “This is an exclusive way of thinking. This is how we can all grow the company together.” Samantha Smith: [00:16:08] I think Bruce sees everybody as future managers. Lisa Cummings: [00:16:11] That’s a beautiful way of seeing people’s capabilities and then letting those programs start to bring that on people. Samantha Smith: [00:16:19] Definitely. Lisa Cummings: [00:16:20] Sam Smith, thank you for the backstage pass. Yes. So to all of you listeners, gosh, wasn’t it great for inspiring ideas that you can use at your company? I promised you a recap to align the interview to the RAMP model, so you can apply Sam’s examples to your company. So let’s jump into that. [00:16:43] First, the R in RAMP is for relationships. So her first example under the relationship category is her social ambassador program. So when you’re onboarding new employees, formally link them up with someone else from the company, so that there’s a comfortable lunch buddy, some built-in networking right from the very first day. So get inspired from her idea, and think about what your version of the company welcome wagon can be. [00:17:09] Now in another example, Sam mentioned hiring great people through a rigorous process so there are no weak links in the cultural fit. So find people who will love working at your company. So to apply this in your workplace specifically, be sure you spend as much time on cultural fit, and values fit, as you do on matching their past experiences and their past skills with the role. So usually people obsess over a candidate’s background during the hiring process, yet you can actually make a huge impact on your team culture if you’ll also obsess about the interpersonal fit. [00:17:50] All right. Next in the RAMP model we have A for accomplishment. So Sam told us about their CEO Circle Awards. That was a great example you could apply at your company by creating a competition for people to come up with an idea that solves a specific business challenge. I love the business relevance of this idea. So J2C gives a monetary award, and a social event out with the CEO, and the ability to actually implement their idea. So, of course, you can come up with your own awards, make them big or small, make them work for you, but that notion of the CEO Circle award is a great one. [00:18:27] Another example she gave under accomplishment is their monthly management training. So, for them, it’s open to every single employee. I had a great time being part of a delivery team offering this training to their employees and it was highly attended. They want to show that everybody can be a leader, and there’s a dedication there to nurturing that potential and helping people accomplish their big career goals. [00:18:50] So if you think about your company, you might already have an existing leadership development program that you can just open up to a wider audience as a way to show team members that they have the opportunity to make a big impact, regardless of what their current job title is. If you don’t have the budget or an existing program, you could even setup some sort of panel interviews where you take internal executives and team members who have success stories and case studies so that you can offer some level of inspiration around that future that they might have at your company. [00:19:28] So we’ve covered R for relationships, A for accomplishment, and now we’re at M for meaning and purpose. Sam’s first example was about simplicity and innovation being part of their company mission. So they live it out in the smallest daily actions and I thought that was great, how connected the big picture and the small picture were. She even mentioned things down to the detail of the basket that would contain messy dishes, or the streamlining of expense report processes so they could live it out. [00:20:01] So to implement this at your company, think about your mission statement or your vision statement. Then, challenge each person on the team to find one small process; I’m talking tiny. One small process or workflow that seems out of alignment with your mission or vision. Keep it super small so the changes isn’t daunting, it doesn’t require approvals and it doesn’t get all bogged down. And then get it aligned so that you’re modeling your mission through just the tiniest daily actions. [00:20:31] In her other example on meaning and purpose, I’m thinking she made everyone listening drool. Maybe you feel a little jealous about the fact that at J2C the job that you’re hired to do isn’t necessarily your job for long because if you have an idea, and it’s really using your strengths, you can contribute that to the company, then you can shape your job to make the most of your talents. [00:20:51] Well, I know not every corporate culture is that flexible, yet apply her idea at work by thinking of a task, or a responsibility, that you’ve really been drawn to, you’ve really been interested in or you thought, “Oh, I would like to try that out. I’d love to spend time doing that.” And then apply that interest by spotting a need in your actual business and filling that need. [00:21:13] So if you can solve a business problem while you’re also in your zone of genius, I’m talking your personal zone of genius, then you’ll become known for the thing you love working on. So even if it’s an act of voluntarism and it’s an extra duty you’re taking on, what a great thing to build a personal brand around the things you love doing because then they’ll become the core of your job. Even in the most rigid of workplaces I’ve found that people can shape their jobs this way over the long term. [00:21:44] Finally, in the RAMP model, we have P for positive interactions. You know, Sam said it so beautifully, that notion that if you value people more than the work product, value people more than the product, it will make the work product shine while people are also feeling valued for their contribution, so you actually get both by focusing through the people. [00:22:09] In her first example she talked about the value of communication. Now they live out their version of communication by just being so transparent and open that you can even interrupt a senior officer at the company just like you do to your buddy in the cube next to you. So, to apply these concepts to your company, think about behaviors or traditions that highlight the hierarchy in your organization, the things that build walls between people. Yes, I know this sounds like opposite world, and it is, because you’re going to do something that tears down those walls. [00:22:39] So, for example, if you’re a VP with a reserved parking spot, give it to the winner of your new CEO Circle Award for a month. Or if you usually only have one-on-ones with your direct reports, go on a listening tour by holding one-on-ones with every person in your department. It doesn’t cost money, it’s just time and interest and what makes them great. Just go out of your way to connect at a human level. You don’t even have to be a manager to do this. [00:23:05] So, for example, if you’re a marketing coordinator and you have a new intern on the team, offer your mentorship. Do something that makes the line of communication seem very open and natural regardless of level. [00:23:17] Now, other examples of positive interactions were just plain sprinkled all over the interview. You heard her talk about the “build your own terrarium day” in Austin. I’m sure those are around, lots of interesting ways to do team building. You heard how they eat lunch together every day. You heard about how they break at 3:00 p.m. for tea time. And this consistent interaction with different people around the company helps them know a lot about what makes the other person tick. That gets them business results because it makes it easier to collaborate when they actually need things from each other. [00:23:54] So, now, think about your team. Can you add a Taco Monday like Jobs2Careers? Will your team take plank breaks? Yeah, like workout planks. This is something else I learned about J2C later, that their customer support team does planks together so to get an energizer. So pick something that’s small and easy to start with, just something that does break the typical pattern of interaction even if it’s three minutes a day, just something that feels like it really jives with the groove of your team. [00:24:24] Okay, so with that, you’re off to the races. Now you have at least 10 inspirations for how you can use the idea of RAMP, relationship, accomplishment, meaning or positive interaction on your team. Just pick one. Do one thing this week to nurture your culture. And this is in perfect alignment with building a strengths-based culture or a strengths-focused team. If you’re noticing what works, you’re going to get more of what works. [00:24:56] So, like what we always say, using your strengths makes you a stronger performer at work. If you’re putting a lopsided focus on fixing your weaknesses, you’re choosing the path of most resistance. So claim your new work culture and share that positive result with the world. | |||
| 04 Nov 2018 | Career Branding When Woo Is Your Strength | 00:08:17 | |
I constantly get questions about how to align your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Woo with your career. So in this series, I break down one strength per episode — so that you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make a better match between your job and your strengths. – If you’re exploring as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. – If you’re exploring for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone.
Talent Theme: WooToday, the talent theme of the episode is Woo. You’ll get three layers to chew on:
Career Branding For WooYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. If you imagine your resume or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it’s full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. Now, what’s missing in most of them is “the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. This is an overlooked use for tools like LinkedIn, which is not just for job seekers. I bet you are just like most of my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t see your teammates and customers every day. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding – because it’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting – to see who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. So here are a bunch of adjectives you can use in your career branding and your LinkedIn profile to represent the Woo talent theme. People who lead through Woo are often:
Red Flag Situations At Work For WooThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Woo. They might even make you want to quit the team. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might get the urge to quit the job or become detached at work. Here are two red flags for Woo:
3 Fresh Application Ideas For WooThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Woo at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re reading this as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Woo, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
Your HomeworkSo there you have it. It’s a quick tour for building your career through the talent theme of Woo. So, here’s your homework if you lead through this CliftonStrengths theme:
Rock Your Talents As A TeamIf you’re thinking about doing a virtual or in-person event to kick off your strengths-based culture, head on over to our training page to see if our current offerings are a good fit for you. Until next time, thank you for being part of this powerful strengths movement that helps people unleash the awesomeness already inside them. Enjoyed The Podcast?To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. | |||
| 07 Jul 2019 | Career Branding When Deliberative Is Your Strength | 00:12:36 | |
I hear a lot of curiosity about how to apply your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Deliberative to your career. In this series, I break down one strength per post — so that you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make an even stronger alignment between your current job and your strengths. - If you’re exploring this concept as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. - If you’re exploring this concept for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. You’ll get three layers to chew on: 1. Career Branding Career Branding When Deliberative Is Your StrengthYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. Think about your personal resume, CV, or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it's full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing is usually "the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. Chances are good that you are a lot like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t physically see your teammates and customers every day. So many of us work on remote teams. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting - to see who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. So here are a bunch of Deliberative-related adjectives to consider using in your career branding efforts and your LinkedIn profile:
Red Flag Situations For DeliberativeThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that might feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Deliberative. They could even make you want to quit the team if they get really bad. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might become detached or disengaged at work. Here are two Red flags for Deliberative:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for DeliberativeThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Deliberative at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re exploring this concept as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Deliberative, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
Here's Your Personal Branding Homework
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| 13 Oct 2019 | Career Branding When Belief Is Your Strength | 00:14:45 | |
I hear a lot of reflections about how to apply your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Belief to your career. In this series, you get one strength per post so that you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make an even stronger alignment between your current job and your strengths. - If you’re exploring this concept as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. - If you’re exploring this concept for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. You’ll get three layers to chew on: 1. Career Branding Career Branding When Belief Is Your StrengthYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. Think about your personal resume, CV, or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it's full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing is usually "the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. Chances are good that you are a lot like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t physically see your teammates and customers every day. So many of us work on remote teams. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting - to see who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. Here are a bunch of Belief-related adjectives to consider using in your career branding efforts and your LinkedIn profile:
Red Flag Situations For BeliefThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that might feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Belief. They could even make you want to quit the team if they get really bad. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might become detached or disengaged at work. Here are two Red flags for Belief:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for BeliefThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Belief at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re exploring this concept as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Belief, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
Here's Your Personal Branding Homework
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| 15 Apr 2018 | What Should You Do When Two Talents Contradict Each Other? | 00:15:35 | |
In this episode, Lisa answers the question: What should you do when two talents contradict each other? Don’t worry — you’ll be fine if you work on situational fluency and communication. Resources of the Episode You'll find lots of StrengthsFinder, leadership, and team tools on our Strengths Resources page. Have You Downloaded Your Strengths Tools? One of the best ways leaders can build a strengths-based culture is to offer an appreciation of strengths in action. If you’ll notice what works, you’ll get more of what works because people can replicate what they’ve already done well. Get started by downloading this awesome tool that offers you 127 Easy Ways to Recognize Strengths on your team. What Should You Do When Two Talents Contradict Each Other? This question came in when someone in a virtual StrengthsFinder training said, “Uh oh, my Top 5 might be bad news because two of my strengths are opposites.” I said, “Sounds interesting, tell me more.” He clarified by saying that his Ideation is the opposite of his Consistency talent theme because Ideation makes him come up with constantly new ways of doing things while his Consistency talent theme makes him want to do things the same every time to be efficient and clear. One of the beautiful things about virtual events is that they’re often big. So with 250 people in the same training room, it was possible to find someone else with those two talent themes. I asked the other person, “How do these two work on you?” She said, “I’m more into fairness than anything else. So Consistency drives me to treat people the same. Consistency bosses around Ideation and tells it what to work on. So my Ideation’s job is to find more and more ways to be fair in every part of life and work.” From that conversation, you can see the two important things to explore in your own Top 5 and in the Top 5 of your team members so that you can be extra effective when you work together. It comes down to (1) Situational Fluency and (2) Communication. Using Seemingly Opposite Talent Themes For Situational Fluency By situational fluency, I mean being able to bring your best to a situation or challenge that comes up at work. Let’s use Deliberative and Activator as the example StrengthsFinder talent themes because they’re simple to understand, even if you haven’t done anything yet with CliftonStrengths. You’ll often hear people using a car metaphor to describe Deliberative as a talent that likes to put on the brakes — to stop or to think carefully about risks before acting. You’ll often hear about Activator as a talent theme that likes to push the accelerator and get going. Now think about your own talents in a tough situation at work. You’ve put 20 million dollars into a product launch that failed. Everyone thought it would bring about 100 million dollars in revenue last year, and instead, you lost money. Half of the team wants to kill the product and cut the losses. Half of the team wants to tweak it and try to fix some issues before doing something so drastic. Meanwhile, you’re bleeding out cash and the board expects a plan by next week. Your team has been spinning in circles. Now think about your personal talent themes. Which ones make you feel cautious? Which ones help you feel brave? Which ones put you into high collaboration mode? Which ones make you go into deep thinking? Depending on the situation, you might need different things at different times. So, if you think, “Yikes, I have two strengths that can’t really work together well” — then dig into it more because, instead, you can think of it as having more tools for a given situation. For example, go back to the car metaphor. You have headlights on the exterior and you have dash lights inside of the car. Think of those two as if they're talent themes. If it gets dark outside, you turn on the headlights so you can see. And in the dark, you don’t need so much of those interior lights, so they go dim. Otherwise they’re distracting. They’re too much for the situation. Your talents are the same. In one situation, you turn it up. In another situation you turn it down. In some cases, both are in use, but one is bright and one is dim. Think of your talents like that. You can control how bright or dim they are. You can bring the right light to the situation. That’s situational fluency. Rather than bringing all of you all the time, you bring the part that serves the situation. So watch for this. Next time you face a tricky challenge or debate like the example I gave you about killing the product, do a quick, mental run through of your talent themes to consciously decide which ones (and how much of them) to bring to the situation. Communicating About Seemingly Opposite Talent Themes So People Understand Your Intent And Actions After that Ideation + Consistency example came up in the chat box in the virtual StrengthsFinder training, the next comment was, “Don’t worry. My report tells me that I have dual personalities.” What’s funny is that this comment comes up in nearly every workshop. It’s because people imagine these paradoxes inside themselves and they realize the outside world may not be able to make sense of it. Most of us have a bunch of these. I can think of lots of personal paradoxes.
You have things like this too. And you can make sense of them. Yet to an outsider, they can be confusing. If you have the Deliberative talent theme and you love to be the one who makes people stop and think before they do something rash, it might be confusing when 25% of the time your Activator is talking and you’re the one in the room saying, “C’mon, we’ve kicked this around enough. We could have executed on all three possible solutions already. Let’s go.” So if you fear you might be perceived as “of two minds” or someone who seems to act inconsistently, be sure to bring it up in conversation. This is why I offered this section on communicating your paradoxes. Of course, before you communicate it, you need to be able to understand it yourself. For example, I talked to a person recently after a strengths-based leadership speech. She said this was insightful because her Activator shows up constantly in meetings. When there’s small talk, she wants it to hurry up and be done. When people schedule three meetings and you have meeting deja vu because the same things keep coming up over and over again, her Activator is going crazy. It’s dying for a little less talk and a lot more action. She also has the Deliberative talent. It doesn’t take up many thoughts in her head during meetings. But when she has a big decision to make, it’s prominent. When she needs to consider a complex situation, she leans on Deliberative heavily. Her takeaway was that her direct reports hear her saying, “Let’s do this” in meetings. And when she writes emails about big decisions, they hear her say “Let’s slow down for a sec.” She realized that’s why they see her as indecisive but she doesn’t see herself that way. And she left that event knowing that the simple act of communicating this seemingly opposite viewpoint is exactly what her team needs in order to make sense of her two modes. To bring it all together, here are two action steps for you as you think through your personal paradoxes: 1) Apply Situational Fluency. Pick a talent and think about when it needs to be the bright headlight you lead with and what situation calls for the dimmers. Know this in advance so that you can bring the situation what it needs. 2) Communicate So Your Paradoxes Do Not Confuse People. Spend the week watching for your potential paradox-perceptions. Where might you look like you’re of two minds? How can you make sense of these two things that live in perfect harmony inside of your head so that others around you know what to expect of you and where these two perspectives come from? Enjoyed The Podcast? To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. | |||
| 29 Jun 2015 | Tie Your Personal Brand To Your Natural Talents with Ryan Rhoten | 00:33:59 | |
This Episode’s Focus On Strengths Ryan Rhoten joined me to chat about using your natural talents to understand and design your Personal Brand. If you want to have a rockin’ career, you need to know what your brand is (you have one whether you tried to or not). And then you can do branding efforts to leverage your personal strengths.
What You’ll Learn
Resource of the Episode You get four of them this time! Check out Ryan’s Personal Brand Assessment to see where you are today. Now that you’re excited to dig in further, check out Ryan’s Brand New You show. And he offers a full course calledThe Personal Branding Blueprint. We also talked a lot about the StrengthsFinder assessment. If you grab the book StrengthsFinder2.0 you’ll get a code to take the assessment and learn your Top 5 Talent Themes. Remember, using your strengths at work makes you a stronger performer. If you’re focused on fixing your weaknesses, you’re choosing the path of most resistance. So claim your talents. And share them with the world. Subscribe To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher radio. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode – let the app notify you each week when the latest question gets published. You can also stream any episode live on the website. Just click through the title you like and there will be a player waiting for you on each page. See you there! | |||
| 20 Oct 2024 | Appreciation and Recognition | 00:24:11 | |
We all know how good it is to feel valued at work… but, as a manager, is it worth the time and expense? And how can we ensure that our recognition resonates? In today's episode, we dive into the powerful world of appreciation and recognition! We chat about how everyone loves to be recognized, but not everyone enjoys the spotlight in the same way. You’ll hear us share our personal experiences with recognition. We emphasize the importance of understanding individual preferences when it comes to appreciation, because what resonates with one person might not connect with another. We also discuss some practical tips for recognizing your team or peers without breaking the bank. You’ll learn that simple, genuine compliments can go a long way, and how being specific about what you appreciate can amplify someone’s performance. Plus, we touch on the idea of the "platinum rule"—treating others the way they want to be treated. So, whether you're a manager or just someone looking to spread a little positivity, this episode is packed with insights and actionable ideas to help you create a culture of recognition in your workplace and beyond! 🌟
Work With Us! BREA Roper If you need a Strengths Hype Girl, for yourself or your team, connect with Brea at brearoper.com. She’s ready to deliver an inspirational keynote, empowering training, or transformational workshop. If you’re looking for an expert guide to support your internal Strengths efforts, reach out today! LISA Cummings Strategic | Maximizer | Positivity | Individualization | Woo
To work with Lisa, check out team workshops and retreats at the Lead Through Strengths site. For 1:1 strengths or life coaching, check out the Get Coached link. For independent coaches, trainers, and speakers, get business tools support with our Tools for Coaches membership.
Takeaways on Recognition and Appreciation
Take Action on Recognition through Strengths ● Start Recognizing Immediately: Recognition doesn’t have to be a big to-do or include expensive gifts. It can be as simple as a verbal acknowledgment, a note, or an email. You can start small. The key is to just start. ● Be Specific in Your Praise: Instead of generic compliments like "good job," focus on specific actions or results that you appreciated. Highlight what the person did well and how it aligns with their strengths to encourage them to repeat that behavior. ● Utilize CliftonStrengths: If you have access to the CliftonStrengths reports for your team, use the language and insights from those reports to tailor your recognition. This will help you appreciate team members in a way that resonates with them personally. ● Create a Recognition Culture: Encourage a culture of appreciation not just as a manager but also as a peer. Look for opportunities to recognize small acts of kindness or effort in your daily interactions, both at work and in your personal life. ● Download Lisa’s free resource: “127 Ways to Recognize Your Team" to find various methods of appreciation that go beyond simple praise. Let's start appreciating each other in ways that truly resonate! Because people are good. And the numbers will follow. 🎧✨ Further Reading on Appreciation and Recognition ● Profit from the Positive by Margaret H. Greenberg and Senia Maymin, PhD. ○ Forward by Tom Rath, who we all know and love as the author of StrengthsFinder 2.0. ○ Whether you lead three employees or 3,000, this book shows you how to increase productivity, collaboration, and profitability using the simple yet powerful tools from the field of Positive Psychology. ○ Features case studies of some of the most forward-thinking and successful companies today―Google, Zappos, and Amazon ○ Provides over two dozen evidence-based tools you can apply immediately, and are completely free! ● 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Gary Chapman & Paul White ○ This book gives you the tools to create a more positive workplace, increase employee engagement, and reduce staff turnover by teaching you to effectively communicate authentic appreciation and encouragement to employees, co-workers, and leaders. ○ BONUS: Each book contains a free access code to take the Motivating By Appreciation (MBA) Inventory, so you can learn your language of appreciation.
#Podcast #Productivity #Leadership #PersonalDevelopment #Appreciation #Recognition #WorkplaceCulture #TeamEngagement
Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
AI-Generated Transcript of the Appreciation and Recognition Episode Lisa: Hey, I'm Lisa.
Brea: I'm Brea.
Lisa: And today's topic is appreciation and recognition.
Brea: I love to be recognized.
Lisa: Well, I think most people love to be recognized. And just like we have different strengths, we have different styles for recognition, too. Especially at work. So let's talk about that element. How do you even know, say you are in a staff meeting with 100 people and you want to call them up to the stage so you can shine the spotlight on them and you see them shrink? How do you even avoid that?
How do you know what someone likes and how they want to be appreciated?
Brea: All I can think is, I've been that person. As much as I love to be in the spotlight, I love to shine the spotlight on other people. I love to just spoil and make people feel so special. I mean, hello, I'm the hype girl. You know what I mean? This is what I do. And so I've been in that position so many times, Lisa, where I have put so much thought and effort and time, money, all the things into creating this super delicious moment to really celebrate this person. And then it doesn't go as I planned. I missed the mark in some way. And I think it comes from not always really understanding what it is that they want. Just because I want the spotlight doesn't mean everyone does. Right. So yeah, it's such an interesting conversation. Yes.
Lisa: I mean, I know recognition and appreciation, at their best, they require some specificity and the person to know what the thing is, but also just the idea of praise and attention in general can be great. I saw this McKinsey research that said, praise, attention from leaders, and opportunities to lead to projects are more effective motivators than performance-based cash rewards, increases in base pay, or stock options.
Brea: Wow, that's pretty powerful. Yeah, I mean, all I hear is Jerry McGuire, like, show me the money, but like, that's not always true, you know? It's not always true.
Lisa: And how many times do we have leaders, we're working with them to build their cultures, we're doing workshops with them, And they're like, I don't have the budget to just be throwing money at people for everything they do that's great. And that's the good news here. You can appreciate and recognize employees without it.
So what do you do, Brea? They come to you and they say, where do I start? I don't have any money to give. I don't have budget for this sort of thing. What are some things I can be thinking about when I want to recognize my team or appreciate good performance?
Brea: Yeah, so just start doing it, okay? Let's not worry about the best or the ideal or the perfect way to appreciate or recognize. Just start, a quick compliment, recognizing something good that someone has done. period and say it out loud. You can write it in a card. You can tell them in passing. You can just make a quick trip to the cube, you know, and tap them on the shoulder and say, hey, I noticed this. Even an email.
I mean, anything that is more than what you're doing now, will it be appreciated? And then look for the shining eyes, look for the change in posture, the chest kind of puffs out a little bit or they sit up a little bit taller. Notice those signs of reception, of the recognition. And look for the shrinking people, you know, look for the people who are like, oh, no, please don't recognize me out loud in this team meeting in front of everybody. Pay attention to how they respond and you'll get better and better at appreciating and recognizing them in the way that they want to be recognized and appreciated or for the things that are most meaningful to them. I love it.
Lisa: I love hearing the simplicity of just get to the doing and don't worry so much about the details. I find myself often giving the do's and don'ts so I like how you said it better to get someone to just get over the hump and go. I mean go beyond time spent because it's really easy to Make your first foray into recognition.
Like, “I know everyone's been working so hard. Everyone's been staying up so late.” And it's not like you want to non-recognize people for putting in extra effort. But it also doesn't give them any information. One of the things I bust people on all the time is saying, Oh, “good job, buddy.” Good job, Brea. Good job. But there's nothing. There's no substance. It just feels like a platitude.
I mean, if it's genuine and you did think they did a good job, I think that is better than saying nothing. However, if you can really get focused on the results you love seeing, What is the specific thing they did that they could repeat? So could you add on, I loved how this, I really appreciated this element of it.
And remember, if somebody already created a result that you want, and you tell them about it, they can do it again, because they've already done it. So it's easy to repeat.
And if they're using their strengths, it came naturally to them. So calling out the result part, and if it aligns with their strengths, and it got a result, you're going to amplify their performance. So you get something out of it, too, even if it feels like it's taking up your mental time and space to come up with the words to recognize them. It's worth it. It's worth it for them, for their engagement, for the performance of the team. I mean, all the way around.
Brea: This is so good. So many little truth bombs that you mentioned there. Another thing is, you know, we talk a lot about CliftonStrengths on this podcast, and that assessment can give you the words that will really resonate with the specific person.
If you're a manager of a team and you've got your CliftonStrengths reports of the people that you lead, go pull out words and phrases from that individual's report. It will tell you what they want to hear. It will tell you what they value. It will tell you where their strengths lie. And they want to be appreciated for that. They want to be recognized for that. So you don't have to come up with the words on your own. You've got that tool at your disposal.
Lisa: Yeah. I mean, seriously, if you're the person who says, good job, buddy, and you want some specific words, when you look at it, you'll see the difference between somebody who leads through analytical, and you can say, wow, you really cut through all of the noise we've been faced with all this complexity, we couldn't get to the real answers, and you gave us the actual leading indicators to make some business decisions that change the course of our business in the last two quarters.
Wow, that would be really meaningful to somebody who leads through analytical. But if you lead, have somebody lead, yeah, but if you lead through empathy and then you said something completely different, like, ooh, you caught that moment in the room when Jim was not having it, but we were all about to conclude the meeting, assume everyone was off to do the work, but you stopped and said, Jim, where are you on this? Because you saw it and no one else caught it.
That kind of recognition goes a long way because it makes them want to use their talents. And those two examples are on a different planet from each other.
Brea: Totally. This is making me think of how often as managers and leaders, we give what we have and we treat other people the way that we want to be treated. So we're leading from our strengths. And this can be a little challenging when it comes to appreciation and recognition, because that's just my language. So I recognize it easily when it happens. I appreciate it when it happens. So it's easy for me to appreciate that in others. but I don't lead with empathy. Let's imagine empathy is at the bottom.
The people on your team with empathy are not ever going to hear those types of recognition and appreciation come from you unless you're intentional about it, unless you learn their language, and unless you're intentional about looking for those types of things. It's just not naturally going to come from you if it's not in your talents.
So that's another place that having the language from the assessment is super helpful to understand where it's easy for you to appreciate, recognize, and give that to others, and where it's not. And to know that even if it's not natural for you, there is still hope. You know, you have this tool that can help you to make sure that everyone is included in being recognized and appreciated for what they bring.
Lisa: Yes, absolutely. And this reminds me of something that you said in a conversation we had earlier. where you said, this is all about platinum rule. It's not about treating them the way I want to be treated. It's treating them the way that they want to be treated. And that extra step of me trying to think of their strengths, their motivators. their preferences, watching their eyes shine and repeating things in that area. That took effort on my part to care about them and who they are and what they bring.
So it means that much more if you can recognize them for how they want to be treated, not for how you want to be treated.
Brea: Yeah, it's interesting and a little fascinating to me that the idea of the golden rule, the idea of treating others as we want to be treated, is kind of already a stretch for a lot of people, you know, because there's just so much negativity in the world and the temptation is always to be focused on what's wrong, where do we need to fix something, what's broken, how can we make this better, and our brains have just kind of been trained in that way.
You know, as we've grown, being kids in school, when we brought home the report card, the attention was on where we were lacking, you know? It wasn't praising the A's and the A pluses and the B's. It was: where are you struggling + let's fix the problem. And so just this idea of looking for what's good in people, looking for what they did well, And taking a moment to recognize that is a strengths-based approach.
It's actually not only countercultural, but I think it's just kind of counter to the way that our negativity bias naturally works, you know, in our brains. And so we have to be intentional about this. What I mean by have to is we have to do it because it's not natural for us. So we have to be intentional. And also, we have to do this because people need it. I think it's a responsibility that we have to really shine the light on what is strong and what is working. And the irony of it all is that when we do that, when we appreciate what's working and recognize what's working and celebrate it, then we get more of it. Right. Because people feel valued. They feel appreciated. They feel wanted. They feel like they make a difference. And so they want to keep doing more of that. So your numbers will follow. Yes.
Lisa: The numbers do follow. Yeah. And I like it because you're being like the you're being the appreciation hype girl. in a great way. And for those who are, yeah, you know, those who are like, yeah, this is the right thing to do, or this is what a leader would do.
Some people are going to be totally motivated by it. And I can also see the people in our workshops who fold their arms, take a deep breath and say, that all sounds like a great rainbow land. We're all really busy and I don't have time to be giving everybody a trophy for just showing up and doing their job. And I will say, if you were the arm folder as you were listening to Brea, by the end, you caught her talking about how this does come around and serve. profitability, productivity. We have real metrics from strengths research.
There's a book called Profit from the Positive, and she had a stat in there on managers giving frequent recognition and genuine encouragement, seeing a 40% increase in productivity. So, I just say, I encourage you, if you find yourself in the arm folding phase, because many of us find ourselves in and out of moments like that where you're like, I'm just too busy. I cannot pull my head up and start thinking about how people need praise from me.
I feel like leaders experience that often where you are in a frazzled place and it feels difficult. to pull yourself out to do it. But this is a motivating metric to show that it is worth doing it. So you can't afford to be the arm folder. You can't afford to be the one saying you are too busy to do this. The team needs it.
Brea: So your numbers will follow. There's a stat that comes from the Business News Daily. They say that more than 80 percent of employees say they're motivated to work harder. when their boss shows appreciation for their work. More than 80% of people are motivated to work harder. Your numbers will follow. And it's not hard to do this.
And like you said, it doesn't even have to cost a lot of money. You can change your culture by just starting to appreciate and recognize specifically. Look for the specifics and look for what's good. And I think if you can focus on both of those things, you will see the change. And it can be immediate. And it can be dramatic. It can really transform. Absolutely.
Lisa: And there are people who are listening who are not managers. There are also people who don't work in a corporate environment, and they might even be saying some of this applies to me and some of this doesn't. This matters for peers. This matters for you out in the world, just out in your life. If you take this on as something you're set out to do, I'm going to appreciate small things that people do for me in my regular life. We all have the power to do this.
If you want to have a culture like that, that you work in, be part of creating that culture. There might even be a few listeners who are like, oh, my manager needs to hear this episode. But if you catch yourself… Send it to him. Share it with him. Yeah, sure. Definitely. Always share. Five star review. Share the episode. But also be the change you want to see. Start doing this recognition yourself.
Brea: Oh, I love it. I love it. I'm inspired listening to you. It makes me think of how this breeds trust. It's not just a rainbows in the sky mentality. It's when you start to appreciate people, when you start to shine a spotlight on what other people are doing, you're building bonds, you're establishing trust, and it's breeding a culture of collaboration, whether it's in the workplace or in your families.
There's this story from the Five Love Languages book by Gary Chapman that's like a million years old, but it's such a Such a good story. He was a psychologist and he was counseling a married couple and there was this room in their house that needed to be painted. And it was the husband's job to paint it. And the wife was getting so frustrated. Just, you know, week after week goes by and he's not getting this done. And so she's nagging. And so obviously there's conflict.
So they're talking to Dr. Chapman and he says, look, what I want you to do, he says this to the wife, what I want you to do is ignore it. Don't talk about it at all. Don't bring it up one more time. And of course, you know, she's like, what? Like, no, I can't do that, you know? And he's like, just trust the process, right? And he says, what I want you to do instead is every time you see your husband do something helpful or something nice or something kind, I want you to praise it. I want you to recognize it out loud and say thank you.
And she's like, oh my gosh, this is never gonna work. And he was like, just trust me. They came back the very next week and the room had been painted. And I think that's so telling of just how we just want to be seen. We just want to be heard. We just want to be understood. We want to be valued. We want to be wanted. We want to feel safe. We want to know that we're good enough. And when there's so much negativity around us, intentional or not, it's so easy to just go to the negative places in our mind, you know, the negative self-talk, to put ourselves down, to believe the lies.
And that's so easy to do. That happens so fast because there are so many voices out there in the world telling us we're not enough or that we're not good enough. And we have to be the light. We have to speak the truth over people that we're good. You are good enough. So I think that's such a beautiful story to illustrate how it's something you do and it's something you don't do, right? By not nagging, by not focusing on the thing that- The lack. The lack, yeah. And focusing on all the good things that are happening, it really inspires people to want to do more good.
Lisa: Yeah. You sparked for me a thought about another version of that book. There's a workplace version of it. I can't remember how the title goes. Yeah. It's called Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. Okay. Appreciation. Well, how apropos for this episode title. Yeah. Okay. So when I read that, I was like, oh my gosh, there's a thing on high fives. I am 100% a hugs and high fives person. I love them. You could say zero words to me, just high five me for something or fist bump me for something. And I am getting a positive jolt out of it that is so great. I didn't express that to anyone.
No one around me would know it. I just got excited if somebody put their hand up. I'm not sure why I never made a thing out of it. But after I read that book, I so freely offer them. When I was a leader, I would create these intake forms when I had a new hire, and I would just ask them questions on their first week. You could do it at any time, but I think first week really goes well. little things.
For example: what's your favorite thing under $5 that you buy once a month? I just came up with these little quirky questions. I think it was, tell me about your favorite way you've ever been praised for something. Tell me about the best recognition you've ever received. Just a little different way of asking the same question a few times, but also about things like, what's your favorite drink? What's your favorite this, that?
I remember once I gave a person a six-pack of Diet Dr. Pepper because it was his favorite drink and he had a busy week and it was kind of like, here's the go juice, you've been crushing it. It was just silly but it was also an acknowledgement of what he was putting in and he lost his mind over it.
Brea: It's amazing. It's amazing how big of an impact that can have and if you're sitting there thinking, oh well it's not the same if you've filled out a form and you've told them, you know, it's like It kind of takes the magic out of it. It's amazing how many people forget that they give you that information.
Lisa: They forget every time.
Brea: Every time. Every time. So they're like, oh my gosh, how did you know? And the thing that I think all of this comes back to is that innate desire for us to be seen, for us to be known as humans. It's just such a foundational core need. And a six pack of Diet Dr. Pepper, that's your favorite drink, like showing up at your desk, is a way that you feel seen, you know? And so that's beautiful. I love it, Lisa. Will you be my manager? That's amazing.
Lisa: Yes, that would be amazing. Okay. Well, you know someone else is listening and they're like, Brea, will you be my manager? Brea, will you be my recognition coach? Help me appreciate my people. So tell them a tip or a way to work with you or something that would be valuable along the lines of appreciation and recognition and working with you.
Brea: Yeah. Well, if you’ve ever wondered what we mean when I say I’m the strengths hype girl. I mean, this is it. I love using the language CliftonStrengths gives us to better understand what’s good about you and your people. So, if that’s something you’re looking for, just find me on the website. It’s brearoper.com. We’ll hop on a call and co-design a solution that makes most sense for you.
Lisa: Totally. And I challenge anyone listening who has a team member, like a direct report that is really frustrating you and you're having a tough time thinking of anything you could appreciate them for, get with Brea. She can hype anyone. She will find something amazing and valuable that you will genuinely agree with because you will be the one who comes up with it. But you won't believe how great she is at bringing this up.
Brea: Thanks, Lisa. Yeah, my woo is ready. Bring it on. Yes.
Lisa: I think this episode, I am just going to leave them with a resource. So one of our freebies on the website, LeadThroughStrengths.com slash Recognition, is 127 Ways to Recognize. And we always talk about how great managers notice what works. And this gives you ways to go beyond, good job, buddy, and get into some other specific ways. Some are silly and kitschy. I will warn you, I was a little bit of a goober in a few of the examples.
But then there are also really serious ones and even formulas for those of you who are like, Just help me formulate this in a sentence, in an email, so I can put it together, but also be genuine with it. So it's 127 different ways to recognize people. Leadthroughstrengths.com slash recognition.
Brea: Yeah, and I'll also put a link to that book that Lisa mentioned, Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, because that's another great resource as well.
Lisa: Excellent. Okay, well, Brea, you should bring us home because you've got your phrases on this one.
Brea: When you know better, you feel better. And when you feel better, you do better. So if what you want is your people to do better, then you need to help them feel better. And the best way to do that is to know and understand how they feel appreciated, how they want to be recognized. If you can know that, you can help them feel better. And when they feel better, they will do better. And then the world will be a better place.
Lisa: See, we are solving world peace. We're making people, I mean, it's free. It didn't cost any money to do it. It just requires a little extra thought. Beautiful.
Brea: And a little bit of sparkle fairy dust.
Lisa: Brea's fairy dust.
Brea: People are going to be like, I'm done with this podcast. This girl needs to be gone.
Lisa: Away with your fairy dust, Brea. I am not walking around with my dust. And it's like, yep, Brea can be kind of like the Tinkerbell flying over your shoulder. So you don't have to do the actual dust.
Brea: Oh my gosh, we have got to get out of here. See you guys next week.
Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
The Fine Print: This podcast is not sanctioned or endorsed by Gallup in any way. Opinions, views and interpretations of CliftonStrengths© are solely the beliefs of Lisa Cummings and Brea Roper.
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| 09 Sep 2018 | Strengths Q10: Wins At Work | 00:03:22 | |
In this 12-week strengths implementation series, you get one conversation per week to help your team start each week with strengths. If you “did” StrengthsFinder with your team and you didn’t follow up after the initial conversation, this is a great way to make Strengths part of your work culture. Go to [http://leadthroughstrengths.com/challenge] to get the series emailed to you one week at a time. You’ll get the question and examples to make it sound real and practical. You’ll also get additional angles so that you can take the answers beyond the surface. If you’re a manager who wants to make culture-building part of everyone’s job, have each person on the team sign up for the email series. That way, it won’t rely on you doing the question-asking each week. You can get the team to share their answers after they receive the email. This series is usable even if you’ve never used CliftonStrengths. Although the questions work in excellent alignment with the StrengthsFinder 2.0 book, they also work with no assessment at all - just conversations about what already works on the team. | |||
| 12 Jul 2020 | How To Not Sound Arrogant When Building A Career Brand Around Your Strengths | 00:06:28 | |
Lead Through Strengths Facilitator Strother Gaines Shares His Thoughts On How To Not Sound Arrogant When You Offer Out Your StrengthsIn this episode, Lisa Cummings and co-host Strother Gaines talk about the different ways you can present or offer your strengths at work and how to not sound arrogant in doing so. How you can be received or appreciated for your contribution at work depends on how you are able to maintain that delicate balance between wanting to be known for your strengths and not coming off as full of yourself. Customers come to us every day feeling excited about their StrengthsFinder results, yet simultaneously being afraid of turning everyone off. They want to know how to not sound arrogant or bratty or braggadocios when they try to get known for their top talents. Here's the transcript of the interview with Lisa and Strother Gaines as they explore the topic: Lisa: You're listening to Lead Through Strengths, where you'll learn to apply your greatest strengths at work. I'm your host, Lisa Cummings, and I'm also back with my co-host Strother Gaines, where we are talking about that situation where you want to build a personal brand or a career brand around your strengths, but then you're worried because you don't want to sound like a jerk and you don't want to sound like you're walking around the office saying — “I am really good at these things. So assign me these things.” So it gets a little precarious because you want to be known for it, but you have to figure out how to talk about it without turning everyone off around you. Basically, you'll want to practice talking about your awesomeness while also balancing how to not sound arrogant when you bring them up. So I won't keep you waiting any longer. Here's my conversation with Strother, one of our Lead Through Strengths facilitators, talking about how to navigate this tough situation. Wanting To Toot Your Own Horn? Learn How To Not Sound Arrogant With ItLisa: Imagine the tall poppy syndrome that you've heard of, or "the nail that stands up gets hammered down." All of the things that say, “No, you need to be humble. You should keep it to yourself and make sure that you're a very humble person.” But then at the same time, how can you make your differences your differentiators if you're not willing to experiment with them and let them out? So what does it look like to not be tooting your horn in a way that's obnoxious but you're actually offering them out as a contribution? How do you even begin to figure out what is what? Strother: So in the South, it's called “getting too big for your britches.” It’s what we would say. And I got a lot of that actually leaving Kentucky when I left because people are like — “Well, you're abandoning everyone and you're leaving these things and you need to come back and do the thing that everybody does.” For some people, that's actually really rewarding to be a part of that. Consistency is my last strength in my report, and I don't like to repeatedly do the same thing. But for someone, if that's your strength, live in it. Someone needs to be able to do it. Tooting your own horn, when it comes from a place of, “This is my contribution. This is what I can give, and this is how I'm going to help the situation,” as opposed to, if I frame it in, “Look at me. Look at me. Look at me!” — it does come off like, “You're a jerk!” Definitely, no one wants to work with that guy. But when I frame it in, “If you'd like to leverage me appropriately, and you'd like to see me do my best work, putting me in this scenario, giving me an opportunity to do this specific thing, which is something that lots of people don't like to do...” It's when I think about public speaking. So many people are terrified of it. And I would so much... Excel Sheet versus Public Speaking? Throw me up on the stage! So it's finding where you have those natural fits and just making it accessible to the people that you collaborate with, giving them the option rather than demanding that they do your thing. If you've been fretting about how to not sound arrogant when you talk about your skills and talents at work, the solution is all about offering them as a contribution rather than framing it as a selfish need to let them out. | |||
| 22 Feb 2016 | Using Strengths For Task Swapping - With Jessica Rhodes | 00:29:11 | |
This Episode’s Focus on Strengths Jessica Rhodes joins us to show you how to apply your top strengths. She also shares some magical ideas for uncovering the natural talents of people on your team. You’ll find this episode especially useful if you’ve had your team take the StrengthsFinder survey, yet wondered how to actually apply strengths to real-world situations to improve and grow your business. Jessica is an inspiring guest, who encourages you to experiment. She helps you change things up, use your strengths to maximize potential, and to increase profitability. As we’re expanding our StrengthsFinder team in Austin, Texas and around the world, this interview was helpful for us too. It was a great mix of strengths-based development, hiring tips, and awesome chats about growing as a leader. What You’ll Learn Jessica shares these tips:
Resource of the Episode Check out Jessica’s weekly web TV show, Interview Connection TV and listen to her weekly Rhodes to Success podcast. You can also follow her ideas on Facebook and Twitter. Remember, using your strengths and those of your employees will benefit everyone. Your company will grow. Your employees will be happy. You will be happy. And according to Gallup research, teams who focus on strengths improve their productivity as much as 21%. Subscribe To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from the website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. | |||
| 18 Aug 2019 | Career Branding When Connectedness Is Your Strength | 00:11:47 | |
I hear a lot of reflections about how to apply your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Connectedness to your career. In this series, I break down one strength per post so that you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make an even stronger alignment between your current job and your strengths. - If you’re exploring this concept as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. - If you’re exploring this concept for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. You’ll get three layers to chew on: 1. Career Branding Career Branding When Connectedness Is Your StrengthYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. Think about your personal resume, CV, or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it's full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing is usually "the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. Chances are good that you are a lot like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t physically see your teammates and customers every day. So many of us work on remote teams. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting - to see who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. We often see two distinct "flavors" of the Connectedness talent theme. You may have one. You may have both. One is fairness in the treatment of people. The other is standardization for processes. So here are a bunch of Connectedness-related adjectives to consider using in your career branding efforts and your LinkedIn profile:
Red Flag Situations For ConnectednessThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that might feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Connectedness. They could even make you want to quit the team if they get really bad. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might become detached or disengaged at work. Here are two Red flags for Connectedness:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for ConnectednessThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Connectedness at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re exploring this concept as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Connectedness, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
Here's Your Personal Branding Homework
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| 15 Sep 2024 | You're So Good At That | 00:18:35 | |
You’re So Good At That Receiving compliments is difficult for most of us. But what if I told you compliments could be clues to your greatest talents? Areas where you see natural glimpses of excellence are actually your greatest areas of potential. So, the next time you hear someone say, "You're so good at that!" or “You’re a rock star!”, stand a little taller. Let your strengths shine in the spotlight! ● how easy it is to overlook our own strengths because we’re so close to them. ● the difference between skills and talents ● the importance of feedback
So, get ready to embrace your inner rock star! It’s time to let your strengths shine.🌟
Work With Us! BREA Roper If you need a Strengths Hype Girl, for yourself or your team, connect with Brea at brearoper.com. She’s ready to deliver an inspirational keynote, empowering training, or transformational workshop. If you’re looking for an expert guide to support your internal Strengths efforts, reach out today! LISA Cummings Strategic | Maximizer | Positivity | Individualization | Woo
To work with Lisa, check out team workshops and retreats at the Lead Through Strengths site. For 1:1 strengths or life coaching, check out the Get Coached link. For independent coaches, trainers, and speakers, get business tools support with our Tools for Coaches membership.
Takeaways
Take Action ● Identify Your Strengths: Reflect on moments when people have complimented you with phrases like "You're so good at that." Take note of these instances as clues to your talents and strengths. ● Explore Your Skills vs. Talents: Consider the difference between skills and talents in your own life. Ask yourself if you enjoy the activities that people recognize you for, and whether they energize you or feel like a chore. ● Seek Feedback: Don’t hesitate to ask colleagues, friends, or family for feedback on what they think you excel at. Use this feedback to gain insights into your strengths. ● Utilize Resources: Visit leadthroughstrengths.com/moreof to access a list of potential strengths and talents. Look for items that resonate with you and explore how you can incorporate them into your life or work. ● Consider Job Shaping: If you find that people frequently ask for your help in a specific area that you enjoy, discuss with your manager the possibility of incorporating more of that work into your role. This can help align your job with your strengths and passions. ● S.T.O.P.: When faced with tasks that drain your energy, consider the STOP method: Stop, Trade, Offer it up, or Partner. This can help you manage your workload while still contributing effectively. ● Further Reading: Check out the book Soar With Your Strengths by Dr. Clifton to learn more about the Five Clues to Talent, including the topic of this podcast: Excellence. Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
AI-Generated Transcript Lisa:
Brea I'm Brea.
Lisa And today's topic is, you're so good at that.
Brea You're a rock star.
Lisa Cues up the Smash Mouth song for you.
Brea Hey, now. you're a rock star.
Lisa Get your game on, go play.
Brea There you go.
Lisa I think this phrase that we picked You're so good at that. This is one that anyone in the audience can listen for. It's not like you hear it all day, every day, but there are things that people comment on. And maybe small, like, you know that I love the word dang, because it's the Texan in me.
I've been at work where another person does something and they're like, daaaaaang. It's just, it's those little comments. It doesn't have to be formal. But it could be, it could be that they call you out and they write a kudos note to your boss, but it can also just be when someone's like, oh, you know, making the sound effects on something that you're working on.
And those are the clues. Those really are moments where you should take stock and go, Oh, people really like this one. What was that? And that was easy for me. I should do more of this.
Brea Yeah. And I love how you're bringing up, we're just so close to our talents. When people say that, when they're like, Oh, dang, you know, that's amazing. You're a rock star. Like what? Like it's hard. Wait, that's a thing. What are you talking about? I mean, I know sometimes I don't even hear it, or maybe I don't realize that they're talking about me because I didn't do anything that would prompt that response. Right. It's like, wait, Me?
Lisa Yes. You are so good at so many things. You're going to have to brag about some things today because this is the episode topic. It's required.
Brea All right. But I'm going to put you on the spot first. Can you think of a time recently maybe that someone said that to you? Gosh, Lisa, you are so good at that.
Lisa Well, today I held one of our monthly tools for coaching calls and they were like, oh my gosh you're so good at this how do you connect all the things you make you have to make the thing but then you have to link to the thing and then you have to have an e-commerce and you have to have a payment processor and you have to put it on your website and there are all these parts
It just seems so overwhelming and as I was breaking it down they would be like oh my gosh I'm a head-splitting emoji and those moments feel really good Because if you're good at something, and you just think it's no big deal, like I actually didn't start tools for coaches for a long time, because I didn't realize how helpful it would be to people because that stuff isn't difficult for me. And it's pretty fun.
Brea Yeah. Too easy. It's just sitting right there.
Lisa Yeah. So it just didn't seem like a thing. And now I realize when you can do something where people are saying, you are so good at that. Oh, this is so generous of you. Oh, my gosh, you're blowing my mind. It's just the perfect alignment for anyone in life. If you can do something for work that other people really are loving receiving. It's it's so cool. So, yeah. Thank you for asking.
Brea Thanks for sharing.
Lisa Yes. You're making me think of the difference between skills and talents. And I think because you, Brea, are such a good singer and you have the skill of it, then is that a natural talent? Is that a God-given thing? Is it something that you nurtured? Is it a talent plus skill because you actually worked on it and turned it into something?
Do you like it because you're good at it? Are you good at it because you like it? Can you break that down for us and take your singing example and just walk us through how you feel like that relates to talents and skills and all the elements for you?
Brea Interesting. Interesting. To borrow one of Lisa's words. It's so interesting. Yeah. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Yeah. So with singing, you're right. There is a skill of singing. Anyone can learn to sing. You can learn how to match pitch. You can learn how to breathe. You can learn the proper posture. You can learn how to read music. I mean, all the things are skills that can be learned. And you can practice it. You can practice in the shower. You can practice in the car. You can join a choir.
There are so many different ways to invest and practice that skill. But when we look at the formula that Gallup gives us for strength, we talk about talent multiplied by investment. That's all the practice. That's the knowledge and all that equals strength. So talent is really like literally the X factor. It's the multiplier. Talent times investment equals strength.
I think that when people remark about my singing, I don't think they're remarking about my skill, to be honest. I think they're remarking about the talent, because, I mean, we can all imagine, everyone listening, just imagine you are at a concert, you're at church, you're somewhere where there are two singers standing side by side on the stage, and they both sing on their own, one at a time, they sing the same song, The exact same notes, the exact same everything, right?
Everything is the same. But it's different because it's two different people singing it. Literally, their voice sounds different. There could be excellence in the skill. They could both, you know, put in the same amount of practice and both be very, very excellent. They're on pitch the entire time and all the things. But if one has a communication talent,
There's something that draws you in, you know? And I think most of the time when people comment about my singing, it's at church. And I think the reason is because I'm praying. I'm like in conversation. My communication is literally communicating. Or the church songs, they're stories. They're just perfect for the communication talent. I think that's the difference is talent is the X factor.
It's the secret sauce. Sometimes coaches will say it's not the what, it's the how you do it. I think that's so true when we look at musicians or when we look at athletes or we look at artists, it's apparent. Two people can draw the same thing or paint the same thing or do the same floor routine at the Olympics, but the way they do it is different.
Lisa You're also making me think about how this happens at work, too, because you see someone who's so into it. I mean, it could actually be someone who works at natural grocers and they're just into it in the cashier line.
And so someone who's really feeling it, you can't help but be drawn in by them and thinking, oh, you're so good at this or you were born for this. When you were describing singers instantly, I was thinking of my favorite Chris's Chris Stapleton for country and
Brea Come on. Love Chris Stapleton.
Lisa Okay, take him. Stapleton, there's so much feel in his voice. I actually remember one of my music teachers once was like, this song is not the incredible masterpiece you think it is. It's actually Because his voice is so good and he's selling it so great.
You're invested in it and you don't even realize it's a basic song. And that totally just resonates with what you were talking about with the communication talent thing. You are in the story with him. He is pulling you in. And if I got to hear you at church, I imagine it would be the same thing. You're so invested in it that I am feeling it through you, you're you become a vehicle for me to do better.
Just because I'm watching something that you're so good at. And now I'm able to up level my game because I'm around you. And I can experience something or understand something that I couldn't if you weren't in the room.
Brea That's why communication is an influencing talent, right? Because it spurs you to action. It evokes emotion. There's an influence there. And it's not just the talent of communication. I think every talent can have influence when there's this excellence, when you're in the flow, when you're enjoying it, when you've invested in the talent and it's mature and it's just rocking. It is a rock star. Every talent can at its best have that effect of influence.
Lisa Yeah. Actually, you just sparked for me another example, a customer example. I had this guy that in his organization, he was known as the bubble chart guy. And he led through analytical and he loved making charts. I mean, a chart about everything. And he was really proud of the fact that he could figure out how to show things that others in the organization couldn't really figure out. Yeah.
In every meeting they were like, Oh, is he coming? And there was a time when he didn't even have a name. People just knew him as the bubble chart guy. And he's like, oh my gosh, I need to work on my branding. Everybody only knows me for my bubbles. But that was a great example of something so different because I think people could hear communication and say, oh, well, this sounds like a special gift, but mine are all thinking themes or mine are all something else.
Well, there you go. Analytical. It's a strategic thinking theme. And he was beloved, well known, respected, and people absolutely use those words. You are so good at that. Then once he realized how much people loved it, it became a thing. And then it got built into dashboards and other people were able to do the same kind of great predictions because he created a system that somebody else could draft off of.
So I love how talents are like that as well, where when someone says, you're so good at that, you actually can then make a big contribution to your life, to your organization, to the people around you, if you'll stop and take notice and realize that means people want more of that. And if you offered it to them, you're giving them something they couldn't have without you.
Brea Yeah, that's a clue that you can look for. What do people come to you for because you do it so well?
Lisa Sometimes if you're in the right environment, when people come to you and say, I really need your help with this because you're so good at it. And if you're overwhelmed, you could even resent that.
There are times when people say, I don't want to be known as good at things, but noticing the ones that people ask for your help on and you're thrilled to give the help and you realize, oh, I just offered my help for two extra hours and now I need to work even later, but I lost track of time during those two hours because they were so fun. Those are all good things to log in as clues.
Brea It's so true that sometimes people come up to you and they say, hey, can you do this for me or can you help me with this because you do it so well? I think we respond both ways. Like you said, we might be so excited to help them with that. Sure, no problem. I got it. Or, oh gosh, I just feel so overwhelmed and I don't want to be known for this because I don't want to have to do it all the time. your response to that question is a clue to talent.
Because if you're known for it, if you do it with excellence, but you don't enjoy it, right? You're like, I just don't want to be known for this because I don't want to have to do it all the time. Even though I'm really good at it, I don't really love it. It doesn't bring me energy. It's not something that I want to fill my plate with. Then it's probably a skill. it's probably something that you've learned how to do well, and it may not be a clue to talent.
And so with all of these clues to talent that we've talked about in the past several episodes, it's important to not look at them in isolation only, but to see when are they converging? Like in your example, Lisa, about the tools for coaches, there was ease, there was energy, there was excitement, there was excellence. They were all present. So that tells us Yes, there's talent here and this is not just a skill that I've learned.
Lisa What a good nuance you just brought up. I think also there are a lot of people who would say if people keep asking me to do a certain thing and I do like it, Yet I don't have time because if I add those two hours to the day, now I'm in my family flow time. I'm in trouble with my family. That gives you another element to be considering for job shaping. Can you talk to your manager?
If you're saying, Hey, people are coming to me for this. There's something I want to provide that other people need. I would love to expand this area of contribution in my role. Can we make room for this so that it could be a thing? Because if you let that happen and you get known for a thing you love doing and you can build it into the job description and get it sanctioned, if you will, or build the time in for it, now you're starting to craft your role more and more towards strengths every day. That could be another way to work that situation.
Brea I love that. And also, you're reminding me of of the acronym STOP. So this is something that you can use in talent development with all the clues to talent. If you don't want to do it, then you just either stop doing it.
S stands for stop. But sometimes we can't. Sometimes we have to do things that we don't want to do. T stands for trade. If someone comes to you and says, hey, can you do this for me? Well, sure. But can you do this for me? Can we trade tasks? Right. I think that's a great a great response at times. O stands for offer it up. Sometimes you just got to do it. You just got to like go for it. You know, you just got to put your head down and make it happen. P stands for partner. So sometimes if you're feeling overwhelmed, if the excellence isn't there, maybe this isn't an area of talent for you, then partner with someone who does have that talent.
If you can't trade it because it is something that you have to be a part of, then find a partner with the talent that you need to come and do it with excellence. And then together, you're gonna be stronger and you'll get a better result.
Lisa That's a good one. All right, I'll give a final tool or resource if you are listening and you're like, Okay, I still don't know what I'm good at. No one has said you're so good at that to me lately. I have a list for you at leadthroughstrengths.com slash more of And it is just a big old list of things that might call to you that you might want more of that you're really good at. And why just go to this list and look for things that pop out at you.
It's everything from: I would love more of suggesting solutions. I would love more of poking the bear. I would love more of finding truths. I would love more of assuring quality. It's a list of all kinds of things. And look for the ones that really jump out at you, that are screaming at you saying, yeah, go get more of this. And that will give you some direction to explore if you don't feel like you're getting the feedback from the people around you.
Brea And don't be afraid to ask for feedback. Feedback is not a four-letter word. Feedback can be very positive too. So don't be afraid to… to ask people what you're good at. Let them hype you up. And if you've taken the CliftonStrengths assessment, go and read through that report. It is your personal hype person on paper. Paper hype.
Lisa We know people are going to want an in-person hype girl. So we're going to have to tell them how to work with you as well. Definitely go to your paper hype person. And then if you decide you want to work with a real hype girl live and in person, you've got to go to Brea. So Brea, tell them more about working with you.
Brea Yeah, so brearoper.com is my website. Schedule a call and I will for sure remind you what is good and I promise to see things in you that you don't even see in yourself. I know you will. Lisa, how can they work with you?
Lisa Let's go this show with a link to the Tools for Coaches membership because we were talking about it earlier. So, leadthroughstrengths.com slash tools You can also just go to the website, click on Tools for Coaches right in the top navigation.
But if you're a coach, speaker, trainer, author type and you have an independent business and you want to do all those things that I was talking about earlier that are easy for me, the building the templates and the tools and the connections and the software. Holler at me. We have a really fun membership where we get together every month and I share all the things that I've built in the business so that you don't have to spend 10 years doing it like I did.
Brea Amazing. Wow. This is a long conversation, but it was, shall I say, easy and enjoyable. energizing and maybe even some glimpses of excellence.
Lisa I mean, you're so good at that. That's why.
Brea I love it. All right. Well, how do we get out of here?
Lisa I'm going to go back to the Brea line. Hard work doesn't have to be so hard. That is what we were talking about today. That thing that is you're so good at that you can be excellent at it and other people can want it and even want to pay you for it.
Brea Oh, and with that, folks, we are out. Have a great week, everybody.
Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
The Fine Print: This podcast is not sanctioned or endorsed by Gallup in any way. Opinions, views and interpretations of CliftonStrengths© are solely the beliefs of Lisa Cummings and Brea Roper. | |||
| 04 Aug 2024 | Getting Coached | 00:23:30 | |
To work with Brea, connect at brearoper.com. She helps with talent development for teams and also does 1:1 CliftonStrengths coaching for individuals. To work with Lisa, check out team workshops and retreats at the Lead Through Strengths site. For 1:1 strengths or life coaching, check out the Get Coached link. For independent coaches, trainers, and speakers, get business tools support with our Tools for Coaches membership. About This Episode If you're curious about coaching or looking to make a positive change in your life, this episode is for you! So, if you're feeling stuck or curious about exploring your strengths further, don't hesitate to engage with a coach or seek feedback from those around you. Remember, awareness from assessments is just the beginning. Coaching will help you apply your strengths for more ease, energy, and excellence every day. Takeaways
Take Action ● Engage with a Coach: Take the initiative to reach out to a coach, like Lisa or Brea. ● Share Your Strengths: Dust off your CliftonStrengths report. Reread it to remind yourself of the goodness inside of you. Share your report with someone close to you and ask them to reflect on how they see your strengths showing up in your life. This external mirror can offer valuable insights and perspectives that may help you better understand your unique talents and behaviors. ● Create White Space for Reflection: Make a conscious effort to create white space in your daily routine for self-reflection and self-coaching. Avoid overfilling every moment with distractions and allow yourself the time and space to ponder on questions about your goals, aspirations, and areas for growth. By giving your mind the opportunity to wander and explore, you can tap into deeper insights and clarity about your path forward. Let’s Connect ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram Listen to the full episode for inspiring stories and insights from the impact of coaching in our lives. If you're ready to explore the world of coaching and self-discovery, don't hesitate to reach out to us for guidance and support. Remember, investing in yourself is one of the best investments you can make! 🌟 AI-Generated Transcript Hi, I'm Lisa. And I'm Brea. And today's topic is getting coached. And more specifically, we're going to start with our first times getting coached and getting experienced with coaching and what this world even is. Brea, tell us about your opinion on this. The first time getting coached, first time doing a, an assessment like CliftonStrengths. Where do we go wrong? Where do we go? Let's dive into this one. Let's dive in. Oh man, my mind is spinning because for 15 years thought that “doing strengths” was taking the assessment. I've got my top five and I know my strengths. I took the assessment for the first time in 2001, 15 years later is when I talked to somebody about it for the first time. When I brought in a coach and that's where the transformation happened for me. So, yeah, I love this. Same. I waited a long time. I didn't know what a coach was. I was no idea. I knew what it was for sports. I knew every athlete needed a coach. I definitely saw the power of coaching. Someone observing your performance and talking to you about things you couldn't see for yourself. I had no idea in terms of our mindsets or business. There are so many types of coaches you could have. I didn't know it was a thing. In fact, the only perception I had of it was around performance issues in corporate. A lot of times people will talk about performance coaching when someone's on a performance improvement plan and they have issues. I actually had a little bit of a negative connotation when someone offered me coach in my first manager job. I was like, Oh, that's. Does that mean I'm getting noted for doing something wrong? And then luckily that's not what it was for. And also that coach really changed the way I was able to see myself. I absolutely agree with you. And I think that idea of having another human who can help you observe your brain in a way that you can't, can absolutely transform the way you operate in the world. And so many people don't know. That this thing even exists. They don't even know what a coach is. Oh my gosh. This is exactly what happened. I remember it so clearly in 2015, I had just moved from Kansas City to Dallas for a new job. And the president of this marketing company was bringing me in to essentially exit the company. He was looking to retire. A couple months into the job I bump into him in the hallway. He's usually out of town because I'm there now to run the day to day, but we bump into each other and I was just like, Hey, how am I doing? And he was like, Oh my gosh, it's so great. I feel so good. Being able to travel and knowing that Brea's got it taken care of down in Dallas. And I was like, oh, that's so great to hear. Thank you so much. He said, yeah, we should probably even talk about giving you equity in the company. And I was like, okay, I guess I'm doing pretty good, right? A couple days later, we have our scheduled weekly meeting where we just sit down and touch base and it's just He walked into the room and he fired me on the spot. No explanation. No, obviously no warning. It was very different than two days before, offering me equity in the company. I went home and I was just in tears and I was on the floor because I didn't even have furniture yet. It was still on order. It hadn't even arrived. So I'm in this puddle of tears on my apartment floor. And I just, I'm like, Oh my gosh, like what? What is happening? It has to be my fault, right? So that's what comes into my mind is what is wrong with me? And I had taken strengths before of course I didn't know where my assessment results were because you know Just like everybody else I put it in a drawer or trash can or whatever But it came into my head and so I get on the computer and I googled is strengths coaching a thing Wow honest Honestly, Lisa, just like you, I had no concept of professional coaching. I really have no idea where that question came from, but I Googled it and I found it. Hand to God, this LinkedIn article came up, the top 10 strengths coaches in America, which I've Googled is strengths coaching a thing several times since this experience. And every time it's strengths, like weightlifting, right? Yeah. So even the fact that I got what I was looking for, I think it's just a miracle. So of course I read the article, listen to this, Lisa. The number one strengths coach in America lived 15 minutes away from me. Oh, I went to her LinkedIn profile. This is how I know this. We had mutual friends on LinkedIn. She went to my church and. Her LinkedIn profile said that she was looking for pro bono coaching opportunities. And I was like I just lost my job. Pick me, this couldn't be a better timing. Yes. I have no idea what coaching is. I have no idea what I'm asking for, but my connectedness is like, ding ding ding. Like obviously I'm supposed to be a strengths coach, but I've, I have no idea that there was anything beyond the assessment. So that was a very long-winded response to, yeah, I get that coaching. What's coaching? Whoa. Now I want to hear what you thought of. So you obviously had to have engaged this person as your coach, right? I did. Yes. Then what did you then think coaching was? I didn't even know that I was asking for coaching or receiving coaching. Like I, I didn't even have that awareness, but I just knew that this feeling that I had retaking the assessment and seeing, rereading my strengths on the paper, it took me right back to my first experience in 2001 of I'm good. I just knew that I was supposed to be a strengths coach, but I had no idea what that was. So I thought I was asking her for an informational interview. How do you get clients? How do you make money? Do you make money? She invited me over to her home. She sat me down on the couch, poured me a glass of wine and five minutes into our conversation. She was like, Brea, have you ever been coached? Because it's apparent that I have no clue what the heck is going on. So she said why don't we start there? So I didn't even know that I. needed a coach or that, talking to someone isn't the same thing as an intentional coaching conversation. Because when she said, let's start there, we literally picked up our wine and we moved from the comfy couches back to the back of the house where her dining room table was. She pulled out her computer, she opened it up and we had a very different conversation. The energy shifted. Like I could tell, like we're doing something right now. She knew how they were getting in the way. And how they were controlling me instead of me being able to lead from my strengths. They were leading me, but not in a good way. And she recognized what I could contribute and what I wanted to do. She recognized that I love to start things and I love to come in early and get people moving and get people excited. What I remember most from that experience was one question. that she asked me. Tell us, what's the question? Yeah. So she said, what if that's your job to come in and start things? And I was like, what? You can do that? But that's the fun part. That's the easy part. My job is always to take it across the finish line - to do the hard work, to move it forward. That's what it had been in the past. That's what it had been. Yes. Who has a job where they don't actually have to do the whole job? We do. It was just, it was amazing because. How this translates to everyone listening is what if fill in the blank with the thing that you love to do the most, right? Fill in the thing that you would do for free, all day, every day, fill in the blank with the thing that just energizes you, that you find so much excellence in and enjoyment in. What if that was your job? Yeah. And that sets up coaching so perfectly because that problem we set up about how you can't observe your own brain. You can't see those connections she was making. And then in the solution of all of this, she's helping you remember. What you already know, if you just listen to your innate wisdom, if you just get closer to who you are, if you remember your awesomeness, this is, in my opinion, what coaches do that is so powerful. They help you observe what you can't see, and then they help you remember for yourself where you're headed, where you want to go, how you can align. You have so much power and potential in you that we just forget about. And they help you see it, but they help you come to it on your own. If they're incredible, like those questions, there was something that just clicked, and you're right. Coaches can help us see things that we don't see in ourselves. But most of the time, the reason we don't see them is because they are just so close to us that it's just so natural for you, to act in this way or to think this way that. We can't see it. We will never see our own face…ever. The thing that is closest to us, the very part of our body that sees, we will never see it. We will only ever see a reflection of it in a mirror or an image of it, in a photo. Or we can. Maybe have someone else reflect to us what they see on our face, like a booger or, a piece of spinach in your teeth. But we depend on something external to reflect, to give us feedback because it's so close to us that we will never see it. And I think that is True. Also with our behaviors and like you said, our brain and all those things. Yeah. And then a coach, because they have another brain, they reflect something to you that you already know if you had paused or if you really stopped to observe yourself, maybe you could pick up some of these things, but you get it from a different perspective. They asked the question in a way you wouldn't have asked it of yourself. They process it in a way they wouldn't have processed it. I remember when I had my first coaching experience, it was for this manager program. They assigned one to all of us. And I remember her saying, “Lisa, you can get your messages with a feather or a hammer…” “…And it seeming to me like you're choosing the hammer repeatedly.” And that's really stuck with me because it was about the same timeline, probably as yours. It's been a long time, but I remember those words because they struck me like a hammer. But they struck me because it's true. I was having this tendency to discard anything that felt like intuition, anything that felt like a gut feeling I would be like, Nope, that needs to be validated by logic. So I'd go through my logic process and make sure it felt good. Or I would work harder and harder and harder because I think there's some, something about the value of hard work because it felt hard. I thought that was more valuable. I would keep like brute forcing my way through things. She was talking about these feathers where she's the signs are there. The message is there if you'll tune in and listen to it. But when you start to get those messages, you shut them off and decidedly say, no, I'm gonna run it through this other process over here to make sure it's right. It's still something that I'm working on, letting in, and now I get my messages with something in between. I'm not now waiting for the hammer to take me down, but she's if you'll listen to the lighter voices, if you'll listen to the feathers, they'll guide you in the right way. Now those aren't words I would ever use. At the time that just felt so woo to me, the way she presented it, but she could ask these questions of me. About a time when I did listen, about a time when I did live a life aligned. With the way I imagined it. I remember her taking me through visualizations of a perfect morning and things like that, where I was like, wow, no one's ever asked me questions like this, and they felt so out of sorts for me, but also intriguing, but also not real life. It was just like, she's taking me through imaginary land, but I'm totally going to go there and imagine it. Yeah. At the same time. A handful of years before I used visualizations for sports all the time. And just because it was in another environment, I thought that's what you do, coaches do that sort of thing, or that's what I do to prepare myself to visualize how I want this game to go, but why not the game of life? I didn't. No, that was a thing. And I had to have a person take me through the experience before I ever knew what it would be like to coach someone else. You have to get coached and you have to experience someone else observing your brain and asking you the questions so you can remember your own awesomeness. Isn't that so true? And it's so funny how with things like sports, things like art, music. We don't call them coaches, but you get a music teacher. Maybe there are so many places in our lives where coaching or having that external feedback is applauded, sought after it's necessary even for growth, and when it comes to talent. It really breaks my heart to know so many people who over the years have told me, gosh, Brea you're so lucky that you have such great musical talent. I'm not talented. I'm just Joe Schmoe over here. For us to limit talent to athleticism or music or art. It's just so sad to me because everyone has talent and everyone will improve. There's exponential growth opportunity when we lean into that, when we invest in it. And coaching is one of the best ways to do that, to get that outside perspective. I just, I love it. It's there for everyone.
Yeah. Accessible for everyone. I like how you proved that out with the pro bono experience that you had. So let's say if we ended with a favorite thing that could be a resource, a technique. Let's say someone's in the position you were in when you got fired, you're in the puddle on the floor, and you're like, thanks, I'm listening to this episode and I need a coach. And how am I going to get a coach? Or What am I gonna do with this info when I don't have the money to invest with one? What is something that would be. place. What's one of your favorite things? Yeah. My favorite thing is engaging with a coach and you never know until you ask. Reach out. There are coaches, there are so many different places and opportunities for you to connect with coaches. Don't be afraid to ask. But I think even before that, just talk to somebody about. If you can pull that out and just have a conversation with anyone, share it with your partner, share it with someone who knows you well and just say, Hey, do you see these things in me? Especially if there are things in your report that don't really resonate with you, either you read the words on the report and you're like, Ooh, that's not a strength. Or maybe there's something on there where you're like, I just, I don't know that's me. I don't really see that in myself. Give it to someone who knows you well and who sees you regularly, show up in your life and ask them, let them be that mirror back to you and say, yeah. I see this in you all the time. And let me tell you exactly when, I saw it last, allow them to be that mirror, even if they're not a trained coach, that feedback is still so powerful. That's a great one. It doesn't cost you any extra money. You already have the report and…bonus…they get to read all these nice things about you and then tell you about times when they show up. That's perfect! Bonus. Love a bonus. Love a bonus. I'm going to play off of your mirror theme because you were talking about how that self-awareness the most you're going to see is your own reflection. And something I see, especially with our corporate clients, but just anyone who lives that very busy life where you're always trying to cram in more and more. It's such a thing. To fill every crack, every moment that you can with something else. So if you're that person who does maybe right now you're listening to a podcast while you're out for a walk, while you're doing the dishes, while you're doing other things, I would actually say one technique that's worked very well for me for self-coaching is to require myself. To not fill those cracks with extra things, because if your mind never has the white space to consider, and you're just thinking on some of these things you want to think on, like when you asked yourself, is coaching a thing? And then you decided I want to change my career. What would it look like to change my career? Now, if you had just filled your ears, As many people do, fill your ears with learning. I'm going to take a class while I'm on a walk. I'm going to get all the information I can. The information isn’t as rich as if you would just sit with that thought and allow yourself to actually consider it on the walk while you're in nature. Asking. What would life be like? What could it be if I made it up? You are asking questions of the coach. Do people make money at this? What would the revenue streams look like? What would be fun for me? How could I add value to other people's lives? And just all those kinds of the way that your mind will wander with questions and thoughts and dreams - when you give it space. So my technique is to get yourself a stop doing list. Stop over filling every crack and crevice of every minute so that you can have that thoughtful, reflective time to do some of this self-coaching, self-reflection, and, self-understanding stuff that doesn't happen when you fill it up with constant learning or constant business, busyness. I love that. I love that so much. Okay. Now, if a listener is okay, this coaching thing, I'm going to finally try it. I want to work with you, Brea, tell them, how do they work with you? Yeah, go to my website, BreaRoper. com, B R E A R O P E R. com, and schedule a quick little call. There's no pressure. It's no cost. If I'm a good fit, great. And if not, I know a lot of other great coaches that I can refer you to. Beautiful. And if you want to work with me, I'm Lisa, and I'm out at lead through strengths. com. And in the main menu, there's a link called get coached. And I actually work different from decent amount of other coaches in that I'll do just one off sessions. If you are not ready to invest in a big package, you can just drop by, drop in, grab one coaching session whenever you Need one. That's such a gift. Yeah. There is so much power in coaching over time, but not everyone can do that, and not everyone needs that in every situation. So if you're in a situation where you just need to talk to somebody to get unstuck, right now, what a great offering. Yeah. Thank you. What would your action item be for someone as we leave them today? Yeah. Engage with a coach, however, that makes sense for you, whether it's, reaching out to Lisa, reaching out to me, do something for yourself, invest just a little bit more beyond the assessment because the assessment, it's just the beginning, right? The awareness does you no good if you don't act on it. And. And I promise you that there is more in the assessment results than what you can see yourself. A trained and experienced knowledgeable coach will be able to deepen that awareness and help you take the next step on your journey. So reach out to a coach. Yeah. Yeah. Reach out to a coach. The theme of the episode is getting coached. So go get coached at a minimum, do yourself. And. Then do what Bree was talking about, where you grab the assessment results and you show it to somebody else. What a great way to get coached, or at least get some vibes of coaching out of something that you might just have sitting around in a file folder somewhere, and you've forgotten about it. And even if you read it in detail a year ago or three years ago. You're going to pull something out of it. That sounds totally different in the context of what's in your life today. So yeah, with that, go get a coach. All right. See you all next week. Bye for now. Let’s Connect | |||
| 05 Apr 2020 | Core Concept #4: Easy Buttons | 00:10:07 | |
We notice it all the time: when we point out to people their natural talents through meaningful conversations, their success comes more easily. In this episode, we refer to this phenomenon as “easy buttons” — our fourth core concept in this series. Here at Lead Through Strengths, we love seeing people’s potentials. It’s always an amazing experience to help others realize something special about them and saying it aloud to them. This is because people often find it difficult to notice their very own potential. And so the more we hear responses like “Really? That’s a special thing?” or “Oh, I’m good at that?” — the more we find fulfillment that we are into strengths development. Embrace What Feels EasyA lot of people still hold this default assumption that if something feels easy to them, it’s probably easy for anyone else. They think it’s nothing special. They dismiss it as they wouldn’t want to offer a bunch of work that’s ordinary or easy. In effect, they are actually depriving their team of their gifts or potentials. “Why bother? Anybody could have done it anyway.” If you’re a manager, you have to mine for these potentials and spot them. Make your particular team members aware that what they’ve got is something special until they themselves acknowledge it. Once they are convinced that what may be easy for them may actually be a challenge for others, they’ll cease to think that their talent is “unspecial.” They will be more inspired to do more of that. The more you consistently notice your team members’ strengths, the more they will develop the eagerness to cultivate them. Eventually, they will let their easy buttons get pushed. Those little but meaningful conversations mean that much. Pushing The ButtonThe CliftonStrengths talent themes show how you naturally think or feel or act at your default. Your reports provide you some words that may serve as clues to make it a little easier to spot your easy buttons for success. Again, while this is a very simple concept, it’s strangely way overlooked in the office. How exactly do easy buttons work? What comes easily and enjoyable to you puts you in the strengths zone. And if you’re in your strengths zone, your performance gets strengthened even more. When we talk about implementing strengths, we normally ask people what comes easily to them. What do they find most enjoyable? They would list them down for sure, but as previously mentioned, they also tend to think that they’re easy, that there’s nothing special about that. “Anybody could do that,” as they would add. Nevertheless, as we listen to the conversations, we find that the things that are easy and enjoyable to a person tend to be in their strengths zone. But given their default assumptions, they tend to go for what’s challenging or difficult. In their effort to be top performers, they labor through their weaknesses rather than shine in their strengths. But then again — as your strengths strengthen your performance, your weaknesses weaken your performance. Easy Buttons When Turned OFFMost of the time, working on stuff that’s really hard for you is like banging your head against the wall. You keep working hard and fighting the struggle that comes with dealing with things that are:
In other words, these are not the things you typically excel at. Easy Buttons When Turned ONIn order to stand out without draining yourself, you need to be aware of this lever of strengths which when pulled leads to:
That is equivalent to simply pressing those easy buttons. Your CliftonStrengths talent themes also represent how you get things done, not what you’re choosing to do. So regardless of the job you’re in, your easy buttons will tell you how you can approach any outcome to get better results. Easy Buttons in TeamsEasy buttons vary among people. In sales teams, for example, a benchmark personality type is usually set for the ideal salesperson. Desired types may include:
The truth is, all these will depend on the easy buttons for each person. Maybe there’s Person 1 for whom it’s natural to challenge current thinking, so that’s what he is inclined to do. But the person who’s best at it is the one who’s developed that in a way to make it a palatable conversation for another person. Maybe there’s Person 2 who’s really great at collecting data, case studies, and analytics. In a sales engineer capacity, he can brilliantly present data that support how the product has worked for other similar companies. This can lead a client to make a buying decision. Maybe there’s Person 3 who’s highly effective at building relationships with people by breaking the ice and making them laugh and have a good time. He may say, “I’m a relational person, therefore that helps me sell because once the relationship is built, then we gain mutual trust that works out for us.” These are very different easy buttons and you could take any of those three people and they could all learn the other model. They could memorize sales tactics, scripts, and whatnots. But for them to achieve their best performance, as a manager you have to help them figure out their easy buttons. By pushing these buttons, you help them towards great outcomes. Hearing Excuses?As you explore this fun concept with your team, you still might feel some resistance or hear excuses like: “Nope, I’m not doing it your way because that’s in my weakness.” “Nope, not in my strengths zone.” When you face this scenario, hang in there because that will be tackled in one of the upcoming core competencies. Key Takeaways
Your natural strengths are easy for you for a reason. Why choose another way? Ready For The Next Concept?Up next: “N” for “not an excuse.” See you in the next episode! | |||
| 20 Dec 2016 | 20,000 Moments For Strengths Today - With Steven Beck | 00:26:00 | |
This Episode’s Focus on Strengths Today's episode features Steven Beck, one of the top Gallup StrengthsFinder experts. In fact, he trained Lisa back in the day! This interview focuses on the concepts of peak experience, how to use your Top 5 to bring out the best in others, and great information on how to make a practical connection between your core strengths and the values that are most important to you. Listen in...you'll learn a lot today. Steven's Top 10 StrengthsFinder Talent Themes: Communication, Woo, Maximizer, Strategic, Activator, Self-Assurance, Individualization, Ideation, Futuristic, Focus Lisa's Top 10 StrengthsFinder Talent Themes (looks pretty similar, huh?): Strategic, Maximizer, Positivity, Individualization, Woo, Futuristic, Focus, Learner, Communication, Significance
What You’ll Learn In This Episode Learn what your peak experiences are. Steven talks about the yearning he had to really do something different, yet he wasn't sure what that was. And he didn't know where to start with a career change. After reading the book, Never Buy a Hat If Your Feet Are Cold: Taking Charge of Your Career and Your Life, by Ken Felderstein, Steven asked the author to meet for lunch so he could ask him questions. Ken asked Steven this key question: What are the peak moments you've had in your life? These moments will give you a glimpse of excellence, and should show you what you really yearn to do. Once Steven answered this question, and figured out what his peak experiences were (clues to natural talent), he knew he wanted to be a speaker. Over time, he kept pushing himself out of his comfort zone, until he became a strong speaker and trainer. This was the first step that led him to connect with the Gallup team and the Clifton StrengthsFinder tool. Use your Top 5 to bring out the strengths in others. Steven uses himself as an example of how to use your own strengths to get projects done, while bringing out the best in others. He figured out that, for him, his Communication talent theme is really a story telling strength. His Woo strength is his ability to find common ground within a group, and his natural Maximizer talent is his ability to figure out how he can use a thing in many situations - an efficiency strength. This helps him to pull others' stories out. It also creates his unique version of Woo, which helps him shape how a group interacts with each other. Then, once the group has been strengthened, his Activator strength kicks in, and stuff gets done. You can apply the same method to your own strengths, by figuring out how one strength affects the other, thereby bringing out the strengths in others. Make a connection between your strengths and your values. Pick the values that are most important to you, not the ones that you think are correct, or that others expect. For instance, the values most important to Steven are passion, family, health, autonomy, and emotional well-being. Once Steven understood what his core values were, he used this to guide him toward establishing Steven Beck Consulting, and still helps him determine which projects he wants to work on, and whom he wants to work with. As a reminder to always consider his values, Steven has a sheet of plexiglass over his desk, and underneath it are things that remind him of each value. One values reminder is a postcard his daughter sent him of a food trailer in Austin, TX (because he loves his daughter and Austin, even though he lives in Irvine, CA). Another values reminder is the phrase "Learn, Love, & Live Toward Strengths," which was mentioned by the late Gallup StrengthsFinder coach, Curt Liesveld. He includes other items they discuss in the audio, and each one reflects important elements from his life. During the interview, Steven mentions this quote by Curt, which sums up this idea, "You live out your strengths through the foundations of your values." According to social scientist, Daniel Kahneman, there are 20,000 moments in every day - pay attention to particular ones, to know how you are influencing your team members. Each time you interact with a team member, ask yourself, "Was I fully present and mindful of the other person? Did I focus on that person and the value she brings?" Look back, and determine whether a particular moment engaged the person or not. Steven lists three outcomes:
Lighten someone else's load for better teamwork and productivity. By this, we don't mean to take on that person's tasks, we mean to take away some of the emotional burden people feel toward their team members. When you listen to this interview, you'll hear a great example of how one team went from wanting to kill each other, to a place of acceptance of each other. The team learned to come from a place of fascination about each individual person, instead of from a place of frustration.
Resources of the Episode Read this article on Gallup's website, about how the Peak Moment Question changed Steven's life. Subscribe To Lead Through Strengths
StrengthsFinder Monthly Training For Managers
Go Live Your Talents | |||
| 29 Jul 2018 | Strengths Q4: Favorite Job Duty | 00:03:23 | |
In this 12-week strengths implementation series, you get one conversation per week to help your team start each week with strengths. If you “did” StrengthsFinder with your team and you didn’t follow up after the initial conversation, this is a great way to make Strengths part of your work culture. Go to http://leadthroughstrengths.com/challenge to get the series emailed to you one week at a time. You’ll get the question and examples to make it sound real and practical. You’ll also get additional angles so that you can take the answers beyond the surface. If you’re a manager who wants to make culture-building part of everyone’s job, have each person on the team sign up for the email series. That way, it won’t rely on you doing the question-asking each week. You can get the team to share their answers after they receive the email. This series is usable even if you’ve never used CliftonStrengths. Although the questions work in excellent alignment with the StrengthsFinder 2.0 book, they also work with no assessment at all - just conversations about what already works on the team. | |||
| 18 Apr 2017 | How To Explore Your StrengthsFinder Report - With Pete Mockaitis | 00:28:21 | |
This Episode’s Focus on StrengthsThis week Lisa speaks with Pete Mockaitis, who joins us in a live example of what it’s like to explore your StrengthsFinder results for the first time. Pete's Top 10 StrengthsFinder Talent Themes: Ideation, Strategic, Learner, Activator, Input, Connectedness, Woo, Communication, Positivity, Individualization Lisa’s Top 10 StrengthsFinder Talent Themes: Strategic, Maximizer, Positivity, Individualization, Woo, Futuristic, Focus, Learner, Communication, Significance Resources of the Episode You can reach Pete through the Awesome at Your Job website. You can also connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn. And you should because he's awesome! Here's the link to Pete's podcast, and to his interview of Lisa Cummings. Books, terms, and other websites mentioned in this podcast: Book: Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade by Dr. Robert Cialdini Study: 80/20 Rule, which is also called the Pareto Principle Term: Leadership Domains as explained by my friends at Leadership Vision Consulting. They're another firm who offers Strengths based leadership training. And our favorite resource of the episode: evidence of Pete's wicked-awesome talent of one-handed clapping:
You'll also find lots of StrengthsFinder, leadership, and team tools on our "https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://leadthroughstrengths.com/resources&source=gmail&ust=1487264698482000&usg=AFQjCNHUtPcayNXycHfGq_r2Crj5sPIU7w">Strengths Resources page. Subscribe To Lead Through StrengthsTo subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. Here's The Full Transcript of the Interview Lisa Cummings: [00:00:08] You’re listening to Lead Through Strengths, where you’ll learn to apply your greatest strengths at work. I’m your host, Lisa Cummings, and I’ve got to tell you, whether you’re leading a team or leading yourself, it’s hard to find something more energizing and productive than using your natural talents every day at work. And today you’re going to get a really unique episode on StrengthsFinder. It’s different from our usual guest interview. Today, your guest joins us in a live example of what it’s like to explore your StrengthsFinder results for the first time. So I think a lot of guests are going to identify with his love of learning and his corporate experiences. He’s actually a former consultant for Bain so he has that pedigree company thing on his list that many of you. And today he’s the trainer and chief at Awesome At Your Job, so you’ll hear more about that and his show as we dig in. So, you know, if you’re a regular listener of this show that we’re going to talk about how his differences are his differentiators. So you’ll enjoy hearing a fun fact about him. So, here it goes. This guy has a unique talent of being able to clap with one hand. So, Pete Mockaitis, welcome to the show. Please give yourself a one-handed welcome and demonstrate for us. Pete Mockaitis: [00:01:34] Oh, Lisa, thank you. That’s such a unique welcome and it’s fun to do, and here we go. [one-handed claps] Lisa Cummings: [00:01:40] I can’t believe that is really happening with one hand. It is blowing my mind. You’re going to have to make us a video so we can see what that actually looks like. I can’t believe that’s possible. Pete Mockaitis: [00:01:51] I can do that, yes, and that’s probably my number one strength is one-handed clapping. It opens a lot of doors. Lisa Cummings: [00:01:58] [laughs] Your hand can open a door in a traditional way...but his hand...watch out. Pete Mockaitis: [00:02:01] Oh, well-played. Lisa Cummings: [00:02:05] Watch out. Oh, my gosh. We’re going to totally have this video on the show notes, so if you’re listening click on over to that because that’s a serious talent. I love it. [laughs] Okay, let’s get into the serious side of super powers. That’s one, I tell you, parlor tricks though they could fuel the Woo that you have up in there. I think there’s something tied here. Maybe that’s how you discovered it. Maybe we’ll uncover that today. Pete Mockaitis: [00:02:30] Oh, are folks being won over as we speak, or are they turned off? We’ll see with your emails that come flowing in. Lisa Cummings: [00:02:35] That’s right. Okay. So, you know in this episode, we’re going to do this like a sample of exploring your StrengthsFinder talents for the first time. Well, we’re going to have to start by telling them what your Talent Themes here. So give them your top five. Pete Mockaitis: [00:02:50] Okay, can do. With just the words or the descriptions as well? Lisa Cummings: [00:02:54] Let’s get a little “Meet Pete” moment. So do the word and also the one sentence what this looks like on you. Pete Mockaitis: [00:03:03] Okay. So, first, I’ll give a quick preview – one, Ideation; two, Strategic; three, Learner; four, Activator; and five, Input. In terms of the one sentence: 1) Ideation, it’s true I am fascinated by ideas and how they connect together on my podcast with guests. I eat it up when I see “Oh, wait, there’s one thing someone said” can combine with that other thing they said, so I’m going to focus on prioritizing with the one thing but also building some tiny habits and, boom, there’s this combination synergy goodness, and so that resonates. 2) Strategic. I buy that in terms of if I’m always thinking about sort of what’s the optimal path forward, that’s the name of my company – Optimality, LLC – getting the band for the buck and sort of that 80/20 Rule and action, I’m really after that. 3) For Learner, it’s true. Ever since I was a youngster that’s kind of where my trainer and chief story starts. I was always going to the library reading books about goal-setting, success, teamwork, collaboration, influence. I was just into that stuff, and I remain to this day. 4) Activator, it’s true. I am often impatient. I’m excited to put things into action. Just this week I was thinking it’s just too much trying to manage the guests with merely emails and spreadsheets. I need a CRM, customer relationship management piece of software, and five hours later I had tried nine of them and made my decision. So, yeah, I got after it right away. That’s kind of my nature. I’ll wake up and I’ll have an idea and I just want to like run to the computer and implement it. 5) And then, finally, Input. I do, I love to get perspective from wise folks and learn all that they have to offer and collect multiple opinions to really prove or disprove the sort of key facts or assertions that are going to make or break a given decision. Lisa Cummings: [00:04:59] These are so good. Thanks for adding the Pete color because even for people who don’t understand the basic definition of it and Gallup’s terminology you explained it and then added your individual color. Just seeing as a kid in the library, I’m imagining you going back and training them so it’ll be fun to hear the depth on that. And then Activator, one that just happened the other day. It’s just a really great specific example so we can see what these are like in real life. So, let’s talk about if we really relate this to career, and you think back on one of your proudest accomplishments, tell us about that snapshot in time. Pete Mockaitis: [00:05:40] You know, I’m thinking, the first thing that leaps to mind is just getting the job at Bain & Company itself. I’d say it was very meaningful to me because I had been interested in it for some years before it came about, and it was just a vivid moment. I can recall when I was emceeing a date auction event as a fundraiser in college for a student organization, and when I got the call I just handed the microphone to someone, walked off stage, received the call. It was great news. I was excited. I hugged my friend, Emily, who was wearing a red puffy coat. It’s forever enshrined in my brain as like the moment that this thing I had been after for some years was now mine. Lisa Cummings: [00:06:31] I love how vivid your imagery is and all of these. Take us through the preparation, what it was like for you getting ready for applying for this job, making it a thing. It sounds like it was a long time coming. So how was that playing out in your life, leading up to that phone call? Pete Mockaitis: [00:06:49] Oh, sure thing. Well, I was sort of an odd kid in my sort of freshman year of college. I was sort of determined like, “By golly, I want to work in a top strategy consulting firm when I graduate, and so that’s just what I’m going to do.” And so I began exploring different avenues very early on in terms of student organizations and what were the linkages and how I could have sort of a distinctive profile that I would be intriguing to them. I went to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign which is not a hotbed for recruiting into those firms, but there are a few each year who get in, and I wanted to be one. So, I remember I would sort of try to find the right people, and the right organizations, and learn from them and see what I could do. And I remember, talk about vivid experiences, I was chatting guy named Bo who was wearing a Harry Potter wizard hat at a Halloween party. And he said, “Oh, you should join the student organization.” And I was like, “Oh, I was thinking about that, but isn’t that kind of more technology stuff?” And he’s like, “Oh, no. It’s much broader than that. Yeah, and they’re always chatting with so-and-so and they do case interviews,” which is a key step to get a job in these firms, “to get in and, yeah, I think you’d like it.” And so I was excited to discover that opportunity and then go after it. Then once I met a real person named Jeff who had the position, I was just having a real lot of fun chatting with him and seeing, “Hey, what’s it like on the inside? Is it really what I’ve built it up to be?” and sort of receiving that reinforcement that it was good. And then, ultimately, I think the biggest hurdle to get the job is the case interview where you have to sort of solve business problems live before the interviewer’s eyes. And so I did a lot of prep. I got the books, I even recorded myself doing case interviews. I’d listen to them back to see how I was doing and to see how I might tweak it to seem more engaging or succinct and insightful. I remember I was listening to myself doing case interviews while driving up to the interview the day before. So those are things that leap to mind there. Lisa Cummings: [00:09:06] Those are so good. Now, if you look at your talents, and then you try to make some linkages, now I’ve made a bunch of linkages and I’ve even, although the listeners can’t see your list beyond your top five, as you would not be surprised if you know a Learner and Input. Pete immediately goes out and wants more input and grabs the full 34 premium version of assessment so he can see the whole lineup. So I see a bigger lineup and I have some things popping into my head about your number 6, Connectedness, and your number 7, Woo. But when you look at your list and you think back on that experience, what links do you see where you’re using those talents as you’re preparing? Pete Mockaitis: [00:09:47] Oh, sure thing. Well, it’s interesting, in terms of Activator it’s like, “This is the thing I want and so I’m going to start now.” I was a freshman and I was evaluating opportunities. Not only whether they were fun and I would get to meet people, but if they would take me to where I wanted to go, and then jumping in full force for those things I thought could really do it. So, I guess that’s Activator. I’m getting right to it yet Strategic is that I was kind of being selective, and saying, “You know, while that club sounds kind of interesting, I don’t think it’s going to have as much sort of bang for my buck, in terms of taking me where I want to be.” And so the interestingness is not quite enough to offset this. And then with Ideation, I think I did take some novel approaches to having distinctive profile, like I authored a book in college about leadership and student organizations, and I saw the opportunity to be the Secretary General of our model United Nations, which I thought, “Well, that’s a really cool leadership opportunity in terms of managing dozens of people and thousands of dollars to put together an event for hundreds of folks. Ooh, that’ll be a real nice concept to make an impression, as well as having a ton of fun.” So I was a pure career-seeking robot along the lines. But I do see those in learning, yeah, talking to folks, learning what the firms want, how they operate, getting the books. And Input, certainly, talking to numerous people along the way to confirm, “Is this really what I think it is?” and learn, “Well, what needs to be done in order to get there?” Lisa Cummings: [00:11:30] You’re bringing up what happens for a lot of people where if they heard the descriptors in the StrengthsFinder Talent Themes, and they listen to the thing that you just described, they would probably think, “Achiever” because it seems like the easy way to describe what you accomplished. And although Achiever is middle of the road for you, 13, it’s not extraordinarily high but you found extreme achievement at that age. So, you’re demonstrating something that’s really cool which is I always tell people. StrengthsFinder doesn’t tell you what you go do in your career. It’s more about how you can go do it, leaning through the talents you have. So you found achievement through totally different talents and it’s dangerous to try to look at the words on the surface. And I think if I listened to your show, which I do. Pete Mockaitis: [00:12:21] Oh, thank you. Lisa Cummings: [00:12:22] Which is called Awesome At Your Job. So, for those of you listening and you want to check it out, we’ll put the link in the show notes. It’s a great show about being awesome at your job overall. I think if listened to that show I may hypothesize that you have an Analytical talent, for example, because I know that you mention research studies very often, you mention proof points, your favorite hobby is Monopoly. So you have some of these things, right, that some people might think, “Oh, that sounds like an Analytical guy.” And Talent Themes show up more in how you approach what you do not necessarily what those interests are. So, kind of fascinating thing you’re bringing up. So, tell us about yearnings and interests, like Monopoly and research studies and proof points, and things that you talk about in your show and how your Talent Themes speak to those. Pete Mockaitis: [00:13:14] Oh, that is interesting in terms of just what’s fun. So, on my honeymoon, just a few months ago – Yay. Lisa Cummings: [00:13:23] Yay. Pete Mockaitis: [00:13:24] I was reading this book Pre-Suasion by Dr. Robert Cialdini on the beach. And so it’s funny, it’s non-fiction but that was just fascinating and fun for me, I was like, “Oh, wow. Well, here’s an interesting fact. They did study and here’s what happened.” And so I’ll find that all the more thrilling than most works of fiction because I guess Ideation is fuelling that fascination in terms of I’m thinking, “Oh, look at all these implications for how I could go put that to work and make things happen.” And for Monopoly, it’s so funny. I remember one time I was meeting this guy for the first time, his name is Peter; fine name, fine guy. Lisa Cummings: [00:14:09] Fine name. Pete Mockaitis: [00:14:11] [laughs] And so as we were playing Monopoly he kept asking me some questions about my career journey and how I went into Bain and why I left Bain and started my own business and these things. And I’ll tell you what, I was so focused on the strategic options and decisions I had to make in that game Monopoly to win I actually had in my head the idea that this guy is trying to distract me in order to win at Monopoly. Lisa Cummings: [00:14:40] [laughs] Pete Mockaitis: [00:14:41] I thought, “Pete, that’s crazy. Most people don’t care. They play games to socialize in fun ways.” [laughs] I was being a little rude in retrospect. I kind of apologized to him. I gave him very short answers, I was like, “Well, ultimately, that’s just something I’ve always loved to do.” You know, just one- or two-sentence responses. Lisa Cummings: [00:15:01] Let’s get back to the seriousness of Park Place, buddy. [laughs] Okay. So, now what you’re helping me see and raise is this concept of domains. I don’t know if you know this about StrengthsFinder, but they’ve done some studies on leadership, and these four domains of leadership actually came from quite a large study on followers. So, if I look at your talent lineup, not to get too nerdy and distract from the story of you, I’ll give you the quick version. There are four different domains of leadership that people often find their strength in, and yours, to give you the tell as I lean into it, you come in really hot on the Strategic Thinking Talents, and then second highest your Influencing. So, there are four categories. You have the Relationship Talents. You have the Influencing Talents. You have the Strategic Thinking talents, the thinker guy that you probably are, and then you have Executing Talents. And so, as I listened to your reaction to the Monopoly thing, I could see you being really in your head about what was going on in the situation. The way I look at these four domains is that they’re all valuable, and they’re all useful ways that you can demonstrate leadership, but this is kind of, when you have one that comes in heavy in your top five, it’s often the color of glasses you’re wearing. Like yours would be, if you looked at your StrengthsFinder report, the Strategic Thinking Talents are actually colored red. And you could see, “Okay, look, my first view on things, the lens I’m going to see the world through will, first, likely be thinking about it.” Now you have a lot of fast-thinking talents, so Ideation is fast and Strategic is fast, so it’s not like you’re going to go deep and sit around and ponder things deeply for months. You can boom, boom, boom, react to that guy and have your answer. And I noticed your Influencing Talents are also high on your list. You have Activator, Woo, Communication up in your top 10. It’s interesting to see those two. How does that play into how you’ve seen yourself and your career? Pete Mockaitis: [00:17:12] Well, that is interesting. And what’s funny is I have a little bit of a hard time switching at times in that I really do like people and building relationships, and connecting and laughing and seeing how we’re similar and how we can help each other and collaborate and all those good things. That’s fun for me. But surprising, or I don’t know, just kind of part of how I go, is that when I get deep into the realm of this Ideation, Strategic, Input, Thinking and I’m trying to crack something, or figure it out, it’s just sort of like Peter in that game of Monopoly. It’s like, “I’m not in people mode right now. I am in finding an optimal solution given all of my options and constraints mode right now.” And I feel a bit sort of like I’m being pulled away from that which I’m attached to and I’m into at the moment, or I’m just sort of like I’m not really present or there. I think that does show up in that they are different clusters and I feel them differently in terms of my whole headspace and emotional state. It’s like, “I’m not in people mode right now.” And sometimes my wife will notice and she would like me to enter into people mode as we’re being together, or where she’ll just say, “Okay, you’re in your groove. Go ahead and finish that first.” So that’s the first thing that pops to mind there. Lisa Cummings: [00:18:45] What a deep powerful insight. I love hearing how the thinking stuff is playing out in your head, and then also the relationship part. So, I apply StrengthsFinder to work all the time and find that sometimes the easiest ones to get how you perform relative to other people is through people you’re really close to. So your wife probably knows you about as well as anyone in the world so she’s going to be more comfortable saying it out loud or noticing it or mentioning it. Do you happen to know hers? Has she taken this yet? Pete Mockaitis: [00:19:20] You know, I don’t think she has. Lisa Cummings: [00:19:22] Okay. Would be fun. So this could be one where you say, “Okay, look, your first Relationship Talent is Connectedness. It’s your number six. I hear you relying on it relatively often.” So you could ask a question like how could you lean on your Connectedness talent when you’re trying to consciously switch into a mode that would complement the conversation you two are having? Pete Mockaitis: [00:19:47] That is a great question. And, particularly Connectedness, that’s one of those words for the Strengths Finders that makes me think of, “Oh, like a super network.” But, no, no. Connectedness is more about having sort of like the faith in why things are the way they are or a higher power. And so, for me, that is big. I’m a Catholic Christian. I think tapping into some of those, well, one, I guess is the headspace of worship or sort of loving people and serving them as folks made in the image and likeness of God can be pretty potent in terms of a reminder of, “Hey, what’s really important here?” “Well, how about we give that person the listening ear and respect and attention that they deserve?” Lisa Cummings: [00:20:32] Oh, this is so good. I could take this in 20 directions because, one, I hear the interplay of Talents, how your Connectedness and Strategic gets so wound together because you do have so many Thinking Talents, the connection of ideas and not just people and meaning but pull all those things together – connecting meaning, connecting people, connecting ideas. Those are going to play out for you in a way that might even be difficult to separate, you know, “Which talent thing is talking here?” And then your first Executing Theme is Belief and that, of course, I hear it in what you just said, and so it really helps me see when you say it. Oh, yeah, this would drive how you go about getting things done as well with the perspective of the meaning in your life and what is this all for and how does it play out. I also think this is the direction I’ll ultimately take it, because there are so many ways we could go from that conversation. So a lot of people struggle with this. You look at your lineup, and I’ve told you about these leadership domains, and you see, “Oh, my gosh. My first Executing Talent is number 12. This sounds like a person. Oh, no, I might be doomed. Does it mean I never get anything done?” Well, clearly you get a lot done. You are a machine it seems. So, where do you get your ability to achieve and get the outcomes and results you want? Because you clearly do. Pete Mockaitis: [00:22:00] How does it happen? Well, I think part of is just that I think about it in terms of I have a standard in mind in terms of how things should be or go. I think that’s kind of a vague broad thing to say. But, day after day, what mostly happens is I have kind of a picture in my head for what is done, good, complete, dream, nirvana state look like, and then I have all these ideas for what are the things that I could do that I couldn’t bring it there. And then I just become very excited about those ideas and I just sort of run after them. In terms of the CRMs, I was thinking, “I have a dream” – so dramatic. Lisa Cummings: [00:22:57] [laughs] Martin Luther Pete has a dream of CRM systems. Pete Mockaitis: [00:23:03] In which every guest that comes on my show will be absolutely outstanding, like leaving me and listeners with, “Wow.” Well, what’s it take to get there? Well, probably a fuller pipeline so that I don’t ever have a scramble in terms of, “Oh, I’m a little light on interview appointments. I better get some right away.” That’s like an obstacle to that is like when you have the time to patiently vet candidates as opposed to, “Oh, I’ve got to grab somebody,” then the odds are in your favor in terms of getting great ones. So then, I think, “Well, then what does that system look like? And how can I do that without spending my whole life stuck into analyzing their tweet history?” That’s how I often think about how it gets done, is I feel this tension inside me. It’s like, “I want that to be real and I’ve got these compelling, exciting ideas for what I could do to make that real so let’s go do it.” Lisa Cummings: [00:24:01] It’s really pretty deep what you just said because I could see Strategic helping you sort quickly, “Here’s the outcome. What’s the best way to get there?” Boom, your Activator says, “Go!” and then you create these systems and the insight that listeners won’t have, is that you and I have had some other conversations outside of this. Pete and I are pals. So we’ll talk podcast nerd-talk and he has all these great systems and team members who make things happen, and it actually is one of the great things you can do as Activator. You partner with people who see it through the finish line so that you can get the excitement at the starting line, and then other people can do the execution of the systems you’ve established and the vision you’ve created. So it’s actually a beautiful way you’ve worked through it. Pete Mockaitis: [00:24:43] Oh, thank you. You know, it’s so funny, when you say it like that I think, “Well, of course, isn’t that how everyone does it?” And the answer is I guess clearly, “No, it’s not.” Because I think, “Well, isn’t executing the same thing hundreds of times kind of dull?” But, no, some people are into that. Lisa Cummings: [00:24:59] A-ha. Okay. So, here’s the last topic we’ll bring up only because we’re running out of time because, geez, this would be so much fun to keep going and going and going. So that comment you just made made me think of the Talent Theme of Consistency, doing the same thing hundreds and hundreds of times. Well, it is Pete’s number 33 talent, so we call that a lesser talent, or maybe somebody else’s talent. Meaning somebody else, right? Yes, somebody else might get really excited about doing something the same way consistently over and over every day. But if Pete had to do that every day, what would work feel like for you? Pete Mockaitis: [00:25:37] Oh, it would just be so dull. It’s like I would want sort of some spark of newness to make it come together. Lisa Cummings: [00:25:48] This is a great way to end the show because living in your strengths makes you a stronger performer. Living in your strengths brings you energy and enjoyment about your job. If you’re pulling on your lesser talents, or someone else’s talents, all day every day, you feel drained, you feel burned out, and so many people feel like that and wonder, “You know, gosh, it’s not so hard and people are nice. So why do I feel like this?” And that’s often why, it’s because they’re calling on their weaknesses all day every day but they just don’t quite realize why. So, thanks, in an unexpected way, for illustrating that point because that is so powerful for people to have that insight. Pete Mockaitis: [00:26:25] Oh, thank you. It’s been a blast. Lisa Cummings: [00:26:27] It has been a blast. I’m so excited to have you here to do this. I wish we could triple down on it. Let’s get listeners over to you because you have so many great shows to help people be awesome at their jobs. So, where should they go to dig into your content, your training, your podcasts? Pete Mockaitis: [00:26:42] Oh, sure thing. Thank you. Well, I’d say if you’re already, well, you are a podcast listener, fire up your app and whatever you’re doing and search Awesome Job. That should be enough to pop up the show How To Be Awesome At Your Job. Lisa herself is a guest on an episode. You might check that out to get another flavor for her. Or just my website AwesomeAtYourJob.com. And it’s been fun. I’ve had about 130, wow, conversations with tremendous folks and every one of them is about trying to sharpen the universal skills required to flourish at work. So, whether you’re an executive, or a manager, or an individual contributor in marketing, or finance, or anything, it should be applicable because that’s kind of the primary screen we’re using. Lisa Cummings: [00:27:26] I second that. It is a fantastic show. I met Pete last year, and ever since leaving our meet-up in Chicago, I just have been an avid listener, and it’s just full of great guests and great tips. If you want to go back and listen through the lens of the StrengthsFinder Talents it’ll be really fun to do that. Also, for listeners, if you want some Strengths focus tools to use with your team at work, also check out LeadThroughStrengths/resources and you’ll get a bunch of great free info there. As we close episode, remember using your strengths makes you a stronger performer at work. If you’re putting a lopsided focus on fixing your weaknesses you’re probably choosing the path of most resistance. So claim your talents and share them with the world.
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| 04 Oct 2020 | Delivering Engaging Presentations When You're An Introvert | 00:05:36 | |
Your Strengths Have Everything To Do With Achieving Engaging PresentationsPresenting can be a piece of cake for some, but can be a daunting task for others. But whether you are an introvert or someone who loves to be in front of an audience, how well you can capture your audience really depends on how you use your strengths. Do you focus on “wow”-ing your listeners with your dazzling approach, or do you focus on establishing genuine connection with them? Get insights from Lisa Cummings and Sara Regan as they champion strengths in presenting. Lisa: Hi everyone, it’s Lisa from Lead Through Strengths. Today I am joined by Sara Regan, one of our facilitators at Lead Through Strengths. You've heard a lot from me over the years and it's about time you get some new angles, fresh ideas on strengths, from other people who bring great content to Lead Through Strengths. Sara does just that. If her perspective grabs you, feel free to request her when you book your training events with us. Authenticity Through Strengths Makes Meaningful InteractionsLisa: So speaking of work, something that comes up constantly is people who have to do formal presentations, or they just have to present a PowerPoint in a meeting, and they get really in their head about the idea that they're not a professional presenter. They'll say —
What are your thoughts on that? Sara: I think strengths can give us a lot of insight, certainly into how to do our best work no matter what kind of work that is, including presenting. And my own experience with this is, I had a lot of doubts initially you know given the work that I did which was more one-on-one, or working with small groups or being in meetings. But it's different than being a facilitator, and being the person who is at the front of the room for sometimes four hours, eight hours. There's a level of energy that's required there and I really did feel like, I thought a lot about personality and what is the presence that's needed, and I did entertain how can I try to do it more like other people who I admired. And at the end of the day, I really just came back to, I have to do it, how I would do it, which is based on my own strengths. And so for me, the facilitation style I think one of the ones that probably comes through the most is Relator. So Relator is a theme where I really want to be able to create conditions for people to have a meaningful conversation. I like to keep it real. And so, I have found that if I show up as my most genuine and authentic self and not to feel as though I have to dazzle or be flashy, but just be real and create an environment where people can let their guard down a little bit, that's what I find works for me. And I feel like teams respond to that as well. But I am aware that everybody in the room, this may be some Individualization theme as well, but everybody's walking in and they've had a different kind of day, they've got a different story, they have different background. There will be that apprehension or the skepticism, or someone's new in the role and they're wondering, “These are my colleagues, I'm not sure what to share about myself.” Or there's someone up for promotion and they're wondering, “Gosh, my boss is going to be hearing everything I say about my strengths. What if I'm not communicating this in a way that's going to help me land that job?” So I feel like I have a lot of sensitivity to that and I like to just get rid of, kind of help eliminate any of those worries, on the front end. So I feel like that's my facilitation style — is to help create the most conditions. And I've had to just embrace it, because I can't be anyone else and if I try, I just don't think it goes as well. Anxious About An Upcoming Presentation? Consider Strengths-Based Approach And Content Over DazzleLisa: It's true for everyone, isn’t it? I mean, I see so many people come in and they're like, “Oh, well I have to do presentations now and I, (you've mentioned the word dazzle it always makes me think of), I'm going to dazzle you with my jazz hands.” Of course, a few people have that style, but if you try to force it, it just looks weird. And then if I think of my experience with you, I mean, even thinking back to the times when I first met you...you make people feel seen. You make people feel like they're the only one in the room. It's a totally different way to give an engaging presentation. You're a great listener. I bet your Learner and Individualization combine to make you really curious about people. You're genuine and so many people want that over the stereotypical version of charisma. But for some reason, that thing got out there like, “Oh, you need to be the best dazzler.” So I love that you live out a style that isn't the one that pops to people's minds, but you can really demonstrate for them, “Look you can present from so many different angles. If you use your strengths, you could have all thinking talent themes. You could lead through Analytical and be the best at taking data and bringing new insights to people through that and stop worrying about the dazzle part. Start thinking about how you could amaze people through the insights you were able to bring and it could be through the content itself.” So I just think you're a beautiful example of, not the first thing people think of, but they're moved when they're in the room with you and how many teams need a real experience or real genuine experience and how you just are the perfect model of delivering engaging presentations through your unique strengths. Sara: Well thank you, Lisa. Lisa: All right, now that you have new ideas, it's your turn to go apply this in your life. Let us know as you begin to claim these talents and share them with the world — what it's like for you, what is hard, what worked well, what you loved about the ideas, and we'll see you on the other side. Bye for now. More Resources On How To Make Your Next Presentation EngagingWe've mentioned authenticity a few times here as an important component of a great presentation. We highly recommend you also check out Lisa's previous conversation with Strother Gaines, where he encourages using your strengths to maximize the authentic “you” at work. He's a great example of actually having those aforementioned jazz hands to make engaging presentations. He's doing it genuinely - it's not put on. If you lead through Communication, you naturally have what it takes to thrive on genuinely interacting with other people, which often results in a highly impactful presentation. So harness it! Your audience will thank you for it. Another gem of a podcast interview Lisa had was with Michael Port. In this episode, you'll discover how to be self-expressed yet also able to flow from situation to situation with fluency, how to connect with the audience before the presentation, and a host of other useful nuggets. Don't leave the episode without checking out his book Steal The Show: From Speeches To Job Interviews To Deal-Closing Pitches, How To Guarantee A Standing Ovation For All Of The Performances In Your Life. Great resources are also up for grabs if you visit the Steal The Show website. | |||
| 08 Sep 2024 | Doing What You Love | 00:18:30 | |
“They” say we spend over 30% of our life at work. For some of us over-achieving, work-a-holics burning the candle at both ends, that percentage is likely even higher. If we’re spending over a third of our lives working, shouldn’t we love what we do? We think so. That’s why in this episode we talk about another one of the “5 Clues to Talent”: Satisfaction. Come join us! Work With Us! BREA Roper Talent development shouldn’t be “one size fits all”, because each person is uniquely talented! Unfortunately, most leaders struggle to find and fuel the unique talent in yourself and others. If you’re ready to find hidden talent and realize untapped potential – let’s talk! I’m ready to customize a solution for any need, any budget. Connect with me at brearoper.com! LISA Cummings Strategic | Maximizer | Positivity | Individualization | Woo
To work with Lisa, check out team workshops and retreats at the Lead Through Strengths site. For 1:1 strengths or life coaching, check out the Get Coached link. For independent coaches, trainers, and speakers, get business tools support with our Tools for Coaches membership.
Takeaways for doing what you love…this week!
Remember, hard work doesn’t have to be hard. Align it with your strengths and it actually feels easy. 🌟
Take Action – find simpler approaches to doing what you love ● Identify what you enjoy, and why. Pull out your calendar/planner and review the past two weeks of tasks. Identify the things you particularly enjoyed, experienced deep satisfaction, or were just plain fun. What specifically did you enjoy about these activities? Why did you enjoy those things? Reflecting on the reasons why certain activities or tasks bring you joy to apply that knowledge more broadly in other areas of your life. ● Make it fun! When looking at your present or future tasks and opportunities, practice the self-coaching question: "How can I make this more fun?" or "What could I do to enjoy this task a little more?" Your answer should help you align your talent with the task, resulting in a stronger outcome. Don’t limit yourself to challenging situations. Things that are already enjoyable can always be more fun! 🙂 ● Further Reading: Check out the book Soar With Your Strengths by Dr. Clifton to learn more about the Five Clues to Talent, including this week’s topic: Satisfaction. Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
AI-Generated Transcript of the “Doing What You Love” Audio LISA
BREA And I'm Brea.
LISA And today's topic is doing what you love, living your best life, having some fun.
BREA Having lots of fun. Life is too short to not have fun, isn't it?
LISA Absolutely.
BREA You know, they, the proverbial they, say that we spend over a third of our lives at work. That's crazy, Lisa. A third of your life?
LISA Well, and likewise, you get a third of your life in your sleep. So what's left over?
BREA Well, laundry is left. Grocery shopping is left. Chores are left. Cleaning, you know, and that's what we squeeze into the early morning hours or the late night hours or the weekends is not necessarily stuff that we enjoy. So if most of the time is at work, why not enjoy it?
LISA Yes
BREA I think this is so foundational what we're talking about today, the clue to talent satisfaction. So what do you enjoy? What makes you happy? What? What satisfies you and why? Why is that satisfying for you? Is it the process or is it looking at the finished product? And what about the finished product is satisfying?
Is it that it's done? Like Achiever loves to finish the thing. Or is it satisfying to look at the finished product because it's aesthetically pleasing? Or what is it? What is it about that finished product that's satisfying?
And that's what clues us in to our talents. And when we can get that micro in understanding how our talents are working and how they're showing up, then we can start applying that intentionally in all the places. And that's when we can really change our lives.
LISA Yes. And I think that it's easy for people to call out what they don't want more of. Here's what I dislike. Here's what I wouldn't like to do more of. Here's what I want to get rid of. Yet we're really missing this clue to talent of doing what you love.
What did you find attractive about that thing? what was satisfying about it for you. And then anytime you can make a connection to your values, preferences, motivations, CliftonStrengths talent themes, all of it, they just help you process why you love it so you can get more of that. And I think the reason you want to get more of that is because it makes you feel alive, because it allows you to show up at your best, because it unleashes your contributions to the world. Brea, do you view that similarly or differently?
BREA 100% yes. Yes, yes, yes. You're right. It's so easy for us to just focus on what's wrong or what we don't like or whatever. And so it does take a little bit of hard work to figure out what is it about this thing that I do love But when we do that, gosh, that's what strength focused development, positive psychology, that's what this is about, right?
Because when we look at where we messed up or if we look at what we didn't love, we could make a list. Easy, easy. of a hundred different things that we didn't love about it. And how does that help us? Well, it helps us avoid those in the future, but it doesn't direct us to what will make us happy.
And it's so much easier to just take a few minutes and figure out, well, what did I love about that? and then you identified it and then it's like, okay, well, let's go get more of that and problem solved, right? Then we're not living in this life of just avoiding things that don't make us happy or that we don't do well, but we're focused on what does and then we get all of those positive benefits for ourselves and for others.
LISA So agree with that. And it really does take conscious effort. I mean, that's clearly why it doesn't happen, because we tend to be overstimulated, overscheduled. We're so busy. Well, why we why we're the boss of our lives. And we're also the literal boss of ourselves.
We get to choose. We all have that agency over our lives. If you’re not doing what you love, you’re choosing to not be doing what you love. All of us, every person listening, including the two of us…you can do more of what you love than you did yesterday.
BREA Yeah, and it's not selfish. We're not focusing on what we love just so that you can focus on yourselves all the time and make it all about you. It really does impact those around you. And when you show up at your best, then you're contributing more. You're giving your best self to the people around you, to the workplace, to your customers, to your clients. And people want to be around you.
You're strengthening your relationships with other people because I mean, if I had to choose between being with someone who was happy and someone who was just grumbling all the time, I would prefer to be with someone who's in a good mood and having a good day.
LISA Oh, I thought of two things that sparked off of that. One is, how many times when I was in talent development departments in big corporate and we used to do these annual talent reviews…and how often a person would come up where they're like, oh, he's just a really good guy, really good to be around, really good to work with.
Does that say anything about that person's results? Nope. But it got noted that that person's easy to work with, fun to work with, great to be around, probably because they do more of what they love. And so that whole energy that you feel from that person has a ripple effect on the culture, on the team, and people notice it even when they don't want to.
BREA Yeah, I love that.
LISA And then also I thought of this person. Her name is Jckie. Shout out to Jckie if you're here. She is somebody that I met way back when, when I was going through my MBA program. And I remember when we graduated, she landed her dream job in a compliance role. And it was one of my biggest insights about doing what you love because as she described her compliance role, I was literally thinking in the inside voice, ew, ew, ew, ew, ew, ew.
But I was like, you know, what's so great about this is that if other people do what they love, we're all contributing things that the world needs. And a lot of times, other people want that from you or need that from you. And they'd prefer to not be the one doing it. Like I'm so happy that I don't need to be in a compliance role because there's a Jackie out there who loves being in a compliance role.
So that gets to the lack of selfishness thing that if you really tap into what you're great at, how you live your best life, doing what you love, showing up at your best, You're contributing something that somebody else doesn't want to do.
BREA Oh my gosh. I love this so much. When I was in grade school, I remember so clearly being in class and the teacher would always ask for volunteers to read aloud. You know, we're in the textbook and they're like, who wants to read paragraph, whatever. And of course, I mean, communication is my number one.
It always has been my number one. It is It's how I show up in the world with my mouth wide open. And so of course, as soon as I hear her saying, does anybody want, I mean, I know what's coming and my hand is just straight up in the air. I'm like, I want to read out loud. And over time, as I grew, I realized, no, Brea, you should let other people have an opportunity to read out loud, too, because it's so fun.
Of course, everybody else wants to do it and you shouldn't, you know, hog it, you know, like give everybody else a chance. Isn't that how we think?
LISA Oh my gosh, yes. This is such a great one. The one where you actually feel yourself in your inside voice as an adult. You would be feeling that feeling of the little kid raising the hand going, pick me, pick me, pick me. Oh, I hope they call on me. That's doing what you love.
BREA Yes, but I learned to silence the voice because I told myself because it's so fun for me, it has to be so fun for other people and I should let other people get a turn. But what I didn't realize is it could be fun for me and not be fun for other people. Like most of the people in the class didn't want to. And so I'm just sitting there letting other people take a turn, but then no one else volunteers. And so it's a lose-lose for everybody.
LISA That is another great way to look at clues to talent. Okay, Joe Darin, as a fellow strengths coach, and I remember him saying, I remember him saying something about seeing the shine in someone else's eyes. And it's either that it's like that sparkle that was in your voice when you were reading, because you're like, I'm going to make this colorful, and it's fun. And they could see that pop in you.
I think that is a way to catch it in yourself. It's a way to see others when they're doing what they love to notice it and say, Oh, you're so good at that. And. I also think simultaneously that it was mature of you to notice you might be hogging it.
This certainly happens at work where someone doesn't want to sound like the one who's always talking over people in meetings. And there are ways to still work around that. So you can maximize doing what you love.
BREA Yeah, and I think it bears repeating that learning about our talents and just even learning language from an assessment like CliftonStrengths, learning what talents there are and what the talents do and what the talents enjoy is so helpful because we don't know what we don't know. And until I understood that it was fun for me to read out loud, because of my talents. That's my strength.
And other people have different talents. Until I had that awareness and understanding, I didn't have the freedom to really engage with them or to hold them back. Holding them back was from a place of fear or from a place of negativity of some kind, instead of the freedom to say, look, I really want to make this contribution.
It would be really fun for me to be the one to read out loud. But I also know that Lisa loves to read out loud. And so I'm going to invite her to do that. Then we're we're holding back our talents from a positive stance, you know, from a place of strength. Yes.
LISA I think you're picking up on this thing that you and I have talked about in the past about the why being such an important exploration of this, not just the surface level, what you love, but why you love it, because we could both love reading out loud and for completely different reasons.
So understanding why can really, can really shed some light on how you feel. Okay, now this isn't work related, but earlier we discovered we both liked board games and we didn't take the conversation any further.
I wonder if we could pick out some differences about what you love about a board game and what I love about a board game and use it as a way to shed some light on how different people's talents and values might color what they love, even though the outward end result, I love board games, being the same.
BREA I mean, for me, my absolute favorite game to play, absolutely hands down, is Taboo because it's all talking. That's it, right? It's just words. But in general, word games are attractive to me, right? That's much more attractive than, oh, like, don't ever ask me to play Settlers of Catan or Risk. No thanks.
LISA Okay, now we both lead through Communication in our Top 5 talents, so we are going to have some similarities here. I do love the word games. I love Taboo. I love Balderdash. I love this or that games, but I always want to make up my own rules and be like, but why? Say more about what your preference is.
BREA Hashtag individualization. We love it.
LISA I love board games. Most of all, because I'm doing something with a group. I like the human element of board games a lot. If there's a structured activity that gets conversation flowing and gets something going, especially if there's a physical element, I'm totally in.
BREA So I'm hearing some similarities. I think Relationships, definitely any game that allows us to come together and play. If it's a getting to know you type of game, a party game or something where I get to learn more about the people and the game is just kind of the vehicle, you know, to enjoy that experience.
A hundred percent favorite. I'm just playing the game. You know, I'm also not competitive. We're just playing it and and talking, you know and sharing life while we're we're playing the game
LISA So I think you're bringing up another one for me that I hadn't thought of. Duh. Competition is high for me and I like to win and like winning and hyping but I also like cheering people on and it's like I'm fine. I'm not a sore loser at all with games. I just love cheering on a person.
But if I'm not good at Euchre and I'm not good at Trivial Pursuit because I'm a bad memorizer, I don't really want to play it as my first choice because I'm not going to have a chance of winning.
BREA I would also say maybe that's a little bit of your maximizer, don't you think? Heck yeah. Yeah. Yeah, like you know what you're good at, you know what you can win. I always joke Maximizers are always good at everything they do because they don't do anything that they're not good at.
LISA Hey, we're talking about doing what you love, getting more of the good, getting less of the bad.
BREA When you played sports, did you enjoy team sports or individual sports?
LISA Both. Both. Totally. And I also didn't get into things that I wasn't good at. If I knew I had no potential in that area, it was just gone. Basketball, when I was in sixth grade and I was the tallest kid in the whole class, great. But when I stopped growing in sixth grade, by eighth grade, I was like, oh, basketball's not going to be my thing. Let's move on to areas I have better potential.
BREA And I think that that's, again, clues to talent, right? So a lot of times people don't understand that competition as a CliftonStrength is not the only competitive talent. There's actually three of the 34 that are very competitive. And I think you have all three in your top 10, or maybe your top five, don't you?
LISA Tell more. Tell more. Everybody wants to know what your list is going to be.
BREA I know, here we go on a tangent. So competition, obviously, and Maximizer is competitive, but more competitive with yourself. And then Woo, it literally has win in the title, right? Winning others over. So three influencing talents that are motivated, that enjoy, that are satisfied when there's a component of winning.
LISA And even though it was a seemingly a tangent, it wasn't because you tied that into doing what you love and picking up those things that you love. And yes, by the way, those are all in my top 10. And let's see. So if we tie this all together, how would you send someone away with their homework of how to identify a little bit more of what they love, how to have some more fun or how to live their best life?
BREA Actually, I think one of the best coaching questions out there, or at least one of my favorites, is how can I make this more fun? Or what could I do to enjoy this task a little more? That's a very easy self-coaching question that you can immediately start to practice today. And it doesn't have to be only when things are challenging.
It can also be when things are going well. Add another layer of talent. That's really the best case to not just have one of these clues to talent shining, but if it could be easy for you and if you can enjoy it, you know, gosh, that's bonus.
LISA Yes. And since you went specific and in the moment, I'll give a homework that is more retroactive, where you take a glance through the last two weeks of your to-do list, your calendar, and go through things you've already completed and pick out the ones that spark for you like, oh, I really liked that. I was really doing what I loved in some way when I was operating in that thing.
And then ask yourself the why question or what, what did I love about that? Why did I love it? And see if you can get a little deeper to understand so you could apply that more broadly to other things. Now, if they want to work with you, Brea, and they're like, yeah, yeah, homework, but I want you to ask me these questions and walk me through it. Tell them best way to work with you.
BREA Yeah. If you want me to coach you, go to my website, brearoper.com, then schedule a call.
LISA And if you want to work with me, Lisa, on leadthroughstrengths.com, there's a link called get coached. I would love to step you through any of these kind of questions and thoughts that you might have for yourself. With that, I would end with this thought.
I believe this came from Brea, by the way, but I'm totally stealing your line because When you're operating at your best, when you're doing what you love, you feel better. And people notice that you feel better and your contributions are bigger. So I'm going to steal the Brea line as a closer that is, feel better, do better.
BREA Yes. You don't have to steal it from me. I'm sure I stole it from somebody else. It's just the truth, right? When we feel better, we do better. Go enjoy your life. Go enjoy your life. And always remember that hard work doesn't have to feel hard. When you work from your strengths, you get to be doing what you love and loving what you do.
And that's the life that we're meant to live. So let's do it.
Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
The Fine Print: This podcast is not sanctioned or endorsed by Gallup in any way. Opinions, views and interpretations of CliftonStrengths© are solely the beliefs of Lisa Cummings and Brea Roper.
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| 02 Nov 2015 | Use Strengths To Create Customer Moments - With Mike Ganino | 00:27:45 | |
This Episode's Focus On Strengths
Resource of the Episode Check out the Viktor Frankl book “Man’s Search For Meaning.” And grab Mike's coaching, feedback, and improv tips on mike.tips. You can also follow his ideas on Twitter or Instagram. Remember, using your strengths at work makes you a stronger performer. If you’re focused on fixing your weaknesses, you’re choosing the path of most resistance. So claim your talents. Then share them with the world. And help your team do the same! | |||
| 19 Sep 2017 | Embedding Strengths In Your Company - With Murray Guest | 00:28:35 | |
This Episode’s Focus on StrengthsThis week Lisa chats with Murray Guest. They focus on embedding strengths into your company culture after StrengthsFinder training. Instead of just participating in a training, then putting your results and notes away, find ways to sustain the use of strengths at work and home. Using your strengths will improve your company culture, inspire your team to learn and grow, and increase your bottom line (and it will improve your family life too)! Murray is a consultant who works with companies and leaders to weave StrengthsFinder into their businesses. He shares this list of four things he addresses when helping people build strengths-based cultures: 1. Systems 2. Physical Environment 3. Leadership 4. Attitudes. He and Lisa also give a ton of easy-to-implement ideas to infuse strengths into your everyday life, most of which are free, so listen in. Murray's Top 5 Clifton StrengthsFinder Talent Themes: Relator, Futuristic, Individualization, Communication, Responsibility Lisa’s Top 5 Clifton StrengthsFinder Talent Themes: Strategic, Maximizer, Positivity, Individualization, Woo Resources of the EpisodeYou can connect with Murray through LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and his website. Murray also created the Strengths Culture Toolkit to help teams use the Clifton StrengthsFinder beyond their initial team building event. Strengths ToolsYou'll also find lots of StrengthsFinder, leadership, and team tools on our ="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://leadthroughstrengths.com/resources&source=gmail&ust=1487264698482000&usg=AFQjCNHUtPcayNXycHfGq_r2Crj5sPIU7w">Strengths Resources page. Subscribe To The Lead Through Strengths PodcastTo subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. Here's a Full Transcript of the InterviewLisa Cummings: [00:00:10] You’re listening to Lead Through Strengths, where you’ll learn to apply your greatest Strengths at work. I’m your host, Lisa Cummings, and I gotta tell you, whether you’re leading a team or leading yourself, it’s hard to find something more energizing and productive than using your natural talents every day at work. [00:00:27] Today your guest is a Strengths expert who I wanted to bring on the show because of a conversation we originally had about sustaining Strengths on your team over the long haul. So both of us had too many experience where we sparked an interest in Strengths in organization with a speech, or the training, or some coaching, but the company didn’t have the infrastructure or resources behind it to make it part of the everyday culture. And we’re both making it part of our personal mission and our business models to support leaders in a way that helps them embed Strengths into the fabric of the company and to the everyday culture at work. [00:01:04] A fun fact about your guest’s uniqueness, we shared a crush on Lita Ford in the 1980s and we’re both drummers. How fun is that? So, Murray Guest, let’s rock this show. Welcome! Murray Guest: [00:01:17] Woo-hoo. Lisa, so good to be with you today. I’m excited to talk about Strengths, but also, yeah, we’ve got a bit of a love of rock drumming. I’m learning. I’m behind you in my skills. I know it’s all about practice, and I’m loving when we connect and you just encourage me to keep going and keep practicing. [00:01:34] And, yeah, I’ve a crush on Lita Ford and I got to see her recently play live. And to see someone that was so excited and so happy on stage doing what she loves, and I’m sure she was tapping to her Strengths while she was doing it too. Lisa Cummings: [00:01:46] Such a good metaphor for what Strengths do for you when you’re in flow and you’re just totally in your groove at work or on stage, because you love it and it shines through and it makes people want to work with you. It’s a good reason to embed Strengths into your culture, because you get to experience people like that at work. [caption id="attachment_3365" align="alignleft" width="400"] Murray In Action - Inspiring Someone's Business Growth[/caption] Murray Guest: [00:02:01] Yeah, I’m so passionate about the idea of people being in the state of flow. Unfortunately, not everyone’s in that place, and I think Strengths is such a perfect vehicle for people to get in that state where it’s energizing and it’s not, “Thank God it’s Friday,” it’s, “Thank God it’s Monday.” Lisa Cummings: [00:02:18:] I saw that in your Instagram, TGIM, and I thought, “Yes, that is the kind of movement I want.” So, okay, let’s talk about that from the perspective of loading up listeners with ideas for vetting Strengths into their culture because they take the StrengthsFinder assessment, maybe they do it as a team, and then they don’t mean to go back to work and put it in a file and forget about it, but it does happen. We know it does, and it’s sad because we see the spark and they know they’re going to find their flow with it, and then sometimes it can wane. [00:02:47] So I want to get into a whole bunch of actionable tips and viewpoints about how people can use this, but I do want to start everyone off by being able to hear your Strengths, so kick us off with your top five first. Murray Guest: [00:03:00] My top five: Relator, Futuristic, Individualization, Communication and Responsibility. I completed my Strengths assessment back in 2012 so it’s been five years that I’ve really known my Strengths and everyday thinking about how they sharpen and how they apply. But actually, Lisa, so like a bit of a path or a bit of a structure in my top five I just want to quickly explain that. So, for me, Relator is all about building these relationships. Number two, Futuristic, where you want to go as a team or as an organization or a leader and how can we get there. [00:03:32] Individualization, how can we connect and specifically what it is for you? Communication then is about how we communicate that out for you as a leader or within your business, or if it’s someone running their business, how they market themselves. And the Responsibility, that’s me and it’s a foundation of how I can continue to serve you as a coach. And it’s a process, I think, that’s showing up and working for me really well as a coach. Lisa Cummings: [00:03:56] Just last week, I did a training session and we had cards where they were representing each person’s talent, and this people manager called me over and he said, “I think my Strengths in this order are like a process that I use for how I handle situations or how I think about things.” So as you were saying that I was having a flashback to this guy, and I thought, “Wow, that would be really interesting to ask people to see, ‘Does this represent like a thought flow or almost like how you operationalize how you work through challenges or situations or something new?’” Because I bet your talents do reflect an order, not necessarily the order of the Talent Themes number one through five, but an order in how they work in your brain. You might be onto something cool there. Murray Guest: [00:04:37] Yeah. Well, I love that he identified that in your course last week because I think that’s such a great awareness and a claiming of his dominant Themes. If there’s a way that we can think about a lot of what you’re saying about the thought process, or the way we might problem solve, or the way we might organize ourselves, any way that we can connect and really claim those Strengths that we have is part of the process. [00:05:02] In my previous life, I worked for an organization where what we did was psychology-based safety training. So it’s all about building a culture where people go home safe every day. So when we talk about embedding Strengths, I’m transferring a lot from what I learned from embedding what we call a safe culture where people go home safe, where leaders think about the way they communicate and they lead, and the way that people have an environment where it’s safe to speak up. [00:05:35] In that organization, I worked with a whole range of companies and about 10,000 people across some very large high-risk organizations, and one of them was a mining organization which employed about 2,000 people. This company had bought from us a couple of million dollars’ worth of training, of programs and coaching and different sorts of initiatives to develop their culture. [00:05:58] There was a maintenance team, and you would go into that maintenance team and you would swear that we’d been there only yesterday with our programs. The language, the posters, the way that they would discuss things in their meetings and look after each other, and you would actually see the results of their safety and their performance and their attitudes was actually indicative of that because of how well they were going. [00:06:23] There was another part, which is the main part of this mining operation, where you would think that we had never been there, we had never run a program, never had a coaching session with the leader, never introduced these models and tools and concepts. Lisa Cummings: [00:06:37] Same company. Murray Guest: [00:06:38] Same company. Same site. Quite a large mining operation but same company, same site. Here’s the thing. The maintenance team, we hadn’t actually done any work with them for nearly seven years. The mining operation, we’d actually been there only in the weeks before, and it was critical to how much the leaders were actually living and breathing and embedding and, I would say, just adopting the language in their everyday conversations which kept this concept or these concepts alive. [00:07:10] In the maintenance team, you had frontline leaders that are there managing these teams, day in and day out, and they had embraced it, and they didn’t need us as coaches and facilitators to come back, and you could see then that was keeping alive, day in, day out. And, like I said, we haven’t been there for seven years in that part of the business. [00:07:27] In this other main operation, being there in the weeks before, yet it wasn’t being embedded and sustained because the leaders didn’t believe in it, and they weren’t bringing into their language, they were sending people to the training courses, saying, “You have to go,” but they weren’t having, where I would say, the critical conversations before and after the programs. [00:07:49] So if there was a key insight out of all that that I really want to share is to get the value from, say, building a Strengths culture and thinking about how we actually just make it part of the way we work. We really need to engage our leaders and support them in how they just bring it into part of their everyday language and the conversations they’re having with their teams. Lisa Cummings: [00:08:11] And we’ve all seen the difference between the compliance training, where the person in the session is rolling their eyes, and saying, “Yeah, yeah.” We’re talking safety, but in reality they just want it faster and cheaper, and out in the field it’s not really going to go down like this. How do you do this with Strengths? [00:08:08:27] If you translate that, and you’re a manager who is just experiencing StrengthsFinder for the first time yourself, and you don’t know the jargon, and you don’t know the language, can you help simplify that and just give people an idea of a few things, “Hey, you’re an everyday people manager, you’re used to being an ops guy, or a finance person, or a marketing person, or something like that”? How do you start embedding this in your daily talk and conversation when you don’t know the language yet? Murray Guest: [00:08:55] I break up the culture into four areas, the culture within organizations: systems, environment, the leadership and their attitudes. To help us have those conversations and make it easy, I think one of the little things we can start to bring into those four areas so it’s really easy to have those conversations. For example, if I’ve got a diary and I’m going to meetings with my people, what are the Strengths references I can put in there? [00:09:20] If I’ve got a notice board or a whiteboard in my office or somewhere in that team area, what can we stick up there to remind us of Strengths and the Strengths language? As a leader, how am I investing my time when I’m not talking to my people to learn about Strengths? So this podcast, you’ve got a fantastic podcast, and also things like the Called to Coach that Gallup put out. They are resources that, as leaders, tapping into those when I’m not in front of my people, traveling to and from work, they’re great to actually start to learn and get some deep insights around Strengths. [00:09:52] I also think asking people questions is one of the most powerful tools in a leader’s toolkit. Asking people about their Strengths, how they’re showing up, what do they want to get out of knowing about their Strengths? And then once people are starting to experience Strengths, whether it’s through workshops or coaching, ask them how actually it’s helped them, what’s come up for them, how have their Strengths shown up for them in the past? [00:10:16] I’m a big believer, Lisa, that the 10-minute conversation a manager has before a coaching or a workshop event and the 10 minutes after, might be a cup of coffee, it’s those little informal conversations which show that, as a leader, “I care about you, and I want to know what you got out of that training, or that coaching session. How can I help you apply that [caption id="attachment_3366" align="alignright" width="400"] Murray Guest with Paul Allen - Top Strengths Evangelists[/caption] more?” Lisa Cummings: [00:10:36] And you’re breaking down those four categories and talking about things like systems. Instantly I thought of things like the HR systems where I’ve seen some people in their HRIS where they do performance reviews and where they have their talent information or talent management system, where they actually put in top five talents or they put in some of the career aspirations related to Strengths, or they link the Strengths conversation into the development plans, and they’re building it into stuff that already happens in the organization. [00:11:06] You know, when you said the diary, my ears perked up. And I know some Americans who are listening their ears perked up because they were thinking of a journal kind of diary, so you’re talking calendar kind of diary, right? Murray Guest: [00:11:17] Yes, that’s right. [laughs] I’m still a writer in, let’s call it, my day-to-day diary or planner, yeah. Not my deep, deep diary, “Today my Strengths showed up like this.” Lisa Cummings: [00:11:28] [laughs] I had to call that out because I know it’s fun language barrier we have. Murray Guest: [00:11:31] If you’re doing that and write in your journal that’s fantastic. Lisa Cummings: [00:11:33] Could be. A lot of “Dear, Diary,” good stuff about Strengths for sure. But even in the calendar, making that part of the system where if you can’t remember this stuff as a manager and it seems like it’s just such a heavy load because you’re busy, just having a quarterly meeting that you put on a recurring cycle that is a Strengths one-on-one, and you just had the language showing up on someone’s calendar that’s a Strengths one-on-one, that alone holds you accountable to think of a couple of questions, I’m going to ask them about their Strengths in this meeting. Murray Guest: [00:12:00] Yeah, and your link to the HRIS, I totally agree. I was with a client earlier this week and we’re talking about their annual performance reviews. I said to him, “How about we put a question in there which says, ‘How have you used your Strengths to achieve your goals?’ or, ‘How have you applied your Strengths to develop this year? How will you apply your Strengths in the coming year to achieve our strategic plan?’” Those little prompts in that performance review and those planning guides are just keeping Strengths alive and will get people thinking about it, and not just in that discussion but the preparation and the follow-on as well. Lisa Cummings: [00:12:35] And maybe help people not dread the performance review season and just think of an outgoing conversation. Murray Guest: [00:12:40] I bet that’s a whole lot of conversation. Lisa Cummings: [00:12:43] I know. That could really derail us into a whole separate interview. We’ll do that one next time. So give me a couple more for managers, because I think, as you mentioned, they are a linchpin in all of this to keep it going. So you mentioned environment, say a little about what you can do to have Strengths around your environment and keep the thought of Strengths alive in people’s minds. Murray Guest: [00:13:08] One of the best things I’ve seen, and I love this as an initiative, is building a Strengths wall in your team environment. What I’ve seen, Lisa, is the very simple one where it’s just pieces of paper. And I’ve seen some very elaborate ones where people are getting photos taken, they’ve got a board that goes into a frame, and on that board next to their photo they’ve written their top five Strengths and how they’re applying their Strengths to achieve their goals, or how they’re using their Strengths to be more successful in their roles or to serve the team. [00:13:39] And so these Strengths walls have been led by leaders who’ve said, “Right, let’s just keep this alive in our area.” And so whenever anyone new joins the team, they get put up on the wall. If anyone thinks, “How am I going to work on a project, or who am I going to collaborate with and draw on their strengths?” Here’s this great wall, the pictures of our team members and their top five and how they can really use them to be successful. [00:14:06] In the environment, when I say that I mean it’s the physical environment, things you can touch. We can do certificates on the wall, and we can do top five on our desks and things like that, but I think this next level with the Strengths wall provides that deeper understanding about the individuals that make up the team. Lisa Cummings: [00:14:24] Mm-hmm. I like that a lot. And the deeper understanding point, I’ve seen some of my clients go deeper in a way that was really cool. Like I’ll provide in a training these four-by-six frames that have people’s talents so that, beyond the training event, they’re on their desk and they look nice and they can filter their thinking through them. But then they take it further, and one of my clients, I think it’s really cool, they have started to essentially hashtag their talents when they see it in action. [00:14:54] For example, this woman had Positivity talent. She needs to put her headphones on and go into her kind of crank it out mode and not be disrupted, but she hates making people feel like she’s shutting them down, and so she’s really interruptible because she has Positivity, and it’s fun to have fun at work. And so she made this really clever sign that goes on the back of her chair about how she has her headphones on. [00:15:17] And then at the bottom of this note about how she’s in her cave working, it was #Positivity. And then people can remember back to the conversation they had as a team, and that keeps deepening it as well. So it’s kind of like a mix of your ongoing conversations in support of leadership and the physical environment, seeing them around you and going, “Oh, yeah, that’s that one.” Murray Guest: [00:15:39] I love the #Talent so I think that’s great. I’m going to borrow that one. There’s assumptions that we make as humans, and here’s an assumption that I might make that, “Oh, because one of my team members had their headphones in that it means X, Y or Z.” But with this little message, and the #Positivity, it’s taking me back to Strengths, but it’s also removing these assumptions. I love it. And I love these little things that we can do in organizations which actually don’t costs a lot of money, or it don’t costs anything, and they can have such value and such impact in developing the Strengths culture. [00:16:12] Speaking of leaders, Lisa, one that I really want to share, too, is what I called a Strengths leadership commitment. Leaders taking that time to write down what’s their commitment to keep Strengths alive, to acknowledge and embrace the Strengths in their team members, and actually signing that and then putting on display. [00:16:30] But not just putting on display but also communicating that to their team and talking about it, and saying, “How am I going to live and breathe this and asking the team to hold them accountable for it?” Because when we sign something we make that commitment. That’s real. That’s like signing a check or signing a contract. So here’s this contract that I’m signing now that, “Hey, I’m making my Strengths leadership commitment to you as a team.” Lisa Cummings: [00:16:53] I love how it speaks to the accountability that you’re putting out there. I’ve never seen anyone do that, and I haven’t suggested that one yet, so cool. Thanks. We’re borrowing all sorts of good ideas from each other. Because, once you put that onto them, of course, then they’re going to hold you to it, and that’s why you’re telling them, and putting it out there. [00:17:09] I have had situations where managers are starting in a way different place, and I would say a lesser way of showing support, where they almost didn’t, has come up recently several times, where a company will bring me in and they want a leadership session and they want a session for all. And they’ll say, “Okay, we think all of the people who manage people are going to go to leadership session, and then everyone else will go to this other event.” [00:17:38] And they’re not doing it to be unsupportive, they just kind of think, “Oh, there’s this version and that version.” And really talking through the message that sends to someone who is an individual contributor on the team, thinking, “My manager doesn’t even care to hear what I have to say about my Strengths in here. They don’t even want to understand what we do when we’re at our best when we’re in the session.” All those assumptions and things that are going on in their head. [00:18:01] So that’s been a really useful conversation about embedding them with the message that you’re sending about the interest you’re showing in it. This had no mal intent in the times that it’s come up recently but it does keep coming up and it’s just as a practical “we’re busy” kind of thought. And they really miss that key point which somebody would think, “Oh, gosh, well, they don’t even care.” Murray Guest: [00:18:22] Yeah, and I’d like to think, Lisa, everyone has good intent. So, as a leader, “I have good intent. I’m busy. I want my team to do this. I think it’s great. I believe in it. But, hey, I’m too busy. I want to do other things or I’ve got somebody else, and we’ll go to a different program.” So there’s good intent. However, the way it’s communicated, or the assumptions team members might make might be, like you’re saying, “We’re not part of the greater team, or they don’t really care.” And so breaking down those assumptions is so important. [00:18:49] Something that I’ve actually found that’s really helped is when we do need to do that because the leader might have lots of teams, is having a leader open the sessions, so come in and explain, “These are my top five Strengths. This is what I got out of knowing my Strengths. This is what I hope you get out of it, and I look forward to hearing about it, please come tell me.” And having that sort of 10-minute opening has also been really powerful. Lisa Cummings: [00:19:13] And it’s so practical. It’s easy for them to take the time. I’ve had a few sessions like that where that company leader, or department leader, or that manager, they kick off and say, “I went through this process. That’s why we’re doing it because I believe it’s that powerful. I want to know this about you. Here’s what I got out of it, and I can’t wait to see what you’ll get out of it too.” [00:19:32] Wow! Then people come in with a really open mind and excitement about it, they’ve said it in their company’s language, and then they take down all those barriers about, “Oh, what’s this? What’s this outsider going to tell us about our careers or about our Strengths?” Murray Guest: [00:19:45] Yes, yes, totally. The other one that, I think, leaders can do is how they’re integrating Strengths into their meetings. Meetings are such an interesting topic. I think, Lisa, so many people I talk to say, “Oh, we have so many meetings, and we have meetings about meetings, and we don’t make decisions but we have more meetings, and all of that sort of stuff going on.” [00:20:06] Yet organizations are going to continue have meetings, it’s just we need to get more effective at them, and I fundamentally believe we need to meet more regularly, for less time, more effectively. But what it would like if every time a team met they started their meeting with a Strengths share, “How have I seen the Strengths show up in one of my team members? How have I used them on the weekend with my friends or family? How am I using my Strengths currently to solve a problem? Or how are we using them currently to collaborate on a project?” [00:20:38] And it’s only a very short discussion, but it sets these habits, and once we form these habits that’s just going to be part of the way we work. So what if that was a standing agenda or item at the start 1of every team meeting? Lisa Cummings: [00:20:52] Beautiful. And it could five minutes or three minutes, it could even be one person’s one Strengths share and that’s it. Murray Guest: [00:20:57] Yeah, that’s right. Lisa Cummings: [00:20:59] Oh. I’ve had a client recently do this where they were passing around the responsibility of the opener. They were doing something very similar to a Strengths share but it was more like a, “What is the question related to Strengths we’re going to open the meeting with?” And it’s something that would take like 30 seconds to report out each person so that it only took up a few minutes at the beginning. [00:21:19] And they assigned a new person who would come up with that question each time. So it wasn’t just on the manager, and it got everybody really involved in it, and it made each person think about Strengths in a deeper way. I thought that was a clever way to do it, and involve everyone and really embed it further. Murray Guest: [00:21:36] Again it’s another great example and I love that. It’s just simple, it’s short, it’s effective, it’s building habits, and it’s setting the tone, I think, also for the rest of the meeting. Then, as we talk about other topics or things that we may need to discuss, it sets this tone that Strengths is going to be part of the way we do that as well. [00:21:55] A team I worked with, Lisa, the culture prior to the team and the leader knowing Strengths, was, well, this person, let’s call her Jane, is always seeing the bad, always seeing the wrong. And then the assumption of, “Hey, guess what? Jane is not on board.” So then, after Strengths workshops and some coaching with the leader, it’s actually Jane’s number one Strengths is, guess what, Restorative. She just wanted to fix problems and she had this, “Straight away what could go wrong? And I want to make sure this doesn’t happen.” [00:22:25] So what that turned around in their meetings was, “Actually, here’s the next initiative we’re doing. Hey, Jane, can you tell us what you think could be some of our possible pitfalls and how we can address them?” It just changed the whole dynamics of the meeting and actually how engaged she was in the conversations. Lisa Cummings: [00:22:43] See Jane run after that. [laughs] Murray Guest: [00:22:45] I love it. Yes. Lisa Cummings: [00:22:47] Hey, I think it would be fun if we could do the last two minutes of this episode trying to kind of lighting round out some cheap or free things that we’ve seen people use to keep Strengths alive in an ongoing way. What do you think? Murray Guest: [00:23:01] Yeah, great. Let’s go. Lisa Cummings: [00:23:02] How about you do one, I do one. You do one, I do one. We’ll just go as fast as we can. Murray Guest: [00:23:06] Fast as we can. Okay, let’s do this. So I actually think one of the key things is Strengths report swapping. Here’s just going, “Okay, here’s mine, here’s yours. And then catch up at the end of the week for a coffee. What did you think? What did you get to know about me? And let’s chat.” Lisa Cummings: [00:23:21] Hmm, neat idea. How about virtual meet-ups for remote teams who don’t get to see each other in person, once a quarter, totally dedicated to a Strengths chat for one hour, Brady Bunch style show in your camera? Murray Guest: [00:23:33] Love it. And there are so many remote teams these days. It’s a great one. Strengths stories in company newsletters. So it’s powerful internally, but it’s also powerful externally about how we’re a Strengths-based culture, how we’re embracing Strengths, and it doesn’t just need to be about work. It can be about how I’ve seen this done around other cultural initiatives where people go, “Wow! That’s absolutely something we’re really living and breathing.” Lisa Cummings: [00:23:56] And then they start using metaphors like you do about mountain biking, how it’s related to Strengths, yes. Murray Guest: [00:24:00] Yes! Lisa Cummings: [00:24:01] Let’s say on-boarding someone new. Assign someone, a Strengths champion or a success coach, so somebody else who’s already in the company feels accountable to help that person unleash their Strengths at the company. Murray Guest: [00:24:16] Nice. Love it. Here’s one that one of my clients did recently where they actually asked everyone in their team to send to a neutral person a song that they love and how it reflects one of their Strengths. Then, at their monthly team meeting, they had a playlist and they played the songs, and people had to guess whose song it was and what Strength it was related to. And they all had a dance in the meeting and then they just went through them quite quickly and had this huge energy. Lisa Cummings: [00:24:45] Wow! This is going to be good. So now you’re going to challenge me to end on something really fun like that because that would be awesome. Okay. A costume party, so this could be if the Halloween time is near, or a kickoff meeting, or something where people might have an occasion to dress up. So it would have to be an event, and you dress up representing one of your talents. Murray Guest: [00:25:09] Love it. So what would you be dressed up as, Lisa? Lisa Cummings: [00:25:12] Hmm, I think what just immediately comes to mind is probably like a big old giant full-body costume sunshine that would represent positivity talent. That’s kind of the give-me obvious one. So I might get a little more cerebral and think of something more clever. How about you? Murray Guest: [00:25:29] Responsibility comes to mind, it’s like a foundation talent of who I am. How I dress up as Responsibility, I’m not too sure. Maybe goody-two-shoes school student or something doing the right thing, maybe something like that. Lisa Cummings: [00:25:44] Goody-two-shoes. [laughs] So that would be so fun and you’d be trying to look at the other person and go, “Okay, I’m sort of getting this vibe. I don’t know.” Yeah, that would be a lot of fun if you had to mix and mingle where you could talk about that. [00:25:58] Well, this is pretty cool. Man, there are so many more ideas, and I know that you have a Strengths toolkit that actually takes people through way more than just these tools and tactics but the whole process for working at a company level, how you would walk someone through embedding Strengths into your culture. Tell them where they can find your Strengths toolkit and where they can connect with you when they want to see more of your content. Murray Guest: [00:26:24] Thanks, Lisa, and I loved chatting with you today. So, yeah, I’ve created a toolkit because I, like you, am passionate about people getting the most from any training or intervention and definitely about Strengths. That’s been such a powerful thing in my life the last five years and continues to be every day. So if you go to StrengthsCultureToolkit.com there’s a toolkit of resources you can get there which includes guidelines, templates, facilitator guides, activities, there’s a conversation template, posters. And the idea is to have that toolkit of resources to help keep Strengths alive in those areas of culture we discussed earlier. [00:27:03] If people want to connect with me, my business is InspireMyBusiness.com, and you can send me an email there or check me out on LinkedIn, and definitely I think that if we can all live an inspired life through our Strengths every day it’s a very good place we live in. Lisa Cummings: [00:27:18] Thanks, Murray. Man, you guys, Murray is the real deal. He’s born to be a guest on the show because his last name is Guest. I mean, how perfect is that? So check out his toolkit. He really knows this stuff inside and out, and is so great on the consultancy side, and has done it. Now, I even get the deeper layer, seeing that you did it for the safety consultancy as well, so wow. Yeah, with that, you guys, go check out the Strengths toolkit. [00:27:43] Also, if you want some Strengths-focused tools to use with your team at work in addition, check out LeadThroughStrengths.com/Resources. There are some other tools there to sustain Strengths – this is the freebie version – to help you with some easy conversation starters, because you’re busy, and the big barriers are often like that, “I just don’t know what to say. I don’t know these one-on-one conversation starters.” [00:28:05] So with that, thanks everyone for listening to Lead Through Strengths. Remember, using your Strengths makes you a stronger performer at work. And if you’re putting a lopsided focus on fixing your weaknesses, and fixing your team members’ weaknesses, you’re choosing the path of most resistance. So claim your talents and share them with the world
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| 29 Sep 2019 | Career Branding When Command Is Your Strength | 00:14:14 | |
I hear a lot of reflections about how to apply your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Command to your career. In this series, you get one strength per post so that you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make an even stronger alignment between your current job and your strengths. - If you’re exploring this concept as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. - If you’re exploring this concept for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. You’ll get three layers to chew on: 1. Career Branding Career Branding When Command Is Your StrengthYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. Think about your personal resume, CV, or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it's full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing is usually "the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. Chances are good that you are a lot like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t physically see your teammates and customers every day. So many of us work on remote teams. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting - to see who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. Here are a bunch of Command-related adjectives to consider using in your career branding efforts and your LinkedIn profile:
Red Flag Situations For CommandThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that might feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Command. They could even make you want to quit the team if they get really bad. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might become detached or disengaged at work. Here are two Red flags for Command:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for CommandThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Command at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re exploring this concept as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Command, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
Here's Your Personal Branding Homework
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| 21 Jul 2019 | Career Branding When Context Is Your Strength | 00:12:37 | |
I hear a lot of curiosity about how to apply your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Context to your career. In this series, I break down one strength per post — so that you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make an even stronger alignment between your current job and your strengths. - If you’re exploring this concept as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. - If you’re exploring this concept for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. You’ll get three layers to chew on: 1. Career Branding Career Branding When Context Is Your StrengthYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. Think about your personal resume, CV, or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it's full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing is usually "the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. Chances are good that you are a lot like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t physically see your teammates and customers every day. So many of us work on remote teams. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting - to see who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. So here are a bunch of Context-related adjectives to consider using in your career branding efforts and your LinkedIn profile:
Red Flag Situations For ContextThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that might feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Context. They could even make you want to quit the team if they get really bad. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might become detached or disengaged at work. Here are two Red flags for Context:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for ContextThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Context at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re exploring this concept as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Context, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
Here's Your Personal Branding Homework
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| 22 Mar 2020 | Core Concept #3: Regulate By Situation | 00:09:30 | |
If you want others to experience the best of your StrengthsFinder talent themes, you'll love our third core concept -- regulate by situation. A Simple Concept?Imagine you’re in front of a mixing board wherein you’re looking at your Top 5 or Top 10 from your CliftonStrengths reports. Each of your talent themes is assigned a fader so that each of them could have its own volume. To regulate by situation is to adjust your talent theme’s “volume” based on the following:
It’s much like setting the quantities of your musical instrument or tool based on the song you wrote or the genre you're in. From Simple To ComplexWhile that seems like a fairly simple concept, it gets a bit more interesting when we apply it to a team context. Having to fiddle five to ten faders in order to manage your own talent themes can already be overwhelming. Imagine how much tougher that would be when aside from watching over your own set of five or ten, you will now have to consider that every person you interact with -- whether within or outside of the team -- could receive the varying quantities of your strengths in different ways! For example, in certain projects, they may call for a little bit more or a little bit less of that given strength. If you think about working on this for the rest of your life, it can get really complicated! The Experiment MindsetThe most effective way to not get overwhelmed with regulating your strengths is to think about it as just an ongoing experiment. In particular:
Apparently, she could not view Communication as her talent or strength. She had just gone through a series of performance reviews with her manager who elaborated to her what she described as bad feedback on her communication, including:
She resisted when we offered the notion that Communication could be her greatest asset. But coming into the event might as well be her opportunity to apply the core concepts of both troublemaker talents (core concept #2) and regulate by situation (core concept #3), as follows: Core Concept #2 (Troublemaker Talents) - She needs to recognize that her love for words -- how she values them as important -- are strong points to her communication theme. The reason Communication was coming out as a troublemaker talent for her was that she was talking to think instead of thinking before talking. Core Concept #3 (Regulate By Situation) - By turning her Communication volume high up all the time and not checking how it is being received by others, she’s clearly not regulating it. She has to start adjusting it accordingly. In the end, it’s how she operates that can transform her troublemaker talent into a great asset.
When this results in a big wall of sound, not every person in the audience will receive it well. Loud is not for everyone. The same thing happens at work if we think of our talent themes as a collection of variations, nuances, and colors and can be received differently by people. But many of us haven’t recognized those variations and the value of regulating that we turn our talents all the way up to all situations. Tip: Get a feel of each situation to determine whether you should turn up your strength or pull back a little bit. Let’s Regulate By SituationUsing the strengths volume dial in a team context, how can you regulate all your talent themes? As you play with your own Top 5 or 10 knobs, you also face an almost infinite number of rattling and twisting as you try to find the right mix based on all of the people on your team. That’s how complex and layered it is. But that's why we have our third core concept to remind us that it's all just a matter of adjusting according to the situation!
If, for example, you lead through Individualization, you’re most likely interested in every person and what makes them unique. You’d like to learn everything you can about them so that you can customize your communication in a way that is palatable to them. If you don’t mind to regulate in your first meeting and turn your talent theme volume right up to a 10, it might catch others off-guard and they might perceive your probing questions as intrusive.
Similarly, if you get into a company that’s focused on standard operating procedures in a highly regulated environment, trying to customize everything might not be well-received. It’s not going to fly. You will have to take that tendency down a notch. Bottom line: Think of regulating by situation as a general concept. Then, start playing with it like experiments. Your Team Challenge: Reflect On Your DialsTo make this core concept an even more conscious practice yet still a fun experiment to do for your team, encourage these guide questions:
Taking the time to "play it by ear" with your team will make all the difference and will bring out your unique harmony. Ready For The Next Concept?Up next: “E” for easy buttons. See you in the next episode! | |||
| 14 Jun 2020 | Core Concept #9: CliftonStrengths Blind Spots – Starved And Fed Talents | 00:11:41 | |
We have now reached the ninth and final core concept in our STRENGTHS series, where we’ve been discussing the importance of engaging in strengths-focused conversations with your team over time. If you’ve been following this conversation, congratulations on getting this far! And if you’ve been applying even just some of our tips and taking on our tiny but impactful challenges, then you’re well on your way to becoming experts at finding CliftonStrengths blind spots in your team and building on everyone’s natural strengths! Before we dive into the final topic of this series, here’s a quick recap of the core concepts that we have already gone through. Notice the magic word that the initials of these topics spell (STRENGTH).
And now, in this episode, we explore the breadth of what we call the Starved and Fed Continuum -- turning our magic word into STRENGTHS. It’s just one letter added, but it makes all the difference, especially in the context of teams. The more strengths-focused you and your colleagues are, the stronger your team will be. In any team or group, your differences are your differentiators — and this is the foundation of this core concept. And when you think of your differentiators, these come to life and look like your strengths when you've been feeding, nurturing, and developing them over time. Feed Your Talent The Same Way You Feed Your BodyWhat would it be like if you were starved for food as a human? Physically and even mentally, you would feel weak, which would most likely impact how you feel or think. You're not at your best. Being hungry can cause you to be grumpy and to ill-treat others, which can negatively affect how you relate to other people. In short, you wouldn't be able to show up in your full force. But on to the other end of the continuum, you're well-fed. On this side, you've been nurturing your body right -- not overfed or stuffed to the max that you need to loosen up a button on your pants. Just well-nourished and well-taken care of. Let’s use that as an analogy for your strengths, particularly your CliftonStrengths blind spots. You can ignore your strengths or starve them out because you don't think they would be valuable in your workplace or you didn't know it was one of your strengths. What happens next? They just shrivel up -- it's not going to look like when it's at its best. On the other hand, if you've been developing yourself by feeding and nurturing your talents, what you look like at your best keeps getting better and better. When you feel well-fed, well-nurtured, you feel strong, and your STRENGTHS strengthen your performance. That's why this all matters in a workplace context. Jack-In-The-Box: What Happens When Your Natural Strengths Are Squashed DownYou may remember having or seeing a Jack-in-the-box toy as a kid. It's this little box which has a handle on the side that you can twist. As you keep twisting it, Jack surprisingly jumps from inside of the box. That’s half the fun of it all when Jack jumps out suddenly and scares you. It’s the same thing with your strengths. If they have been squashed down, like in that box, you don't know when they're going to come out. They can jump out when you least expect it and scare people who may not find it cool, like when you scare them with your unmatured, talent themes. When that happens, collaboration becomes a challenge and it can lower down the equity of your career brand. Your CliftonStrengths Blind Spots Want Your Attention And NourishmentSometimes, we are driven to hide our strengths because we feel they are not suited in the kind of work environment that we have. Here are real-life examples from a person who leads through Connectedness and another person who leads through Command. Scenario 1: Letting Connectedness shine in a ‘tough’ cultureSomeone from a previous Stronger Teams session came forward with a concern on the report about her talent theme, Connectedness. While she liked that the report said she’s kind, gentle, and that she can see the ripple effect of her action on people, she found that the descriptions sounded “soft and wimpy”. For her, being viewed that way might not sit well within the tough work culture she belongs to if ever she will let that part of her out. She had valid concerns; however, it may not be enough to starve her talent just to fit into a specific work culture. There's so much more dimension to Connectedness that she can explore, one of which is the fact that she was very well networked. What Can She Do?: It is common among many who lead through Connectedness to see all of the connections among departments and people and the effect of what they're doing. This person can see the ripple effect of each team’s work as though she is watching from a higher place. It will not be a surprise if she notices and says things such as:
This ability to make these web-like connections is what you can highlight when you lead through Connectedness. As you’re able to really relate well with a vast network of people, you’re able to establish where there was going to be a challenge in project implementation. This is quite practical. So, rather than starving out a talent because it doesn't seem to fit the company culture, direct the development at the part of it that would be most valued by other people. Scenario 2: The newbie is a strong leader insideAnother real-life example is from another person who leads through Command. He expressed his concern on being conflicted, knowing that he’s a natural-born leader but at the same time he’s young and in an entry-level position. Some of the things he said:
This guy therefore felt that he needed to push down his talent until he’s gained a certain status in the organization. Also, he didn’t seem to want to show that he was too cool for his entry-level job and therefore needed to skip all other positions just to be in a leadership status. What Can He Do?: There are other dimensions of the Command talent theme that he can explore. A sample case he was presented with was in the event of big changes happening in the organization where: a) he's behind it and b) other people are complaining about the effects of the change. In this scenario, he can easily leverage on his influence to convince others into embracing the more positive impact of the change.
“Yeah, that makes me think of the team motto which is _______________,” or “This could be our headline. As we roll this out, I see this could be kind of our mantra as we get this going”. How Conversations Can Help Feed Or Starve CliftonStrengths Blind SpotsIt is a natural tendency for people to see something about their talent theme and think it may not be of value to others that they try to stuff it down. Natural talents refer to how you naturally think or feel or act when you're at your default. The thing about them is that they always come out anyway, no matter how much you suppress them. But when they do after so much squashing down, they come out unrefined, which may not look good on you. The most important thing, before you ever decide to squash down your talent for whatever reason, is you’re able to explore some of these nuances of what your talent themes look like when they're at your very best, versus what they look like on the full end of the continuum where you’re not at your best, where everything seems to go wrong and these talents have really been starved out. This kind of introspection can be effectively facilitated if you have consistent strengths-focused conversations within your team – quite another reason why meaningful conversations really, really matter. I hope that you liked these nine core concepts that spelled out the word STRENGTHS, and that you pulled at least one thing that was an unconsidered angle, something that gave you a new way to apply strengths with your team that you hadn't before. Get in the habit of recognizing what works in other people because when you notice what works, you'll get more of what works. | |||
| 06 Sep 2016 | Create A Strengths Habit - With Michelle McQuaid | 00:29:44 | |
This Episode’s Focus on Strengths < Today’s episode features Michelle McQuaid, the author of “Your Strengths Blueprint: How to be Engaged, Energized, and Happy at Work.” During this engaging interview, Lisa Cummings chats with Michelle about her personal experience using her unique Strengths. Michelle shares practical examples about how she made huge changes not only at work, but also throughout every aspect of her life. Today, Michelle is flourishing and providing guidance to others via her books, coaching, training, and through her annual Strengths Challenge. In 2016, the strengths challenge is September 6 – 12, and we hope you'll join the next one! If you are interested in adding new tools to your Strengths toolbox, then this is the episode for you! Listen for several tips and tools to improve your work and home life, and perhaps learn a Dr. Seuss rhyme along the way.
Michelle and Lisa’s Strengths Michelle’s VIA Character Strengths: Creativity, Hope, Love, Love of Learning, Perseverance Lisa’s VIA Character Strengths: Creativity, Humor, Curiosity, Hope, and Zest Michelle’s StrengthsFinder Talents: Strategic, Learner, Maximizer, Achiever, Activator Lisa’s StrengthsFinder Talents: Strategic, Maximizer, Positivity, Individualization, Woo
What You’ll Learn In This Episode Michelle was in an executive role. She had achieved her career goals, and everything looked great on paper. However, she had a nagging, unhappy feeling about work, and she found herself dragging her feet into work each day. One day, she was watching a popular tv show, and saw a segment on “positive psychology.” This segment would forever change her life. Michelle found one of Martin Seligman’s books. He’s the guru in the field of positive psychology. As she read (and later studied directly with Seligman), she realized that our goal should be to bring out the best in ourselves and others more consistently. The more we use our strengths in our jobs, the more engaging, energizing, and fulfilling our lives can be. Michelle started with the free VIA Survey, and found that her #1 trait was Curiosity. That led to her Ah Ha moment – the reason she was unhappy was because she wasn’t learning anything at work any more. In an effort to fulfill he need to learn new things, she implemented this plan:
VIA is a a system that “diagnoses" the best in people. It’s a list of 24 character strengths that are consistent across cultures and history. The goal is to focus on the top 5 character strengths that light you up the most. Because we are affected by situations around us, Michelle recommends taking the survey every year. If there is a character strength you want to move up the list, there are methods to follow (but Michelle notes that it should only be because it’s something you value, not because society desires it). Here are 4 steps:
Check out the resources below, because Michelle offers a free e-book on her website to help you be in your zone of greatness. It’s an excellent aide to improving yourself and creating new habits. Tool: Appreciative inquiry It’s a strengths-based approach to change, where you build on things that are working well. There is a positive effect on the company and the team. Spend 80% of your time on your strengths, and 20% on our weaknesses. You want commitment not compliance. Be realistic about how to get the best return on investment.
Resources of the Episode Here are ways to reach Michelle: Website Twitter Facebook LinkedIn YouTube Your Strengths Blueprint: How to be Engaged, Energized, and Happy at Work by Michelle McQuaid and Erin Lawn What Good is Positive Business? By Robert Dauman and Michelle McQuaid Books of Interest by Martin E.P. Seligman: Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification (by Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman) Michelle's Article with Shane Lopez. Take the free Character Survey from VIA Institute on Character. Michelle’s eBook resource: Can You Do More of What You Do Best? Learn more and register for the Annual Strengths Challenge, which is September 6 – 12, 2016.
Subscribe To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from the website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published.
StrengthsFinder Mini-Course For Managers If you’re a people-manager and you want to sharpen your strengths based support, come join our monthly mini-course. We don’t charge for this because we want to help you keep the StrengthsFinder momentum going. Teams who receive strengths feedback have 8.9% greater profitability. Yowza! Sounds like a great reason to join. Source: Asplund, J., & Blacksmith, N. “Strengthening Your Company’s Performance.” Gallup Business Journal.
Go Live Your Talents Remember, using your strengths every day at work makes you a stronger performer. If you’re always focused on fixing your team’s weaknesses, you’re choosing the path of most resistance. Go claim your talents and share them with the world!
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| 23 Dec 2018 | Career Branding When Positivity Is Your Strength | 00:09:33 | |
I get a whole lot of questions about how to align your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Positivity with your career. In this series, I break down one strength per post. That way, you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make a better match between your job and your strengths. – If you’re exploring this concept as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. – If you’re exploring this concept for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone.
Today, the talent theme of the post is Positivity. You’ll get three layers to chew on:
Career Branding When Positivity Is Your StrengthYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. If you imagine your resume or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it’s full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing is usually “the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. This is an overlooked use for tools like LinkedIn, which is not just for job seekers. Chances are good that you are a lot like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t see your teammates and customers every day. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting – to see who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. So here are a bunch of adjectives you can use in your career branding and your LinkedIn profile. People who lead through Positivity are often:
Red Flag Situations For PositivityThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Positivity. They might even make you want to quit the team. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might get the urge to quit the job or become detached and disengaged at work. Here are two Red flags for Responsibility:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for PositivityThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Positivity at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re exploring this concept as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Positivity, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
So there you have it. It’s a quick tour for building your career through the talent theme of Positivity. So, here’s your homework:
Rock Your Talents As A TeamIf you’re thinking about doing a virtual or in-person event to kick off your strengths-based culture, head on over to our training page to see if our current offerings are a good fit for you. Until next time, thank you for being part of this powerful strengths movement that helps people unleash the awesomeness already inside them. Enjoyed The Podcast?To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. | |||
| 10 Jun 2018 | Can I Use Old StrengthsFinder Results For New Team Training? | 00:12:11 | |
Today’s episode is a question that comes up every time we prepare clients for a training event that includes StrengthsFinder. The question today is whether you can take old or existing results and use them in a team or leadership training event today. I know this question is a bit tactical and technical compared to our usual topics, yet I thought it would be important to answer because we get asked so often. As you listen on, you will hear both HOW to find existing results (even if you think they’re wayyyy old), and we will offer a quick reason WHY it’s important to get old results. You’ll also get a list of books that you may have used a code from that you can import into the newest, snazziest report layout and dashboard. Even if you have your personal results already, if you’re a people manager or strengths champion, this could be an important question for you to know the answer to because your new hires or future people you’ll coach will likely have this question. Have You Downloaded Your Strengths Tools? One of the best ways leaders can build a strengths-based culture is to offer an appreciation of strengths in action. If you’ll notice what works, you’ll get more of what works because people can replicate what they’ve already done well. Get started by downloading this awesome tool that offers you 127 Easy Ways to Recognize Strengths on your team. What To Do If You Have Existing Results But You Don’t Know Where They Are If you have existing results, you can use your credentials from any of the old Gallup sites to import your data into the newest version of the Gallup Strengths Center. If you're working with a leadership and strengths training company like mine, you’ll get asked for each person’s individual results so that we can give you better insights and make custom company level reports that take the individual insights and turn them into team level conversations. Over the years, there have been different landing pages and dashboards for all of these different places where you could get started with strengths. Although the books were different, the assessment is the same. So you can take your login information from those old sites and use the same credentials in the Gallup Strengths Center. If you do that, it will import your old results into the most recent report layout and dashboard. This is helpful if you’re a busy person and you have a calendar already filled with meetings and to do’s — because when you have a training coming up and you’d rather not spend 45 minutes of your life answering questions you already answered when you did it years ago — you can just pull in your existing data. The problem is that people say, “Oh geez … I did StrengthsFinder like 3 jobs ago. I have no idea how to find it.” Or if you’re like me and you first did the StrengthsFinder assessment over 15 years ago, you'll probably have no way of guessing your username and password from those days. If You Had An Account At One Point But You Have No Idea What Site To Log Into Or What Your Credentials Are My recommendation is to first go into the Gallup Strengths Center, click Sign In at the top right (or if you’re on mobile, tap the main menu in the top left to get the sign in). THEN do a test with your old email addresses. Check your old work and personal email addresses you might have used with the forgot password function. On their site, their version of “forgot password” is a link called "Need help with your username or password?" If you do this first, it will help you confirm whether an account exists at Gallup with a given email address. For example, I found mine with a yahoo account from the 1990s. If you type in your old address and it works, you'll get a message back from Gallup saying they sent you an email to update your account. Boom you’re in. Even when you are unsuccessful, It helps you narrow down the accounts. For example I typed in my old email address from the employer I worked for in those years. And I got a message that says, “Your email address does not match any accounts that we have on record. Please try again or create an account." So it’s a step in your sleuth work to tell you whether you used that address back in the day. Now, of course if you no longer work there, you would not be able to get the password recovery data in your inbox — because that inbox no longer exists. If that were to happen where you learn that the account exists but you can’t get the recovery by email, you can use the Gallup Strengths Center support team. They are extremely helpful. I will link to their support page in the show notes so you have access to that too. Their Contact Us page from there also has a phone number where you can troubleshoot with a human if you don’t want to do it by email. You Think You May Have CliftonStrengths Results But Your Book Or Assessment Had A Different Name There are also a bunch of books from Gallup press that have a code for StrengthsFinder. Over the years, you may have used a code from these books and now you want to import it in for your team StrengthsFinder training. Only the most recent copies would have flap with a CliftonStrengths assessment code. All of the older ones would have called it StrengthsFinder. It’s the same assessment — just a name change to honor Donald Clifton, the original creator. Regardless of the original Gallup website you went to to redeem the code, you can get them all imported into the Gallup Strengths Center site today. Here are 5 of the books our corporate clients most commonly used when they’re importing “old” StrengthsFinder results in:
If you originally did StrengthsFinder through a code in one of those books, you’ll want to get yourself transferred into the new system. And when I say transferred in, I mean remember your login because your old credentials will work over on these (if you remember them). It Has Been A Long Time, So Should You Retake StrengthsFinder Anyway? There’s a whole episode-worth of conversation on that topic, but the short answer is we recommend using your original results. Here are a couple of links from Gallup on whether your strengths change over time and how retaking the assessment can change your results (even decrease the accuracy of the results). Another Step If You’ve Done The CliftonStrengths (StrengthsFinder) More Than Once If you have already taken StrengthsFinder more than once, you can contact the Strengths Center support team to have them combine your data so that it represents the data of a single person (versus making it appear that two people have similar results). Gallup takes their data integrity seriously, so they would appreciate having the most accurate database possible. And It also helps us make you the best charts possible because our comparisons against the entire database will be more accurate, which means that your team charts will be more meaningful if you help us keep a nice and tidy database. Remember to Downloaded Your Strengths Tools One of the best ways leaders can build a strengths-based culture is to offer an appreciation of strengths in action. Get started by downloading this awesome tool that offers you 127 Easy Ways to Recognize Strengths on your team. Enjoyed The Podcast? To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. | |||
| 31 May 2020 | Core Concept #8: Honored or Insulted | 00:11:56 | |
Finding Energizing Tasks At WorkWe’re almost at the end of our STRENGTHS series, where we discuss a total of nine concepts that will help you implement strengths with your team at work. In this episode, we'll explore one of the most interesting topics in this series: Honored and Insulted. This topic always generates the liveliest conversations. Why? Because people generally have this special keenness over what might honor or insult their talent themes. If you're a manager and you assign energizing tasks at work, imagine what it could do for productivity and employee engagement. Win-win! Read on to learn how to keep your team motivated using the strengths perspective. If you know what honors their talent themes, then you likely know their personal values. When they work on a team where they can see the fit between the work and their values, they feel more motivated and energized. Imagine a pyramid-like structure, where strengths are at the top, natural talents come next, and values form the base. Strengths are the talent that you've already developed well, while natural talent is how you think or feel or act in your default situation. At work, there are situations (or entire cultures) that either insult or honor your talent themes at a human level. We don't meet many teams that talk much about personal values. The thing is, if your values are insulted, work can feel like soul-sucking drudgery. On the flip side, if your experience at work feels totally aligned with your values, you'll feel pumped. It actually acts like a fuel to keep you motivated and performing at your best. Energizing tasks at work - the concept might seem doable, yet it might seem far from your current situation. Hang in there because it is totally possible, regardless of your role.
How To Keep Your Team Motivated: Know What Might Insult And Honor Their Talent ThemesWithin a team, there are lots of small moments that can suck the energy from you. You know them: draining tasks, things you procrastinate, or people who wear you out. Worse, these scenarios could make you want leave your job if you're not actively addressing them. These are sneaky de-motivators. Let’s look at these examples. If you're a people manager, definitely look at these examples. Think about your team members and what energy takers might be foiling their plans to show up as a top performer. This is a super practical way to apply CliftonStrengths at the office. In fact, the energizing tasks at work might spill over into energizing responsibilities at home. The more you find these energy makers, the more you can bring them into your life. 1. Leading Through CliftonStrengths Responsibility. Imagine that you lead through Responsibility, and you’re working on a team where people are constantly showing up for meetings 5 or 10 minutes late. Because it's part of your DNA that you do what you say you're going to do, these people who disrespect other people’s time annoy you big-time. In general, no one likes it when someone misses a commitment, but it’s a different (deeper) level of insult to someone's talent of Responsibility. While you learn to get over it after a while, and rationalize that it's just how the working world seems to be, you also might tag these moments as your “red line” or “red-faced” moments. They lead you to wonder why people can be downright flippant about it. That's an example of an energy taker for those who lead through Responsibility. These are the de-energizing tasks at work, or in this case, the de-energizing moments and interactions that can drain you and make work feel like the hardest of hard work. 2. Leading Through CliftonStrengths Analytical. Imagine leading through this strength and someone regularly pulls random anecdotes out of the air. You would, of course, wonder if this person ever fact-checks or uses reasoning skills. “Do they ever vet their comments to see if they're actually true?” When you keep encountering moments like this, it can get to your nerves. When people seem to be making decisions that feel highly emotional, this would be insulting your talent theme of Analytical. When teams work on problems that come from things like, "this doesn't feel right" you will expect them to validate that gut feeling before investing gobs of money or time on something that might not be a an actual problem. Maybe it's just that one vocal customer's opinion - not an experience shared by others. Imagine how helpful it would be to know that your talent theme of Analytical is getting insulted. You can say, "Aha - no wonder this meeting is always so frustrating for me. Maybe I can spin that around by offering to vet or validate the gut feelings that come up so often." 3. Leading Through CliftonStrengths Includer. Imagine you’re leading through this talent theme. You’re really good at identifying who among the team a) has given a voice, b) has not said anything, and c) might want to comment but hasn't been given the chance. But when people talk over each other and ignore what one or two other people have to say, it would be an insult to your talent theme. This could feel quite rude to you even if you’re not the person that’s not being included. Consequently, you develop this dislike and distrust of the people who are excluding those others and their ideas. These are just some of those “red line” or “red-faced” moments that might happen when your talent (or values) are insulted. These may be small but they can add up over time and lead to feelings of disillusion, until you think, “Ah, I'm not valued here.”, or “This culture sucks. I don’t want to be a part of this team.” These are the kinds of conversations that can put you in a dilemma of whether to deal with it or leave, as far as your talent theme is concerned.
Your Team Challenge: Acknowledge Each Other's TalentsThis is where strengths-focused conversations, done consistently, become very useful. It's a practical way to apply StrengthsFinder. Over time you build the trust that allows you to share with the team what honors your themes and what can make the workplace feel ideal or “the best.” Your team members will be able to avoid the difficult dilemma that can make them decide to leave their job. When values and strengths are in alignment, the team feels motivated and valued. Even if this isn't part of your team culture today. You can be the person who helps the team begin to notice (and say aloud) what already works well. These small acknowledgements help every person understand what puts their teammates at their best. With some conscious effort, you can slowly shape your job description toward these energizing tasks at work. Go Beyond 'Give And Take' When You Apply StrengthsFinder Lisa, our founder, once shared that her troublemaker talent is Maximizer. At the same time, she also works closely with someone in her team who leads through Activator. So, while being a Maximizer, Lisa would pore over her work and polish things to make them better. Those are energizing tasks at work for her - making things better and better and better. On one side, the Activator talent would wait on her and prod her to “just move on with it” or "just ship" the product. Lisa understood where the input was coming from. In some cases, where the quality output was high-stakes, she acknowledged the person by saying, “This is going to kill your Activator, but I need one more day on this.” In other cases, when good (and done) was better than great, she'd do the hand off. It all depends on the business outcome that the team agrees upon. This is where you can apply CliftonStrengths to get the best business results. Of course, there are times when give and take is the reality. Although it feels good to live in your personal strengths panacea, you can't let your personal preferences trump the business priorities. You should constantly be looking for ways to get better results by using your strengths. At the same time, be careful to not let them be an excuse. It would be unhealthy to be so obsessed with finding energizing tasks at work that you refused to do things that drain you. If you did that, you'd appera selfish and not results-oriented. Strengths get more powerful when you think beyond yourself. It makes total sense. Strengths work in relation to other people and other contributions being given on the team. Practicing “give and take” comes handy within your team because when you become familiar with each other’s talent themes, you have a short code language to use. But you can also extend it to your stakeholders, your customers, and your colleagues outside of the team. You may not know what their talent themes are, given your much shorter engagements, but imagine how much stronger your working relationships would be if you start getting a feel for what honors them or what insults them. Internally on our team, we find a regular flow of #goinput or #thatwasmyrelatortalking type of hashtags to keep it lighthearted and acknowledge the good sides and the dark sides that can come out from a talent. 3 Reasons To Apply CliftonStrengths Conversations Regularly and Informally This whole concept of exploring what honors or insults talent themes is important for 3 key reasons: 1. To get a well-rounded team. In any given team, there’s a clash of perspectives that are not discovered until they are actually talked about. Suppose you brought your whole team of 10 direct reports together to apply StrengthsFinder in a virtual strengths discovery training. Imagine watching their conversation in the chat box about the things that honor or insult their talent themes. You’d probably realize that some of the things that drive them crazy, you yourself are doing sometimes. Is it an "Oops, I'm frustrating you and I'll stop" moment? Is it an "Uumph, that really drains you, yet it's a reality of our team's responsibility" moment where you try to mitigate the pain or impact? Regardless of the type of insight, the important part is that you're talking through them so you can address the situation with mutual respect. You have opposing views of things because, for example, what you would view as common sense may not come as common to how others think. What would come easy for you may not come as easily for others. It’s also the reason why some people don’t bother letting their strengths out because they don't think those contributions are a big deal. If you can find those hidden gems and let them out, the whole team is better. With that strategy, you get a well-rounded team and you can stop obsessing over being a well-rounded person who is good at every possible thing under the sun. 2. To get your job matched to strengths. Conversations like these also allow you to discover what aspects of one’s job could lead to that person disengaging from that job. If you apply StrengthsFinder to uncover what honors a person's talents, you'll uncover their easy buttons for performance. You'll find that a job matched to strengths feels easier to perform. A job matched up to talents also brings energy to the person doing it. In fact, if you're using your natural talents, the work can even feel easy. At a minimum, it's easier to get into flow. Contrasting that, if your job is not matched to strengths, it will likely feel draining. You can usually do the work. You can get the results, yet it will feel effortful. You may procrastinate or feel drained and you can't figure out why. If you've been feeling that way, ask yourself if you've been working out of your weakness zone, or out of your non-talents. Often, it's an unexpected cause of burnout. As our colleague TyAnn often says, when your job is matched to your weaknesses rather than strengths, it can give you "a case of the Sunday nights." 3. To get more energizing tasks and get fewer draining tasks at work. Conversations like these become an opportunity to turn a “Man, this culture is awful” experience into a “So, if this is what other people value, which runs against my values, then here's how I'm going to cope.” So, think of what strategies you can come up with to convert a workplace experience into a positive and enriching one. You can't always pick your responsibilities on the job. Of course, you want a job matched to your strengths. And you want energizing tasks at work, but sometimes the role is the role. Even if you can't to a lot to shape the job description, you can adjust the way you approach the work. At a minimum, you can adjust the meaning you make out of it. This might sound like a Jedi Mind Trick (and maybe it is), yet it's effective at bringing your energy and motivation back. Key Things If You're A People Manager Applying CliftonStrengths Here are key pointers to note before conducting a conversation with your team on what might honor or insult their talent themes.
Ready For The Final Concept?Now that you're loaded with energizing tasks at work, let's get to the next topic. Up next is the last in this series of nine core concepts: the Starved And Fed Continuum. See you there! | |||
| 02 Dec 2018 | Career Branding When Restorative Is Your Strength | 00:08:16 | |
I get gobs of questions about how to align your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Restorative with your career. So in this series, I break down one strength per post so that you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make a better match between your job and your strengths. – If you’re exploring as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. – If you’re exploring for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. Today, the talent theme of the post is Restorative.
You’ll get three layers to chew on:
Career Branding For RestorativeYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. If you imagine your resume or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it’s full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. Now, what’s missing in most of them is “the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. This is an overlooked use for LinkedIn, which is not just for job seekers. I bet you are just like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t see your teammates and customers every day. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting – to see who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at howit is to work with you. With that in mind, here are a bunch of adjectives you can consider using in your career branding and your LinkedIn profile. People who lead through Restorative are often:
Red Flag Situations For RestorativeThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Restorative. They might even make you want to quit the team. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might get the urge to quit the job or become detached and disengaged at work. Here are two Red flags for Restorative:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for RestorativeThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Restorative at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re listening as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Restorative, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
So there you have it. It’s a quick tour for building your career through the talent theme of Restorative. So, here’s your homework:
Rock Your Talents As A TeamIf you’re thinking about doing a virtual or in-person event to kick off your strengths-based culture, head on over to our training page to see if our current offerings are a good fit for you. Until next time, thank you for being part of this powerful strengths movement that helps people unleash the awesomeness already inside them. Enjoyed The Podcast?To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. | |||
| 08 Mar 2020 | Core Concept #2: Troublemaker Talents | 00:11:22 | |
From the S.E.T and “Aspirational You” concepts in the previous episode, we now move towards a seemingly favorite topic for discussion: troublemaker talents! When talking about strengths, curiosity about the other side -- the so-called “shadow side” or “blind spots” -- tends to surface. And that’s exactly why our next core concept is worth discussing. Troublemaker talents are natural talents that have the potential to make you great yet may be causing pain or trouble to you, or to others within the team, due to misapplication, talent overuse, or squashing down of talent. Note that you may be squashing down a talent or not developing it because you don’t see the necessity. But when it does come out inevitably, it doesn’t come out looking good. Join us explore these “T” talents, and towards the end you will get these takeaways:
Are These 'Troublemaker' Scenarios Familiar To You?
Let’s say a member of your team leads through Learner and Input. Coming out of such strength is her love for learning, such as data gathering. As she’s bent on really getting to know the stakeholders and the end-users before beginning a project, she spends time on the front end of the projects not only collecting stakeholder specifications, the end-user information, and the end-user preferences but really digging into these items. What makes it a troublemaker talent?This is showing up as a troublemaker talent for her because in the process of thorough and in-depth learning, you would see her as being too slow-paced or a “deadline-misser.” This is rooted in the following: 1) Her non-communication of how her workflow looks (70% of the time on front end then hastened towards completion) 2) Her lack of awareness that would make someone else nervous What can you do as a team?As you are following a more sensible timeline, and it’s clear that the troublemaker talent is going to make her miss the deadline, you have no choice but to step in. In this scenario, she’ll keep getting her projects pulled as she’s getting them started because you think she’s not going to complete them on time.
For this same person who loves gathering information, it also comes out as a talent overuse when she spends most of a meeting with a colleague, asking too many questions -- to the point that she causes skepticism and guardedness on her colleague. What makes it a troublemaker talent?While the main point of the meeting is to explore and learn as much as she can, “too much curiosity kills a cat” as they say, and may spell trouble by way of perceived intrusion.
In the end, when the colleague senses that she’s prying into their business, she might not obtain the information she was driving for. What can you do as a team?
Maximizers also want to think about things longer and improve on them through constant reworks. However, they tend to get stuck on that phase rather than just jumping in and executing it. Naturally they go for the highest quality output, which requires that everything must be thought through. In effect, it keeps them from getting ahead along the timeline. But if high stakes are involved, Maximizers must not let themselves be okay with a B+ work. The Yin-Yang ComplexAnother concept to watch out for in troublemaker talents is the “yin-yang complex’ where within a team, we often find talents that look the opposite of someone else's. Consider the previous example of the leader through Learner and Input. As her boss, you happen to lead through Activator. That means you want to get things moving, and in contrast to her Learner-Input themes, you are really fast on the front end of projects. Now due to self-awareness or team awareness about each other’s talent themes, you will know in advance how to handle and address potential “trouble” brought about by varying cadence and preferences in approach. Action steps may look like the following:
Your Team Challenge: Identify A Troublemaker Talent And Develop ItThis challenge may take a little thinking through or maybe backtracking.
Suppose you're a visionary, and while you're passionately presenting about the vision of a project, you feel that your team or a team member is dragging it down into something that's irrelevant at present. It can be quite maddening. If you recognize the troublemaker talents in your team, you can avoid the frustrations of being derailed in your vision presentation by talking to that person in advance. Example: “Hey, I'm going to give you the high level in the meeting, and then let's book an hour after because I know you're gonna have a lot of detailed questions." This short and direct approach will most likely provide the win-win situation where you can cast an inspirational vision for the team. At the same time, these “troublemakers” are given the opportunity to raise questions, be heard, and add value to company-wide results. So rather than merely point out to them what’s wrong that needs fixing, it’s far more constructive to focus on the team member’s potential, to inspire them to further develop their strength and express confidence that they can be among your top talents in the world. As you both commit support towards this person’s development, imagine the fulfillment for you both if they transform from a “troublemaker” to a superstar! Bottomline: It's so much more inspirational to craft and develop something that is already strong in you or others than to feel like you need to squash something and stamp it out. Ready For The Next Concept?Up next: Learn how to regulate by situation. Stay tuned! | |||
| 19 Apr 2016 | Build A Well Rounded Team - With Jim Collison | 00:29:17 | |
This Episode’s Focus on Strengths In this episode, Lisa speaks with Jim Collison. He manages a technology team at Gallup in Omaha, Nebraska. He also champions the community for Gallup Certified Strengths Coaches, so he’s the poster child of the movement for many strengths professionals. You’ll find this podcast particularly interesting if you’re ready to implement strengths-based coaching with your team. Jim gives specific examples that will get your wheels turning. He offers ideas for building a stronger team. He shares stories from his strengths based parenting experiences. And he shares examples of how he applies natural talents on the fly. He does this every year as he manages large teams of interns and only has a few months with each person. All the while he’s partnering with other people to maximize the productivity on the team. Jim’s Top 5 Talent Themes from the Clifton StrengthsFinder are Arranger, Woo, Maximizer, Communication, and Activator. He’s a great example of someone who doesn’t waste time wishing he had more of his “lesser” talents. Instead, he pairs up with those who bring the talents that are tough for him to call on.
Where It Started For Jim Every person’s strengths journey begins in a different place. Jim’s started at home, which led him into a career where he gets to apply his top talents and encourage others’ every day. He tells the story of how he took the StrengthsFinder Assessment, and was so excited, that as soon as he got home, he said to his wife, “You take this too! Let’s parent this way.” This had a profound influence on his life and the way they parent each of their unique children. He confesses that he thought one of his sons was apathetic. He got an enlightened view and changed their whole relationship once he looked at it through a talent lens. By looking at their children, and understanding what their individual strengths were, Jim and his wife were able to support each one and encourage growth in a positive way.
Applying Strengths At Work While finding his strengths had an immediate impact at home, it was much slower at work. He’s still evolving 10 years later. Jim says it’s a “long-haul” approach, and that you have to live it. Here are some of Jim’s TIPS:
Resources of the Episode To get even more strengths tips, follow Jim on twitter @JimatGallup and the Gallup Organization @Gallup Listen To Gallup podcasts that Jim hosts: Theme Thursday – Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and YouTube Called to Coach – Listen on Gallup.com and Spreaker
Jim mentions three books that he recommends about strengths: -- StrengthsFinder 2.0, by Tom Rath -- First, Break All the Rules, by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman -- Now, Discover Your Strengths, by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton
Subscribe To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from the website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published.
Go Live Your Talents Remember, using your strengths every day at work makes you a stronger performer. Go claim your talents and share them with the world.
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| 20 Sep 2020 | Is StrengthsFinder Legit And Valid? | 00:08:30 | |
StrengthsFinder Legit? Valid? Accurate? If you're wondering, you're actually just like Sara Regan, the Lead Through Strengths facilitator in this interview. Before being exposed to the tool, she was a bit skeptical about it. Usually, before doing some strengths finding with the team, one or two among us are wondering if psychometric tools are accurate. Is StrengthsFinder legit? Is it valid? The CliftonStrengths Assessment has not escaped such skepticism from some of our participants. You're not alone. Many of us come to these tools with a cautious eye. We want to know that it's more than parlor games. We hope for a tool that allows for more than a 4-hour kumbaya team building event at work. Most of the time, skeptical people wonder, "Hmmmm, is StrengthsFinder legit, or is my boss making me go to a gimmicky feel-good-training today?" Other times, it's an industrial organizational psychologist from the HR department who wants to know about the peer-reviewed literature on the tool. Either way, people like having the confidence of knowing that the tool is tested and valid. Here’s the transcript of this episode where Lisa interviews Sara about her journey from being a skeptic to someone who fully embraces StrengthsFinder. Lisa: Hello everyone, you're listening to Lead Through Strengths, and today it's both me, Lisa and Sara Regan. You've heard a lot from me over the years and it's about time to get some new angles from some other facilitators here at Lead Through Strengths. So let's get right into some fresh angles on strengths, from Sara. From Skeptical Customer To StrengthsFinder Facilitator: What Prompted The Change?So Sara, sometimes we walk into a StrengthsFinder event. We're doing CliftonStrengths kickoff, it's a big thing. And you know, there are a couple of people in the room who are really skeptics. They wonder, "is StrengthsFinder legit, and is this an accurate tool?" Tell me, how did you come to CliftonStrengths, and have you ever experienced that either in your own skepticism or other people in the room and how has that gone for you? Sara: Absolutely. I think at this point, I almost expect that there will be a skeptic or two in the room. And I, myself, also had that skepticism, when I was first introduced to StrengthsFinder. I think for me it was the opportunity of “let's bring the team together.” I was leading a group of around maybe 25 people or so at that time, and I thought I know team building is a good thing. We do this from time to time. We'll have coffee, we'll have bagels. Maybe people will get to know each other a little bit more. But I didn't really expect there to be much of a profound takeaway. But for me, I was really struck by reading my own report and feeling like it really did help to highlight some things that I was aware of. So my skepticism really certainly changed after I got to look at my own results. And then in seeing the results of the team members too, I mean it just really dramatically changed the way I thought about my work, my career, the types of things I said “yes” to to the type of things I said “no” to, and how to position other people for success as well. So even though I was a skeptic, I think I was a quick convert, and really felt like even in my homegrown fashion, I was doing strengths at any chance that I could with new team members or other people that I worked with. So now as a facilitator, I expect that there will be the skeptics who wonder if StrengthsFinder is legit. I think one of the things that really helps is that people have some of the research underpinnings, and to be able to see that ahead of time there will be people who will want to understand how was this validated, what's the reliability, why did they choose these questions... So to make that available for people, whether it's before or after a session, that can help as well. Lisa: Yes, that's great. We always do that in the pre-work where it's like, “Are you one of the people who wants to validate whether StrengthsFinder is legit? Here's a deep meta analysis if you want to look into it. It's a 40 page technical report with all of the design elements and reliability data from Gallup's behavioral scientists. (and for those of you who will gloss over it, just come to the session - you don't have to read it).” So, speaking of legit...you have a master's degree in psychology, don't you? Sara: I do. Lisa: So I can imagine with that kind of point of view, you might have needed to dig in when you first got exposed to the book StrengthsFinder 2.0. So when you saw your own results, let's say you're fast forwarded. You're good with the tool. Now you've looked at the validity and the reliability statistics and you're feeling good. You believe that StrengthsFinder is legit. Now you look at your own results. Unravel Your Hidden Strengths Through Your StrengthsFinder ResultsLisa: Did you have any that you were personally surprised by, or even not quite sure that they were "you"? Sara: I think the biggest surprise for me was Strategic. And as I read the description, I think it's one of the strengths that people have a lot of confusion about because our mind can go many different places about what that word means. But in understanding fully the definition in that Gallup definition of Strategic, I did find that it really clicked for me, and it was a style of thinking about systems and problem-solving. I think I've always, as I traced back to hobbies and things that I've enjoyed, it has to do with patterns and how things fit together, so it explained a lot. I think at that point of my career, I had been in this role, or in this organization for probably seven or eight years, and I had so many ideas about how to, things that needed to change, and some of my ideas were pretty radical, and about how to reconstruct something, we need to go back to the basics and tear something down and start over. And I think I was holding back on presenting these ideas partly because they were pretty outlandish, some of them. Some were beyond probably my pay grade or I wasn't, it didn't have a seat at the right table for that. But I began to trust that perhaps some of these ideas about how to solve systemic problems were right on and I think it gave me more permission to share what I was thinking. And then I have some opportunities to put things in practice. And what I found is, I was completely engaged in my work. I loved what I was doing. And these things were working like they were solving systemic problems. So that was for me I felt like it was so powerful like I think it helped me to lean into my strengths in a way that I don't know that I would have otherwise. Lisa: I think that's such a cool example of seeing things through a workplace lens where you looked for systemic problems and you gave yourself permission because so many people look at their results and go, “Oh, this is why I'm always the voice of that in meetings.” “This is why this is always running through my head.” And suddenly, now that they have the result in front of them, they knew this about themselves but they say, “Oh, that's why I ought to just leverage that.” I also love that you read the results with an open mind. So often, when people are surprised by one of the items, they want to dismiss the tool and say, "hmmmmm, is StrengthsFinder legit? It doesn't seem to capture what I think of myself." Meanwhile the disconnect is usually as simple as a terminology issue. It can also be one of those situations where you believe what the report says, yet you haven't found it valuable at work, so you don't view that thing as a strength. Sara: Absolutely. Your Strengths Are Making An Impact In Your Life Outside WorkLisa: So, I can't help it. You mentioned hobbies and you mentioned patterns, so now that we have one workplace angle on you, will you give us a way that you've seen Strategic show up in your life outside of work and how these patterns came to be? Sara: I can. It's a hobby that I've gotten away from a little bit just by having a busy life and three teenagers. But one of my hobbies, for quite a while, was mosaic tile work. And so, I love to be able to sketch out a design. And then, I would take my tile in the driveway with a hammer and be smashing pieces of tile, and looking for exactly the color and the texture and the right piece to fit into this larger whole of the design. And so I did some commission works for a while. I got some things that were being sold in shops, and I loved it. I love to do in this work. And so, it's partly I think goes back to that, “How can I make everything fit and very strategic?” I feel it's the way I approach my work too. It’s I always feel like…(muffled)...optimistic like there is a solution for every problem. There is a way that this will work. I just need time, I need access to the resources, I need to play around with it but I'll get there. And that was completely the process of doing the mosaic tile work too. Lisa: That is sooooooo cool. I love hearing about this hobby. Also, I love looking at mosaic tiles because I thought about putting them on a shower floor - making a dragon formation - but all the same color, where the pattern and the angles of the pattern is what makes the dragon pop out to you, except they're actually all the same color. It would be a monochromatic thing. Someday, watch out, I’ll commission you. I'll get, “Come over from Boston. I need a dragon on the ground.” After your teenagers are off the payroll, right? Sara: 'Cause even as I talk about it, I remember how much fun I had. It is definitely one of the things I plan to return to. Lisa: It's a perfect way to end that question because this idea of strength and how you can reconnect to the things that energize you and how, when you tap into it, it's not just saying, “Oh yeah, this hobby or this skill energizes me." “Oh, that's why I like that thing that I didn't expect to like that much, just because it uses this pattern in my mind.” So cool. This speaks to an unexpected angle of the question "is StrengthsFinder legit." It's a powerful angle because often the reports from the CliftonStrengths assessment will give you a spark. You then think, "hmmmm...that's totally true in my personal life, but I don't really use that one at work." If you have those thoughts, you might have a spark for some seriously untapped potential. Maybe you have a strength that you can unlock at work if you look for ways to apply it. --- Okay, now it's your turn. You have some great new perspective from Sara to go apply in the workplace. We wish you the best as you take these ideas, and you learn to spot them in yourself, and then apply them to your life to make the workplace a better place. Most of all, you may believe that StrengthsFinder is a legit tool, but there's something bigger: it's believing that your strengths are valid. It's believing that you have a contribution you can offer the world. You have untapped awesomeness inside of you, and we look forward to hearing how you offer it out to the world! Want To Explore More Of The "StrengthsFinder Legit" Question? Some time ago, Lisa delivered a podcast episode that answers the question, Is StrengthsFinder A Personality Test? The podcast debunks any quick assumption that StrengthsFinder is just another one of those personality tests being used by managers. Instead, it asserts that it’s a performance-based tool that focuses not only on what is needed to do the job but on how to do it well. So does StrengthsFinder work? In another episode, Is There Proof That Strengths-Based Development Works?, Lisa provides answers anchored on 1) proof points through some Gallup research and 2) a visual way to imagine why strengths make sense. Lisa’s resource for this episode is the classic book Soar with Your Strengths: A Simple Yet Revolutionary Philosophy of Business and Management by Donald O. Clifton and Paula Nelson, which uses a metaphor to bring us the powerful lesson of focusing on strengths rather than on fixing what’s missing or broken about us. It's a quick read. Warning: yes, the metaphor uses little animals like rabbits, which seems elementary at first blush. That's exactly why it works though - it's simple and totally understandable. Want to know how else StrengthsFinder can provide practical value for you and your team? Listen to Lisa’s interview with Adam Seaman: Why Use StrengthsFinder For Your Team? or her conversation with Pete Mockaitis on How To Use Your StrengthsFinder Report. These are StrengthsFinder-focused conversations that can show you the practical side of living a strengths-focused life. | |||
| 19 Apr 2020 | Core Concept #5: Not An Excuse | 00:15:03 | |
If you've been following this series, you'll know we've been spelling the word STRENGTHS with nine core competencies that pop out as the most elusive, interesting, or unconsidered when implementing strengths at work. So far, we've had: 1. S.E.T. (Skills, Experience, and Talents) Now we are midway through as we explore our fifth core concept: “Not an Excuse.” Avoiding Responsibilities?Once in a while, people want to use their strengths like an excuse. Here are a few examples: “I’m an Activator and I don't like to wait. I only work on things where I don't have to wait.” “I lead through a bunch of Executing talent themes and I like to get things done. And now you're asking me to do some deep thinking and research, and that sounds boring to me. So I don't want to do it.” “That just doesn't sound like fun to me. I lead through Positivity and I can't do anything that is just way too serious for too long.” But in the world of work, this is not how we can operate. We have to do certain responsibilities that we don't like. When those kinds of thoughts come up, make sure you're assessing that you can‘t use those as a reason to have bad performance or low accountability—just because of something you don’t like doing. Understanding The Strengths SpectrumAs it seems, there are two ends of the spectrum that people end up raising around this concept of excuse:
When it all comes down to it, revenue still has to keep coming in. As a team you still have to get results, or else none of you will have a job. Remember: if you're really living out strengths as tools, you believe in high accountability and in getting results. We all know that it's better to get more time in our strengths zone and fewer minutes in our weakness zone over time. It's always a great idea to shape your job toward that, but it's not instant. It would be foolish to believe that you're going to live 100% of every moment in your strengths zone, and that all weakness moments will now be gone forever. Your Team Challenge: Plus One, Minus OneHere’s a great exercise to do if you're leading a team. (You can also do this as an exercise for yourself.) +1Ask every member of your team to think of one thing that they would want to get -- either something they don't have or something they want to get more of. A few guide questions:
-1Ask them to think of what they would want to subtract. It could be:
Share-outOnce all members are ready with their answers, you can do a round-robin as a team where you go around the room and every person shares one thing they want to add more of and one thing they would like to get less of. Sometimes, however, the answers aren't as useful. For example, eight out of ten people might say, “I would like fewer emails.” As a manager, you want to get way more information than that. Prior to a round-robin, another approach could help. Brainstorm First Give the members of the team two to five minutes to write as many things as they can and as specific as possible under the + side and the - side of their list: Tips:
As this is a brainstorming activity, emphasize to them that the objective is just to get as many things written down as possible. Too Many Common Answers?Whenever this happens, as it typically does, immediately acknowledge it. For example, if a lot of the team members say “too many meetings” --
That way, they won’t feel like they're getting dismissed, but at the same time you’re getting some more unique and useful information. Still, if you hear the same answer many times, then take it as an opportunity to address it like it’s a team scenario. Then you can do the share-out in a much more insightful way. As the leader, you may throw these questions: What would be useful for other people to know about you? Maybe you have something that others in the room could call on you for? This would be useful information to your team members. They (or you) would be able to recommend situations where each other’s pluses could be called on for. Opportunities to swap tasks or to be honoring each other's talents would surface. Ultimately, they would be tapping one another for something they want to be leaned on for. Follow-Through On Your TeamAs the leader, set a follow-up 1:1. As soon as your share-out is done, tell your members you’d like to keep their lists so you can dig into them. Doing this will also guide and prompt you to begin assigning them projects that align with their strengths as much as possible. Remember: not an excuse to shirk performance is not an excuse to get rid of accountabilities. It is an opportunity to start talking about the things that either feel like drudgery or really life-giving. If you can know these things about each of your team members, imagine how powerful that would be! As you help them align with their internal motivation, your team will also grow and do more wonders. A lot of high performers are rarely whiners regardless of what’s assigned to them--even if it’s draining for them. The "plus one, minus one" practice can give them a vehicle for talking about what tends to be less fulfilling for them and what really lights them up. Excitement and energy for the job are the internal drives that you want on your team. Those can be had over time if you've been having these meaningful conversations where you learn more about them and align with their natural values. The more you do things with your team using the lens of strengths, the better their collaborative strengths will work toward your business results. Ready For The Next Concept?Up next: “G” for "gimme that escalation." Don't miss it! | |||
| 15 Jul 2018 | Strengths Q2: Favorite Thing About Team | 00:02:53 | |
In this 12-week strengths implementation series, you get one conversation per week to help your team start each week with strengths. If you “did” StrengthsFinder with your team and you didn’t follow up after the initial conversation, this is a great way to make Strengths part of your work culture. Go to http://leadthroughstrengths.com/challenge to get the series emailed to you one week at a time. You’ll get the question and examples to make it sound real and practical. You’ll also get additional angles so that you can take the answers beyond the surface. If you’re a manager who wants to make culture-building part of everyone’s job, have each person on the team sign up for the email series. That way, it won’t rely on you doing the question-asking each week. You can get the team to share their answers after they receive the email. This series is usable even if you’ve never used CliftonStrengths. Although the questions work in excellent alignment with the StrengthsFinder 2.0 book, they also work with no assessment at all - just conversations about what already works on the team. | |||
| 12 Aug 2018 | Strengths Q6: Daily Good | 00:03:26 | |
In this 12-week strengths implementation series, you get one conversation per week to help your team start each week with strengths. If you “did” StrengthsFinder with your team and you didn’t follow up after the initial conversation, this is a great way to make Strengths part of your work culture. Go to http://leadthroughstrengths.com/challenge to get the series emailed to you one week at a time. You’ll get the question and examples to make it sound real and practical. You’ll also get additional angles so that you can take the answers beyond the surface. If you’re a manager who wants to make culture-building part of everyone’s job, have each person on the team sign up for the email series. That way, it won’t rely on you doing the question-asking each week. You can get the team to share their answers after they receive the email. This series is usable even if you’ve never used CliftonStrengths. Although the questions work in excellent alignment with the StrengthsFinder 2.0 book, they also work with no assessment at all - just conversations about what already works on the team. | |||
| 18 Oct 2020 | The CliftonStrengths Report Says You're Awesome! Now What? | 00:07:06 | |
Once You Get Your CliftonStrengths Report, How Should You Take Action? Your CliftonStrengths report reflects your greatest strengths. As you focus on applying them to work, you might also wonder how to handle situations that call for talent themes way below your top 5 or top 10. If you're like most people, you'll want to dial up your bottom talents. Unfortunately, this can be a very draining process with a low return on your effort. Instead, your high-leverage will come from studying the top talents in your CliftonStrengths report — then double down on your superpowers. If you need to take action on your lesser talents at the bottom of the CliftonStrengths report, there are strategies for mitigating these potential weaknesses: 1. You can partner with others who have that as a top talent. 2. You can stop doing some of the activities that call on the low talent area. 3. You can even do a task-switcheroo with a peer so that you're both in your respective strengths zones. In this interview, Lisa Cummings and StrengthsFinder facilitator Sara Regan reflect on the value of looking at the full CliftonStrengths report as you navigate through work using your strengths. Here’s the transcript of the insightful conversation between Lisa and Sara: Lisa: Hello everyone, I'm Lisa Cummings from Lead Through Strengths. So excited today to be joined by Sara Regan, one of our facilitators from Lead Through Strengths, and I'm psyched to bring you some new fresh thinking and tips on applying your CliftonStrengths report (results) at work. Intentionally Applying Top Talents From Your CliftonStrengths Report Lisa: So that makes me think of a question on situational fluency. So a lot of people in the workplace, are thinking about —
And usually, people think about putting in the hours, putting in the work — doing the hustle behind the thing they want to get good at. What else could you layer on for them, related to using their results from the CliftonStrengths report? Sara: Right, I guess a few things. 1) I wouldn't discount just putting the time in but putting the time in a very conscious way. To be reflective about what they're learning along the way, can really help people to build that ability to shift and pivot in a little bit more fluency so that level of consciousness strengths come into play. There will be people who have certain themes and profiles and talents that allow that to happen more naturally. One of the things I like about strengths is it can certainly help us zero in on what we're really gifted at and where our talent lies. 2) When I'm doing coaching with people, or sometimes working with teams and we're looking at the whole 34, there are some lesser themes and it's sometimes they simply need the awareness. Let's take Adaptability, it is a strength that usually allows people to go with the flow and adjust in a very calm and seamless way when maybe other people are freaking out, or the house is on fire these people maintain that calm presence and can shift. If Adaptability is number 34 for you, sometimes just knowing that, and knowing there will be situations when I need to really dig deep and so it can bring that clarity of focus of…”this is hard for me, but it's possible.” I need to think and act like somebody with high Adaptability. Study them. Listen to a podcast. Learn as much as you can and emulate what you can to do that shift, and then leaning on your other strengths that can help fill in as well. Now let's say that same person has Learner at very high — will stay curious, keep asking questions, partnering with other people who have different things that you can lean on. That, I find, is what helps people to navigate the unknown. CliftonStrengths Report: Knowing What To Do With Your Bottom 5 Lisa: I love it. I think you just gave a really good case for getting the premium version of Clifton strengths to get the full 34. You can do it without, but you get that very quick look at what is at the bottom of the CliftonStrengths report. And then instead of thinking of them as weaknesses, you think of them as potential drains or challenge points. I experienced the exact one that you were describing, but I could only see it in the rearview mirror so I looked back at an old job and I realized, “Oh I was so...soul-sucked.” And I couldn't figure out why because I loved the people, I loved the job. It all looked great on paper but it wore me out and I couldn't figure out why. Adaptability was the explanation for it when I look back, because it's low on my list. I can do it and I would tap into the need to have urgent phone calls and get interrupted constantly. I did it, well, because I cared about the people that I worked with so that's what gave me the juice to keep going. But it wasn't fun because focus wanted to be like — “Hey, I'm in my cave working, and I need to have an uninterrupted time to be at my best.” So have you ever found any like that in yourself? Sara: Absolutely. The situation that came to my mind was thinking about a different leader that I worked with before. He had Positivity as number 34. He became more conscious of when he needed to dial that up. Sometimes, I'm talking about calibrating these things and when we dial them up and dial them back and he had gotten some feedback along the way that people didn't always feel like there was the opportunity to celebrate, or the pat on the back. Achiever number 1 so we're off to the next project. You don't want to be uncomfortable. They were in place for too long, we need to keep moving. And so for him that was that — that way to think of the specific times when he needed to bring more of that Positivity forward. Your example was really interesting to me too because I think it proves that point that we can do these as needed with a lot of thought, and some consciousness. We can put the items at the bottom of our CliftonStrengths report into action. But we can't really live in that zone. And if we do, we're gonna experience burnout. We'll be stressed or just not as engaged — and maybe in a way that we don't fully understand. So I think that that can be a really powerful takeaway, and then that seeing the full 34 helps us with that. Your question about my own personal experience. Consistency is pretty low on my CliftonStrengths report. Context is low. And I know this is interesting too that I have had people who have Context very high, reporting to me. I've also reported to someone who had Context number 1. So, it sets up really important conversations about how you can get your best work done and how to communicate most effectively. I love it when we can bypass what might be an interpersonal attention or a misunderstanding or just literally not seeing eye to eye. But with that awareness and stepping back, being able to have a much greater appreciation. The other thing that has happened to the Connectedness believes that the universe gives us things that we need and opportunities to learn. My daughter has Context number 1, and so I had to develop an appreciation for this theme. I can't have bias. I really wanted to understand and I see how beautifully it helps her do what she needs to do. So there's lessons to be learned I think by seeing that full report and paying attention to when we can dial them up and when we just need to maybe step away from work that really calls us to stay in that that we can assume too much. Lisa: So many good angles there and more cases for getting the full 34 CliftonStrengths report — because you can identify, “Oh that wears me out to be in that headspace. Wouldn't it be convenient if I used partnerships with other people, rather than feeling like you're head-butting with them, and they drive me crazy. Instead it could be like, oh they like thinking like this. What a benefit we could bring to each other.” So good! One person's trash is another person's treasure. All right, now that you've picked up some new ideas from Sara, think about this: How does it apply to you? How does this concept show up in you and what could you do with it, given your top five talent themes and how you could apply those at work? We wish you the best as you claim those talents, and share them with the world. Learn More About Maximizing Your CliftonStrengths ReportIn an earlier Lead Through Strengths podcasts, Pete Mockaitis, trainer and chief at Awesome At Your Job, gave some more interesting scenarios to this podcast’s topic when he provided insights on How To Use Your StrengthsFinder Report. Through the CliftonStrengths assessment, he recognized how he had been applying his strengths in his academic and professional life. But there are instances when a CliftonStrengths report reveals a strength or two that you think are irrelevant to your job, are not supported by the workplace culture or something that you simply don’t like. Listen as Strother Gaines talks about What To Do When You Don’t Like Your Strengths in this podcast episode with Lisa. On whether Working On Your Weakness Zone Leads To Burnout?, Lisa presents 3 tell-tale signs you could be and what you can do about it, whether you’re an employee, a strengths-champion or a people-leader. Better yet, if you’re a manager looking to power up your team’s efficiency and wanting to contribute to overall business performance, Jessica Rhodes shares magical ideas in this podcast episode on How To Use Your Team’s Talents To Swap Tasks And Leverage Their Strengths. | |||
| 21 Jun 2016 | Join Up Your Strengths & Career Path - With David Ralph | 00:29:38 | |
This Episode’s Focus on Strengths This episode will energize and encourage you to take a big leap toward living the life you truly want to live. Lisa speaks with David Ralph, a man who ditched the corporate life, took that leap, and is now living a life that he loves (and it meant he went from working a mandatory 8 hours every day to working for a few hours at tasks he loves). And, he tells us about how he used his strengths to make it all happen. This is a great episode, especially for those of you who have always been searching for that elusive Passion Pot of Gold. David points out that it’s not something that’s just going to appear; you need to go out there and do something to reach the life you want. David keeps in mind his Top 5 Talent Themes from the Clifton StrengthsFinder: Futuristic, Maximizer, Belief, Positivity, and Activator. You’ll hear how his Maximizer talent has impacted his life, and how he’s learned to use his Activator talent to get stuff done.
What You’ll Learn David tells us his story, and how he got to where he is today. Along the way, he gives these sage pieces of advice: Be where people give you kudos for the good things you do. When he was in the corporate world, David realized that no one told him when he did the good things, they only commented on the tasks that needed improvement, which most likely led to discouragement, and a negative view of his job. When he went out on his own, those same people started telling him how good he was at certain things. That’s empowering! When David was in the corporate world, his Maximizer talent told him that nothing was every good enough – he spent hours perfecting the little details that didn’t truly matter. Now, he believes that he can do a great job, and that the little details don’t matter to others, so he saves a lot of time by not sweating the small things. Prioritize! You don’t have to work hard every day to succeed and be happy. Somewhere along the way, it’s become the norm that in order to succeed, we have to put in a hard day’s work and that life isn’t easy. That is NOT true! As David moved up the corporate ladder and become more successful and earned more money, he realized he was less and less happier. Working “hard” was not a pleasure. Look around at what other people are doing. Watch to see what others around you are doing, especially those who’ve found a way to do what they truly love. It will give you ideas for other ways to earn a living, while at the same time enjoying your life. In David’s case, there was another podcaster who he heard, and thought it was something he would love to do. Have your own goals. If you are working every day in the corporate world, you are fulfilling the goals, and earning money of someone else. David encourages you to have your own goals, using the example of the band Duran Duran. You’ve got to hear their story and how they achieved their own goals, as David tells it. The status quo doesn’t have to be. Just because people expect you to go to work every day, dressed a certain way, being a high achiever, it doesn’t mean that you are required to be part of the status quo. Once David has this AH HA moment, he was ready to take that LEAP, and go for it. As he says, he “Broke Free”. Connect the dots. Go back in time, and look at yourself before life got serious (around ages 5-9). What things did you want to do? What did you truly enjoy doing every day? Then, go through your attic and look for things from that time period. In David’s case, he found cassette tapes that included interviews he had done with people around town when he was 9. He had completely forgotten about that. Next, look at the paths of your career. In his case, he had a training background, and then moved into doing presentations. All these dots connected him to what he is doing now – interviewing people and presenting topics to the world. What are your dots? Find a mentor (or at least a person who will encourage you). Having someone to encourage you to take a leap, can make all the difference. It feels great to know others believe you have what it takes to meet your own goals. Use your strengths to help you make the leap. For example, David has an Activator talent, which enables him to start projects. He uses this to go out each day, doing what he loves, and actually “living” his life. Can you believe he sometimes goes a whole week without checking his email? That’s because he can. Wait for the SUPER YESES. Once you are out on your own, if people approach you with deals that would bring in money, but not meet your own criteria for the new business you’ve started, then say no. David found that all the little no’s make room for the SUPER YESES, which are the ones that will really move you on. Live the 20/80 Rule. Knowing that 20% of the things you do bring 80% of the reward, PRIORITIZE your tasks to focus on the 20%, and limit the amount of time you spend on the other 80% (they can be time suckers). Remember, knowing your Strengths and understanding them can have a huge impact on your personal and professional lives. So go claim your talents and share them with the world.
Resources of the Episode To “get more David in your life” check out these links: http://www.joinupdots.com and http://www.podcastersmastery.com. You can also connect with David on Twitter. During the podcast, David mentions Michael O'Neal, who hosts the Solopreneur Hour Podcast. If you are interested, here's the link: https://solopreneurhour.com/podcasts
Subscribe To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from the website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published.
StrengthsFinder Mini-Course For Managers If you’re a people-manager and you want to sharpen your strengths based support, come join our monthly mini-course. We don’t charge for this because we want to help you keep the StrengthsFinder momentum going. Teams who receive strengths feedback have 8.9% greater profitability. Yowza! Sounds like a great reason to join. Source: Asplund, J., & Blacksmith, N. “Strengthening Your Company’s Performance.” Gallup Business Journal.
Go Live Your Talents Remember, using your strengths every day at work makes you a stronger performer. Go claim your talents and share them with the world!
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| 27 May 2018 | Will A Strengths Approach Work Across Cultures? | 00:17:25 | |
In this episode, Lisa answers the question: Will a strengths approach work in different cultures and countries? She the shares how leaders can use strengths to fulfill the five different needs of Mazlow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Have You Downloaded Your Strengths Tools? Remember to grab the strengths-focused 1x1 and team meeting resource to get your 12 weeks of conversation starters. That will help you start applying the conversations to your cross-culture understanding. Will A Strengths Approach Work In Different Cultures and Countries? Today a question came in from Molly about whether strengths-focused development will work across any culture or country. If you manage a team of people from around the world, or if you’re about to roll out a strengths approach across your company or university — this is an important question to ask! The short answer is, yes strengths-focused development will, in fact, work around the world. Let’s break the question down from a literal translation standpoint and then the conceptual. Can You Translate Strengths Language? Yes! And If you want to give team of people a native language experience, I definitely recommend looking at Clifton StrengthsFinder or the VIA Character Survey. Both of them are available in more than two dozen languages, so whether your native language is Polish, Croatian, or Indonesian, they have you covered. I think that’s an important factor to know because if you’re answering questions about your natural thoughts and feelings and behaviors (on a 20 second timer), you can’t waste time looking up vocabulary words because it would impact your results. The other good thing is that you'll also receive your reports in the native language. Something you might find fascinating or surprising is that even after millions of people have used the tool, the data shows us that the differences are negligible when you break them down by race, gender, age, and nationality. If you’re into the data side of things, you can also find some interesting factoids in different countries, like with CliftonStrengths, the #1 talent theme in India is Responsibility, whereas you see Learner #1 in Mexico, Panama, and Argentina. And then you see Maximizer and Harmony in the #1 and #2 spots in Japan. As you can see, different countries do have some different “typical” top spots, and yes, those differences by country probably tell us something about the strong effect of cultural values. But one thing we haven’t been able to isolate with empirical research is how much of this is nature vs. nurture. Our hypothesis is that it’s both. Your environment, your upbringing, your family values, your experiences, and your DNA all play a role in how your strengths show up and what your unique lineup of talents is. How Strengths Can Bring Understanding Across Cultures This question about whether strengths can bring appreciation across cultures first made me think of Grace. She’s a client in Taiwan. And she was thrilled about StrengthsFinder because she works for an American manager and it gave her a way to map work conversations to her values and her natural way of thinking. If you’ve ever studied different cultural dimensions, you might instantly think about the potential for Grace, with her #1 Harmony and #2 Responsibility to be on a different page from her manager with #1 Individualization and #2 Competition because she’s from a country high on the collectivism scale and her manager is from a country high on the individualism scale. And their personal talent themes happen to reflect their country’s values pretty closely. Using the language of strengths, it gave each of them a way to describe what they bring to the team. And it helped Grace find a language for talking about her potential contributions to the team without feeling like she was running against her country’s values of saving face, being humble, and showing loyalty to the team — even when it means putting her personal agenda last. By the way, if you’ve never studied cultural dimensions, it’s totally fascinating. You can see how each country maps on continuum across 5-6 categories. The super quick preview is that these continuums cover your relationship to people, power, certainty, and time. My favorite resource on cultural understanding is the book Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands. It helps you understand each country’s government, religion, decision making values, negotiation styles, and how they tend to process information. It goes even further to help you out with gestures, gifts, and clothing so you can be sure that you know the basic expectations and keep you from making a fool of yourself. Different experts use different labels, yet most look something like this:
To bring this back to strengths, I look at it like another layer of understanding. Cultural differences can run sooooo deep. And we don’t know where we might view a topic differently from another country. I remember the first time I visited India and learned how uncommon it is for men to wear shorts. The more traditional view is that if they have shorts on, something must have happened to their pants! I also found it so fascinating that it’s totally normal to wear a sari to work and show your midriff. Whereas in the US, it would not be okay to show your midriff and work. Don’t even get me started on how hard I worked to tame my left-handedness. It took a few visits to work that one out. My point is, when you are working across cultures, there are a million ways for people to spot their differences. Of course, the visual ones like clothing are the easiest to spot. Then there are many ways to accidentally offend colleagues during conversations. And there are some stressors when team members bring their local assumptions about how work relationships work. And they assign meaning to things differently — not just the meaning of men’s pants. Strengths give you a language to talk about these things in a productive way. For example, Grace, with her Responsibility talent, would naturally see ways that she could jump in to help the team meet its commitments. But before having some strengths-focused conversations, she didn’t volunteer because she was used to a more hierarchical approach where she would wait to be assigned those responsibilities. How Strengths Can Help Leaders Create Significant Meaning For Their Team Now let’s add one more important layer: it’s that basic human needs cut across all cultures. No matter where you live in the world, your team shares the same basic needs. Most people remember hearing something about food, water, and shelter when they think of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. If you do some digging on this topic, you’ll see that there are a bunch of others that managers can impact. And these others are where you’re really helping people feel seen, heard, and appreciated in a way that gives them purpose. And strengths-focused conversations make it easy and natural for that to happen. Let’s look at each of these 5 needs. 1. Physiological Needs If you look at this like the typical pyramid, you’ll see physiological needs at the bottom. Yes, that’s where you get your food, water, shelter, and sleep. After you get past this one, it gets really interesting as you layer in strengths. 2. Safety & Security Needs The next one is safety needs. In Gallup’s extensive leadership research, Stability is one of the four primary “follower” needs. Yes there are some safety needs that have nothing to do with work, but employment stability, social stability, and sometimes health are items that you can address through strengths. Or, you can think about your natural talents and how they might lead you, at your default, to make your team feel un-safe. For example, my Maximizer talent constantly leads me to change things. Over the years, I’ve seen how that can feel unstable because people don’t know what to expect from week to week. And strengths have given me a way to look at that with a different lens because I can acknowledge that people need to feel a sense of stability. 3. Love & Belonging Yes, there are friendships, family, and other parts of life where people fill this human need. Now switch over to work. People want to belong. They love knowing that they’re contributing to the team. They love knowing they’re doing important work — that the 8 (or 12) hours they spend every day is for something that matters. They love accomplishing something bigger than themselves. So when you use strengths, you can use their talents to help them see their superpowers. You can use their strengths as a lens to help you see when to recognize them. And you can help them feel the connection between their actions and the bigger cause they are a part of. If you want to help your team members feel a bigger sense of belonging by connecting their strengths to the contributions they can offer the team, be sure to get the conversation starters in your 12-week Activation Series. Each week, you’ll get a strengths-focused 1x1 conversation starter and quick team meeting topic so you can keep learning more about what puts your team members at their best so that they can feel like they are a meaningful part of the team. 4. Self-Esteem Moving up the scale, you have self-esteem, which includes things like feeling respected, being recognized, knowing their strengths, and achieving. Strengths help you create a culture of recognition. It helps people know what they’re great at. And I call them your “easy buttons” to high performance. If you provide your team members an easier path to high performance, they’ll achieve more and feel better about themselves, which tends to create a virtuous circle where they feel better and better about their contributions and they continue to achieve bigger things for the team. 5. Self-Actualization Finally, you have self-actualization. This includes deeper life meaning and living up to their potential. It’s all about being the best they can be. It even gets into things like innovation and creativity because their outputs reflect a unique view of the work that no one else could bring. Now think about this in terms of strengths and workplaces. When teams are in turmoil with RIFs, re-orgs, and conflict, they revert back to safety mode. They give less because they’re trying to survive the explosion of uncertainty or despair. But if you contrast that with a fully functional team, you can start to imagine some moments and some team members who have been way up in this self-actualization zone. And as a leader, you have the ability to move people through these categories. Of course, it’s not 100% on you. They have to take personal accountability in their lives. Yet, you have a heck of a lot of influence on helping them unlock these other categories. Basic Human Needs Exist Across Cultures It may have surprised you that the question on culture led to this angle for an answer. Yet when I think about international businesses and organizations, the best ones cut across cultural differences by getting to the humanity of it all. We all have some basic needs, and strengths can give you a way to have conversations about these human needs without feeling weird. And when it comes to the cultural dimensions I brought up at the beginning, each person’s talent themes can give you a great doorway into talking about how their personal thoughts, feelings, and actions line up with cultural norms. I can’t tell you how many times someone has told me, “Aha! No wonder I am a fish out of water at this company (or in this country).” And then rather than feeling bad about it, their strengths give them a way to see the other side of it — the side that brings value. Remember to grab the strengths-focused 1x1 and team meeting resource to get your 12 weeks of conversation starters. That will help you start applying the conversations to your cross-culture understanding. It helps you open up topics like their ideal work culture, their untapped strengths, and even get them to fess up about the soul-sucking elements of their job. Each week, it gives you one question to ask in a 1x1 and one question for the team. That way, you can spend your time having these conversations rather than spending a bunch of time trying to come up with new strengths conversations. Enjoyed The Podcast? To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. | |||
| 03 Nov 2014 | Career Q&A: How To Keep Your Resume Out of The Trash Bin - And Make it Uber Relevant | 00:13:01 | |
This Episode's Question
What You'll Learn - How your email address can sabotage your application. - Why you should know what a Google search of your name looks like (and social media search) - even if you lead a squeaky clean life. - How you can use LinkedIn to add depth to your resume and to give you keyword goodness for recruitment searches. - Why Objectives sections are a waste of paper. - How to make a Summary section useful for a recruiter rather than a blah, blah, blah sleep inducer. - Provocative thoughts on why saying you're driven and self-motivated can be a turnoff to a recruiter or hiring manager. - What do do with jargon, acronyms, and "leftover" skills that keep making it through your resume versions over the years.
Tweetable of the Episode
Resource of the Episode
Subscribe to the Career Q&A Podcast
Related Episodes to Go Deeper on The Topic - Listen in on a discussion on networking, and how it will get you more jobs than a resume every day of the week | |||
| 02 Mar 2015 | Career Q&A: Major career switch - how to get someone to take a chance on you | 00:06:55 | |
This episode's question What you'll learn - How you can make a major career change (even into an entirely new field) without having to start over in an entry level position. - Ways that very small or very large companies can present great opportunities to switch departments or roles. - How to go get real life practice in the newly-desired role rather than simply studying it from an academic viewpoint and crossing your fingers that someone would take a chance on you. - Steps for building relationships with people who are already in the role: both your future colleagues and the leadership team. Resource of the episode Tweetable of the episode
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| 18 Aug 2024 | What to Expect When You Take The CliftonStrengths Assessment | 00:20:16 | |
About This Episode Are you getting ready to take the CliftonStrengths assessment? This episode is for you! Between the two of us (Lisa & Brea), we’ve facilitated tens of thousands of these bad boys. So, we share the ins and outs of ‘what to know before you go’ - CliftonStrengths edition.
In this episode, we answer questions like: “How long will it take?” “Is this a test?” “Will it put me in a box?” “Top 5, Full 34, Managers, and Leaders…oh my! How do I know which one is right for me?” …and plenty more!
As always, you’re in for lots of laughs, personal anecdotes, and practical tips. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s dive in!
Work With Us!
If you’re thinking about introducing your team, department, or organization to the CliftonStrengths assessment, BREA is ready to help you every step of the way. Don’t get tripped up in the details. From purchasing codes and distributing codes, to facilitating the assessment, collating reports, and leading a workshop to help you understand what it all means…she’ll take care of it all! Visit brearoper.com to schedule a call today!
To work with LISA, check out team workshops and retreats at the Lead Through Strengths site. For 1:1 strengths or life coaching, check out the Get Coached link. For independent coaches, trainers, and speakers, get business tools support with our Tools for Coaches membership.
Takeaways
The CliftonStrengths assessment is not a test with right or wrong answers. It's an opportunity to discover what makes you unique and special. By entering the assessment with an open mind and embracing your natural preferences, you can uncover your innate talents and strengths that can help you thrive in both your personal and professional life.
Rather than overthinking or trying to fit into a specific mold, trust your natural reactions and preferences. By tapping into your instinctual responses, you will uncover your greatest areas of potential - your natural talents!
After taking the assessment, many individuals are pleasantly surprised by how accurately it reflects their strengths and talents. The CliftonStrengths assessment can provide valuable insights into how you work best and what comes naturally to you. By leveraging these results, you can align your strengths with your goals, whether in the workplace or at home, and unlock your full potential for success.
Take Action ● Download the checklist for “How To Take the CliftonStrengths Assessment” at brearoper.com. ● Do it! Take the assessment! Click here to buy a code.
Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
AI-Generated Transcript Lisa
Brea And I'm Brea
Lisa And today's topic is taking the CliftonStrengths assessment.
Brea Woo-woo!
Lisa All the things to expect. Brea, do you want to start with just kind of going back and forth, almost lightning round style, where we share with people what to expect when they open this thing up?
Brea Totally. So first of all, it's not a test. This is not something that you can fail. This is not something that is graded, okay? So it's an assessment that is looking at what's good in you and there are no wrong answers. So I think first off, that's where I'd love to start is just enter into it knowing that there are no wrong answers. You can't do it wrong. There's no way to mess it up. Just go in and just be your lovely self.
Lisa Agreed. And if you are a strengths coach, or you are internal inside of corporate, and you're doing this with your team, and you think people might even find the word assessment scary, like, Ooh, there is a right answer. They're assessing my, whether I'm good. I also have had plenty of clients use the term survey, and it goes totally fine. So yes, call it what is going to make sense to the person taking it and not feel like an evaluation of good or bad.
Brea Yes. Love that, Lisa. Just don't use the word test ever. It's bad. Love. Don't do it.
Lisa Yeah. You're going to turn the team off and they're going to be like, I don't want to take a test. Thank you very much. No thanks.
Brea How do you recommend people start approaching this, Lisa?
Lisa Well, one of the most important things, in my opinion, is just to give people an idea of the time it will take so that they can carve out the right amount of time. I think asking people to be sure they have an uninterrupted 45 minutes. I know some people will say 30 minutes or something shorter, but I like to go for 45 because you might have people who take it a little bit slower, and they might read the opening screens a little more slowly. And that way you've covered it, like they block, then they're going to probably block off an hour. And that those are uninterrupted minutes, because you can't pause it. And If you let them tick by, they're going to be counted as neutral. Those answers are going to get thrown out. And Brea, what's going to happen if they get a bunch of neutrals?
Brea Well, if they get a bunch of neutrals, it's, I mean, they don't even show your results. You know, it's kind of nullified and void. So not only do you waste your money and you waste your code, but you've put all that time into it and you didn't even get what you were looking for. So, you know, it's hard because a lot of people like, well, it depends, you know, I don't know if I'm strongly like this or not strongly like this. It depends on the situation as much as you can try to err on one side or the other of that median. And that will help your results so much.
Lisa Yes. And like, if I think of an example, here's what it's like. It's a bunch of questions. Actually, there are 200 questions. So you can imagine, in 45 minutes or less, zipping through 200 questions. They only give you 20 seconds each. And And it's a this or that. It's like, do you like cats or dogs? Now, those are not actual questions. You're not going to be asked things like cats or dogs, but I'm just doing it so that you can see an example of how you might be like, well, yes. And yes, I love both of those. I have to be neutral because I can't pick a cat over a dog. Other people are going to be like, dogs clearly are winners. And then you're going to strongly agree with that. And there are a couple of notches that you can do the strongly agree. The main point that I want to get out there is in this this or that exercise 200 times, you might feel like yes and yes or no and no. And you might feel so strongly that I dislike them both equally. That's what the neutral is for. But it really would need to be absolutely equal. Try to give it a weighting. on one side or the other. And just go with instinct, not what you're supposed to say, not what your role calls for today in the job, not what it's like at home versus at work. Just at your natural preference or instinct, what is the answer? Go, and don't overthink it.
Brea Totally. And I think if you get stuck, a good way to approach it is to think about when you were a kid, how might you have answered the question? Maybe not literally in your childhood, but the idea is it's not looking for skills. or knowledge or things that you've acquired as you've, you know, aged and grown and gone through life. These are natural patterns of thought, feeling and behavior. So when you're stressed, how might you, you know, if you're stressed in some way, you have to make a quick decision. What's your first instinctual, emotional reaction, don't answer as you think you should or as a good person or the right thing to do. How do you want to respond in that moment, in that situation? What feels most natural for you? And that's the right answer. That's the best answer.
Lisa Yeah, and I will add to that in the kind of team or corporate environment, every once in a while, people are like, well, I've done these before. And you know, I did, I did disk with my team back in the day. And if you were an S, then you were not the good group. And so people have had some experiences with something. I don't want to beat up disk because it can be really amazing if done well. But they've taken other assessments and they've had a bad experience. And when they do the workshop, as it unfolds, there becomes a good answer and a bad answer for that corporate culture or for that team. And that's really not ever something I've seen happen with strengths. So the thing is, if you do what Bria just said and you pick what naturally feels good to you. You pick your preference. There's not going to be a good answer or a bad answer. Every result that comes out is going to be something good that the team wants from you. So I love how the results show your success factors. And not good behavior, bad behavior. I have never seen teams demonize a theme or a group of these themes that come out. So I feel like you can rest easy knowing, no matter what your results are, they're going to show your easy buttons for success. they're not going to put you in a good crew or a bad crew. Not to mention, there are 34 potential talent themes that come out on the Strengths Report. So it's not like you can say, Well, No. 1, these 10 are great for our team. These 2 are not. There are just too many of them. So it is totally in your best interest to answer with your instinct.
Brea Totally. And just remember, what is all this for? Well, it's to discover what you naturally do best, how you naturally work or live as your best self. So to hide that because maybe you've learned to play smaller than you are or you've learned that people who have certain behaviors get ahead, you know, or whatever. If you're fitting yourself into those boxes, CliftonStrengths is your opportunity to just break down those walls and break down those barriers and really, really discover and celebrate what makes you unique and special. in a way that allows you to thrive. So one of the common objections that people have are hesitations to taking this assessment is I don't want to be put into a box. This really is as opposite of that as possible. This is breaking those boxes and it's saying you are one of a kind and we want you to be able to show up at work as your best self. So let's figure out what that is and then let's leverage it and use it for your success and for the success of the team.
Lisa Yes, well said. Oh, I think there are a couple more things that I would want to move back toward the beginning. Before they ever start answering the questions, there are two things that I just thought of they might want to know about. As we were talking about, Hey, it's timed, it's 20 seconds, give your instinct, be ready to zip through this uninterrupted time. If you are a person who says, oh my gosh, but all through university, I had an accommodation. I had the timer taken off all of my tests. This is an actual thing for me. You can call Gallup's help desk and get the timer taken off if you have a reason for accommodation. So that is a thing. Just wanted to make mention of that. And it does tell you that when you redeem your code, if you pay attention to the first couple of screens, And then the other thing is there are multiple languages. There are actually dozens of languages you can take the assessment in. So if English isn't your first language and you're more comfortable in another, that is available for you. And it's a question that some people want to know before they get into this thing.
Brea Yes. Great practical tips. That's why you're a pro, Lisa. I love that.
Lisa Thank you. Well, it takes away from instinct, right? Where you're like, wait, I'm translating in my head for the whole 20 seconds.
Brea Yes. And if you are planning to take it in your native language, there's no worry about how that affects the overall group. Your manager or your team leader or whoever will be able to see your results in English or in their primary language. So even if you take it in a different language, they'll be able to see your results in their native language.
Lisa Yeah. And I think depending on the type of assessment you take, so you can choose a top five report, which is the basic standard. You can take a full 34 report or get the full 34 report, I should say. Taking the assessment is the same no matter what. It's which report you've paid to see. So the top five is the standard basic. You can also do versions that are role specific. There's one called CliftonStrengths for Managers. There's one called CliftonStrengths for Leaders. And there's one called CliftonStrengths for Sales. And those are all Top 10 reports. They show a little bit more to you. And then there's a full 34, where you can see the stack rank of all of the 34 talent themes from 1 to 34. No matter what, Gallup knows your stack rank from top to bottom. And And then if you pay to unlock, you can see the greater amount. So I think that's nice to know, because you'll see in your own personal intensity order from top to bottom, it doesn't mean your strengths are at the top and your weaknesses are at the bottom. But it means you'll get your strongest through supporting through lesser. I think that's nice to know, because when you're when they're taking it, I experienced from my corporate clients, sometimes they're like, Well, is it going to show what I'm terrible at? And then I'm going to get exposed at work." No, it's going to show what your top easy buttons are. It's like a showing of your top success factors, which things should you lean on in order to most easily leverage what makes you great. And that's what this list of talents is showing.
Brea Yes. So this is so good, Lisa. I just want to reiterate and maybe clarify a little bit the difference between the assessment and the report. So this is such a great point that you're making. The assessment is the survey that you take, the 200 questions that you answer. There is only one CliftonStrengths assessment. It's put out by Gallup. There are no free versions of this. Anything else is an imitation. Gallup has one assessment. Everybody takes the same assessment. then you have the choice of which report you want. I think the full 34 is the best place to start. That's just my personal opinion because it shows you your full 34 profile, which there are 34 total talents. So like Lisa said, you get to see that full ranking, but you can choose to do just your top five. You can also choose to do a different report that's taking your results and describing it for your role as a manager, or for your role as a leader, or for your role as a salesperson. All the reports, all the results use the same data from the CliftonStrengths Assessment.
Lisa Yes, that is a great distinction. And also mentioning the free imitations and some of those things. That's great to know about. You also made me think about things that they say after taking the assessment. I don't know if you've heard of any kind of trend quips, but I have a couple that I hear people say over and over. And one of them is, I'll show up in a large workshop, and somebody grabs me beforehand, and they're like, Hey, Is this some sort of, like, try-to-catch-me-lying thing? Because it asked me the same question, surely, it was 10 times, and I thought that was so weird. Why does it keep asking me the same question? Am I lying? That's so funny. No, it's not any kind of lie-catching algorithm. Think about the this or that. Do you like dogs and cats example that I gave? But what about if you say, I don't know, I'm kind of neutral. I absolutely adore dogs and cats equally. I cannot decide. You click neutral. But then if it says, what about cats versus snakes? And you're like, oh, I love cats compared to snakes. Well, see, you didn't give cats the vote before, but now you gave cats a high vote. And so that's what it's doing. It's taking it and putting it next to something else. Because how else is it going to make a stack rank if it doesn't give you multiple scenarios with the same thing? You're not in a trap if it keeps asking you the same question. Do you have anything like that you have heard?
Brea I've never heard anybody say it quite like that. It's just making me giggle.
Lisa Yeah, this is good. There's one other one I've heard several times. People are like, how does it come up with those questions? It's funny because some people are like, yeah, it's just really transactional. It gives you just a bunch of preferences. And then other people are like, it's asking me about whether I'm sensitive or I like history movies or something and there they have a little bit of an interpretation memory of what the questions were. But again, it's just asking you questions that get to these themes of talent that reflect how you think or feel or act when you're at your natural best. Most of the questions from workplace standpoint don't surprise people but there are a couple in there where they're like whoa this is like deeper life stuff and I think that gets to the theme of just this is you as a whole person don't try to answer it as the work you and separate it and say well the home me would be like this and the work me would be like that because the truth is You are a person, and you might reveal more of yourself at home or work. But back to Bria's point about just, like, give your instinct answer. That is a key part of what to expect here.
Brea I love that. Yeah, I think what I hear most from people is just, wow, how did that know me so well? You know, like it totally nailed it. So not always, but most of the time people just love their results. Maybe that's just my positivity that remembers those comments more, but most of the time that's, you know, what I hear is like, wow, is this a crystal ball, you know?
Lisa Yes. Well, now I lead through positivity in my Top 5 as well. So maybe we're introducing a bias here. But I will say I, I know that I hear that often. And they'll say, Gosh, based on the questions, I'm so surprised at how it came to this and how it describes me. I've had people say, Whoa, this report, it has said the nicest things about me than anyone has ever said about me. And then I have a lot of people say, Wow, this really nailed me and brought some unique perspective into the way that I work or think that I've, I've never been able to put into words. And then we, of course, can put it into their career brand and team assignments and all kinds of useful things. But it is always a surprise to a good handful of people how those questions translated into the outcomes and the, the talent themes that come out in the report. So I love that you brought that up.
Brea I love that and I want to squeeze one more quick practical thing in. A lot of times people take this at work and then they're like, wow, can my spouse take this? Can my kids take this? Can I use this at home or can I take this to a more personal place? And the answer is yes and absolutely. If you're thinking about kids, Gallup recommends adults take this CliftonStrengths assessment, which is usually like juniors and seniors in high school. and up. So if you have little kids, this is not the assessment for them. Gallup does have another assessment for them, but 18 and up or, you know, a junior who is just maybe a little bit ahead, I think I've used it with some juniors and seniors. Beautiful.
Lisa Yeah. Great mention in that CliftonStrengths for Students. And what's the book? Strengths-Based Parenting that Gallup put out, where there are some codes that you could use with your whole family?
Brea Yeah, it's amazing. I think Strengths-Based Parenting actually includes two codes, one for the parent and one for the child, which is cool.
Lisa Exactly. Beautiful. OK, so if somebody wants to work with you, Bria, on any of the aforementioned CliftonStrengths. How would they go about working with you?
Brea Yeah, so my website is really the best place to connect with me. It's BriaRoper.com. That's B-R-E-A-R-O-P-E-R.com. And you can schedule a quick little chat. We'll meet each other and see if we're a good fit. And if not, no big deal. No pressure. What about you, Lisa?
Lisa Well, LeadThroughStrengths.com is where you can find the website. And in the context of the conversation today, I would point people to the link in the top navigation called Buy Codes. And that way, if you want to buy a code and you haven't yet, now you totally know what to expect and you will be ready to go. You can just grab one on your own and then pick up the phone and find yourself a coach from there. And that's a future episode that we'll cover. What do you do after you get this report? What could you do with coaching and what could you do with it on your own?
Brea Yes, I'm so excited for that conversation.
Lisa Amazing. All right. Well, with that, we are so happy that you're interested in your strengths and love that you now can have a greater view into how your strengths can act like your easy buttons for life.
Brea Awesome. Go live your strengths, people. Go take the assessment if you haven't already. Take it. Discover your strengths because you are awesome.
Lisa You are. Go do it as soon as possible.
Brea Right now, just go right now.
Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
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| 29 Apr 2018 | How Can Team Culture Be Shaped By Strengths? | 00:16:44 | |
In this episode, Mike Ganino joins Lisa to answer the question: How can team culture be shaped by strengths? Have You Downloaded Your Strengths Tools? One of the best ways leaders can build a strengths-based culture is to offer an appreciation of strengths in action. If you’ll notice what works, you’ll get more of what works because people can replicate what they’ve already done well. Get started by downloading this awesome tool that offers you 127 Easy Ways to Recognize Strengths on your team. How Can Team Culture Be Shaped By Strengths? 055-how-can-team-culture-be-shaped-by-strengths If It Is So Important For Managers To Build Culture, Why Can I Only Find Articles About Offering Stand Up Desks And Pinball Machines - Perks That Hr Offers? Ohhhhh, culture, we love to talk about it, write about it, read about it, and even watch the 2,000,000 videos on Youtube about it. We love to blame it, leverage it, and try to change it. We spend billions of dollars and a whole bunch of hours on employee engagement and culture improvement initiatives to try to improve it and yet we keep coming up empty. Is it really all about office fun slides, cold brew coffee on tap, and nap rooms? Do the rest of us have a chance at dipping into the power of culture without the budget of a tech giant who seems to print their own cash? If you're only managing a project, a team or a division in a bigger organization, do you have any chance of fixing things if the culture and the wider organization isn't promoting the kind of vibe you're looking for? Before I answer all of those questions, let's get clear on exactly what culture is and what it isn't. Does The Physical Environment Create Culture? So culture is not about the stated values written in the handbook or hanging on a wall somewhere. It's not about the mission that adorns the company website or the funky design of the open office floor plan. It's not even about how often you get together for happy hours. It isn't about making everyone happy all the time or being a pet-friendly workplace. Yeah, I get it. I love the idea of an office full of cuddly little Corgis as much as the next guy, but I know it won't help improve the business or the working conditions for the team. It's possible to have a great culture even when the perks are best in class. Yes, even when there aren't fancy modern Norwegian looking desks all around. Manufacturing plants and ships in the ocean and military bases can have great cultures. Sorry to break it to all those fun committees out there, but we don't need another group picnic to have a great culture. Now I'm not saying that all of those things aren't useful and aren't helpful. I mean, the point of them should be in getting people to connect with each other. So if you are one of these fun committee folks out there, don't despair — but I do want you to change your objectives a little bit. Instead of getting people to sign up to go have fun together outside of work, make sure that the events are helping people build relationships — helping them connect with people they don't normally talk to — because if we all go to happy hour and we all just talk to the normal people we talk to, it isn't improving your culture. So if you are doing fun stuff, make sure you're getting the best out of it by making sure that you're encouraging people to talk to people they don't normally interact with. Culture = The Existing Beliefs On The Team OK, back to the topic at hand. See, culture is actually the collection of beliefs on your team and don't worry, I'm not going to go all hippy dippy here and ask you to start meditating or saying namaste day to each other. But culture is still the beliefs that your team has about what it's like to work there. The beliefs they about leadership, about what matters. It's the beliefs about how they act, how they work, how they build relationships. Those shape the way we treat each other. If I were to meet you and I thought, hey, this is someone pretty awesome. If my belief about you was that you were a good person and I thought I wanted to get to know you, I would act a certain way. If my belief about you was that you were out to get me or that you were somebody who was ... you know, not so fun to be around, then I would treat you a different way. To Get More Practical, Think Of The Beliefs As Stories Or Examples That Get Passed Around I like to think of those beliefs as stories. The stories we tell at work, the stories we tell ourselves (and sometimes we tell each other at work) are our beliefs. They impact the way we choose to act, the way we choose to work and the relationships we commit to at work. The stories that we tell each other become the culture of the company. Every company has stories that are unspoken expectations about things like:
That becomes your culture. The stories your employees tell is where your culture lives. Think of what they say. What is their story about their first day at work or their first week? What are their beliefs about performance reviews? What are their beliefs about speaking up in meetings and contributing their best ideas to projects? Do you know what they're telling each other? Do you know what you're telling your new hires or even what they’re telling themselves? Because all of those things are being played out. When it comes time to sit down in a meeting and contribute, when it comes to showing up for a performance conversation and saying, "I'm invested in this because this is about making me better." All of those stories are ultimately what shape and drive your culture. Now, I'm not saying that you need to just basically go and create a whole new world of storytelling at work. There are a lot of storytelling folks out there who focus on brand and marketing storytelling, which is really about controlling the narrative. No, no. Is It Effective To Try To Guide Or Control The Stories That Get Passed Around? I'm not telling you to control your culture or control your narrative. In fact, I don't think you can. What I'm saying is, as a leader, as a manager, as somebody who wants to make a difference, you have the power and the ability to fuel a different kind of story, and when you fuel that different kind of story, you create a different set of beliefs which creates a different set of actions from your team and those sorts of actions. You probably guessed it. Those create your culture. The way we decide how to show up every day is the culture and some of that is based on how we see leaders responding. A lot of it is based on what the expectations are every day. So what do you do if you're a leader and you say, "Hey, I want to start thinking about culture in a different way. But we can't get the insurance to do a slip and slide through the grass in the grassy area outside of the office.” Well, you don't need to do any of that and in fact I wouldn't recommend it. It sounds weird and creepy, but what you can do is start to source the stories that your team is telling. How often do you ask and listen to and document what's really going on with them outside of an annual employee engagement survey? How often do you look for the common variables and the stories they tell? Are you collecting long form survey data more than just a score on a piece of paper? Are you asking questions like, "What do you believe leadership cares about here? What do you think matters most? Or how do you think people get ahead in this organization?" Uncover The Stories That Highlight What You Already Do Well As A Team You can use the stories that you hear to start to uncover common trends in your culture. Then I've got a maybe not so surprising thing for you — you'll start to recognize the strengths from your team. You'll start to see what your culture is strong at. You'll start to see what your leaders are strong at and I'd imagine that those start to look like things that you would have found in a StrengthsFinder assessment. You'll start to see ideas and words resonating. If your team is all about taking action, you're going to notice that your team is all about moving forward and not stopping to consider lots of options. You're going to see that and you're going to recognize that as one of the strengths that people have. What's interesting is that you can also use those to start to develop a clearer story for your culture. Once you understand what the strengths of your team and the strengths of your culture are, then you can start to get specific about telling more stories like that. You can start to use that in the way that you interview people and the way that you talk to people. Leveraging your strengths gives you a really interesting opportunity to create a new kind of culture. So let's go back to culture for just a minute. If You Work For A Large Company, Create A Culture Pocket When you think about culture, a lot of times what happens is that we think of this big, big culture of the entire organization. That might be true if you're working for a small company where there's only 20 of you. Then yes, the culture of the team is probably the culture of the company and I would argue that the culture of a 20-employee team probably matches up pretty closely with how the leader believes and the stories the leader creates. As a company gets bigger and bigger and you start to go into national and global territory with the hundreds or thousands of employees. You start to see that cultures gets pocketed almost. There's a chapter in the book where I talk about cultural pockets and I show how even in a huge organization there are all of these little cultures that exist. You have the ability to create a culture pocket for the way that your team interacts. You don't have to worry about having perks and happy hours and food trucks outside of your office every day in order to get top talent and be known as a great place to work. You know, Lisa always says that differences are differentiators and I can't agree more when it comes to culture. Notice What Already Works - What Already Attracts People To Your Team If you start to use the stories and the strengths of your team, you'll start to see the differences on your team. You know, Apple is a very different place to work than Google. Both are interesting companies creating cool new products and services, but it feels very different to work there. They both have cool offices and perks and benefits, but it feels different to work there. The digital component of Disney feels very different than working at Netflix. Why? Because of culture. At the end of the day, the three weeks of vacation, the ping pong tables, the catered lunches — those don't necessarily drive the experience with each other. These perks don't change the relationships or the stories that we have about our coworkers, our manager, or the work we do. These perks are easy to copy and if all that it took to build a great culture was having the perks, then everyone could do it. By leveraging your strengths to tell new kinds of stories about your team and the way you work, you can start to find the thread of your culture and then you can leverage it, communicate it and double down on it so that you can get the kind of people on your team who can help it grow. Whether you're a team of 10 or you're a company of thousands, leveraging those parts of your strengths to create new stories will drive your culture. Don’t Worry - You Don’t Have To Create A Circus Of Entertainment At The Office Look, you don't have to treat people like preschoolers who need to be tickled, entertained, and fed every hour to have a great culture. It's about diving in, listening to the stories, promoting those stories, and creating new ones. As a leader, your job is to create the culture on your team that creates the kinds of stories based on the strengths of your team and the group. So go out there and start thinking about culture in a new way. You don't need 5 tips, 7 Hacks, 9 habits — you don't need any of that. What you need to do is start listening to the stories and changing the way your team works. Get More Culture Learning From Mike
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| 15 Nov 2020 | What Is StrengthsFinder Training? Can It Kickstart Productivity At Work? | 00:04:12 | |
What Is StrengthsFinder Training Like? Get A Glimpse Of The Lead Through Strengths Style. So, what is StrengthsFinder training really all about? What will we talk about? What makes the training any different from other strengths courses around? Can we do this for a team building event? Is this like DiSC or MBTi? Does it even work in a virtual environment? These may be some of the questions that you are contemplating before joining a strengths training. Well, this podcast episode is the preview you need if you're exploring your options, or if you're looking for the learning event that can truly help you (or your team) to harness your natural strengths. Here’s Lisa’s interview with Sara Regan as they reveal how fun and career-changing it can be - even if it's only a one-time StrengthsFinder kickoff event. Lisa: Hello, hello, everyone! I'm Lisa Cummings from Lead Through Strengths. I'm so excited today to be joined by Sara Regan, one of our facilitators from Lead Through Strengths, and I'm psyched to bring you some new fresh thinking and tips on applying your strengths at work. As you go into an event you might have this big picture, hope of: “What can we do as a team?” “What is possible for us to become?” And the world feels opened up to all these new possibilities. And at the same time people say, “Okay, if you're going to do a half-day event (or 2-hour virtual training) to kickoff strengths, what can we really expect as takeaways? Because we're not going to change everything about every conversation we have in the future. It can't change the whole of how we act from a couple of hours together at an event.” So, Sara, give us the idea of:
What Can I Expect From StrengthsFinder Training?Sara: First thing that comes to my mind is that it's fun. There is a powerful learning that comes out of this, but it's like getting kids to eat their vegetables but putting them in brownies. It's just, there's a way that it's baked in to the experientials and the interactions that people are laughing. There isn't a time that I'm working with a group where they aren’t just having a good time. At an in-person event, people are up and they're moving. Whether it's virtual or in-person, I really try to make sure that there's a little bit of something for every different kind of learning style. Some people want to it to be engaging, and some people want that one-on-one, deeper conversation. Other times, people just wish everybody would stop talking for a minute so they could put their thoughts together and do a little writing. So there's some variety in there, but I would say, people are going to find it to be engaging and fun. What Is StrengthsFinder Training Capable Of?Sara: For the learning takeaways, I think, for the half-day, what I try to promise and deliver on is, you will walk out and that you will know and love your own themes. There occasionally be a time when somebody's still struggling and that's when I say, just be in touch with me, or listen to this podcast or talk to this person. But I want them to know their top 5 for sure, and to love them, and to also have a sense of knowing that there is value in the difference, and to be set up to have conversations that are even more so aligned with their work. Some of that within the context of the facilitated workshop, but that there's a plan for what comes next. And so, that helps people grow in their understanding. I think oftentimes at the end of the workshop, they’ll say, “That was great!” “I love this stuff!” But what are we actually supposed to do? What is StrengthsFinder training to us...after the event? So I love our activation program that follows so that people have the tools to carry it forward, and that it makes me feel confident that we can deliver more than we can just get in that kickoff training. But the first session has to be about getting people excited, getting people brought in understanding their themes, and having an awareness of how to apply it at work. So one of the things that we'll also do is make sure that there's an application piece so it's not just an interesting get-to-know-you exercise. Even though it is, it was always meant to drive performance. So some of the activities and experiences that we'll do will be having people think very consciously about what's a challenge, what's an obstacle, what drives me crazy at work, and applying strengths to that so that they walk away with a tool, a new tool perhaps that they have thought about. Lisa: You gave us so many useful ideas and examples about how to apply your strengths. Now if this made you say, “Oh my gosh, I totally need Sara at my event to kick off strengths with my team, do this: when you come to our website at leadthroughstrengths.com/contact, fill out that form and simply request Sara for that event. If you want to get to know Sara's style a bit more, you can see several interview-based episodes in this Sara-Playlist. The video of this article is in the episode: "What Is StrengthsFinder Training?" Still Curious About StrengthsFinder Training? Here Are More Supporting ResourcesOf course, this interview was a quick dip into the question: "What is StrengthsFinder training?" If you want more details, like course descriptions, and options for delivery, be sure to look at our training page. It will outline self-paced, live-virtual, and in-person options. We even have you covered if you're a single person (not with a team) who wants to develop individual career goals. Our Public Sessions are perfect for people who want to grab a single seat at a time. So you may be convinced at this point to know your top strengths through a StrengthsFinder training, but if you would like to know how you can sustain its value, listen as Lisa chats with Murray Guest on How To Embed Strengths In Your Company After StrengthsFinder Training. Or you may listen to Jason Treu’s pointers on how to Build Extraordinary Relationships Through Your Strengths. These are just some of the ways you can take practical action as you start to know your strengths through the CliftonStrengths Assessment. Finally, one of the questions that might also come up is: Is StrengthsFinder A Personality Test? This earlier podcast by Lisa confirms Sara’s earlier statement that StrengthsFinder is a performance-based tool, not a personality test. Click on it to see how it's different from DiSC, Meyers-Briggs, and other assessments based on the 5-Factor Model. | |||
| 04 Aug 2019 | Career Branding When Consistency Is Your Strength | 00:11:16 | |
I hear a lot of reflections about how to apply your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Consistency to your career. In this series, I break down one strength per post — so that you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make an even stronger alignment between your current job and your strengths. - If you’re exploring this concept as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. - If you’re exploring this concept for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. You’ll get three layers to chew on: 1. Career Branding Career Branding When Consistency Is Your StrengthYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. Think about your personal resume, CV, or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it's full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing is usually "the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. Chances are good that you are a lot like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t physically see your teammates and customers every day. So many of us work on remote teams. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting - to see who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. So here are a bunch of Consistency-related adjectives to consider using in your career branding efforts and your LinkedIn profile:
Red Flag Situations For ConsistencyThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that might feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Consistency. They could even make you want to quit the team if they get really bad. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might become detached or disengaged at work. Here are two Red flags for Consistency:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for ConsistencyThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Consistency at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re exploring this concept as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Consistency, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
Here's Your Personal Branding Homework
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| 09 Aug 2020 | How To Start Living Your Best Life By Tapping Into Your Strengths | 00:11:31 | |
To Live Your Best Life, Know Your Intention And Be Clear With What You WantLisa: What about the conflicts you have in your head as well, so they're not just with others? You know, you fight your own things that you wish you would do, maybe when you're not aligned with the personal leadership you want to demonstrate, or the life you say you want to live, but then you think — I have big bills, or I have practical things, or I need to get this deliverable done. So I'm just going to work 14 hours a day, just as an interval, I'm just gonna do it for a couple of weeks. But then it becomes your life. So when you battle, that sort of thing, you're facing burnout, and really, you're battling you and the baggage that you bring with you roll after roll after roll, it's the same stuff. What do you do to get inside of your head and let your strengths out in those situations? Strother: It's back to that planning piece. Again, knowing the intention and being super clear. I think a lot of the times we have these visions of what we want our job to be like or our life to be like, but we're not crystal clear. It's a hazy, blurry... something like that. And we hesitate to be very specific because life is dynamic and things change all the time. What if you suddenly have a kid? OR, What if there's a giant divorce? OR, What if there's something that changes? So we don't want to put something down. We don't want to plant a flag in the ground and say, that's where I'm going. Because it could change. It's actually really valuable to plant flags, even if you're going to uproot them later and move the goalposts because it gives you something to go towards. It gives you a filter. I love the metaphor of filters in our lives. And again, from a non-emotional place putting these filters in so anytime you have a choice to make, anytime you run into a problem where you keep doing the same thing, you pour it into the top and you let it run through all the filters. It has to meet this requirement. It'd be really nice if it met this requirement. This is the very specific thing that I definitely want to go towards. And once you let everything sort of filter through you go — “Does this serve it or not?” And hopefully those filters will be able to knock out any behaviors that aren't serving that longer goal or that larger goal. But if you're unclear in where you want to go, then every time you make a new decision has to be a completely new process. So being really clear what you want and where you're going helps you when those types of conflicts come up. Got Goals That Are At Odds With Each Other? Renegotiate Rules And Discover New OptionsLisa: So now if I get really tough with it, here's a situation that this is the kind of thing that people come up to me after the event. And I'm sure they do this to you too. Strother: Yeah, I love it. But... Lisa: Like, “Yeah, okay, I have a clear vision of the ideal life. Here's that flag you told me about it. And I think I know what that flag is. I want to have this role. And in five years, I think I could have that role. I could get the promotion. I could go start that company. I could do that thing. Let's say it's a specific promotion, specific role they want. And they believe that in order to get it, it also requires a certain level of workaholism or some other things that would then go against maybe a family value that they say they have as well. And these two things seem at odds with each other and they're like, “I want this but I don't want to leave behind my family or these other things?” How do I figure out how to prioritize or what to do with that when my goals almost seem at odds with each other? Strother: No, I feel like it's the real question because that's the hard piece. It's so wonderful in the sort of concept where we're like — “Oh, we'll just leverage your strengths and everything's just gonna shake out great.” But then you bought up against that. And I think that the first piece in unpacking that is, one of the phrases that I use all the time is — “Have you set up an unwinnable game for yourself?” And I think that helps people see, like, if you're saying, “Well, this is the outcome that I desire, and also this, this and this are in place…” Well, you've set up an unwinnable game, there's no-win scenario for you in this because you're already setting up. I will be unhappy in some areas, whether it's usually the workaholic side of things. I'll just spend tons and tons of time here and fall on that sword. And I think that when you've set up an unwinnable game, it's time to just renegotiate the rules of it. And I think when you have it, the challenge here is that —. this is the thing I hate about personal development, I bet you've found this too — personal development always kind of defaults back to that feeling of like, “Be big, but not too big, small, but not too small. Do this…” But it's never a clear “this is how this works every time.” And we all want that. We want that clarity. But when it comes to this type of piece, when you're in that unwinnable game, oftentimes you have that clear picture, you also have preordained the path, and you have a hard time letting go of what you see as the way to get there. And there may be all sorts of different offshoots. And if you do have these tension points, there's both the ability to triage like, “Is one slightly more important?” “Is there a lean here that I can lean into so I won’t default to this most of the time” “And if not, how can I restructure the entirety of the concept of what I'm doing to make it work? What would I need to do to do that?” “Does that mean I have to change an hourly rate? Do I need to get a new skill? Do I need to pick up something, bring in some type of support structure, someone who takes care of the house while I'm doing this thing?” There are always options. And a lot of times they feel like they're inaccessible for one reason or another. But it's usually because we're holding on too tightly to the first vision of how it should go. And anytime you, or I was….. the phrase I love is, “should-ing all over yourself.” Like if you feel like you should do something that's a red flag for me as a coach to look and be like, “So why should you do that? What's going on there?” And there's usually a way that you haven't thought of that you can pivot and try something new. The ‘This Or That’ Dilemma Vs. Embracing Life’s Gray AreasLisa: Yeah, there's another thing that you do as a coach that I think is so good, which is about making things mutually exclusive — where if I've already decided that if I want this path, it has to be like this. And if I have this, I can't have that. And then you lock yourself into it's “this or that,” right? And there's I don't know why humans do this, but we're so drawn to “this or that” kind of thinking and you are so good at catching people on that. This is not mutually exclusive, of that. They could actually live... Strother: ….exist together. Yeah,. We live in that... we crave... let's back to that. Don't tell me “do a little bit of this and a little bit of that.” We want a clear boundary. We live in a binary mindset. And it's really actually difficult for us to move into that shades of gray, because our brains naturally crave, “Well, pick one!” “Which one?” “That one.” And then the tension ramps up and we get emotional about them. We're like - “That one!” It's like “you have to turn this off!” And so I think that, the more you can just acknowledge the duality of the world, and that things are constantly, a friend of mine did say that he was talking to me, he said: “Life is just so dynamic.” And I'd never….. It was almost a sad… He was like, “He’s just so dynamic right now.” And I was like — Lisa: “That should be good!” Strother: I was like, “that's a brilliant way to put that though.” Like when life is challenging and things are unclear and there is all of this gray area in your life. It's just your life is being really dynamic right now. And that's sometimes hard to be with, but it also usually has the highest payoff, is that you can live in that dynamic place for a little while. You usually create some type of result that's so much better than “this or that." Which would you like? You're going to get something that encompasses all of your wants and all of your desires and all of your intentions, as opposed to... “Well, I pick that one. That one is good.” Your Best Life Starts Where You Align With The Best Version Of YourselfLisa: This is one of my favorite things that Strother brings to coaching to StrengthsFinder events. He is always catching people in a moment where they get into “this or that” mode, where, if this then not that, and we get into this mutually exclusive kind of thing in our head, and we do it around lots of scenarios. “Oh, if I pick this role, well, I'm not living that passion.” Or, “If I change course this way, that I'm not going to have that thing.” And we try to narrow it down and simplify it so much that we actually get stuck very often. And Strother is so good at helping people become unstuck and helping people see that you can take small steps in many directions, to really feel like you are aligned with the best version of you and those small actions over time add up and add up and add up. And one day you look up. If you're setting the intention to do this over time, and you notice a year later, “Wow, I feel really good. I'm living a good life.” Want To Further These Conversations? Consider Strother To Your Strengths EventsSo, just to give another shout out to Strother for doing this episode, I really appreciate you Strother if you're listening, that you bring this conversation to me, to our clients, and to the concept of StrengthsFinder, because it really is one where people wrap themselves around the axle about it. So if you are a listener, who has been in that mode with yourself where you're like, “Oh, I don't really know what my passion is,” or “I made the wrong choice when I started my career,” give yourself some grace. Apply some of the things that Strother mentioned in this episode about stepping into who you are in those smaller ways. With that, thanks for listening to Lead Through Strengths. If you've been adoring these concepts that Strother has been bringing to you, feel free to request him when you do your training events with us whether that's an in-person event or a virtual event, depending on the time that you're listening to this, Strother does them all. And with that, we have two more episodes where he is my guest. And the next go-round, we're talking about how to figure out how to talk to your manager and the team around you when you need some things from them or from your environment so that you can show up at your best but you don't want to sound like a brat who is needy and entitled. So we will see you over there in the next episode. Bye for now. More On Letting Your Natural Talents Lead You To Your Best LifeThe next time you catch yourself in the “this or that” predicament, remember you can always dial up your strengths to get you unstuck. If you lead through Adaptability and Arranger, most likely you can easily adjust to detours and unexpected changes around you because you thrive in a dynamic environment. As simple as tuning in to your top 5 talents can direct you to meaningful life choices. You’ll definitely pick up some gems from Lisa’s conversation with Scott Barlow, where he guides listeners who find themselves asking that familiar question: should I stay or go now? Learn why your best life is worth the risks, as long as they are aligned with your dreams. As a plus, you can get his eBook on What Career Fits You for free. | |||
| 23 Jun 2019 | Career Branding When Developer Is Your Strength | 00:12:42 | |
I hear a lot of curiosity about how to apply your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Developer to your career. In this series, I break down one strength per post — so that you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make an even stronger alignment between your current job and your strengths. - If you’re exploring this concept as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. - If you’re exploring this concept for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. You’ll get three layers to chew on: 1. Career Branding Career Branding When Developer Is Your StrengthYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. Think about your personal resume, CV, or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it's full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing is usually "the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. Chances are good that you are a lot like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t physically see your teammates and customers every day. So many of us work on remote teams. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting - to see who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. So here are a bunch of Developer-related adjectives to consider using in your career branding efforts and your LinkedIn profile:
Red Flag Situations For DeveloperThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that might feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Developer. They could even make you want to quit the team if they get really bad. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might become detached or disengaged at work. Here are two Red flags for Developer:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for DeveloperThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Developer at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re exploring this concept as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Developer, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
Here's Your Personal Branding Homework
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| 23 Feb 2020 | Core Concept #1: Skills, Experiences, And Talents (S.E.T.) For Strong Teams | 00:09:00 | |
In this episode, we start joining important puzzle pieces together to make your team a genuinely strengths-powered one. When we zero in on the nuts and bolts that make strengths work, we develop the kind of perspective that can build and rebuild teams as often as necessary -- no matter what changes or challenges arise in your work environment. Once you’ve mastered these core concepts, you will have won over the most unconsidered elements in implementing strengths at work. Ready to set sail towards your shared goals as a stronger team? Since you’re here, I take it to mean you’re all set! Let The Total You Shine When it comes to career branding, people usually think showcasing their skills and experiences is enough. For the longest time, it's what we have seen others do: fill resumes and LinkedIn profiles the skills they've acquired along the way. If that’s not enough, then what’s missing? Oh, it’s just what we already have all along: talent! StrengthsFinder views natural talent as the way we do things driven by the inherent way we think, feel, and act. When we add that to our list of skills and experiences, we are able to establish a more solid character behind our career brand. Yet how often do we really come across natural talents in LinkedIn profiles, resumes, and CVs? Rarely. Now that we've found what completes our branding equation, it’s about time we don’t leave talent out. For example, if you have Deliberative/Intellection talents, you can present them in your career branding effort as:
Your Challenge: Shift From 1D To 3D Career branding without talents is merely a one- or two-dimensional view of yourself. To not showcase them is to deprive others the best of what you can give easily and naturally. Imagine how sturdier and more powerful your career branding would be if it’s standing not just on two but three solid legs. You have your skills, your experiences, and your talents. Now that sounds like a total package! Once you start adding in your arsenal of talents, you can expect to get a better match for this newfound well-rounded version of you. Your Team’s Game Plan As you determine your team’s pool of strengths today, it’s important that you get a 3D view of each other. The key is that you're willing to put out a 3D view of yourself. This means going through the following steps: 1. Think about your career brand vis-à-vis: how you're known currently and how you want to be known or remembered in the future 2. Think about how to communicate to your team--your process of working through your natural talents. 3. Mine natural talents and look for them from your teammates so you can…
The 'Aspirational You' Impact At Stronger Teams, we explore “Aspirational You" -- the things you want to be known for or remembered by other people. It resides in the “T” zone of S.E.T. This is an important step in career branding efforts and in your team's game plan. As a quick reminder, so that you don't have to scroll up to peek, S.E.T. stands for Skills, Experiences, and Talents. If a 1D or 2D view has brought some positive effects on your career, imagine how much more the inclusion of “Aspirational You” would do for your brand! Imagine how much influence it would have on your team as you implement strengths altogether. Digging Into 'Aspirational You' Stronger Teams brings “Aspirational You” essentials to the surface through training for teams and individuals. Here are examples of sets of words that the participants thought up as the aspirational representation of themselves.
Of course, these examples are merely a guide on how you can come up with your own “Aspirational You” version. Think well of how you want to be remembered as you move on from one role or career to another, and then find the right descriptive words that best capture you. While you may be straightforward with your team, you may soften the words a bit by turning them into meaningful sentences. See how you can be creative and impactful as you share these words on your LinkedIn account’s About section. Examples:
Ready For The Next Concept? Up next: from the elusive T to the troublemaking “T’s.” Stay tuned!
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| 28 Apr 2019 | Career Branding When Futuristic Is Your Strength | 00:14:02 | |
I hear a lot of curiosity about how to apply your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Futuristic to your career. In this series, I break down one strength per post — so that you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make a better alignment between your job and your strengths. – If you’re exploring this concept as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. – If you’re exploring this concept for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. You’ll get three layers to chew on: 1. Career Branding Career Branding When Futuristic Is Your StrengthYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. Think about your personal resume, CV, or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it’s full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing is usually “the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. Chances are good that you are a lot like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t physically see your teammates and customers every day. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting – to see who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. So here are a bunch of Futuristic-related adjectives to consider using in your career branding efforts and your LinkedIn profile:
Red Flag Situations For FuturisticThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Futuristic. They might even make you want to quit the team. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might get the urge to quit the job or become detached and disengaged at work. Here are two Red flags for Futuristic:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for FuturisticThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Futuristic at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re exploring this concept as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Futuristic, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
Here’s Your Personal Branding Homework
Want To Do StrengthsFinder Training With Your Whole Team?If you’re thinking about doing a virtual or in-person event to kick off your strengths-based culture, head on over to our training page to see if our current offerings are a good fit for you. Until next time, thank you for being part of this powerful strengths movement that helps people unleash the awesomeness already inside them. | |||
| 08 Jan 2022 | Free CliftonStrengths Training | 00:04:29 | |
To stay up on the latest quarterly training events as they're posted, I recommend joining our email list here: https://leadthroughstrengths.com/challenge/ Or, if you want to register directly, you can find them at https://leadthroughstrengths.com/events/ | |||
| 03 Nov 2024 | Believe in Yourself | 00:27:38 | |
Using Strengths to Believe in Yourself From time to time, everyone struggles to believe in themselves. Especially when faced with challenges and changes in their lives. Too often, this doubt can lead to feelings of inadequacy, and hold us back from the growth we desire. That’s why we look to our talents: to identify and question limiting beliefs, so we can shift our mindset to take actionable steps toward our goals, no matter how unattainable they may seem. As always, this episode is packed with insights and practical tips to help you believe in yourself and take those next steps on your journey of development and growth. 🌟
Work With Us to Unlock Your Ability to Believe in Yourself BREA Roper If you need a Strengths Hype Girl, for yourself or your team, connect with Brea at brearoper.com. She’s ready to deliver an inspirational keynote, empowering training, or transformational workshop. If you’re looking for an expert guide to support your internal Strengths efforts, reach out today! LISA Cummings Strategic | Maximizer | Positivity | Individualization | Woo
To work with Lisa for 1:1 strengths or life coaching, check out the Get Coached link. For independent coaches, trainers, and speakers, get business tools support with our Tools for Coaches membership.
Takeaways on How to Believe in Yourself
Take Action so You Can Believe in Yourself ● Identify Your Beliefs: Reflect on the beliefs you hold about yourself, especially those that may be limiting. Are these beliefs true, or are they based on specific circumstances? ● Create Bridge Thoughts: Find an actionable step that feels more attainable than a complete identity shift. ● Practice Small Choices: Start making small, intentional choices that align with your desired identity. For example, instead of saying ‘I am alcohol free’, try ‘I choose water today’. ● Focus on Your Strengths: Leverage your unique talents to support your goals. Consider how your strengths can help you navigate challenges, reinforce your new beliefs about yourself, and make choices that support the aspirational you. ● Seek Support: If you're struggling to believe in yourself, consider working with a coach who can help you see your strengths and encourage you to take the next steps. #BelieveInYourself #PersonalDevelopment #Podcast #SelfBelief #Strengths #Coaching #GrowthMindset #Productivity #Leadership #PersonalDevelopment 🎧✨
Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
AI-Generated Transcript for the “Believe in Yourself” Episode Lisa:
Brea: And I'm Brea..
Lisa: And today's topic is believe in yourself.
Brea: Ooh. Believe in yourself. Believe in yourself. Tell me more.
Lisa: What does that mean? Oh, this has been a conversation I've been on recently with clients about how to believe in yourself, how to believe in possibilities when they don't feel attainable, how to believe that change can happen in your life when you haven't been feeling accountable or able to make a change despite Maybe taking some actions but not getting the results. So all of those things that surround belief.
Brea: Love it. Great. This sounds like a really interesting conversation. Where should we start?
Lisa: Well, I know we have all kinds of strengths angles we can take as well. What if we start with an example? This person has been a chronically late person. I know we're calling back to your Woo-monk who couldn't show up, right?
But this person is having trouble showing up to meetings on time. And it was never a problem because I'm just going to make this person a he. He never had trouble with it before because he worked in a work culture where it didn't matter. They always started meetings five minutes, ten minutes late. No one cared. Goes to a new job and is chronically late and it is not going over well.
Trying to identify with this thing this concept. I show up on time was Really making his mind explode. He's like I'm always late. I am an idol. I'm a hot mess I I'm not structured like that and he really resisted being that person but he also was coming to to realize he needs to believe something different about himself and show up differently and get different results or it's not going to go well in the career
Sometimes belief is “forced” and sometimes you want to believe in yourself because you want to believe you can continue to grow in a certain way but this one's feeling a little more Forced so to speak like oh, I better I better do this or else. I'm gonna have some trouble so Let's go there You're trying to believe in yourself, but you don't identify at all with this future you that you've established isn't it's important
Where do you start with people Brea?
Brea: Hmm Well, what it's making me think of is where do those beliefs come from? I think that's maybe where I would start is why do you believe what you believe? And is what you believe true? That's usually in coaching where I start is what is the truth here, right? And sometimes we look through the talents, you know, you know, I believe that I'm a late person because I am always late, you know, like, okay, so that And that's true, that I am always late.
Or do I feel like it's always? Is it just at this job, people are commenting on it, and I hear it a lot, but is the reality that I'm always late? Or is it just I have this meeting once a week, every week, and every time people remark on it, so I'm hearing it a lot, and it feels like always. I have lots of other things in my life that I'm not late to, so is the belief true? That's, I think, where I would start.
Lisa: And really getting down to dissecting it. I think for so many things, we consider it true, we think it's true, and then it's not. I love to get down to the facts with people. and it might be just really defining the circumstance. Like you said, that meeting.
Is it this one meeting, and that's the one that we're talking about, and you're late 50% of the time, and is this something that everyone would agree is factually accurate? You're late 50% of the time. So you could go down that path, but you could also go down the one that you said, which is like, I'm a late person. Is that true? Or do you just decide to act like a late person?
Brea: If even if it is true that you're consistently late to let's say that particular meeting, right, or a particular thing, you're always late to it. Is it because you are a late person, you know, where, or is it because there's something right before it that just always goes over and it's out of your control?
Is there a reason that you're late? more often than not, you know, and can you do anything to change that? You know, is it who you are as a person, your identity, or is it just a circumstance, you know?
Lisa: Yeah. And if it is a circumstance, what do you do to address the other one it's impacting if that's getting in the way of your results like yeah changing the one that is the thing that's happening before it if you identified that yeah there's this thing that runs over and that is what's going to happen okay if I have to deal with that circumstance how do I address that and continue to move on and then that part's pretty It's factual. It's simple. Most people skip over it.
I think it's really important that whole idea of getting down to the real results. What is actual fact? What what seems like truth? What is truth? And then when you get to what result do you want that you're not getting? This is for me the crux of it.
And I think people make things an identity problem like this one. I am a late person. You're making that you're taking it on like it's DNA that can't be changed. So maybe they can't go from I'm a late person to I show up on time. That feels too far. You need a bridge thought. So, okay, with this result you want to get, what are some thoughts you could have that feel like that person?
Let's just embody the belief, “I am a person who shows up on time.” What other things are true about you when you are a person who shows up on time? and they come up with a list. It might be things like, when I start meetings, I start them on time. I value people. I respect other people's times. I create buffer spaces in between my meetings because maybe the thing that keeps getting them is something as simple as, I have to go to the bathroom in between and this meeting ends and the next one begins and there are zero minutes in between.
It might just be a logistics problem. But really getting in the mindset of future you. If you're going to believe in yourself in the way that is like, I am this person, I show up on time. What actions do you take when you are a person who does show up on time? It's just a simple process, but you have to take the time to sit down and think through things.
· How do I behave when I'm a person who shows up on time? · What do I do for myself? · What do I do for my calendar? · How do I interact with people? · What does it look like to begin to shut a meeting down five minutes early, 10 minutes early, whatever it might take? · What kind of experiments do you need to run in the meantime?
Brea: Yeah, these are all so good. I think it is, it's really fascinating how we can, and we do often, I think, connect our identity, you know, who we are as a person to these types of things. It, that's not who you are. A late person or an on-time person is not your identity. But we have that self-talk all the time of, I am a blank or I'm not an on-time person, you know?
So again, I think that's where the language of CliftonStrengths can be so helpful because If you lead with adaptability, instead of saying, I'm a late person, you might say, when I meet people as I'm walking to the next meeting, I'm the kind of person that wants to engage with them. I honor them. I respect them. I delight in them. I am curious about them.
You know, whatever, whatever your talents bring, like. really settling into who you are instead of who you aren't and then figuring out how do I use that, how do I use the talents that I have to accomplish this outcome or this goal of showing up on time, right? That the outcome is difficult for me to do from a natural place. So how do I use who I am to help me get there, you know? Yes.
Lisa: Yeah that's such a beautiful tie to strengths the idea of who you are that you love and appreciate versus who you aren't. Now I started with one that was a little it almost feels like a logistics problem to solve so it seems a little bit simple. Now let's get into one that's a little complicated and wrapped up in a little, a little juicier way in someone's life.
So I was working with someone recently who is trying to live alcohol free. Okay, so now you're trying to identify with a phrase, I am alcohol free. You haven't had major problems. You're not an alcoholic. It hasn't gone to a rock bottom situation, but everything in your life feels intertwined in this. Every social situation, girlfriend mimosas, dinners, every time you go out anywhere, it feels like everything is centered around drinking.
And now you're the person who doesn't drink, and all these people have expectations of you. Because they've been around you for the last 15 years with a drink in your hand
Now you want to make a switch and you're like, okay, I see future me and I'm good with it I feel good in this body My body feels honored because I've been taking care of it and you can get into all these positive things about it But then you show up to your Sunday morning brunch that you've had for the last 15 years and people are like, “What's up with you…no fun zone?” Then what? How do you continue to believe in yourself and who you've decided you're going to be, who you're going to grow into?
Brea: Yeah, I think it all comes back to focusing on the good. What is your motivation? Why have you decided that you're not going to drink alcohol? And let that lead you. Be confident in that, you know?
Maybe for some people it might be helpful to not use the words, I am, but to say, I choose not to drink alcohol or to focus on the good or the positive and say, I choose to be alcohol free, right? I choose to only put healthy things in my body or I choose to, you know, whatever the case may be.
Maybe for some people who struggle with the future aspect of the future me, the aspirational, bring it to the present and just say, what am I doing right now, right? What am I choosing today in this moment? And remind yourself why, why you're choosing that. Maybe that could anchor you.
Lisa: I think that's good. That made me think if you combine the meeting person with the alcohol person, it made me think about those bridge thoughts where the person who couldn't get to meetings could really get to, I respect other people's time. That felt true. That felt easy. That felt like, okay, if I'm a person who respects other people's time, this is how I'll act.
And that's an easier guidepost at this point in the journey. And for this alcohol free person, it might be when you said I choose I was imagining this person saying, I choose water today. And that's it. I choose water. And that can feel more true for them, more grabbable for them in the moment.
Sometimes you can't leap all the way from one to the other without taking these backslides. And if you grab the bridge step, you can build the confidence. You can believe in yourself for the moment because you believe you can choose water the next time you have a choice.
Brea: I really like that bridge step. I think image is so powerful because you don't just jump from one side of the bridge to the other. It is a journey, you know, it's a series of steps. And to go from one side of the Grand Canyon to the other, I mean, that's a big leap. It's impossible for anyone. So to go from being someone who has drank, drunk alcohol?
What's the right word? I don't know. who has drunk alcohol, you know, especially in social situations, especially at this particular party that happens with these people. To go to the completely other side, yeah, that can feel so far and so unattainable.
So, to just take it one step at a time, I mean, that's how we make change in life is one choice at a time. And it reminds me of the CliftonStrengths the talent of belief. I think for people that lead with that talent, this comes so naturally because they have that, just that inner knowing, that inner belief, that inner grounding is ingrained in them so much that every decision just naturally flows from that.
Whereas other people, we have to maybe do some work to identify what those core principles are so that the decisions that we make, you know, aligned with that. We have to be more intentional about that.
Lisa: Yeah, totally. I think I see this with people who lead through responsibility. I have an example where my dad believes that Hawaiian rolls are poison because they're full of sugar and he will not buy them for my sister and her family because why would I buy them poison? That is responsibility.
Brea: Oh my gosh, that's so awesome. My dad loves Hawaiian rolls. Oh my gosh, love that.
Lisa: I mean, it's like dessert. So, you also, do you have, I think you leaked your self-assurance. How does that one show up with believing in yourself?
Brea: I always believe in myself. You know, I have the other problem of, yeah, believing too much sometimes. And I also have an internal belief that other people believe in me and that other people should believe in me. And that is something that as I've grown older and lived a little bit more life that I've realized not everyone believes in me the way that I believe in myself.
I believe in myself so strongly and I believe in others really strongly. I mean, hi, I'm the hype girl, you know, the strength type. Like I love believing in people and cheering them on and holding their hand or giving them the tools and resources they need to like take the next step. Like that's, that really is not just what I do, that's who I am. To realize that other people don't believe in me as much as I believe in myself, they may not believe in themselves as much as I believe in them. And that's been something that I've learned, you know, through the years. So that has been a challenge from a different, a different perspective, you know,
Lisa: And this makes so much sense. This is insider info for all the listeners. But when I first brought up this idea,
Brea: Oh, no. What did I just divulge?
Lisa: I mentioned the concept of believe in yourself? And you're like…mmmmm….you weren't feeling it. And this makes absolute sense.
Because you're like, well, self assurance. I just believe in myself. I'm hype girl. I believe in everyone else. What seems to be the problem? What is there to talk about?
Brea: Yeah, it's funny when you threw that out on Voxer. I was like, I just don't know that I have anything to add to that conversation. You know, like, I don't, I don't even know what I would say. And I guess I should never worry about that. I always have words to say.
Lisa: Thankfully, communication is in your lineup as well. So it's not a problem.
Brea: Yeah, it is interesting, though, how our talents, you know, really affect everything about us, how we approach everything comes back to what are the patterns that are naturally occurring in you? When we look at the definition of talent, Gallup defines that as patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior.
So how you think, which is where these beliefs come from, is how I think about things, how I believe, what I believe, how tightly or strongly I hold those beliefs, everything around this topic. We could talk for hours about it because it's so deep and rich. It all comes back to your talent.
Lisa: And probably depending on the thing you're trying to believe for yourself or about yourself or the future, it might create different issues with different talents. Like when you say, I choose water next time. What pops up for you as a, but what if this, Oh, and this person's going to say that, Oh, and then this is going to happen.
What are those obstacles that come up? Because they'll give you insight into the things that are going to foil your plan. But also they, they show you your patterns because if we have 65,000 thoughts a day, we don't know what all of them are. There's a lot of unconscious stuff going on.
If our strengths represent our thoughts, feelings, actions, these things that are just in us, this thought process about the obstacle, like, ooh, what pops up then? Ooh, where is the resistance? What is that resistance about? We can start to become a little more consciously aware of the thoughts that are in there that are going to get in the way of getting this new result.
Brea: Oh my gosh. Yes, this is so, so true. And the alcohol example is really a good one, Lisa, because it's relatable, I think, to a lot of people. Here's how I might respond. If you've listened to the podcast or you know me at all, you know that I love wine. Okay. So if I were to go to a party and just say, I'm not going to drink alcohol, I'm choosing water, we would wonder, what are people going to think?
And in my head I'm like, well, they could think I'm pregnant. They could think I'm, you know, they could think a million things. So if you want to make sure that they still like you and that you're still fun, maybe you drink a non-alcoholic Cocktail that looks like it could have alcohol in it and you just don't even talk about it, right?
If it's the perception that you're worried about, then make a choice that upholds that perception that you want people to you know, have a view or whatever and and move on and it doesn't have to be a big deal You know, if it's a different talent, how can you give it what it needs or what it wants, you know, while still honoring this new choice?
Lisa: I love that. I don't know what made command come to my head, but I was imagining all the strategies you just came up with for Wu. and then contrasting it with command. Now they might say, if someone asked me, who cares? And when they ask, I say, my relationship with wine is over. That's the whole story. And they lead through command and that's all they need to say. And they don't care what the other person thinks about it.
They took a totally different tact. But it was honoring their strength, their pattern, what they needed to feel really solid in their decision and living into their future self, really doing that thing. Believe in yourself. Believe in your choice because you aligned it to your strengths and it felt good. It felt natural. It felt grounded.
Brea: Yeah. And maybe you don't have an influencing talent at the top. Maybe you're leading with input or learner and you just read something about alcohol where you're like, this is the tipping point for me. I'm not going to do it anymore. Then lead with that. It doesn't have to be this big, like, I believe in myself or I don't believe in myself. It could just be, I just learned this thing about alcohol and I just decided I wanted to take a break, you know? Like, there you go.
Lisa: You lead through Analytical and you're like, look, I've been watching my Oura ring and the stats and when I drink, It tanks my sleep for the next three days and I've been watching the data and I decided I'm not going to do that to myself any longer and you led through data. It could be any strength could give you information about the way to step into a belief.
Brea: Yeah and the whole non-alcoholic cocktail option that looks like it could have alcohol in it, that might be your solution because of Other non influencing themes where you're like, I just want to hide in the background. I don't want anybody to like ask me about it So I'm just gonna drink something that doesn't bring attention. So I think that's the interesting thing about talents is Several different people can make the same choice can do the same thing for different reasons
Lisa: I can see the person with you leading through it all the way where they're like, and I could become the non-alcoholic bartender at this party and I could be like, I'm into nootropics, y'all. I brought all these ingredients. Check out this new thing I've got going on. Who wants one? And then you make it the exciting thing to try because that's what sounded fun to Wu that day. That's right. That's right.
Brea: Yeah. Yeah. The other thing that's coming up for me about this is the idea of change, especially in these epic proportions of changing how we perceive ourselves at an identity level, right? that chasm of the Grand Canyon inside of us of, how am I ever going to get to the other side? That feels very stressful.
When we encounter stressful, challenging situations like this that require not just one big, oh, I'm going to muster up my courage and jump, And then, ta-da, I'm like this whole new person. But it's a series of tough choices, right, that will get easier over time. But we have to continue to do the hard thing time and time again. when we're in stressful, challenging situations, our talents are going to kind of default to the raw state, to the maybe not as healthy, not as helpful state.
Keep that in mind as well. And I'm being a little bit vulnerable whenever I talk about my woo in this way because I'm actually not always worried about what people think about me. And in a moment where it's difficult, it's hard, it's new, or you have to make a decision quickly, or there's some kind of stress about it, our talents will often likely default into that place of before they became a strength, before we learned how to really be strong in that way.
If that happens to you, give yourself a little bit of grace. It's okay, you'll get through it. And be intentional going through this thought process of, you know, how can I lean into my talent to help me get the outcome that I desire? I think you just made it. Make that bridge stop.
Lisa: Yeah, you made it so relatable for listeners because You're talking about how to believe in yourself simultaneously while having self-assurance as a talent theme at the top that makes it easy for you to believe in yourself and woo that makes you care about what other people think enough that it might give some sway in there and it depends.
That is a beautiful way to describe the dynamics that happen in our lives and our brains as humans we make things complex and we have a lot of layers to us and it all depends it all depends okay now back to hype girl if someone wants to work with you Brea the hype girl because they need someone else to believe in them. They need to borrow your belief while they think through their own. Tell them about working with you.
Brea: Oh my gosh. Just the thought of being able to meet you, listener, when the negative self-talk gets in there or when your own beliefs in yourself are challenged, like that is not the truth. So if you want someone to speak truth and goodness and beauty over you and help you see what's awesome about you, that would be my privilege, my joy, my honor, truly. So come to the website, BreaRoper.com, and schedule a call. I will shower you with belief and give you all of my influencing talents so that you can take the very next step, no matter how hard it is.
Lisa: I know it. You do it naturally. Even in our friend conversations, you shower with this belief and this positivity and it's such a cool part of you.
Brea: Thanks, Lisa. You too. People should work with you. How can they do that?
Lisa: If you want some coaching from me on how to believe in yourself, come over to leadthroughstrengths.com and go to the Get Coached link and That's all you have to do.
Click on it, take action, and we will do it. We'll find the belief, we'll find the bridge thoughts, and we'll get you there. Love it. Okay, Brea, take us home. Between self-assurance and communication, I know you have a closing thought that will tidy all of this up.
Brea: To me, it all comes back to the theme that we continue to talk about episode from episode is when you know better, you feel better. And when you feel better, you do better. So if your goal is to become a better version of yourself, the more you choose to believe in yourself, the stronger you'll feel in that new you, and it'll be easier to live out that reality. So you can do it. Start with your talents. Lead from strength.
Lisa: Lead through your strengths.
Brea: I love it.
Lisa: Thank you, Brea.
Brea: Thank you, listeners. Thanks, Lisa.
Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
The Fine Print: This podcast is not sanctioned or endorsed by Gallup in any way. Opinions, views and interpretations of CliftonStrengths© are solely the beliefs of Lisa Cummings and Brea Roper.
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| 28 Jul 2024 | Your First Strengths Experience | 00:17:48 | |
To work with Lisa, head over to Lead Through Strengths To work with Brea, check out BreaRoper.com
ABOUT THIS EPISODE Lisa discusses how reading "First Break All the Rules" as a manager changed her perspective on her team members and led her to appreciate their unique strengths. Brea remembers how taking the assessment as a freshman in college provided her with language to articulate and appreciate her unique qualities that were often misunderstood or undervalued. The co-hosts emphasize the importance of understanding and valuing the strengths of others, even if they differ from our own. They encourage listeners to explore all 34 talent themes and appreciate the value each one brings. The episode concludes with the concept of strengths as "easy buttons" that can make work and life more enjoyable and productive when leveraged effectively.
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QUOTES "It's so difficult to change what you perceive as wrong with somebody, and so easy to leverage what is right." - Lisa “The assessment helped me value myself, and find people and opportunities and places that valued what I had to contribute." - Brea “You get what you focus on. If you focus on all the things people are not, or all the things you wish they could be, you're obsessing in the wrong area." - Lisa "Hard work doesn't have to feel hard. When we lead through our strengths, we get to use our easy buttons for more energy, happiness, and greater results." - Brea
AI-GENERATED TRANSCRIPT Hey, I am Lisa. And I'm Brea. And today's topic is...your very first strengths experience. Ooh, I love it. This is a great one, Lisa. Let's talk about ours. I think we could introduce our first experience with strengths and people could really relate to why it makes sense to bring strengths into an organization, to a team, or for their own self development. What? Two ladies that lead with communication telling stories? Come on. Who'da thunk it? For me, it was the year 2000. I was a manager for the first time and I read First Break All the Rules. It felt a little bit rebel. I found that book. I could, I was so overtaken by it. It was like, struck with the awesomeness. It resonated with everything I felt on the inside, but had never heard or read about in a business book and I brought it into my team. So I had all my direct reports do it and I did it. And it was so insightful for me because I had a couple of people on the team that. As you take your team on, whether you're a new manager or not, you often inherit a team. And so they're not necessarily built the way that you would have hired it. And they're not necessarily who you would have selected. In my case, that was good for me because what I realized after doing the assessment with the team was a couple of people who I thought were really high maintenance. I realized. Oh, they're really valuable and I have not been able to see their value because they don't act like me, they don't think like me, they don't get the job done like me. And I had been wishing for that. And what I perceived as slow or resistant to change. Or dragging their feet every time we would try to implement something after doing the strengths at the time it was called StrengthsFinder. Yeah. And after doing that with everyone, I realized the value that came from their perspective and I, it just opened my eyes so much to how I had really wanted everyone to just be a clone of me, even though I didn't consciously know that. And those who I thought were high maintenance suddenly could be the other part of my brain that I didn't have. And I needed that kind of value on the team and it, and I didn't have a facilitator. I didn't have budget for a workshop. I just led my own. Cut Q and a with the team and we spent a half a day talking about our results and how they affect our work and how we could use those to benefit each other and our customers. And it was absolutely career changing. So that was my first experience. It's what got me hooked. I used it with every team after that. And then eventually in 2015, started doing this full time, but it definitely changed everything about the way I thought. It changed all the rules. Is that what you're saying? Pretty much. Let us rewrite them and rethink them and realize it's not what you think. I love that your story makes me think I wonder how many managers, leaders are out there just like you were, and they're hiring for value or strengths or talent, or however you want to say it, they're hiring for it. Outside of their company, right? They're spending time and money and resources when. It might just be a perception issue. Maybe the value is already there in the people on their team and they're missing it. What an amazing gift that was for you to be able to not just change your perception, the way you feel about the people on your team, but also to be able to maximize what they're able to contribute. That's incredible. It's such a good placeholder for what happens in work. It's what happens in people's relationships. When you're coaching people one on one, you hear about their intimate relationships where they're focused on what the person is not. Yeah. Instead of who they are and what they appreciate about them. You get what you focus on. If you focus on all the things they're not, all the things that you wish they could be, you're obsessing in the wrong area. And if you could spend some time in appreciation, understanding what they do bring, where they are coming from. Even then I thought I assumed positive intent. I thought I had a good perspective on all of this. None of this was, a conscious effort to say, I want you to just be exactly like me, but it was still happening. And I think because we have that, Negative cognitive bias as humans. We're always looking for the outlier thing or the risk element. So you look at the thing you need to fix and it keeps you stuck in what is wrong instead of exposing what is right. And leveraging it because it's so easy to leverage what is right. And it's so difficult to change what you perceive as wrong with somebody. What you just described - it's absolutely - it's such a stand in for the perspective we have, some of these natural tendencies we have, and how powerful it is if you actually just consciously redirect your brain into what already works. About them, what already is amazing about them and how you can use that for benefit, for themselves and for you and for the team, for the world. It's so true. It is so true. And also it's so hard because we don't know what we don't know. And we can only. We can only see the perspective that we see until we have different language. And this actually connects really well with my story. I was on the other side certainly as an employee where I felt misunderstood. I felt undervalued. I felt like my manager, didn't understand me and I felt like I had more to contribute and no one that wanted what I had to give, no one valued me. But it actually started even before that just. As a teenager growing up in my house with parents who are fantastic and also very different than me. When I would talk back to my mom as a teenage girl, she heard it as talking back, as pushing back, as fighting. I just wanted to be heard. My high communication knew that what I was trying to share with her wasn't being understood. And so I would try to clarify and try to clarify and try to clarify. So her perspective and my perspective, there's a mismatch there. Yeah. I can just imagine as a communication, so you're so high in communication and you might be asking questions to clarify and understand and think it through. And she's taking that as, Hey, sassy pants, why don't you get back in your place as my child. I was grounded pretty much my entire life because of that, and if I had known if I had the emotional awareness or the language of this is a talent, it's called communication or it's called command or it's called, whatever. I could have approached that differently, but I didn't, and if she had the language, she could have approached it differently, but she didn't. And so I think whether it's in a personal situation or in, an employee professional situation, do we value ourselves? That's what I, I think. What I got when I first took the assessment, I was a freshman in college. My, my college paid for all incoming freshmen to take the assessment, get their top five. And I remember reading this piece of paper that described qualities in me that I knew were true. I have always known that I'm a precious little snowflake and love that about myself. Okay. Okay. But now I have this piece of paper, it says these things about me and the things that I had been punished for, disciplined for, now are being praised. Now this piece of paper says, these are good about you. And I'm like, I know. So I think that's what the assessment brought to me was it helped me to value myself and it gave me language to, to help me. Kind of refine that and and look for people and opportunities and places that valued what I had to contribute. Oh, that's so incredible. It's making me think of this time when I had a one on one coaching with a sales executive and it, his first strengths experience. He was like, Yeah. I think I'm near tears because no one's ever said anything this nice about me. And it was, he was reading the report. He's literally talking about what the report is saying about him. And I'm like, yeah it's your inputs just reflected back and how these things could be amazing for you. And somebody else. Actually now sees it, puts it in words, frames it up in a way that could be useful instead of these liabilities or overuses. It's so cool the way it's oriented to what you already know about yourself. You already knew you were awesome. You just needed the. Yeah. But isn't it amazing? And I've, I know that we're not the only two, everyone listening to this has their own story. Maybe someday we'll have a way that they can come and leave comments. Do you have a place like that on your website where people can share their stories with us? What I think would be fun is if people left it in the review, if you could be like, come tell us in your review, what your first strengths experience was, where did you get exposed? Where did you turn your mind on to the fact that you're listening to this episode? Because you're at least curious about what it could mean to think from a strengths lens. So yeah, come tell us in the review of the show. Yeah. I love that because also that will help other people find the podcast and maybe find strengths for the first time. So they can have their own first experience. So great suggestion. Exactly. A nice tie into first experience because they come around and they look at what people have written and say, Whoa, maybe I need to give this a shot. Yes. So big shout out to all the managers out there who are ready to break all the rules. Really encourage you to keep listening here. To learn how to apply strengths in your teams and at work every day. And also big shout out to all of those in higher education who are making this available to your students. I have such a heart for strengths, at the college university level, because it literally changed my life. And. Gosh, I just said the thing that I always get mad when I hear other people say it. The assessment didn't change my life. It helped me to change my life. There's no magic bullet out there. Let me just say that. But it is so powerful. So shout out to all the people doing all the good work. Absolutely. Yeah. And I like that because you're introducing that favorite things section and mine for short, just tied into this episode would be go read first break all the rules. If you never read that book, especially if you're a people manager, it is really an incredible thought that here we are 20 years later after I read the book, I still think we're just Back where we used to be in terms of break fixing all the time and only being in problem solving and perfectionist mode in the workplace. And we've come, a long way in many areas, but still it's not as far as I thought it would be. So reading that book and thinking about the rules and the narratives that are in your mind that you could. Reframe. I would definitely offer that as my favorite thing for this topic. What about you? Tool, app, technique, book, anything that strikes you? I think. I want to encourage people to spend some time looking at your number 34 to identify the value that it brings. If there, 34 or something that's at the bottom of your report, if there's something that consistently frustrates you that's what I was thinking when you were telling your story, Lisa. There are people. Who felt like wet blankets or people who would always say no to my ideas or, my positivity got hurt, like often came from what was at the bottom of my report. I couldn't understand what value they were bringing. I would encourage anyone listening to pick a talent theme that's at the bottom of your report and study it and learn talk to people who have that high, learn what the value that it brings and how it can specifically bring value to you, maybe in your work position or even just to the world so that you can appreciate it and be fascinated by it instead of being frustrated. Ooh, that's a really good one. So I know I put you on the spot, but. Talking about the assessment itself. What a perfect link to a first strengths experience. If you're a listener and you don't have your full 34, because so many people listen, they say, what there are 34. I only have five. Just go to lead through strengths.com and in the main menu, there's a link called Buy codes where you can buy codes. You could get an upgrade code if you haven't done CliftonStrengths yet with the full report. And then you can see that bottom that Brea is talking about. That is so insightful. I love looking at the bottom two and saying, who is someone I know that I really respect and love, and I just find. Absolutely adorable as a human who leads through this so that I can then transfer their intent onto other people, like maybe the person who's annoying you and say, but if they're coming from this other same place as this other person I love, why is it adorable over here? Cause it might just be used very maturely on the person you think is great. And then it helps you make that transfer so that you can also see the greatness in that person. And that person who happens to be annoying you that day. I love that. Especially when it's not, when the theme is not natural for you, it's not the way that you think, feel or behave at a, an easy button level, right? It's so hard to read about it. And fully grasp it, and love it. So making that a person, taking a real life person that you know and love. I love that. At least I think that's super super powerful. Yeah. It's a great suggestion. Thank you. So if someone wants to work with you, Brea, and do things like, Hey, I've got my 34. What do I do with this? Walk me through it. What do they do if they want to work with you? Yeah. It starts with just a quick little conversation. You can go to my website, which is Brearoper. com and click the button that says schedule a call and we'll hop on the call and talk about how we might be able to work together. Spell Brea for them just in case it's B R E A R O P E R. com fabulous. And if you want to work with me, Lisa, yeah, leadthroughstrengths. com specialize in team retreats and taking people through these first strengths kickoffs as a team. And then I also support coaches in launching their tools to be able to spread this to the world. With that. I think my closing thought on this is just realizing that this idea of strengths being an easy button for your life is such an incredible thing you can take away. You get your first strengths experience and you realize, Oh, I was making everything a little bit too hard. So that's my kind of closing visual is imagine it like having A top five or a top 10 set of easy buttons to help guide you through all the circumstances that pop up in your work and your love and your life. How about you? Hard work doesn't have to feel hard. When we lead through our strength, when we lead through our strengths, then we get to use our easy buttons for more energy, more happiness, and greater results. And you just heard it in action with Brea leading through communication command with the perfect like Hard work doesn't have to feel so hard. Strengths in action right there. So closed up with a bow. Can't wait to talk to you next time. See y'all later. | |||
| 08 Jul 2018 | Strengths Q1: Proudest Accomplishment | 00:02:56 | |
In this 12-week strengths implementation series, you get one conversation per week to help your team start each week with strengths. If you “did” StrengthsFinder with your team and you didn’t follow up after the initial conversation, this is a great way to make Strengths part of your work culture. Go to http://leadthroughstrengths.com/challenge to get the series emailed to you one week at a time. You’ll get the question and examples to make it sound real and practical. You’ll also get additional angles so that you can take the answers beyond the surface. If you’re a manager who wants to make culture-building part of everyone’s job, have each person on the team sign up for the email series. That way, it won’t rely on you doing the question-asking each week. You can get the team to share their answers after they receive the email. This series is usable even if you’ve never used CliftonStrengths. Although the questions work in excellent alignment with the StrengthsFinder 2.0 book, they also work with no assessment at all - just conversations about what already works on the team. | |||
| 06 Apr 2015 | Career Q&A: How do you ask someone to mentor you? And find a good fit? | 00:10:14 | |
What You'll Learn - A way of thinking about mentor "fit" that feels the same way you decide whether a friend fits your style. - 4 non-mentor relationships that can have mentor-like outcomes for you. - The secret sauce of a BBF. - Why offering to buy coffee could cost your mentor $3,000. - How asking to "pick your brain" could annoy a potential mentor. - Simple exchanges, requests, and relationship building "asks" that let you build a mentorship without asking them to move into your house during your first conversation. Tweetable of the Episode Resource of the Episode | |||
| 20 Jan 2019 | Career Branding When Input Is Your Strength | 00:08:54 | |
I get a whole lot of questions about how to amplify your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Input with your career. In this series, I break down one strength per post — so that you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make a better alignment between your job and your strengths. - If you’re exploring this concept as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. - If you’re exploring this concept for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. You’ll get three layers to chew on: 1. Career Branding 2. Red Flag Situations At Work 3. Fresh Application Ideas
Career Branding When Input Is Your StrengthYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. Think about your personal resume, CV, or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it's full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing is usually "the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. Chances are good that you are a lot like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t physically see your teammates and customers every day. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting - to see who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. So here are a bunch of Input-related adjectives to consider using in your career branding efforts and your LinkedIn profile:
Red Flag Situations For InputThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Input. They might even make you want to quit the team. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might get the urge to quit the job or become detached and disengaged at work. Here are two Red flags for Input:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for InputThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Input at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re exploring this concept as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Input, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
So there you have it. It’s a quick tour for building your career through the talent theme of Input. So, here’s your homework:
Rock Your Talents As A TeamIf you’re thinking about doing a virtual or in-person event to kick off your strengths-based culture, head on over to our training page to see if our current offerings are a good fit for you. Until next time, thank you for being part of this powerful strengths movement that helps people unleash the awesomeness already inside them. Enjoyed The Podcast?To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. | |||
| 18 Nov 2018 | Career Branding When Significance Is Your Strength | 00:08:10 | |
I get tons of questions about how to align your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Significance with your career. So in this series, I break down one strength per episode. That way, you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make a better match between your job and your strengths. – If you’re exploring as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. – If you’re exploring for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone.
Career Branding For SignificanceToday, the talent theme of the episode is Significance. You’ll get three layers to chew on:
You probably already have a reputation for what you know. If you imagine your resume or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it’s full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. Now, what’s missing in most of them is “the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. This is. an. overlooked. use. for tools like LinkedIn, which is not just for job seekers. I bet you are like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t physically see your teammates and customers every day. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding – it’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting. It’s their most efficient way to learn about who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. Here are a bunch of adjectives you can consider using in your career branding and your LinkedIn profile. People who lead through Significance are often:
Red Flag Situations For SignificanceThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Significance. They might even make you want to quit the team. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on the watch for — because if they fester, you might get the urge to quit the job or become detached at work. Here are two Red flags for Significance:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for SignificanceThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Significance at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re reading this as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Significance, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
So there you have it. It’s a quick tour for building your career through the talent theme of Significance. So, here’s your homework:
Rock Your Talents As A TeamIf you’re thinking about doing a virtual or in-person event to kick off your strengths-based culture, head on over to our training page to see if our current offerings are a good fit for you. Until next time, thank you for being part of this powerful strengths movement that helps people unleash the awesomeness already inside them. Enjoyed The Podcast?To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. | |||
| 21 Mar 2021 | Using Strengths For Sales Teams | 00:13:47 | |
Applying Strengths For Sales Teams Can Boost PerformanceIf you look over those moments where you closed a deal or knocked out a killer proposal, you were likely in the zone. That whole idea of "flow" or being in the zone - it's a clue to your greatest strengths. Work feels effortless because either you were at your genuine best or you were dealing with a seller who was. In this episode, Lisa Cummings and co-host Joseph Dworak reveal how voracious learners study up on a bunch of popular selling methodologies. Yet, sometimes they fail because they're implemented as if each person leads through the same strengths. You'll find out more about using strengths for sales. It's an individualized approach, yet it's easy to do because you're amplifying each person's good spots. Here’s their conversation: Lisa: You're listening to Lead Through Strengths, where you'll learn to apply your greatest strengths at work. I'm your host, Lisa Cummings, joined today by Joseph Dworak, another host, Lead Through Strengths facilitator, and sales extraordinaire. Joseph: Hello, thank you. Lisa: Well, today I would love to talk to the audience about using strengths for sales teams - in the context of selling. So you have this unique position that I haven't seen in too many people, which is you've been a CliftonStrengths facilitator full-time, you've been a seller full-time, you've been a leader of sales people full-time, you've had a really wide array of these kinds of roles that allow you to know the philosophy behind strengths but also know how to put this into really practical application for a team. Now, of course, not every listener that we have is a salesperson or on a sales team. So as much as we can today, we're going to apply this and make it functional and useful for somebody who might be able to pitch an idea in a business meeting, make a business case, do some influencing, because everyone is selling ideas. But when you think about using strengths for sales, let me just kick it off and say, "Say more about that." How do you see this benefiting a sales team? Joseph: I mean, so many ways. I think, people buy from people who they like and trust. And that's debated in the sales world but I would stick with that. And I think, at a really baseline, if you know who you are, you know how you're wired and you enter into a relationship with people in a way that's authentically you, that will differentiate you as a salesperson. So if you're not authentic, I don't trust you, I'm not buying from you. Even if you have the greatest thing in the world, I'll find someone else to buy from. And one of the things in my current setting, which, I just absolutely love my company — they're fantastic, great culture — we from the top have been modeled to say, “We may or may not be a fit for you. If we're not, there's no drama with that." "If we are a good fit, great, let's keep talking. We know you have options. You could build something yourself. You could outsource, you could look at a solution like ours.” And we try to do that up front to say, “We're not here to push anything on you that doesn't work.” Our products take sometimes a year, sometimes four months, sometimes a year, and they’re with multi-billion dollar companies, and so it's very un-transactional that way. And if we're in a competitive situation, which we often are, if other people are selling in competition with us and they are not those things, we will stand out. And so I think the baseline “I know my strengths. I'm authentic in that. And I'm really upfront,” that can help. And I think, obviously, like you mentioned, that can apply to people who are not in sales roles — just being authentic and being you. So I hope I answered your question, Lisa, but that's what I think about. Lisa: You did, and you were taking me back to memory. So being in sales roles early in my career, where you had to memorize a script, and you were supposed to walk in and do a cold call, by opening a front door to a business and then launching into some scripted thing that doesn't sound like you at all - I remember, it felt so awkward until I decided to just discard that and do my thing. I was figuring out how to use strengths for sales before I knew it was a thing. Before I figured that out, it was awful. I worked next to a mall, like old-fashioned indoor malls that you could walk into all the stores. There was a Franklin Covey store in there and they had all these inspirational planners and quotes and. It was my tool to revive my energy. After cold calling all day and just feeling so horrible because I was acting like someone else, I would start in the car, reloading on Zig Ziglar audio. And then I would go to the Franklin Covey store to try to re-energize myself with quotes and inspiration because it was such a draining effort. But of course, it's all misplaced, like looking back on it from the future, I can see, oh of course it was really draining because I was using someone else's words, someone else's approach. Nothing about it felt right for me, and when someone receives you being disingenuous, I wasn't being that in a skeezy way but just like not me, they felt it. They felt my awkwardness. It makes them not trust me. Everything goes wrong about it. It wasn't strengths for sales. It was a template for sales - and it only worked for 2 or 3 people out of thousands. Use Your Strengths To Formulate Your Own Effective Selling StyleLisa: How do you help someone feel genuine when there are targets and quotas they have to cover? And, different companies have different types of requirements, but how does that come in where they can still honor who they are but they can also honor some of the requirements that the company might have with them? Can you use strengths for sales teams to align both sides? Joseph: That's a really good question. I think I would answer it two ways. One, I think if you hire the right people, that's not super hard. So I think Marcus Buckingham talks about...if you ever have to warn someone, you've made a casting error. So I always think about that, like, the best people that I've hired and the people who have done well, it's just directing them in the right way and helping them be who they are in the thing. But typically, like you've thought about that role, and you've made a good hire. And hiring is hard, but I love doing it. It's one of my favorite parts of the job. The second piece is, I think, and I have to go back as you were talking before... I think I remembered a story, when I ran an admissions office at the university as you know, I've been kind of a career tourist and I'm always like, where we'll end up next, but it's been a fun ride — but when I was working in the admissions office in the university, I remember one time, my associate director was trying to get a lot of calls made to invite people to an open house. And she was enlisting people who normally didn't help us with more client-facing things. She was asking one of our office interns who was really introverted and really not wired for influencing people. She was more of the really organized, really productive kind of person. But she was like, “Hey so and so, you're going to make these calls." I remember I came back and this person was doing their darndest to make the call that they're reading a script. They did it, but it sounded terrible. And I remember talking to my Sales Director, and I’m like, “What are you doing? So and so shouldn't be making calls.” “Why not, I gave her a script.” And I'm like, “If you've given a script, you're probably a little bit off.” And I'm not dissing scripts. And I'm lucky too, I have enterprise sales folks who work for me, so they're pros of pros, and they're selling billion-dollar accounts like, they are at a certain level of functional expertise, where they do not have a script, typically. They may think about things that they want to say and hit, but I think the short answer to your question is, I think a lot has to do with hiring, and then I think you need to get people... I'm very results-oriented as a manager, so I give people different paths that they can choose to get to those results, where it doesn't have to be a formula that they follow. And I think not everyone does that. But that's my, kind of where my background helps. It allows for their strengths in those different paths to get to the results. Lisa: Yeah, interestingly, that is a perfect way to sum up the strengths philosophy. It's not going to be that every single rep must make this many first calls on Monday, and take this many steps on Tuesday. Instead, using strengths for sales teams is giving them the performance outcomes and then working from that point of view, not working from the point of view of a one-size-fits-all. And I have heard people go down that path with something like, “Oh, well, our organization uses the Challenger approach.” And then they're like, “Well, anyone who acts like a lone wolf is bad, and anyone who acts like a challenger is good, and anyone who has a relationship sales is bad, because here, we are challengers.” And they kind of bastardize the philosophies, and then make it sound like the only way for you to be successful in this organization is to use this one stereotypical way to talk to someone else. And it's just the opposite of strengths for sales teams. Joseph: Well, yeah, and I'm really fortunate again. At my organization, my boss built a culture before I got there of, we look at… I mean, we're trained at Sandler, people have read Challenger, like, we're going through all of Jeb Blount’s cascade of books that he has in trainings, we worked with a gentleman called Joe Thomas out of Utah. And my boss is very much like, “We're going to provide you a lot of different methodologies, and we're going to combine them to be the unique best one for your talents. But it's definitely the strengths that's in with that, because it was already like, we're not just Challenger, and there are people who use Challenger, but there's also people who are really Sandler-based, or there are people who are Impact Advantage based. And we like to joke that my boss is like a ninja of all of those things, so he can pull out like the right one at the right time. It's truly amazing to watch someone who's done it for 20 years, and he studied, like, this master's level of sales because different situations call for different methodologies. So it also allows you to be flexible when you're in that moment. Strengths For Sales Is All About Being Authentic And Focusing On FitLisa: Yeah, that sounds very much like using someone's natural talents to honor their style. I remember being sold to as a business leader by someone who I knew personally. And when he was leaving the room, he did the old-fashioned Columbo technique on me, like - go back to the door, and you put your hand on the doorknob, and as you're leaving you, you have a thought, “Oh, one more thing.” I mean, it was totally obvious that I was getting techniqued. There was a tactic being played like so clearly in front of me. And it lost so much credibility, because I'm like, “Hey, man” (I won't say his name here), I know you,” like, I got that moment, what that moment was. It kind of undid everything that he had done before because it felt like a lie. And if I circle that back around to the way that you opened this up, it's about honoring who you are, what your talents are and how those show up to set you up to be at your best. The person who leads through Empathy and Connectedness and Developer and Harmony, they're going to approach sales differently from the person who leads through Analytical and Deliberative and Focus. It's going to look different. And it should, because it's going to feel right to them. Using strengths for sales teams is simply letting each seller do what puts them at their best. Joseph: Yeah. And, and one thing that I've appreciated getting back into in the software world is, sales is one of the hardest jobs. It's one of the most complicated jobs because you're being a consultant, you're being a project manager, you're being a coach. Sometimes you're being a sounding board, like, especially with the enterprise-level sale, where you're dealing sometimes with 50 people in the course of the sale. You have to be a politician, you have to be a diplomat. There's all these different things. It's interesting, the older I get, the more I realized, yeah, someone sees your technique, and then, “oh, no, that's a killer." You just have to be you. I can think of someone who I ran into who was like that. They were really good at taking all the pieces, and they could put it into play. And they would say it and it just felt really inauthentic and rigid. And it was interesting, because after I didn't work with that person anymore, there was feedback from prospective clients who articulated that to me, kind of like what you just did, with the Columbo technique. And it's like, “Oh, no, we don't want that. We want it to be seamless. We want it to be helpful.” And ultimately, it's about people, going back to, “Do they like and trust you?” And so you have to start there. And so if you... they start being like, “Are you using like some Jedi mind tricks on me?” That's not gonna go well. But I'm still learning a ton. And it's been great to be in an environment where they support learning that way. Lisa: Yes. Well, I think this is a great way to end the episode and broaden it. Because, number one, you started the episode talking about focusing on fit, and that is a brilliant way to apply the concepts that the best sellers use. Even if you're just trying to influence somebody in a meeting, and you're in an operations role, and you have nothing to do with sales, if you're talking to an audience and you're trying to offer an idea that you hope they will consider, If you focus on fit, it puts you in the other person's shoes, and it makes your message more palatable for them. So I think that you offered a lesson that anyone could use in any role, even with your kids or your significant other. It's making an idea of something that fits both people. Joseph: Yeah, that's harder with family. I think my significant other will say like, “You need to parent that way too.” So I'm like, “Oh, sales is easy compared to parenting. That's a whole another conversation.” Lisa: We'll save that for another episode. Well, with that you've been listening to Lead Through Strengths, getting some great ideas about how to use strengths for sales, and how to not get stuck in that world of just being a user of tactics but instead coming forward with the genuine you using your differences to be your differentiators on the job. If you would like Joseph to come in and do some team building with your team related to CliftonStrengths for sales teams, then be sure to request him over on our Contact Us form. Alright, with that we will see you next time as you claim your strengths and share them with the world. Bye for now. Sell More Of What You Offer Through These Additional Strengths ResourcesThe idea of ‘easy buttons’ supports this episode’s topic, as it encourages teams to tap on their natural talents, or whatever comes easily and enjoyable for them, instead of what drains them (such as following a script in selling or focusing on their weakness zone). If you want to sell better or have better influence, use strengths as easy buttons for better performance. Or listen to Andy Sokolovich as he shares tips on influencing audiences through strengths. These include identifying your talents and spending 80 percent of your time doing what you naturally love. So in the context of selling, that could be storytelling or just meeting people and talking to them. Again, it’s about being authentically you. Finally, in the episode Use Strengths To Create Customer Moments, Mike Ganino underlines the importance of creating an environment that helps each person bring their best performance to work. It’s about using individual strengths to get the experience you want for your customers and employees. | |||
| 07 Jan 2018 | Is StrengthsFinder A Personality Test? | 00:09:56 | |
Strengths Focus For This EpisodeIn this episode Lisa answers the question, "Is StrengthsFinder a personality test?" She uses proof from both research data and real-life examples. She shows that StrengthsFinder is actually not a personality test, but instead a performance-based tool. Resources of the EpisodeYou'll find lots of StrengthsFinder, leadership, and team tools on our Strengths Resources page. To find proof points and stats that can help you make the case for focusing on Strengths at your organization, check out LeadThroughStrengths.com/stats. Strengths ToolsOne of the best ways leaders can build a strengths based culture is to offer appreciation of strengths in action. If you'll notice what works, you'll get more of what works because people can replicate what they've already done well. On our home page, you can download this awesome tool that offers you 127 easy ideas for recognizing your team. Scroll down and look for the box that says "Great Managers Notice What Works". Here's a Full Transcript of The ShowYou’re listening to Lead Through Strengths, where you’ll learn to apply your greatest strengths at work. I’m your host, Lisa Cummings, and I’ve gotta tell ya: using your strengths at work is one of the most energizing things you can do for your workplace. Today, the question is whether StrengthsFinder is a personality test. I get this question often. It comes in many forms. Usually, it comes from managers or strengths champions who are asking me a question because they were trying to get strengths to be implemented in a bigger way in their organization, and they got stymied. It sounds something like this, “Oh, no, not another personality test,” or they take it to get approved and they hear, “Oh, we already had a personality test last year.” Or, somebody says something like, “I’m not sure I’m into these personality tests.” What Is StrengthsFinder?It surprises many people to learn that StrengthsFinder is actually not a personality test at all. So, if you’re making a case for rolling out StrengthsFinder or Strengths-focused culture tools, it is nice to know that it is something totally different. It’s actually a performance-based tool. I’ll give you an explanation of how it’s different from the typical personality test. Then I’ll give you a proof point or two you can use in your workplace. I'll also offer you a way of thinking about this topic to explain the difference between what people do on the job, and how they get it done on the job. I think this is an important thing to explore when you’re rolling out StrengthsFinder because some workplaces are really focused on the knowledge and skills someone needs to do the job – that’s the what part – but they don’t spend very much time focusing on how people can show up at their very best. Focusing On Strengths Every Day Increases ProductivityLet’s start with a proof point. If you’re going to do an initiative like StrengthsFinder in your organization, you want proof points like Gallup’s research that shows teams that focus on Strengths every day have 12.5% greater productivity than those who don’t. And, at the end of the show, I’ll give you a bunch more of those, a place where you can find the proof points that are most relevant to your organization and to your situation. Personality Tests (Assessments) Are Usually Based On The 5-Factor ModelOn the personality test question, the thing I think is most important for you to understand is that most of these personality assessments that exist are actually based on the five-factor model that you can learn about when you study psychology. If you have industrial organizational psychologists in your organization, they’ll know all about the five-factor model. Even if you’re not an I/O psychologist, you probably know about these because you’ve heard of DiSC, or Myers Briggs (MBTI), Insights, or Hogan. These are different assessments that are based on the five-factor model. Those 5 factors are things like Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness. Most of those, although not all, throw out the Neuroticism category. Your CliftonStrengths Are Your Areas Of Greatest PotentialHow is this different from StrengthsFinder? The answer is in the study of performance excellence. StrengthsFinder researchers at Gallup studied performance for decades. They discovered Themes that people use to deliver their best performance. In Gallup’s words, Talent Themes “are the areas in which an individual has the greatest potential for building strength.” There are 34 of these Talent Themes. When you get your Clifton StrengthsFinder results, you’ll actually see that they’re actually called Talent Themes. To put it in layman’s terms, think of them like easy buttons...easy buttons that people use to approach their goals. The "What" Part: Knowledge, Skills, ExperienceFor example, say you lead a marketing department. There’s what you do and then there’s how you do it. In the “what” category, you have things like knowledge and skills and past experiences. Inside of a greater marketing department you have high-level knowledge and skill areas: things like marketing communication, product marketing, demand generation, pricing, etc. Of course, each area can go really deep into sub-level skills. If you take something like a creative team inside of marketing, they’re going to have really specific knowledge and skill areas: graphic design, color, Adobe InDesign, buyer psychology, all sorts of layers like that. In those “what” categories (like the ones mentioned above), people are pretty good at understanding what they need to know. Those are easy enough to identify. You can tell when they are present or when they’re not. And you can figure out how to go get those knowledge and skill areas. The "How" Part: Your Talents - How You Naturally Think, Feel, And ActThe trickier part is “how” every unique human being approaches that job at their very best. This is why, of course, we’re humans and not robots, so we’re a little more complicated. Each person can’t just approach the job in the exact same way and get the same results. As a manager, StrengthsFinder can help you tap into each person’s best performance because it tells you what their easy buttons are, or “how” they can uniquely get that job done at their best. If you manage that same team of creative pros, you’ll see they’re reaching their best output when you can get it done through their talents. For example, someone who leads through the Futuristic Talent Theme will want to know where that specific marketing campaign is going to take the company and the customer so that they can align to that. If you contrast that with somebody who has the Maximizer Talent, they’re on the same creative team and they have to get the same job done, but you may find that they’re totally focused on something else. They’re over there trying to reuse some video footage so that you can get more out of something that already exists. Or they’re off creating actions in your Adobe InDesign software to save time on repetitive tasks - to free them up to get more time in their creative headspace. You can see that within this same job, you can have two people who are off in their own worlds doing very different things, but those very different things are the things that put them at their best. This is how your StrengthsFinder Talent Themes, once you know them, can really help you unleash their easy buttons to perform at your best. Of course, as a people manager, this is like magic once you learn each of these things about your team members, because you can understand how to put them in that environment to get them at their very best. StrengthsFinder Is An Assessment Built On Performance and PotentialTo bring this episode all together, StrengthsFinder, in fact, is not a personality test. It is an assessment that was built on the study of performance and potential. If you want to look up, specifically for you and your organization, proof points that will be most supportive of the objectives you have in your organization, check out LeadThroughStrengths.com/stats. You’ll see a page that has dozens of proof points and stats that can help you make the case for this in your organization. A final note, if you’re listening as a people manager or a strengths champion, one of the reasons I think it’s important to answer this question about personality test is that I also see, when people take personality tests or surveys or assessments, (whatever you choose to call them), on the receiving end of them, your employees are often guarded about the conversations that follow. They are nervous that you’re going to come up with labels for them. They might have had some experiences in the past where they’ve been put into a box about how they are, or who they are as people. Depending on who you have on your team, you might have to do some work in explaining how StrengthsFinder is framed: that it is focused on those areas of their greatest potential. Usually they see it very quickly and they’re super psyched because you’re talking about what makes them great. When I do StrengthsFinder training programs, I don’t find many resistors to the process (like I did when I facilitated programs based on personality assessments). It’s one reason why I love StrengthsFinder so much. But coming into it, many people don’t know this, and they don’t know how it is all going to be framed up or applied on the job. Depending on how they’ve been used in your organization in the past, or if you sense that somebody is a little hesitant about all of this kind of stuff, it’s helpful to share how the point of going through the process with StrengthsFinder is to find their greatest area of potential so that you can unleash their strengths at work. If you do this in a way that shows you, as a leader, are being supportive of them, and putting them at their best and that, in fact, when you’re using your strengths at work you feel more ease and energy and enjoyment on the job, most people pretty quickly go, “Okay. I’ll give this thing a chance.” Luckily, in my experience, the hesitant people have been a very small slice of the population. I would say, anecdotally, more than 95% of people in any given room or organization come in pretty excited about the future when we do StrengthsFinder or Strengths-based process. In fact, one guy recently said,
I thought he summed up really well - people’s reaction to it when they first get exposed to StrengthsFinder, and how it can explain what puts you at your very best. With that, I hope this helps you as you make the case to bring a Strengths-focused culture to your organization. From here, I hope you’ll take this information and use it to help people in your company claim their talents and share them with the world. Subscribe To The Lead Through Strengths PodcastTo subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published.
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| 05 Jan 2015 | Career Q&A: Funky, old school job application requirements - comply or fly? | 00:07:17 | |
This Episode's Question What You'll Learn In The Audio - The origins of these traditions from the 1700's and 1800's. Yup! They're that old school. - Your safest bet for action when you get any outlier requirement while applying for a new job. - How you can use this type of requirement as a sign post for the company culture you're about to join. - Whether recruiters and hiring managers want you to do cover letters as a separate attachment. Hint: highly-debated-topic alert! - How to not get yourself excluded for a job because you missed a step that was intended to check your attention to detail. - A more modern version of this mythical letter of introduction (a referral), and how an email from a 3rd party introducing you to the employer is a great tip for getting in the door and getting noticed. Tweetable of the Episode Resource of the Episode Subscribe to the Career Q&A Podcast Related Episodes to Go Deeper on The Topic - They also wanted strategies to keep their resume out of the trash bin and at the top of the pile. | |||
| 26 May 2019 | Career Branding When Empathy Is Your Strength | 00:14:19 | |
I hear a lot of curiosity about how to apply your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Empathy to your career. In this series, I break down one strength per post — so that you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make a better alignment between your job and your strengths. - If you’re exploring this concept as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. - If you’re exploring this concept for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. You’ll get three layers to chew on: 1. Career Branding Career Branding When Empathy Is Your StrengthYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. Think about your personal resume, CV, or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it's full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing is usually "the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. Chances are good that you are a lot like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t physically see your teammates and customers every day. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting - to see who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. So here are a bunch of Empathy-related adjectives to consider using in your career branding efforts and your LinkedIn profile:
Red Flag Situations For EmpathyThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Empathy. They might even make you want to quit the team. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might get the urge to quit the job or become detached and disengaged at work. Here are two Red flags for Empathy:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for EmpathyThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Empathy at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re exploring this concept as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Empathy, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
Here's Your Personal Branding Homework
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| 14 Jul 2024 | We're Baaack | 00:02:04 | |
Woo hoo. The Lead Through Strengths podcast is back in action. In this quickie bonus episode, find out who my new co-host is. She's one of my CliftonStrengths besties. Weekly episodes re-start now. | |||
| 26 Jul 2020 | Ignite Better Team Collaboration Through Strengths | 00:07:00 | |
Conversations About Turning Conflicts Into Strengths Collaboration - With Lead Through Strengths Facilitator Strother GainesIn any work environment, especially widely diverse ones where people with different backgrounds, cultures and management styles work together, conflicts between or among employees can arise. At the same time, every customer seems to come to us hoping for better teamwork and collaboration. While conflicts are inevitable, they can actually be an opportunity to exercise strengths so that these conflicts turn into a collaboration. Listen to Lisa Cummings and Strother Gaines as they navigate this conversation about turning conflicts into strengths collaboration: Lisa: You're listening to Lead Through Strengths, where you'll learn to apply your greatest strengths at work. I'm your host, Lisa Cummings and actually today, I'm back with another episode where Strother Gaines is joining me for a conversation on strengths. And in this one, it is all about conflict and collaboration. Most people I talked to want to be known as having good emotional intelligence in the office. And when you feel those moments of conflict, that's when it gets most trying. And when we're doing our StrengthsFinder events or CliftonStrengths events with customers, one of the things we hear about often is opposites. They'll say — “Oh well, I feel like I think totally different from all these other people on my team. I feel like we live on a different planet sometimes.” And if you have some of those moments where you really feel that you’ve come to things in a very different way from your teammates, it can definitely make you feel like you would be in conflict. The good news about strengths is having these strengths conversations, they allow you to see the positive intent from the other side, and not just the positive intent but actually the positive outcomes from being able to use your strengths and then their seemingly opposite way of coming at things and using that to be a more collaborative and effective team. So without making you wait any longer here's my conversation with Strother. Planning Ahead Of The Moment Is Crucial To A Collaboration That WorksLisa: How do you start to take these things where you might have opposites. So let's say you're a — “Process it in the moment, talk it out, come up with the ideas right now.” And somebody else is the opposite. “Hey, let me do my best thinking on it. Let me take a minute with it, give me a beat and then I'll come back and I'll give you much better work that way.” So I think people can figure out, “Hey, we head-butt.” Or, “We don't think the same way.” But then what do you do with it? Because I love to tell people, “Hey, that's the perfect partnership, you can plan in advance to be the yin yang to each other. This can actually be great for your collaboration at work” But then when you're in the moment, and it feels like conflict, what do you actually do or say, to ***invite the difference*** and not be defensive or not kind of push your way on to someone? Strother: I think it's setting that conversation up before it gets emotional. This is something that I recommend across the board - partnerships, companies, coworkers, everything before we're in it, before it's — “You need two weeks ***but I want to do it right now.”*** Having a conversation where we recognize when we get to that place, this is what we're both going to want. So what should we do? Let's plan now, before we're both emotional about it, before we're trapped in it and it's like, “You never do anything the way I want you to!” Sitting down and saying, “You need this. This is what you would like. I'm going to want this, what can we do?” And then we're not governed by that moment. And we get into that moment you sort of do that in emergency break glass, where you're just like, “Look, we're there. Activate protocol seven.” And then we've agreed, and we're going to run through with that instead of letting our emotions sort of drag us all around. We already know how we're going to collaborate and work together as a team - before the emotions get heightened. Allowing Your Logical Mind Over Emotions Can Result In More Effective CollaborationsLisa: That's so good. That's Marshall Goldsmith level. Don't get hijacked by the emotion in the moment. Plan what you're going to do in advance. Yeah. Because then your intelligent thinking is there. Strother: Let that logical mind come through and make a plan before you get there. Emotions are wonderful. I love emotions. But we oftentimes are like, “Well, when I get there, I'll be able to ***rein it in.” Usually not.*** Lisa: ***Makes me do a shut down.*** Strother: Yeah you're like, “Well, now ***just fine, whatever you want. We'll do whatever you want.”*** And not shutting down looks different for everybody. But if you use that logical, brilliant brain of yours beforehand and just put stuff in place, it's so much easier to deal with it when you are hijacked. Lisa: Which is going to happen... Strother: Oh yeah. When you try and avoid that emotional hijack, you're actually shutting yourself off to a lot of the things that are the red flags for you. These are important things. This is your body saying you need to pay attention to this. So you don't ever want to turn off the emotional response, but you don't want to be governed by it. *** Everyone thinks — “Well, I don't want pain receptors.” But that's a horrible disease that people have when they can't feel pain because their body is just being… they broke their arm, they don't know. If you translated it to work, you'd be wanting to opt out of collaborations altogether and simply work with someone else. Unfortunately, you don't get to pick who you need to collaborate with at every moment, so you need the pain receptors to tell you to work your stuff out. You need those emotions to flare up and say, “Hey, pay attention.” But then if you can snap back into your logical brain, you're gonna have a better outcome. Learn More Ways You Can Use Your Strengths, Invite Strother To Your Team EventsLisa: I love how Strother framed that up as an emotional flare-up and how wise it is to think through your agreements you're going to have with each other before you're in the moment, before you're amped up, about a conflict. Being able to have those mature conversations when you're not in the moment, it is a total game-changer. Rather than avoid each other, you can use your opposite preferences to be a collaboration high point. I've seen Strother work with customers where he has enabled people to open up a conversation that they have not been able to resolve on their own. They had these pent-up frustrations with each other, that annoying department or that annoying teammate. And strengths can create this vehicle for you to actually understand why someone thinks the way they do or why they relate to the team in the way they do or why they bring this totally different priority to bear. If you've been adoring Strother’s style in this interview series and you want to bring him into your event... If you do a team building or you're building a strengths-focused culture in your organization, feel free to request him when you contact us. He does both in-person and virtual events. Of course virtual as of the time of this recording are very hot and they could be very timely for bringing a team together when they're under lots of stresses, not just the butting head type of stresses that they're having with each other. With that, thank you for listening to Lead Through Strengths. We look forward to talking to you next time and helping you claim your talents and share them with the world. And boy, oh boy, next episode, we're gonna help you do that in spades because the conversation is around, genuinely trying to live your best life. It's a good self-audit to say, “Hey, am I going all-in in my life? Or am I dialing it in?” You'll get to find out next time. We'll see you there. Other Resources To Help You Turn Conflict Into Meaningful Collaboration At WorkPreventing conflict: Lisa takes you into a deep-dive into the subject matter of conflict in this earlier episode. When you and your team understand the root of most conflict at work, you'll be able to win over moments of conflict together -- or even better, prevent them before they happen. Now that's collaboration! Work relationship goals: Lisa's previous conversations with Jason Treu and Gary Ware will guide you toward building healthy team dynamics that result in meaningful relationships. If you're hearing a lot of "Yes, but" in your meetings, these resources will be worth your time. Avoiding conflict? Meanwhile, this tends to be a hot button for people who lead through Command and Restorative. If you've ever felt yourself holding back, you have to honor your strengths again. Your team will surely be nourished by what you offer. More from Strother: to see the full playlist of our interviews, check out these other five videos we recorded with Strother. | |||
| 18 Mar 2018 | Would StrengthsFinder Make A Great Hiring Tool? | 00:11:58 | |
In this episode, Lisa answers the question: Would StrengthsFinder make a great hiring tool? Although it might seem logical, once you dig a little deeper you realize it might not be a great idea. But don’t despair — Lisa also gives you tips on how to use your team’s natural Strengths to compensate for the ones it is lacking. Have You Downloaded Your Strengths Tools? One of the best ways leaders can build a strengths-based culture is to offer an appreciation of strengths in action. If you’ll notice what works, you’ll get more of what works because people can replicate what they’ve already done well. Get started by downloading this awesome tool that offers you 127 Easy Ways to Recognize Strengths on your team.. Would StrengthsFinder Make A Great Hiring Tool? Today the question is about StrengthsFinder as a hiring tool. This usually comes up when one of my StrengthsFinder training clients happens to also have an open position while we’re doing a team-building event. Or, this question comes up when a leader sees a visual map of their team’s natural talents. They spot holes. They want a well-rounded team. And the logical next thought is, “Oooh, this would be the perfect tool to help me find new hires who have these talents we don’t naturally have on the team.” I’m with you. That feels totally logical, yet there are at least 5 reasons that this idea is flawed. Yup, I’m telling you that StrengthsFinder isn’t a hiring tool. Whahhhn. Wahhhn. So hang on. If you’re thinking that you want to use it to vet your candidates, slow down juuuuuuust a sec while you consider the whole picture. Reason 1: StrengthsFinder Shows A Stack Rank, Not An Intensity or Maturity Take two candidates: Madison and Abraham. Madison’s #2 talent theme is Focus. You’re psyched because that’s the talent you’re missing on your team DNA charts. Abraham has Focus at #10. So on the surface, Madison wins because she has that elusive talent you’re looking for. But wait! One thing you need to know about the tool is that it tells you each person’s top talents ... for them. But it doesn’t give you a measure of how well developed that talent is. And it doesn’t give you an intensity level for that talent theme. So Abraham’s #10 Focus could be stronger and better developed than Madison’s #2 Focus talent. Reason 2: CliftonStrengths Was Designed As Development Tool, Not A Hiring Tool CliftonStrengths (or StrengthsFinder as many of us know it by), is a tool offered by Gallup. Gallup is well known for their research, and they take their tools seriously. They designed the assessment as a professional development tool, not as a hiring tool. They recommend offering it to new hires when they join your company on the first day. Imagine what a cool change-up that would be: being a new hire, coming in for your first day, and spending your onboarding experience learning more about what will put you at your best. That sounds so much better than filling out paperwork all day! Gallup does, in addition to CliftonStrengths, have a consulting practice around Analytics Based Hiring. They have a whole segment of their business focused on employment, predictive analytics for a role, and custom assessments for hiring. Most listeners will be saying, “Thanks Lisa, but I don’t have a five or six figure budget for that kind of consulting.” No worries. Of course, the main thing is to know how the research scientists designed the tool so that you don’t get yourself into liability hot water. Reason 3: You Might Make Your Search Tougher Than It Already Is Here’s a reaction I get constantly. It’s something like, “Oh my gosh. Not a single person on the team has the Command talent theme. We need to add some bold, decisive people because we have tough client base, and we need people who can hang. The next new hire absolutely has to have Command.” Here’s the thing. If you tried to act on that thought, you would be creating a search for a needle in a haystack. See, the Command theme is the least commonly seen talent in the entire database. A small percentage of people will have that theme. And once you find this elusive person, they may not be qualified for the job. Imagine that Madison has Command at #1, and she has spent her entire career as an accountant. Abraham has Command at #19, and he has spent his entire career nerding out on rare coding languages. If you’re filling a role for a software developer — and you need one of those critical and tough to find skills — you would be absolutely silly to prioritize Madison’s Command talent over Abraham’s rare skills. Not to mention, you would be dipping into reasons #4 and #5 … Reason 4: Searching By Strengths Might Distract You From Outcomes When you look at a strengths DNA chart for your team and you see that your team has no one with Focus or Discipline, you might think, “Oh no, we’re doomed. We’ll never be able to make a plan and follow it to completion.” You could take this deficit mentality and start obsessing over how your current team doesn’t do well with written plans. But don’t lose sight of the bigger goals. Ask yourself: What are the outcomes your team is responsible for? Do you currently meet them? If you do, you probably use the existing talents you have in a way that acts like (or gets the same results of) a talent theme you’re missing. So maybe you have a person on the team with Activator who gets projects off of the starting blocks. And another guy with Arranger and Adaptability who shuffles things around seamlessly during your mid-project madness. And another team member with Achiever drives you to get-it-done status by keeping an eye on the finish line for each milestone. As long as you’re meeting the outcomes, it doesn’t matter which talent gets you there. And finally, here’s reason #5. Reason 5: If You Prioritize Natural Talents, You Might Diminish Critical Hiring Factors This one is, in my opinion, the most powerful of all. It’s that your hiring decisions take into account a lot of factors about a candidate. You interview someone to vet their Knowledge, Skills, Experiences, and Talents. A lot of times, you have critical timing factors as well. So for example, say you landed a big contract with a client. Your marketing team is creating a piece of cutting edge geo-targeted advertising software. You need this person yesterday (isn’t that always what it feels like?). If you hired by talent themes, Madison’s Command and Focus would tell you she’s the one. But if you consider Abraham’s specialized coding languages, his experience with the client’s specialized urban agriculture industry, and the knowledge and skills he built in the last 10 years in marketing, it sounds like a no-brainer that Abraham will be a top candidate. So remember: even though talent is important, it’s one of many factors. Leverage Strengths To Build The Team With all of that, you’ll want a takeaway beyond a list of watch-outs. What do you do if you are still thinking that your team is hurting because you’re missing a couple of talents? Three things: 1: On your existing team, have a conversation about how to partner up the talents you already have. In combination, they can act like the ones you’re missing. 2: On your existing team, remember to focus on your team’s strengths and easy buttons. Your talent gaps can stand out on a chart like a sore thumb and lead you to obsess over what you’re missing, yet if you’re building a strengths-based team, you’ll want to focus on leveraging what you do have. 3: For the role you’re hiring for, come up with questions that get to the thing you need. So, if you’re lamenting the lack of planning on the team, rather than only considering candidates with the Focus or Discipline talent, ask questions and open conversations that get to similar outcomes. Things like:
You get the idea here. Think of the things that you want from the talent theme you don’t have. And then ask about those things. You’ll find that people can get to those same outcomes through many different talent themes — and the label doesn’t matter as much as the result. Strengths Resources To get more of these strengths-focused conversation starters, check out our resources page — there are a bunch of tools related to StrengthsFinder, strengths-focused leadership, and on noticing what works so you can get more of what works. Enjoyed the podcast? To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. | |||
| 29 Jun 2021 | New CliftonStrengths Manager Report | 00:14:52 | |
CliftonStrengths for Managers Report See your Top 10 talents, and how they might help or hinder your personal leadership https://store.gallup.com/p/en-us/14216/cliftonstrengths-for-managers Attend our Open-To-The Public StrengthsFinder Training https://leadthroughstrengths.com/events Book a Private Training Event https://leadthroughstrengths.com/strengthsfinder-training/
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| 24 Dec 2017 | What Should You Do When Your Talents Cause Trouble? | 00:11:45 | |
Austin, TX StrengthsFinder Training for Leaders Strengths Focus For This EpisodeIn this episode Lisa answers the question, "Should you stop using natural talents that cause you trouble at work?" The short answer is no. The talent, or combination of talents, that's causing you trouble is your natural talent. No matter what you do to squash it, it will pop out somehow and scare people. It's much better to work to find other ways to utilize that troublesome talent. Lisa provides two different exercises for you: one for you as an individual, and one for your team. Resources of the EpisodeYou'll find lots of StrengthsFinder, leadership, and team tools on our Strengths Resources page. If you or your team hasn't completed the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment, you will find the list of adjectives on our website useful for the exercises in this episode. Strengths ToolsOne of the best ways leaders can build a strengths based culture is to offer appreciation of strengths in action. If you'll notice what works, you'll get more of what works because people can replicate what they've already done well. On our home page, you can download this awesome tool that offers you 127 easy ideas for recognizing your team. Scroll down and look for the box that says "Great Managers Notice What Works". Here's a Full Transcript of The ShowYou’re listening to Lead Through Strengths, where you'll learn to apply your greatest strengths at work. I'm your host, Lisa Cummings, and I gotta tell ya, using your strengths is one of the most energizing things you can do on the job. Today's question and topic is about what to do when your strengths are making trouble for you. I know it sounds completely backwards, but there's this concept I call troublemaker talents. What happens is that sometimes your greatest strengths, your talent themes, if you will, (if you're doing this from a strengths finder lens), they can sometimes be overused, underused, misapplied. They can be unrefined if you've been ignoring them, or squashing them down. Let me give you an example. You have someone with the Includer talent and he says, “You know, I don't like my Includer. When I saw that on the list, I wanted to give it back because it makes me too slow.” It makes me miss deadlines because I'm always getting everyone's opinion and I put the word out. I ask the question, I go one on one. People ask me for more time, and by the time I get everyone's input on something, I'm already behind schedule. Another one I've heard recently in a big corporate training was a woman with the Communication talent who said, “you know, I don't see this one as a strength at all. I get told I talk too much.” I can also give you my personal example. It's my Maximizer and Strategic. They come in together like a one-two troublemaking punch, and it's me always tweaking things. I'm always trying to make them better, but this concept of me never being done, also sometimes means me never sleeping. On the surface, all of those things I just mentioned, yes, they are real troubles. The thing is though, you can't just get the effect you're having on the surface and decide to squash it down, and stamp it out and say, “Oh, that one's not serving me. I don't want it anymore,” because remember, your natural talents are patterns in you. They’re how you think, feel, behave at your natural default so they're gonna come out. It's like the jack in the box. Do you remember that toy that you might have had when you were a little kid, and you push this toy down into the box, close the lid, and you start turning the crank and you hear that “Du, De, Du, Du, Du, Du, Du, Du, Du, Du Du Du Du Du Du to BAM! Then that thing jumps out and scares you when you least expect it. Your talents are really just like that. If you squash them down because you think, “ah, my boss doesn't seem to like that one.” “Ooh, I got bad feedback on that one once, so I don't want that one. I'll just put that one away.” Or you stamp it down, because you don't perceive that the culture you work in is appreciative of that talent, so you decide, “I'll just use that one at home. I’ll use that one at work.” These are all things I hear in training constantly, but the thing is it's kinda like the jack in the box. If you try to squash out those talents, they are going to jump out and scare people, because they're your natural default ways of thinking and feeling and acting, so they're going to come out. Since they're going to come out, what you want to do is spend more time refining it, nurturing it, putting it to work, send it to the gym, get others aware. Think about how that talent shows up on other people. It really will help you invest in it, in a targeted way. For example, you take that person who mentioned that about the Communication talent. Imagine how refined it would be, if she knows who is willing to talk it out loud. She likes to talk it out. She knows the audience of people who love to talk it out with her. She can do that. But she also needs to be aware of those peers who perceive it like a waste of time because they don't like ideas that aren't well thought out. So part of it is knowing your audience. Another thing she could do is really think about different modes where she could practice her Communications talent - email, spoken word, written word. Maybe she's getting this feedback because she was taking over in meetings, and not letting anyone else have a voice. So we're taking one situation (meetings) and one mode of communication (the spoken word) and she just decided, oh, I don't want this talent at all. It’s not serving me. Actually, she has all these other ways of applying it and refining it. You take the other example that I brought up with a guy who has the Includer talent. It was making him slow; it was making him miss deadlines,because in his way of applying it naturally, he was asking people for their opinion, but he wasn't giving them any time binding around his question. He would throw something out there in person or in an email and tell them he wanted to hear their voice, but he didn't give them a deadline. Something really specific here when he asks, now that he's refining it, he's still noticing people. He's still getting the unheard voices to be heard. He's still making people feel seen and heard and appreciated, but now he gives them deadlines, so he can also meet his commitments. The other thing that he's been doing is running experiments for in-the-moment Includer. When he's in a meeting and he notices, everyone's spoken up except these two people, now he can say, “you know, John, we haven't heard from you, what do you think?” He started to give himself some script items that we haven't heard from you. What do you think? It's a great way to be able to feed the talent, without discarding it altogether. Don't squash them; refine them. Action item for you to apply. Now you're listening. You of course have your own personal set of talent themes, or natural strengths, that you bring to this world. StrengthsFinder Activity: Experiment With New Ways To Use Your Talents
StrengthsFinder Activity: Work As A Team To Use Talents
A final thought on troublemaker talents is to remember there's not an on and off switch as the right answer here because something's not serving you today. Don't shut it off, squash it down, stamp it out. The idea is to refine what you have. It's gonna come out anyway, like a jack in the box. It will jump out and scare people if you choose to not invest in it. So with that, I'll see you next time and I can't wait to hear how you've claimed that talent invested in it and shared it with the world. Subscribe To The Lead Through Strengths PodcastTo subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published.
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| 07 Apr 2014 | Career Q&A: Do you need an MBA to get in the 100k club? | 00:09:49 | |
This episode's question is from Lindsay. She asks, "How important is an MBA if I want to join the 100k club?"
What you'll learn - Why you should think really hard about it before enrolling...especially if you're doing it just to get the letters on your resume - How to earn 100k with no degree at all - 3 tips that will pay off more than getting an MBA with a 4.0 GPA - How to maximize your experience if you do decide to go
Resource of the episode
Tweetable of the episode | |||
| 22 Sep 2017 | Should You Stay Or Should You Go Now? With Scott Barlow | 00:10:42 | |
This Episode's Question She asked, "Is it okay to go after what I think (at least right now) my dream job is...simply because I need to have the experience of it to know what it is all about? Or do I need to know exactly what my dream job is before I go after it."
What You'll Learn In The Audio - How you can Happen To Your Career rather than slugging through your work days by letting career "happenings" get imposed upon you. Note: you'll get some super special Scott Anthony Barlow wisdom in this department. And you'll leave wanting to subscribe to his podcast or sign up for his One Stop career shop for getting you where you want to go. This guy rocks. - Examples of times when a dream job didn't turn out as planned. Yup, even your hosts have experienced these "wrong" turns and came out on a great note. And why you should go for it...even if it turns out to be one of your "not it" roles you're bound to experience in your career. - Why it's good to go through some career conflict and get outside of your comfort zone. You'll become more self-aware, you'll know better what your strengths are, and you'll get clearer on what you want. - If you don't try it, you'll miss the chance of knowing whether this is "it" for you. And why not? Because what you want and need today won't be what you want and need in the future. You'll keep changing, growing, and evolving as a person. So go for what feels right today because it will change tomorrow. - Humans are wired with a survival instinct. You'll tackle pain head on. It's your fight or flight response. You'll take risks to avoid pain. Yet when it comes to gain, humans take far less risk. That's why Ingrid's feelings and question are 100% normal. To get massive career happiness, sometimes you have to take risk on the gain side. And it's a lot tougher to muster up the courage on that end.
Resource of the Episode
Subscribe to the Career Q&A Podcast Ask Your Career Question Even better, leave your question through the audio hotline so we can hear your voice. Related Episodes to Go Deeper on The Topic - They also wonder if their current team is the right set of peers and colleagues to keep their game moving upward.
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| 01 Sep 2024 | How Did You Do That? | 00:20:22 | |
Have you ever had someone say, “Wow! How did you do that?” or “You make that look so easy!” and think, ‘What? Like it’s hard?’ (I see you, Elle Woods!) Or maybe you’ve recognized how others seem to be able to pick up or breeze through certain tasks with an effortlessness or ease you only dream of. So, grab your metaphorical "easy button" and join us for this episode on the 2nd “Clue to Talent”: Rapid Learning. We’ll answer, “How did you do that so easily” with a lens of strengths.
Work With Us! BREA Roper If you need a Strengths Hype Girl, for yourself or your team, connect with Brea at brearoper.com. She’s ready to deliver an inspirational keynote, empowering training, or transformational workshop. If you’re looking for an expert guide to support your internal Strengths efforts, reach out today! LISA Cummings Strategic | Maximizer | Positivity | Individualization | Woo
To work with Lisa, check out team workshops and retreats at the Lead Through Strengths site. For 1:1 strengths or life coaching, check out the Get Coached link. For independent coaches, trainers, and speakers, get business tools support with our Tools for Coaches membership.
Takeaways on Rapid Learning (AKA How Did You Do That?)
Remember, hard work doesn’t have to be hard. Align it with your strengths and it actually feels easy. 🌟 Take Action on Your “How Did You Do That” Moments ● Identify Your Natural Talents: What comes easy to you? What are you doing when you hear others say, “Wow! How do you do that?” or “You make that look so easy!” ● Invest in Your Talent: Seek opportunities to grow your talent with knowledge, skill, and practice. For exponential growth, make sure your investment is directly aligned with your talent. For example, if you have a gift for gab, consider taking a Toastmasters class or reading up on storytelling techniques. ● Spot Talent in Others: When you notice someone excelling with ease, acknowledge their talent and ask them about it. Show appreciation for their abilities and learn from their approach. ● Further Reading: Check out the books Soar With Your Strengths by Dr. Clifton to learn more about the Five Clues to Talent, and Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi to deepen your understanding of talent development and rapid learning.
Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
AI-Generated Transcript Lisa
Brea And I'm Brea
Lisa
Brea How did you do what?
Lisa I know, that's what they're thinking when they clicked on the title. It's that thing that you watch someone else doing and you're like, how do you do that so easily? How do you make that look so smooth?
Brea So this is one of what Gallup calls the five clues to talent. I call it ease. You know, what comes easy to you? Gallup might use the words rapid learning. You know, what's effortless? You said what's smooth, right? What just kind of feels natural.
Lisa Yeah, when people actually ask you, how did you do that? Or how do you do that so quickly? Or how does that come so naturally to you? Those are the things that other people notice, usually before you do, that something is really great on you, but it's so easy to you, you don't think it's special, so you don't even know it's a thing.
Brea Yes, I think is so helpful for people to know these clues. Number one, if you don't know what your talents or your strengths are, and you want to try to figure out what are you naturally good at? Where are your natural talents? This is one of the clues to kind of clue you in to where those natural talents may lie.
Lisa Yes, because not everybody has done CliftonStrengths. Not everybody's heard of CliftonStrengths or the book StrengthsFinder 2.0. So when you see something in someone else and you're like, hey, how do you do that so easily? These are just really easy things to actually say it out loud.
Brea And also, if you already know your CliftonStrengths, this will offer a little bit of a nuance and a layer to help you better develop that by saying, OK, I know I lead with Activator. How does Activator help me do something easily?
Lisa Yeah, you feel those instincts, like, oh, I have this sense of urgency about everything. Why? And then you realize, oh, that's why that comes easily to me, moving fast, making decisions, because I want it to get going because of Activator. Does anything come to mind for you, Bria, when you think about something someone's noticed in you that just comes really easily to you?
Brea Wow, thank you so much for asking. I was not reflecting on my own talent. I'll put you on the spot on that one. I mean, the first thing that comes to mind is singing. That's usually what people will remark on. I also love when you call me the strengths hype girl. And I think that that does come so easily to me, you know, hyping people and finding what's good in them.
Lisa This is a great element to Clues to Talent where when someone compliments you and says, like the first time I said, Oh my gosh, you are the strengths hype girl. And you were like, Oh my gosh, thank you for saying that. You know those feelings when someone compliments you on something and you're like, oh, I love being noticed for that. Oh my gosh, how cool. Those are great moments where they're clues to your talent and you want to give that contribution and you're so excited that someone else cared about it.
Brea I think that's something with this clue to talent, people respond one of two ways. They say, what? Like, that's a thing? Like, what do you mean? Like, it's just so easy for me to do it. And you think that's special or you think that's cool, right?
Or their eyes shine, you know, and they're like, oh my gosh, thank you, like, for seeing that in me because it is so natural for us. It is so easy for us to do that thing that we don't really think anything of it, you know, or we don't think that people notice. Or they say, what? Like, that's a thing? Like, what do you mean…it's just so easy for me to do it.
Because it is so natural for us. It is so easy for us to do that thing that we don't really think anything of it, you know, or we don't think that people notice. Like, I think of the weird people out there who can just put together an Ikea piece of furniture, you know?
They don't need to follow the instructions. They can just put it together. How did you do that? Right? How did you do that? That's so hard for me. I can't even imagine putting together something from Ikea, period. And the fact that you did it, and you did it without instructions, that's pretty amazing. That's a clue to talent.
Lisa Mm-hmm. Yeah, I remember there were some people who were like, people always talk to you and it's like you know people everywhere you go, but they're actually strangers. People would be like, why do they always talk to you?
Finally, I just started saying, “because I'm approachable.” I mean, I am genuinely on the inside, so receptive to anybody I don't know talking to me. And they can feel that apparently, because they will do it. But that's your talents working, even if you don't realize it until someone else points it out.
Brea So Lisa, what you're describing is such an interesting nuance and a really cool perspective to this. It's easy for you to respond to someone who just starts talking to you, right? You know, that's easy for you because of your talents. What I'm also hearing from you is that it's easy for others to approach you because of your talents, right?
Your positivity is giving off this vibe that like, hey, come on, you know, your woo's like, come and talk to me. So they feel it and it's easy for them to approach you. And I think that is so true when people notice that someone is at ease when they're working or when they're talking to you.
I notice, especially for things that are hard for me, naturally, like cooking. I don't love it. I'm not very good at it. I love to eat. So I appreciate someone who can cook. And when I can see someone like in the kitchen and they're just chopping away and throwing in a dash of this and, you know, a little drop of this and a glug of that and all I have to do.
Lisa That's how she is.
Brea Oh, come on. Oh, does she have Arranger?
Lisa: I don't think so. It's just like, if it just had a little dash of a shallot and I'll be like, what's a shallot?
Brea Her cute accent too. I love that. Shout out to Ty. We love that. And I want to be around that because it's attractive when someone is at ease. Right. So that's another reason for us to exist in our talents.
Lisa Right. Because it's a vibe. It's good for us and it's good for them. Yes. That's interesting. You know, this topic makes me think of this workplace example. And if I put it in the context of the vibes you just brought up. Okay, so this is a classic me not in my clues to talent discovering someone else's talent going on something that's easy for them. I was back in cube-land early in my career and I had this leader…
She used to come by our cubes and make these requests ad hoc throughout the day now I lead through focus It's the only way I get things done, which is heads down focused on one thing Don't interrupt me or I'll be totally messed up. I just want power hour sort of thing and she would come around, interrupt you, and be like, hey, can you slice and dice this data? And it would be this new way to display a thing on a chart. And I learned how to do this in Excel.
I could do it. It's a skill that can be learned. But every time I would feel her feet coming by, I would be like, here comes a slice and dice request. I felt interrupted, frustrated. I would be like, And these are things that would have taken five minutes if I felt that ease. So then I would take a break. Then I would check in on my email and make sure I'm updated before I started. Then I would go grab a cup of coffee downstairs so I could get myself mentally prepared and focused to do this thing.
40 minutes later, I've finished this pivot table and I'm back into my other work. And it's something that should have been very fast. So I noticed this colleague over the cube, how he reacted totally different from the way I did. He'd be like, oh, yes, and what about this way? And what about that? And they would bubble off of each other about these charts.
It's all clues to talent. You start to see where someone just feels ease and it's no problem and it's fast and that somebody else can do the same thing and have the same skill level. But it comes off totally different. And that's all about whether it's just a learned skill.
Brea So, I love this and I'm gonna shine a spotlight on that word learned. That's what we're talking about. When it's truly talent, you can't teach talent. You can't learn talent. You've got it or you don't, right? It's easy for you or it's not. You can learn skill. You can teach skill. But it's not the same, right? The outcome isn't the same.
If the skill is not aligned with a natural talent, it feels different. It feels different to you and it feels different to others. I think that's so good, Lisa.
Lisa Like, let's talk about the implication of what you just said, because one person could look at what you just said and conclude, well, then we can all get the same result. It just may be a little more ramp up time for somebody else who has to build a skill.
But if you look at it like, could you maximize this? Could you give that guy I'm talking about, if he had three times as many pivot tables, and I had three times as many PowerPoints, we might be able to be twice as productive instead of someone saying, but everyone needs to know how to do everything. Also, think about the culture.
I think implication of the culture are even bigger because what if you get to love what you do? What if you get that reaction that he had where he was like, oh yeah, and what about this way to slice and dice it? Oh yeah, and what about this way to tell the story? Meanwhile, I was just like yeah get done the minimum thing so I can move on to my next and so I think there is a huge performance implication that a lot of people don't think about because a lot of Huge yeah, it seems like on the surface.
You could just say just get it done suck it up do the thing and and don't complain about it, which is what I was doing, but it wasn't the best thing for the culture or the results or the creativity or our extra, you know, people talk about discretionary effort, things like that. So that is where I think this idea of rapid learning and ease, like if it's easy for you, you're going to give such a bigger contribution compared to if you just have to get it done.
Brea And I want to be clear when we're talking about ease or when we're talking about rapid learning, when we're talking about this, this clue to talent, let's be clear. I'm not promoting a hundred percent lifestyle of ease. I'm not promoting laziness. I'm not here to say, don't do anything that's hard. Don't challenge yourself. Okay.
Lisa Let's just be clear. Good clearing.
Brea Brilliant. Challenge is good for us, right? Not an excuse to be lazy. But when it comes to work, when it comes to performance, when the outcome matters, Why make it harder for yourself? Life is already hard. Why make it harder? You know?
And if as managers, as leaders, as parents, as friends, as spouses, if we can look at ourselves and the people in our lives and set them up for success by saying, how can we work together to let you do what comes naturally for you and I'll do what comes naturally for me and together we're stronger. That sounds like a good world to me.
Lisa And it's efficient. I think it's really telling you have the natural tendencies, you have these instincts and these talents that might lead you to be good at a thing. And then when you add the skill on top of it, the way it exponentially helps compared to how it would help someone else is an incredible thing because there are all these elements of it that feed together both the talent and the skill when they map up. That's when the performance is so incredible.
Brea I love that. Yes, it's that alignment that really makes the difference. Hey, can we talk a little bit about this idea of rapid learning, how we learn, and how that relates to our talents?
Lisa Yeah, that's a great way to close.
Brea Some people learn quickly by themselves, maybe by reading or researching in a book or watching a YouTube video or whatever. I'm very much like high relationship building, high influencing. So if I have to learn something, I want to learn from people. You know, I want you to tell me how to do it. I want you to teach me. I want to like learn with you. So even the the way that we learn, not just how quickly or slowly we learn, but the way that we learn can also clue us into talent.
Lisa Oh, yeah. That is a really cool nuance. I've heard you do that so many times because you, well, take your communication and you'll talk through a thing to learn the thing and even learn what your perspective is on the thing. I've absolutely heard that in you.
I think about how to explain, I'm trying to make connections with the talents before ever having thought about this, but I tend to learn by getting going and doing something I'm very kinesthetic and whether that is I'm learning while moving like I would rather talk and be moving in order to Think it through better with body movement or actually just doing something like if somebody says “Learn new software” back in the old days when you would have a manual to do it I would be the person who would be like Just let me open it up and click around. I wanted to do it more through feeling or like the IKEA example you gave. I would rather see if I can spatially figure it out by getting the parts out and beginning to do it. I would prefer that. There's the movement element that really calls to me.
I don't know if I can map that to my CliftonStrengths specifically, but it's definitely a clue to where I'm good.
Brea Yeah, it's such a good example. You know, what pops out for me is you're strategic, very adaptable in that way. It starts kind of thinking forward, moving forward, and then, you know, we could go this way, we could go that way, so let's just try it, and then we'll, oh, that didn't work, so we'll go this way instead, right? And I hear a lot from Activator, too.
I don't want to project because Activator is high for me, but I hear this from people, not just myself. that activator learns by doing, right? We're sitting in a meeting and we're like, oh my gosh, can we please stop talking about it? Let's just try it. Let's just try. So maybe they're, you know, those are maybe contributing, you know, to that, but yeah, it, again, you don't need the assessment, you know, it's, it's another layer to developing your CliftonStrengths.
And if you don't have an assessment or if you're just out in the wild, if you're at the grocery store or you're on a run or whatever and you're around strangers, look for this. Look for rapid learning. Look for what comes naturally to people. If you think to yourself, wow, how did they do that? Flip it from the focus being on you and like, oh, that's so hard for me. How did they do that? I must not be as good, right? That internal self-talk that can be negative sometimes.
When you catch yourself saying, wow, how did they do that? Realize, wow, that's a clue to their talent. Say that to them. Gosh, that's amazing. That's amazing. can you teach me how to do it? They'll probably say no because it comes so easy to them. They're like, I don't know how I did it. I just did it. show them that what they're doing, how they're doing it, something about the way their brain is working right now is really, really special. What a gift, you know, we can give to others.
Lisa That's such a perfect way to end the episode thinking about helping someone see their contribution. Before we move to the close, do you have any favorite resources that you would share on this topic if somebody wants to go a little deeper? Yes.
Brea There's a book out there called Soar With Your Strengths. It is by Dr. Clifton. He's one of the co-authors of the book. And it goes through all five of these clues to talent. So pick it up. It's not just for rapid learning or, you know, ease, but it goes through all five and it is an excellent place to start if you want to kind of explore these five clues. A classic. What about you?
Lisa I would add Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. And we'll link that up in the show notes because you might not be able to spell that name if you're listening.
Brea Oh, my gosh. I have listened to so many different people say that name because it's a great book and I want to know how to pronounce it correctly. I give up. You did that perfectly, Lisa.
Lisa I think this was just the collection of the Dozens and dozens of people I've heard say it from podcasts and audiobooks over the years. If I look at it, I cannot say it. But if I remember what I've heard because I'm such an audio person, then I've got it.
Brea I love it. Yeah, we'll put those in the show notes so people can go and grab it.
Lisa Okay, so if someone wants to work with you on these clues, either spotting them in themselves or getting better at spotting them in other people in their lives, tell them how to work with you, Bria.
Brea Look, come on, come to my website, BriaRoper.com. You can schedule a call. I'm just very relational. That's how I like to start everything. So if you want to do a workshop for your team, if you want individual coaching, if you want to bring me in to do the keynote, whatever it is, if you want to work together or explore that, just come to the website, set up a call. We'll talk about it.
Lisa And I'm Lisa, if you want to work with me, leadthroughstrengths.com. There's a link called Get Coached in the main menu if you want to do one-on-one coaching on this. There's a link that says StrengthsFinder Workshops if you want to do this with your team and get good at spotting these and each other. And my newest product line is a membership called Tools for Coaches, where if you're trying to tap into your business side on being a coach, these will be some of those like grabbing other people's talent so you can spend your time where you're at your best.
Brea I love it. I also want to encourage everyone, your take action for the week is to learn things, learn skills, learn knowledge that aligns with your talents. So if you've taken CliftonStrengths and you know that you lead with the communication talent, Maybe take a Toastmaster class or read up on the storytelling arc. Learn something that aligns with your talents to really align your natural talent with those skills to achieve the outcome that we're talking about here today.
Lisa It's like that closing idea, hard work and skill development. It doesn't have to be so hard. Align it with your strengths and it actually feels easy. All ties back to your word, ease.
Brea Easy buttons. Let's go. Let's go. Awesome. Thanks, Lisa. See you all next week.
The Fine Print: This podcast is not sanctioned or endorsed by Gallup in any way. Opinions, views and interpretations of CliftonStrengths© are solely the beliefs of Lisa Cummings and Brea Roper. Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
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| 04 Mar 2018 | Prevent Conflict by Knowing Your Talent's Needs, Expectations, and Assumptions | 00:16:49 | |
In this episode, Lisa explains how knowing your strengths, and the strengths of others, can help you get along better at work. You’ll also find out what grizzly bears have to do with the workplace! Have You Downloaded Your Strengths Tools?One of the best ways leaders can build a strengths-based culture is to offer an appreciation of strengths in action. If you'll notice what works, you'll get more of what works because people can replicate what they've already done well. Get started by downloading this awesome tool that offers you 127 Easy Ways to Recognize Strengths on your team. Look for the box that says "Great Managers Notice What Works." Prevent Conflict by Knowing Your Talent's Needs, Expectations, and AssumptionsIn this episode, you’ll get a conversation guide you can use in your one-on-ones as a way to prevent conflict at work. The root of most conflict and consternation at work is missed expectations. As a leader, you have expectations of your team and they have expectations of you. Interestingly, built into each of the 34 StrengthsFinder talent themes, you’ll find some inherent needs and assumptions. For example, imagine an employee named Connor. He’s on your team and he leads through the Includer talent. He needs to know there’s room for everyone’s opinion — including his. No surprise, since it feels good for an Includer to be included. Each talent also often comes with the assumption and expectation that others might notice or value the same thing they do. It’s natural for all of us to not realize how unique each person’s assumptions and expectations are. So in that example, Connor would notice that someone’s ideas are being ignored. And he’d probably expect you, as the manager of the team, to rectify the situation. And then when you don’t, he might wonder why you’re such a jerk to flagrantly ignore the situation. Meanwhile, you lead through Analytical, Activator, and Command and it never occurred to you that someone has an issue. After all, if you had an issue, you’d say something quickly and directly. The source of most conflict in the workplace is missed expectations. Usually these expectations are never spoken of. It’s like we keep secrets in our minds. Well, not exactly. But we often assume others think the way we think or instantly understand what we expect from them. Our natural way of thinking and acting is so innate that we often don’t notice we’re doing it or that it’s different from anyone else’s perspective. What a Vacation Taught Me About LeadershipHere’s an example to illustrate how conflict comes from missed expectations. I went to Glacier National Park for vacation. The most exciting hiking trail is called the Highline Trail. It’s one of those trails that is only the width of the footpath. Teeny. There is a rail attached to the face of the mountain so that you can hang on because if you are the least bit afraid of heights you will think you are about to fall off the mountain to your death. So of course that is the trail I wanted to go on! We showed up at the visitor center ready to go, but there was a sign that said the Highline Trail is closed. Boo! Written on the whiteboard, it said they closed the trail because there’s a carcass in the way. I was so bummed because it was THE attraction I wanted to experience at Glacier. From the View of the Manager. Now let’s break this example down in the context of expectations. Let’s take the person who closed the trail. Imagine they are the manager on the team. They had to look out for the best interest of the team. They were afraid that hikers would be attacked because wildlife were trying to eat the carcass and we might be in danger if we got anywhere near the carcass. This is quite similar to what happens to managers at work. As a leader, you have to consider the broadest perspective. Without fail, you have conflicting demands — the things people want from you. And those things are rarely in alignment. A team member wants something different from you than your peer. And that request is different from what your leader is asking for. And that’s different from what your customer has been requesting. And … inevitably you have to make tough decisions that disappoint people, in the same way that the park ranger's decision disappointed me at first. From the View of the Team. Now, imagine grizzly bears, wolves, and mountain lions on the team. Where else do you hear a business show that tells you to get in the mind of a grizzly bear. Ha! If they see a carcass on the trail they ar e going to get it. If a tourist comes by, they will see the tourist as a food thief. They see someone who threatens their survival. They will assume that I want to eat that carcass and they will attack me. It is an incorrect assumption, but if you get in the mind of a mountain lion or grizzly bear you can absolutely understand. Likewise, you have seen this at the office before. This is why silos exist inside of companies. People are protecting information or status quo in order to ensure they can survive or thrive in their environment.
From the View of a Colleague in Another Department. And then there’s me as a character in the example story from the hiking trail. I represent your disappointed colleague, visiting from another department. When I got the news that the trail was closed, I pouted for a minute (only in my mind, not out loud). I lamented the fact that the mountain lion and grizzly bear cannot understand me and just let me pass by. This is very much what happens on the job when you imagine people in other departments at the office. You wonder if they are blocking your progress on purpose. You wonder if they are ignoring your request or failing to trust you for any good reason. You know all you’re trying to do is get your project further down the hiking trail. Now to bring this (sort of silly) hiking metaphor into action, take a look at how StrengthsFinder can help you overcome these assumptions and expectations that lead to disappointment and conflict. Three Tips to Help Overcome Unmet ExpectationsAssume positive intent.Each party is probably doing the best they can with what they have or what they know. Very few people come to work intending to sabotage. If you are lucky enough to know each other‘s StrengthsFinder talent themes, consider that person‘s top five themes to give you perspective on where they might be coming from. It will help you look for the good they are attempting to bring to the situation. Get further into the psyche of the person you’re working with.Understand what their talent themes need at the office. At leadthroughstrengths.com/resources I posted a conversation guide to help you prevent conflict by using StrengthsFinder. Look for a thumbnail image that says "strengths tips for teams" at the top and "prevent conflict" in the middle. This document outlines the inherent needs that every one of the 34 talent themes has. If you can have an open conversation with the person on your team about these, you can prevent these missed expectations before they happen. If possible, you will want to have this conversation in a one-on-one meeting when you’re not in the middle of a conflict. Knowing these things in advance will help you not assume things and will help you understand your team members' natural assumptions. If you use this guide during a conversation, here’s what you do: Have the person look at their top five talent themes on the document. See if the Needs listed for their top five resonate with them. For those that do, ask them about what they would naturally assume or expect based on that need. For example, if you have a new team member who leads through Consistency, he might expect that you have documented processes. That’s one of his needs listed in the conversation guide. Then, when you ask about Assumptions, he tells you that he assumes he can and should enforce policies related to these processes. Imagine how good it would be for you to know that if he’s replacing someone who was willy-nilly about things. Your new team member will likely be frustrated by the cobbled-together mess he’s inheriting. And people from other departments will be surprised by his policing efforts. Yet if you know these things before conflicts happen, you can turn it around into a celebration of how he’s going to get an efficient operation established. Know thyself.If you want to make this Expectations and Assumptions one-on-one ultra–effective, come to that conversation having already prepared your own document. Of course, it’s always good to be self-aware. It also allows you to show them an example so that they know what you’re getting at. It keeps them from raising the skeptical eyebrow wondering why you’re asking these things. Most of all, the reason to look inward first is that you have your own assumptions and expectations that you naturally view the world with. It’s important to know these because it affects the way you lead. For example, I expect that if someone sees something broken, misspelled, or incorrect, that they will fix it in the moment, regardless of whether it is their job description or not. This expectation comes from my Maximizer talent. And if you look at the document I made for you to download, you’ll see that there’s an inherent need that talent has — it’s to respect quality as much as speed and quantity. On the other hand, It’s perfectly reasonable for someone on the team to take a note of something broken and plan to fix that thing they noticed ... later. Well, reasonable to them. See, this is exactly why it’s helpful for you to know how your expectations might be different from your team members. And, it’s critical that you get comfortable verbalizing them to each other so that it’s not only about you making demands of them. It’s about an open conversation so you understand where each person is coming from and you can avoid the conflicts before they happen. In all directions. To close out, here’s one more example using the Connor with the Includer talent and the manager with the Analytical talent. Imagine you’re the manager and you assigned a research project to Connor. He starts by collecting information from peers who are in a similar role. He gathers feedback from customers, from peers, and from end-users. Meanwhile, you are waiting for a spreadsheet to help you make a Go vs. No Go decision by using charts and graphs and data. Both are natural assumptions. Connor, the Includer, uses relationships to inform decisions through people‘s past experiences and feedback. You, leading with Analytical, find truth in data. One is qualitative. One is quantitative. Both are valuable. And if you don’t know this about each other, you’ll drive each other crazy! And of course, if you do know this about each other, you can make a powerful partnership. Data On Strengths Helping With Alignment Of ExpectationsSpeaking of data, I’ll end this episode with a bit of data for you. This is from Gallup’s Q12 Employee Engagement research. They found that Employees who regularly apply strengths at work are 5.1x more likely to strongly agree that they know what is expected of them at work. Interesting, isn’t it? That makes a direct and unexpected connection between the application of strengths and clear expectations. Resources of the EpisodeRemember, if you want to use the document I made for you to explore Assumptions and Expectations according to their StrengthsFinder talent theme, get it at leadthroughstrengths.com/resources. Look for the “Preventing Conflict” image. Remember, the root of most disappointment and conflict at work is unmet expectations. You can get ahead of that by using StrengthsFinder to explore these default assumptions and expectations with each person on your team.
Subscribe To The Lead Through Strengths PodcastTo subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. | |||
| 22 Jul 2018 | Strengths Q3: Dream Jobs | 00:02:47 | |
In this 12-week strengths implementation series, you get one conversation per week to help your team start each week with strengths. If you “did” StrengthsFinder with your team and you didn’t follow up after the initial conversation, this is a great way to make Strengths part of your work culture. Go to http://leadthroughstrengths.com/challenge to get the series emailed to you one week at a time. You’ll get the question and examples to make it sound real and practical. You’ll also get additional angles so that you can take the answers beyond the surface. If you’re a manager who wants to make culture-building part of everyone’s job, have each person on the team sign up for the email series. That way, it won’t rely on you doing the question-asking each week. You can get the team to share their answers after they receive the email. This series is usable even if you’ve never used CliftonStrengths. Although the questions work in excellent alignment with the StrengthsFinder 2.0 book, they also work with no assessment at all - just conversations about what already works on the team. | |||
| 26 Oct 2017 | 10 Culture Building Tips For Managers Who Want To Build A Strengths Based Team - With Maya Tremelling and Cheikh Tall of FHI 360 | 00:28:59 | |
This Episode’s Focus on StrengthsThis week Lisa chats with Cheikh Tall, Maya Tremelling, and a Project Director at FHI 360. Their amazing company is working in 70 countries to find cures for many of the world's deadliest diseases, provide water for villages in Africa, and promote the health and well-being of all people. In this special episode, you'll hear how FHI 360 has built a strengths-based team, while nurturing a strong company culture. You'll learn about these 10 ideas:
[caption id="attachment_3508" align="alignleft" width="400"] Meet the interviewees (see photos below):Cheikh's Top 5 Clifton StrengthsFinder Talent Themes: Maximizer, Adaptability, Achiever, Responsibility, Deliberative (such a great fit for getting a financial analyst in the zone!) Maya's Top 5 Clifton StrengthsFinder Talent Themes: Positivity, Includer, Woo, Developer, Harmony (what a beautiful set of relationship talents to bring to a records management role!) Lisa’s Top 5 Clifton StrengthsFinder Talent Themes: Strategic, Maximizer, Positivity, Individualization, Woo Resources of the EpisodeYou can connect with the FHI 360 team through their website, Twitter, and their interesting and informative blog. Strengths ToolsYou'll also find lots of StrengthsFinder, leadership, and team tools on our ="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://leadthroughstrengths.com/resources&source=gmail&ust=1487264698482000&usg=AFQjCNHUtPcayNXycHfGq_r2Crj5sPIU7w">Strengths Resources page. Subscribe To The Lead Through Strengths PodcastTo subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. Here's a Full Transcript of the InterviewLisa: You’re listening to Lead Through Strengths, where YOU'LL learn to apply your greatest strengths at work. [music break] I’m your host, Lisa Cummings—and I gotta tell ya, whether you’re leading a team or leading yourself…it’s hard to find something more **ENERGIZING** and productive than using your natural talents every day at work. Today, you’ll hear a special episode, where I’m onsite in the Raleigh Durham area of North Carolina. I’m with an organization called FHI 360. They do work in 70 countries, and wow...talk about bringing out the best in humanity… I was onsite, delivering a StrengthsFinder program to their Global Leadership Team. They came from all over the world and, man, we got to apply the concept of strengths to [00:01:00] suuuuch a wide range of job responsibilities. We had research scientists, we had country directors, we had clinical operations leaders, and we had people whose career mission is to cure malaria. We had leaders who devoted their entire lives to getting clean drinking water to villages in Africa. It was amazing, and their organizational culture really stuck me. It feels different (in a special way) when you walk in their building. So [00:01:30] I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to chat with some of their team members about what makes this organization so special. Now, bear with us. The audio on this episode is not as good as our usual standard. We’re on site, in a common space, with four of us on one centralized microphone. The setup was not ideal for your ear buds, yet we made it work on the fly. And, even with the extra fuzz and distance in your ears, you’ll absolutely benefit by listening to their creative tips and culture-building ideas. In just a sec, they’ll start giving you 10 specific ideas you can borrow for YOUR work culture. If you find it tough to follow who is talking (because there are 4 of us), take a glance over at leadthroughstrengths.com/listen. When you see the podcast episode art with three faces, you’ll know you found them. We added photos of each person throughout the show notes - so I think you’ll love checking out those visuals (we even have some that show the 10 tips in action). That page also includes each person’s StrengthsFinder talent themes, so it might be fun for you to spot their natural talents as you hear how they describe their ideas. We kick it off with . She jumps right in with their [00:03:00] Charity Cube idea. Here she is, giving you a cool use for the empty cubicle in your office! Project Director: Hi, I'm a project director. My favorite thing about working here or one cool thing I look forward to is an initiative we have called the Charity Cube. It's an empty cube that we use as a mini-thrift store to raise funds [00:03:30] for charities that are nominated by our staff. Sometimes it will be a charity that our staff cares about, local or national, or sometimes it'll be something thathas personal significance to someone, right? Now for example, this month, the funds raised through the Charity Cube are going to the Leukemia Society because one of our colleagues lost her husband recently to leukemia, so it's raising money in honor of him. Lisa: I can already tell it's something of meaning here. Tell me a little bit [00:04:00] about what that cube looks like. If you walk up to that cube, what do you see? Because I imagine almost everybody listening has an empty cube somewhere around the office and they want to do this. What does that look like? Project Director: Sure. We invested in a portable clothing rack. I think a company called Neatfreak makes it. We have clothes hanging there. We ask people to only bring in really nice stuff. We usually have some shoes and purses. There are books, CDs and DVDs [00:04:30]. Knickknacks. People bring in all kinds of things. Some things we wish they didn't, but usually what happens is the good stuff is gone in a second. What's left over is the stuff that nobody wants, so once a month, we get volunteers to come clean it out and to purge it, then we start over. We've raised $5,000 in the Charity Cube. We've been doing it two years and each month, it's a different charity and [00:05:00] staff nominates it. It's fun. It needs to be placed somewhere strategic. Our Charity Cube is placed right next to the canteen, so everyone who's going to warm up their lunch stops by. It's an honor system. There's a moneybox. People put in the cash and once a month, we add up all the money and send it to a charity. Lisa: It's like a little retail store in a cube. I wasn't even imagining it at first. Project Director: Yeah. It manages itself, for the most part. Lisa: And anybody listening to this could implement something like that. They don't have to be a people [00:05:30] manager to do that. That can be anyone who wants to demonstrate leadership and do something meaningful. Ooh. Maya, this is a lot to live up to. What kind of cool thing do you love here? Maya: My name is Maya Tremelling [00:05:43]. I'm responsible for record management and I’ve worked for FHI for almost nine years. What I like most about working in this company are the people. Lisa: Let's talk about relationships for a second and what happens when you're so far away. I talk to more and more people at companies, organizations everywhere that have remote employees all over the place. Your tightest knit team might not be anywhere near you, so how do you ... This answer could be for anyone even though, Cheikh, you haven't been able to introduce yourself yet. How do you stay connected like that relationship-wise when you're not physically seeing each other? Cheikh: The ERG. Maya: Yeah, ERG. I don't know if you heard of them [00:06:29]. Lisa: Employee Resource Groups? Cheikh: Employee [00:06:30] Resource Group. Yes. Lisa: Yes. Talk about them. Cheikh: And then people that share… Project Director: Common interests. Maya: We have so many groups. Maybe I can talk for “Tapioca” [00:06:38], which is Asian people, but people who care about Asia also can join. You don't need to be Asian to join. We have really good causes too, like fundraising. We celebrate New Year's for all the countries in Asia. We have potlucks. Being away from our countries can feel lonely, but it feels like we are family here. It's just nice. Lisa: Yeah, so you mentioned Tapioca. You mentioned Young Professionals. Is that an Employee Resource Group? Maya: Yes. Lisa: What are some other ones? Maya: Africa. Project Director: Working parents. Cheikh: I think a bicycle group. Lisa: Bicycle? Cheikh: They have a bunch of bicycles. Yeah. Project Director: Yeah. We have a bicycle one, working parents. Oh, Toastmasters, public speaking, Africa, Asia. Military veterans? [00:07:25] Oh, a fitness one that does yoga and meditation. Lisa: It's as if you find a special connection point, you could make one of these. Project Director: Sure. You can propose it. Cheikh: The last one is a women’s group. Project Director: Oh, yeah. The women's group? Yeah. Cheikh: I attended that one [smiles]. Project Director: That's awesome. Good for you [cheerful crosstalk]. Lisa: Okay, so now people have sort of met you. Cheikh: Yes. Lisa: Tell them who you are and one of the cool things you love about working here. Cheikh: My name is Cheikh Tall [00:07:52]. I've been with FHI for about a year. The purpose for me to join FHI was the work that FHI was doing. I was just sitting at my old job - just working and I guess it wasn't meaningful to me. It wasn't about the money, it's about what I want to do personally. I think working here - and the work that FHI is doing, that's one of the main things that I like about working here. Lisa: Yeah. I think people listening to this will almost feel like you [00:08:30] have an advantage because when you're in a company like this, that is so mission driven and so out for humanity and what the world could become, you certainly (on the purpose and meaning part) have something special. Let's just say you're a manager listening to this and they work in a manufacturing company. They're making widgets and you're trying to figure out - how do you tap into meaning? You've obviously had this experience when you didn't feel that connection. [00:09:00] Do you think that connection can be made when it's a hardware product or something like that? Cheikh: Yes. I think it's good to take time to understand what somebody's motivation is. It's important to tap into that motivation and keep that person going. Lisa: If you just asked one question to try to get at somebody's motivation, what would that thing be? Project Director: Whenever I work with someone that I don't know, I make sure that the very first meeting has nothing to do with work. That it's [00:09:30] just about getting to know each other and understanding. You don't want to make people say things that they're not comfortable sharing, but just opening a dialogue for people to share what they're comfortable with about their life and their family and where they went to school or what books they love, what music they love, what their hobbies are, so that you can build trust. I think in order to be able to be on a team and have healthy conflict about ideas, you have to trust each other. In order to build trust, you have to know something about the person [00:10:00] beyond their name and their title. Lisa: It doesn't cost any money, either. That's a great one, Project Director, for that. Project Director: Exactly. You do it over lunch. You go out, "Hey, I'm so glad we're working together. Can we go and grab lunch?" You just talk about life and each other. Also in keeping that feeling going and building that relationship too, a lot of times, we work with people that are overseas. I had a team that was all in Kenya. We did so much better, we were so much more engaged when we were on video, rather than when we were on the phone. As much as we could, we did Skype and video calls more than just being on the phone. When you're on the phone and someone could be doing something else and it's too passive. When you're on video, you have to really focus. So yeah, using video and just keeping a personal relationship just when you start meeting like, "How's everything going with you guys? How's your family?" You know what their kids are doing. "How's soccer going?" or something. "How's your garden going? You grow tomatoes. Do you have any tomatoes yet?" Just to have ahuman connection and not be so boring about work, because things can get boring sometimes. Lisa: [00:11:00] It's big. People say, "Oh, you're not focusing on work", but you're focusing on work by focusing on the people that do the work, so you have to have that piece. Cheikh: Adding to that, I might be an introvert sometimes. I don't like to talk. I just sometimes just keep it business as usual. Lisa: Perfect for having someone on a video right now, right? [sarcasm] “Let's do an in public interview with someone to make him feel really uncomfortable.” Cheikh: I've been working with my manager for a while. She can tell by how I react if I'm excited about something or not. She knows that I like to be challenged. If a new challenge comes up, she can see the excitement in me. I think paying attention to the non-verbal action of people pays a lot. They can't help unless they are 100% sure what motivates that person. Lisa: I like how practical your ideas are. You were talking about the fact that someone can read you [00:12:00] and know. The same thing applies with anybody that you're working with whether they're your direct report or a colleague who's a peer. If you get to know each other at those informal lunches and they know, "Oh, you want a little more time to think about things" or "Don't put me under pressure to speak in the moment" or "Now I can see that eye twitch means that's a good thing". All those little signs. Project Director: One of the things that I love about FHI is HR has set aside funds and resources for employees to come up with [00:12:30] ideas. We have the Awesome grant: give us an idea that's awesome that you can do for $1,000 and we'll consider it. Everyone can submit his or her ideas. One of the Awesome grants was to get some bicycles that employees can check out and go for lunch, go ride into downtown and grab a coffee or a lunch. HR, it's not tons of money, but it's very encouraging to feel like your ideas are valued and for HR to say, "We want to know what ..." [00:13:00] The Awesome grants are about the culture. $1,000 projects to make our culture better. I love that HR is thinking that way because that's creative and it's not expensive. It's pretty easy. The staff is doing all the work. They're coming up with an idea they're implementing. Lisa: And executing. I hear that and I think if someone said, "Oh, we don't have that. We have $100", you could do an Awesome grant with $100. That's cool. Paige Winn (cameo appearance): Do you guys know about the randomized coffee trials? Maya: Yeah. Every [00:13:30] month, people who register to be part of it will get an invite. They match us with other people and we can have talking and it's just having a coffee or tea or even lunch if you want. I meet most of the time with someone new that I never met before. It's really good because we are such a big company. So many new people - we benefit. Lisa: Yeah. Say more about how this actually works. You're an employee and I'm imagining [00:14:00] it could be something like networking and I just want to meet someone in whatever department? Maya: Yes. Lisa: Networking, mostly? Does it happen through software or how does this happen? Maya: It's just an email. Project Director: It's part of the Awesome thing. Someone manages it. They get all the names of people and then they use random matching and send out emails. Cheikh: Usually the people that they match are in the same department. Project Director: Yeah. Cheikh: We end up being matched to somebody who is doing something totally different than your area of work, so you can talk about projects you’re working on. Project Director: The ones that I've been in, we talk about work some and what kind of projects you're doing and what excites you about what's coming down the pike. Maya: Most of the time. Yeah. Project Director: "Where did you come from? Who are you?" It's all the employees who schedule it and reschedule it if you need to cancel. That's your gig. They just tell you whom you're matched to and then you can take it and run. Lisa: You're hitting [00:15:00] on an enormously important concept. I talk a lot with managers about individualizing to each person and what makes them tick. Project Director: One thing I really appreciate is that we get handed out stationary that is a thank you note. It has a logo and it says 'We are FHI'. You get those and when someone does something that you appreciate or helps you out, you can send them a handwritten thank you note. I have handwritten thank you [00:15:30] notes from people in leadership that mean so much. The power of that is just so real and wonderful. We can do that to each other. We also have an ability to nominate people for awards. Cheikh: Yeah. The Now Award. Project Director: On an ongoing basis, we have a Now Award, which is just someone helped you out. It can be a $10 gift card or $20, whatever. Once a year, then we have the big award. They take nominations from around, many, many offices around [00:16:00] the world. It's nice. There's a ceremony and people get to tell their story. You hear why people got this award and they give it to teams. It's not about individual accomplishments, it's about team accomplishment and project accomplishment. That's awesome because then you're really creating a culture that values teamwork. Cheikh: Also, what I like especially about the Now Award is that it is something that you get from peers. You're working next to each other. Maya: Right. In the same department. Cheikh: It doesn't come from the top leader. [00:16:30] My direct manager or my direct coworkers are the ones that can nominate me. Just getting an award from them means a lot because they are the people that you interact with all the time, and they see you putting in the work. The direct manager knows what I'm doing every day. Getting recognition from them sometime means a lot. Lisa: As I was listening to your answers, I was thinking about how that gave people a [00:17:00] big, bigger, biggest option where thank you cards, recognition cards can be big, Now Awards can be bigger, the team impact thing, the biggest. But that something as simple as a peer recognition getting a handwritten note whether it's from a peer, even an email, that it's big. It's a big meaning to you even though it's a small easy action to take. Anybody can keep a stack full of blank cards at their desk to recognize peers, even if their company doesn't [00:17:30] provide something. Okay. Closing thought. It's a simple question, yet a deep question. What do you know about team dynamics today that you didn't know five years ago? Project Director: I don't know if I didn't know it five years ago, but I certainly know now that the leader sets the tone. I'm on a team now where the leader will send out a message [00:18:00] and it's completely heartfelt. "This morning I woke up and there was a beautiful sunrise and I was on my run. I was just thinking about how much we've accomplished in the last month, and how hard you guys have worked, and how much I appreciate it. I'm just thankful that you all are my team." He's setting the tone. He's setting the tone and then that becomes the tone of the team. I think it goes all the way up to our CEO. We have a CEO suggestion box. You can say anything you want in the suggestion box. Anything. [00:18:30] He will respond publicly unless it's private, if it's an HR issue that is private. He sets the tone for communication. That would be my nugget: the leader sets the tone. It's your responsibility to set the tone for your team. If there's gnarly-ness going on in your team, you have to not just want to blame it on them but look inward and accept some responsibility. How do I turn this around? What can I do? Instead of just saying, "All those people are hopeless." I [00:19:00] believe it comes from the top. Lisa: It takes a lot of small interactions to make that openness happen, so that's a really good lesson. Project Director: You know one thing we didn't talk about, but I think is really great, is that I only work 60% of the time. That's a choice that I made, so that I cannot make my kids eat TV dinner every day, right? Lisa: Ooh, it is a big one. Project Director: I work less and I make less money, but I still know, and I think most people here know, that you don't get all this [00:19:30] stuff. Culture is not going to just ... someone else is going to create it. You have to put the time in even though I'm only working 60%, but I put the time in for the Charity Cube. We put the time in for the ERGs. We do it because we know that it's our responsibility. We get to own whether this place is awesome to work at or not. It's everybody's responsibility and we all chip in, don't we? Maya: Yeah. [00:19:53]. Project Director: People chip in. We're not getting compensated for these things that we're doing. We shouldn't be. We're doing them because we want to work at an awesome place [00:20:00] and that's what it takes to work somewhere awesome. If you're not willing to give a couple of hours a month or one hour a month to make this place awesome, then it's not going to be awesome. That's why it's awesome. If you think everyone else is going to create the culture and then you get to benefit from it? No. That's not how it works. Lisa: It's so uncommon to see any fractional work schedule. Project Director: Yeah. It has to be that your project, it meshes with your project needs, but yeah. If you can justify in how it will work and it works [00:20:30] for your group, then you can do it. Lisa: The Project Director ended it so perfectly, didn't she? You know what, if you want your workplace to be great, it's built from the inside out. A culture's not an HR initiative, it's not a vision from one single leader. It's actually a reflection of the past and the present and all of those actions, habits, preferences, commitments and trusts that are going on in your organization. Building a strengths-based culture takes [00:21:00] some time, effort, and ongoing communication. They did such a great job of showing how yes, it does take an effort by many people over a long period of time to shape a culture yet at the same time, they demonstrate really beautifully that these 10 ideas can be executed by anyone at any level and really with any budget level. To do a quick recap, here are the 10 ideas. I hope you will take some inspiration [00:21:30] and implement a spark that you got from this episode in your company.
It makes the team members feel accountable to keeping the amazing culture train going, you heard that from Project Director, and what a brilliant way to build a feeling of ownership all the way through the organization. If you offered this at its simplest level, just consider doing a job-sharing program where two employees can share a job 50/50 or maybe you offer part-time roles. The important differentiator is that it's not just for entry-level jobs. I do see people experimenting with part-time offerings, yet they stop at the entry-level jobs. The magic here is that when you show people they have a career path with flexibility, you can keep your top talent rather than having them opt out of the workforce entirely. All right. With that, I'd love to hear what this episode inspires you to put into practice. If you've done the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment with your team, it's a great [00:27:00] spark. I say this often. It's a great start, it's a great spark, but it needs the continued conversation and execution to have the deep impact on an organization. First, I'm virtually high fiving you if you've gotten the conversation started already and the examples in this episode are a great way to support talents and put them into action. Just think about this for a second. If someone on your team leads through the Discipline or Focus talent themes, maybe they create the calendaring process for something like those randomized coffee trials because they really dig the organizational skills and the follow through part. If someone leads through restorative, maybe they institute their own ERG. They create an employee resource group called the Fix It Amigos, I don't know, to tinker on electronics or solve business issues that people submit. If someone leads through the developer talent, maybe they propose a mentoring program or they offer to be someone's mentor so they can take them through those small steps of development and have someone who they can celebrate the success of. If someone leads through Includer, they might offer to become the onboarding welcome wagon and offer tour guides to ensure that new hires feel totally comfortable and grounded in their first week on the job. You get the idea here. I'm just spit balling. The idea though is take your talents and the talents of people on your team and aim them at culture building conversations. Aim them at specific company programs. Get people involved in ways [00:28:30] that light them up. Encourage people to contribute in ways that bring them ease and energy and enjoyment about the workplace and about their culture and about their roles. After all, if they're obsessed with fixing their weaknesses, you know what I'm about to say here. They are performing on the road of most resistance. So help them claim their talents and share them with your culture.
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| 17 May 2016 | Spark Your Creative Mojo - With Melissa Dinwiddie | 00:28:04 | |
This Episode’s Focus on Strengths In this episode, Lisa has a fun conversation with Melissa Dinwiddie. Melissa is a multi-talented, creative person who lights up your day with her voice and enthusiasm! She helps her clients to use their strengths to get their mojo back when they feel like their innovation gene has left the building. You’ll find lots of ideas to spark your creative mojo in this episode. Plus, you’ll hear about her “Passion Pluralite” life, as she calls it, so listen in. You’ll walk away with a newly formed opinion of what’s possible for a multi-passionate person. It’s inspiring to see someone who wouldn’t settle for “one thing” or one activity driving her entire career path. As she’s working with her clients, Melissa always keeps in mind her Top 5 Talent Themes from the Clifton StrengthsFinder: Connectedness, Achiever, Input, Futuristic, and Positivity. You’ll hear why this combination of Talents makes Melissa one of the most knowledgeable, multi-talented, creative people you will ever meet.
What You’ll Learn Find your unique you. Melissa Dinwiddie is a multi-talented woman who has many different interests. She knows a lot about a lot of things. She always took for granted that she had so many interests, until she had a conversation with a client that led to a life-altering Ah Ha moment. In that moment, she realized that she had a unique gift, and that her Connectedness and Positivity Strengths made her a natural at consulting and collaborating with others. This led to her career working with clients to improve their creativity – which leads to innovation, increased profitability, and achievement. Use your Strengths. Connectedness and Positivity also enable her to look for meaning and connection all around her. She is always using that information to figure out how she can help her clients. Always say “Yes, and…” Improv class, which is one of Melissa’s newer hobbies, taught her to always say “Yes, and…” instead of “Yes, but…” because when you say it, you keep thing going and growing. This approach generates more new ideas, and allows for more creativity. Saying “but” is really just another way of saying no. It shuts down creativity. It leaves your team with more potential conflict and stifled creativity. Adding many ideas to the big mosh-pit brings forth more possibilities, and will empower your team members. When people are scared that they’re gonna be cut down, they become afraid to speak up (and you might be missing the best idea yet). Understand your Strengths…to overcome them. This might sound counter-intuitive, yet Melissa gives a great example when speaking about her Achiever Talent Theme. In the past, her need to achieve kept her stuck in self-perfection. By understanding how the Achiever Strength has the possibility to (counter intuitively) limit her ability to finish projects, she has developed self-compassion. She now considers herself to be a “recovering perfectionist”. So, if you tend to be a perfectionist at work, remember, everything doesn’t always have to be perfect; sometimes it just needs to get done. Give yourself a break! Lisa adds that the Achiever Talent Theme in its pure form is all about completing tasks and getting to the finish line. She hypothesizes that Melissa’s other StrengthsFinder Talents may be playing into her perfectionist tendencies too. While her Achiever wants to get things done, her Input will want to keep sponging up learning and insights that broaden her view of the project. Speaking of opening up possibilities, her Futuristic Talent will keep her in constant “what-if” mode. The fascination and vision of what can be can also keep you in rework mode. And her Connectedness Talent could have event played into her perfectionist tendencies because she sees connections and wants to share them with other people. Imagine when she’s creating courses and wants to keep tinkering so that every person with every perspective can get what they need. Ahhh, feeding your talents can be so energizing. And, sometimes, they can derail your progress if you’re not keeping an eye on the outcomes you set out to achieve. Schedule sandbox time every day. Our modern lives are super-busy, and often jam-packed with activities and projects every single day (even the weekends). Melissa suggests you spend 15 minutes every day relaxing, like you used to do as a kid. Play in the sandbox, doodle on paper, or go for a walk – whatever floats your boat. She’s proven that just that short amount of downtime can rejuvenate your creativity, and you will have a much easier time coming up with new ideas or finishing projects you’ve neglected. So schedule a short break time every day, and see what happens. Finding your “true passion” takes practice. People often ask career coaches and StrengthsFinder consultants how they can find their “true passions”. Melissa has an answer for them: Go out and try different things. She cites the example of learning to dance, another recent hobby. It took her 3 – 4 years of different types of dancing to figure out that she loves salsa and Argentine tango. In the work environment, you may be in a role you don’t love. Maybe you even hate your job. Look at the tasks your perform, and pay attention to what you actually do enjoy. Then find ways to get more of them added to your job responsibilities. If you stick with it, you’ll end up happier, more successful, and your business will be more profitable. Remember, knowing your Strengths and understanding them can have a huge impact on your personal and professional lives. So go out there and create.
Resources of the Episode To connect with Melissa and grab some creativity resources, check out her website. You can also connect with her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Ready to live a full-color life? Melissa’s Live Creative Now podcast is filled with practical tips and inspiration on creativity and creative productivity. Feeding your creative hungers is one of the fastest ways to happiness, joy, and self-fulfillment. Not only will you feel more alive, it’s how you will change the world!
Subscribe To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from the website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published.
StrengthsFinder Mini-Course For Managers If you’re a people-manager and you want to sharpen your strengths based support, come join our monthly mini-course. We don’t charge for this because we want to help you keep the StrengthsFinder momentum going. Teams who receive strengths feedback have 8.9% greater profitability. Yowza! Sounds like a great reason to join. Source: Asplund, J., & Blacksmith, N. “Strengthening Your Company’s Performance.” Gallup Business Journal.
Go Live Your Talents Remember, using your strengths every day at work makes you a stronger performer. Go claim your talents and share them with the world! Read the full conversation: Lisa: Today, this show is all about using your natural talents to unleash your creative side at work. Your guest is so super interesting. She's actually dedicated her career to instigating creativity around the world. She works with teams to help them get their Mojo back when they feel like their innovation gene has left the building. She might even change your mind today about how very important play is at work. And speaking of play on the literal side, your guest plays the Ukulele and even brings that into her work world. So get ready. You're about to see how your creative expression can help you offer your value to the world. So Melissa Dinwiddie, welcome to the show. Melissa: Wow. Thanks Lisa. That was like the greatest intro ever. Lisa: It could have only been better if I had primed you for it so that you could have your Ukulele ready to play a little tune. Right. So, okay. You know, this show, it's all about exploring strengths from every angle. We're getting a unique angle of creativity today and we're bringing in strengths to that. So when you mentioned to me that when you first considered your top five StrengthsFinder talents that the one called Input was interesting to you because at first you didn't see that as something special and you. So tell us more about how that went down for you. In your mind, how did you open yourself up to the idea that it could actually be a superpower that you were overlooking? Melissa: I was doing a trade with a woman who was, at the time, my yoga teacher and she's also a life coach and so she was trading coaching. She was giving me some coaching and I was creating a website for her. It was maybe the third time that she had asked me about how to do something inside of a WordPress website, upload an image or create a new page or something, and I was showing her. And then she said, well, what if I want to do, you know, x, Y, z? And I said, oh, well there's three different plugins that I know of for that. And she looked at me and she said, how do you know all this stuff? And I said, I don’t know, I just, I made my own website a number of times so I know this stuff. And she's like, I think you don't appreciate how that, you knowing all this stuff, like that's not normal, that's normal in a really cool, really cool way. Melissa: Like you could, you could do consulting and you know, Blah Blah Blah. And it, it was that moment that made me realize, wow, this is something that's unusual about me in a good way. And it made me flash back to a moment, years earlier, this would have been back in the late 90’s, mid 90’s when I had started doing calligraphy, which became a huge passion of mine and that ultimately turned into a career. But at this point I was still a relatively new calligrapher and I was at a workshop and it was one of the first workshops I had been to with this calligraphy guild that I had joined. And somebody asked about a tool called an automatic pen. Well, what is an automatic pen and how is that different from, you know, this other kind of pen? Well, I, when I got into calligraphy, I had taken, like I'd ordered all the, there were two big stores that had, at the time, this was really before the Internet took off, so they had these paper catalogs. So of course I had ordered these paper catalogs and that was my bedtime reading. I would go to bed and pour through these catalogs and read all the details about every single tool and every single book. And so I just knew all this stuff. And so here I was, I'd been doing calligraphy for, you know, less than a year or something, and I was spouting off “well and automatic pen is its way and it works in this way and the way it's different from quick pan is blah blah”. And I remember the people looking at me like, are you an alien? Like they just didn't know you've been, I've been doing calligraphy for eight years and you just started, eight months ago, how do you know all this stuff? Melissa: And I, didn't realize that that was, I didn't have a word for it. I was just who I was. So I didn't realize that it was unique or unusual or a particular strength. And it just was this quirky thing about me that I didn't even realize was quirky. So yeah, that, was probably of my StrengthsFinder strengths. That was probably the first one that I went, oh yeah, that I can totally see as a strength because the things that I'm passionate about, I dive in and I learn everything that I can about them because that's what I do and then it nothing makes me happier than sharing that knowledge with other people, so it's a natural for consulting. Lisa: So cool. I love when I have clients with Input. It is so much fun to hear because they love going deep and gathering all the information and learning about a topic and then really directing it to what they're into, whether it's a hobby or work and then sharing it and it becomes such a collaboration strength too because you can add so much value because you realize, oh, not everyone does that. I mean, if I know if I got into calligraphy, I would flip through and look at the pretty pens and that's about it. I didn't know anything about any specs. Melissa: Right, right. Yeah, it, it definitely comes in really handy. The other one, I'm number five for me is Positivity and that one I recognized right away and people are always telling me, Oh my God, you have so much energy and you're such a cheerleader, you know, and that's just my personality. I hadn't really thought of that as a particular strength either, but I see it like I use that every day and the work that I do with clients and the groups that I lead that, that I am always essentially cheering people on. I mean not with like pompoms or something, but you know, I always have a positive spin on things and that it's not pollyannaish. It's just, it's just how I am. I think actually that's quite related to my top strength of Connectedness, which I mean I read that and when that's a strength, what? Lisa: That one always surprises people. They go, Huh, I would never think of that one. Melissa: Never would have thought of it. But I think that really ties in with my Positivity that this sort of outlook of always finding meaning and connection and you know, there's always this sense that everyone and everything is connected and I'm not like a religious person, but I'm it definitely infuses kind of everything I do Lisa: Well, knowing a little bit more about you and how you bring play into your work and how you’re an improviser, that's a high Positivity. It just makes complete sense because there's a fun-loving elements of it. It's finding the good times and things like if you're going to be here on the planet, go have a good time while you're at it, why not? And that tends to be one of the outlooks of people with high Positivity. So when I saw that and then knew that you were into play and Improv, I thought, oh well, it's just so perfect. Melissa: Yeah. And of course the sort of core piece of Improv is to say “yes, and”. Lisa: Yes, please say more about that. How that has shown up at work for you? Because most of the corporate people I work with are completely unfamiliar with Improv. Maybe you can talk about how that looks for people in a meeting or how that looks for people in either supporting each other's ideas versus squashing it if they gave it a “yeah, but.” Melissa: That got really clear for me when I think it was like my first Improv class, I've been doing improv for about three years now and although I've been improvising, interestingly enough, I've been drawn to improvisational creative forms for a really long time. For example, I got into salsa dancing and Argentine tango and those are purely improvisational dance forms. They are based on a vocabulary of movement and each social dance has its own vocabulary of movement, but within that vocabulary it is 100 percent improv and then when I got into music, the music that I was drawn to was jazz, which is an enormous umbrella that covers so many different styles of music within it, but the one thing that is a consistent among all of them is that there have improvisational elements, so it's really not that big of a surprise that I would end up doing improv. Melissa: Now I can connect that all together. My very first improv class, there was an exercise where a group of us were sitting up on the little stage area. We were supposed to pretend that we were in a meeting creating, we're talking about creating some, I don't know, some random object that we made up on the spot and about how to market it, I think. And so the first part of the exercise was that whenever anybody says something, let's, you know, let's throw a big party with confetti and invite the whole town or you know, whatever it was we were supposed to respond with, “yes, but,” and then add something. Right. So we did that for a while and then we stopped, and we replayed the same scene essentially. But this time whenever somebody gave an idea, the response was to be “yes, and”, and what was so interesting was when we did the “yes but” or “well, but” it would turn into just squashing, squashing just that: No, no, no, no, no. And it stopped everything where when the exercise was “yes, and” it became this like crazy mashup and it just kept growing and growing and growing and growing. And when you bring that “yes, and” to say a meeting where you're generating ideas or something and if you can respond to somebody else from that space of “yes, and” it opens up so many possibilities, you know, there's time later where you can refine things and cut things out and look at the, you know, the reality of our budget is limited to x or whatever. But to generate ideas, you have to be in that space of “yes, and”, and people don't like to put an idea out there if they know that there's a chance that it's going to be cut down. Right. Nobody likes that. That feels terrible. So that's a really important place to bring that Improv scale of “Yes, and”. Lisa: I love the example too, of how you used it and actually had the contrast of the “yes, but” or the “well, but” with the “yes, and in the same situation because right, it just stops all the momentum and turns everything. And it's kind of like the eeyore moment. Melissa: Totally. Yeah. And “yes, but” is really another way of saying “no” Lisa: it true. Another thing that you're getting me thinking about reflecting on a work day and how you can have these breakthroughs and also sparked me to think about something you mentioned about your Achiever talent, how when now when you look back on a work day, you can kind of see that when you're fueled up, it's because you've achieved something and felt productive and that you feel frustrated when you're not. What does that process look like for you? And just exploring them and seeing how they show up. Melissa: That one for me, in some ways it feels like as a liability as much as a strength only because, my history is being way too much of a perfectionist. I mean, I am now a card carrying him perfectionist, which means a recovering perfectionist. It's the same thing, which means basically that I treat myself with self-compassion. I was so stuck in perfectionism. I mean my Achiever strength was, you know, so blown out of proportion, there was no balance to it. There was nothing, nothing connected with the Achiever that you know, just sort of say it's okay. You get to be a human being, you get to be human. What ended up happening was, I mean, I call myself an artist. I had a career, a business. I still have a business and our business primarily making Jewish marriage contract. It's basically a side business these days. It used to be my main business and for about a decade while I was making my living from my art, I didn't create anything for myself purely for play, except once a year I would go on a retreat with my calligraphy guild and then I would do some things for myself, but the whole rest of the year, all the other 360 days of the year, the only art I ever created was to other people's specifications and partly or a big chunk of that was because I was so trapped in perfectionist paralysis that anything that I would create, I would think, well that's not good enough. That's crap. And so it became so painful to try to do anything that I just didn't do it. But I was in such denial about it that I told myself, you know, I bought into the story, I created this story that it was because I just didn't have time and it wasn't until February 1st 2011 when I was actually interviewing an artist for my first online course that I created called the thriving artists project and this particular artist mentors other artists who want to have fine art, you know, professional fine art gallery, exhibiting art careers. Melissa: And they get stuck in resistance as anybody else on the planet. Surprisingly enough. And so this artist that I was interviewing would tell her mentees, if you can't put 15 minutes a day into your art, you're making an excuse. And she was just talking about what she told her mentees. But in that moment, I was so nailed. She was, she was talking to me. She didn't realize she was talking to me, but she was saying to me, and by the time I got off that phone call first I got very defensive inside. But then I realized, oh my God, she is right. For the past decade I have been making an excuse because of fear, and so that day, and it was February 1st 2011, I committed to putting 15 minutes a day into making time for the joy of creative sandbox time that you talk about. Lisa: Is that your creative sandbox time? Melissa: Absolutely. That is. I didn't have that terminology at that point, but yeah, that's, that's my creative sandbox time. That is my playtime where in fact, in order to get myself into that head space where I could put even just 15 minutes into making art, I had to set up a bunch of sorts of ground rules for myself and it started off with maybe four or five. You know, it's all about the process. It's not the product let go of the outcome. When you get to the place where, you know, it's not done yet, it needs something, but you're not sure what and you're afraid to try anything because you might ruin it. One of my rules was go ahead and ruin it. And over a period of a two or three years that expanded into 10 rules for the creative sandbox. It's now what I call my creative sandbox manifesto. Melissa: And the sandbox image was because I realized at one point that I wasn't taking time to do art. I'd started making some art, but the art that I was making, I stopped after a while, a couple of weeks into it or something, I just wasn't getting to my art table anymore and I couldn't figure out why because I wanted so badly to get back to making art. And one day I was looking at the table and I realized, oh my God, the art that I'm making right now has nothing different from when I'm working for a client. So it feels like work to me. It was very meticulous. It was very design-y. There was nothing improvisational about, there was nothing playful about it. It was the opposite of play. And I realized it was like this light bulb went off over my head and that's when I thought I need to play. Melissa: I need to be like my little four-year-old nephew playing in a sandbox, making messes, thinking, oh, what would happen if I poured water on this? What would happen if I did this? That's the headspace that I needed to be in. And so that's, what I develop those, those rules to help me get into that headspace. Lisa: It's so cool. And the boy, I mean, you know that in the corporate world this is such a thing for people because you have this push-pull and your mind whether or not someone's specific talent is Achiever. People have a drive to get stuff done is push for the next thing, but then you know you need white space. You have to explicitly sometimes not manage yourself to a goal or you burn yourself out. And there's this internal fight thing and you even sparked for me a thought that takes it beyond the moment to moment push-pull, but even the overall career stress that people put themselves under when they think of finding their passion or finding their calling. Lisa: And I, think I remember you talking about callings as an elusive thing and that it's normal to resist them and refuse the call, that sort of thing. And I'd love to hear… you just got me sparked on that idea to what's your take on work as a calling and what do you do for those people who are beating themselves up over the fact that they feel like they don't have one? Melissa: Oh my God. So that makes me think about a conversation that I had a number of years ago with a woman in my synagogue and I was talking about this stuff was pretty new to me then I was like, wow, I'm discovering this new direction for my life or I'm helping people get connected to their creative side, which for most of us has been, you know, got quashed down pretty early, including me. Melissa: I mean a lot of people get quashed down at age five or six or something was like age 13 when I stopped making art. But for most of us that that gets really squashed and you know, so I was finding my passion again and our passion number 17 or whatever. So I figured out that I have a lot of them and this woman said, well, what do you do if you don't, if you don't have a passion. And I was stumped. I did not know how to answer her question. And it was only later when I was reading an article by somebody who I think she calls herself like the passion mentor or something, I can't remember, but she was writing about how, you know, passions, we have this idea that you're going to have this Eureka moment. You're going to open a door and boom. Melissa: Yeah, that's my passion, I found it. And the reality is, even though I spent, I can't tell you how many times I've told the story of various passions I've had in my life: dance, calligraphy, getting back to social dancing, writing, improv, music. So many different passions. And the story has always been, oh, you know, then I discovered this and that became my next passion. But that's not really what happened. Really, what happened was with dance, I was too scared to try dancing as a little kid. I had some movement classes when I was like four. And then I had friends who were in ballet, but I had this image of the mean ballet teacher with the big stick who would like hit you if you don't do things right or. So I never took any dance classes. And then in I think my freshman year in high school, some friends of mine, we got together, and we took a class at a community center. Melissa: We thought it was going to be, you know, mtv kind of how to dance to Madonna's material girl or something, you know, like the music video kind of dance. And it was actually, it was a modern dance class, which I didn't realize was much more classical style. And we were like, wow, this is lame. So I didn't, you know, I ended that class and forgot about it. So finally, you know, years later after, you know, first thinking about dance, I took a class at this local dance school and that's the moment where I went, oh my God, I want to do this every day. But it was, you know, three or four years of, tipping my toe into different kinds of dance before I discovered that dance school and Bingo had my Eureka moment. Every passionate I've ever had has been like that. Melissa: You have some kind of interest in something enough to try it. And you know, maybe the first time it doesn't do anything for you. But for some reason you go back to it at some point again and maybe the next time you find something new in that and eventually you know, you try it a little more and then it starts to develop a little more meaning for you. And then you dive in a little bit deeper and it's the sort of back and forth thing and it happens, you know, much more organically. It's much more like, you know, there are people out there in the world who feel like they had this instant, you know, love at first sight moment with their spouse or their partner. Right? But most people, it didn't actually happen that way with me, my husband, it took me two and a half years to see him as a contender and, he's like best match I could ever imagine for myself. Melissa: And that's what it's like with, with our passions for activities or pursuits. Lisa: What a good metaphor because it is like, I mean I can see the relationship metaphor so strongly that you meet somebody and then you think, hey, I actually enjoyed my time there, or I feel better when that person enters the room. Then when they leave the room and then you think, well, I'm going to hang out with that person some more, and it's the same with responsibilities and tasks in the work that you do. You can say, oh, that things kind of neat. I've never done it. I'm going to hang out with that thing a little bit more. And then you start exploring all the offshoots of it and it's so much like that at work and people for whatever reason, feel like there should be the Eureka moment you talked about and not the process of experimenting and going, okay, that thing's cool. I'm going to follow that path and all of the arms and legs that it has, and then you find that one thing that's super awesome and really fuels you up and I don't know why it's like that, but it does make me sad because a lot of people beat themselves up because they haven't found “the calling” or “the passion” and I know you use that term passion, plural light and looking at the plural like we have. We love a lot of things. Yeah, you have a lot of hobbies. You have a lot of interests, so let yourself feel that way about your work as well and go explore them. Maybe we can end with that exploration combined with how you explore your creative energy through your doodles because I think that's so fascinating and people will dig finding their own version of what you do with your doodling. Will you share about that? Melissa: Oh yeah, absolutely. Yeah. So what I know about myself is that if I don't get a little bit, at least a little bit of time in the creative sandbox every day, my day doesn't go as well. It just, it makes me happy. It feeds me, it nourishes me. I also know that, uh, the thing I do first is the thing that gets done. So if I want to make sure that I get something into my day, it works best if I get it in first thing. I was not making, not making time for my creative play and realized I have to do it like before I even get out of bed. So I figured out, well, you know, I can bring a sketchbook and a pen, have it on my bedside table and then I can draw first thing in the morning. And so I set a timer for 15 or 20 minutes and I doodle first thing in the morning and I intentionally call it doodling because I want to be in that space of Improv. Melissa: That space of being in the creative sandbox like a four-year-old playing in the sand so that it's all about exploration and following my curiosity and not about trying to make something perfect or even good. And so it's just been an incredible self-growth experience to do this for the past, well, it's really since the start of the year, so it's been three months that I've been doing this. Every day I spend, you know, 15 or 20 minutes usually with a pen and some paper and a sketchbook, just doodling. It's like a spiritual, a spiritual practice because you learn so much about yourself. You know? Just today, there was a page where I had started something and I got really frustrated with it weeks back because I could see that it was going to require all this meticulous work that I just didn't want to invest in. It was going to drive me straight into that perfectionist place, which I don't like. I don't want to be in. And I came back to it today and thought, oh well I don't have to look at it that way I could come at it from a creative sandbox mindset and not worry about if these lines are perfectly rounded or whatever. And I was able to come back to that piece that I had totally rejected and really enjoy it and learn something and kind of expand my ability to break down those perfectionist walls from this one little doodle. So I highly recommended it. And it doesn't have to be pen and paper. I mean, you could do it with sound, you could do it with movement. You can do it with, you know, they're just so many ways that you can express yourself in, the equivalent of a doodle. Lisa: And I even do my white space. It's not quite my creative sandbox, but just my white space to clear my brain. My office is at home and in the woods and I take walks with the dogs and I just insert them in the middle of the day to give myself that moment. To not be distracted, to not be listening to shows. To not be learning, to not be in a meeting and it clears, it clears the space in a different way. And I'm the uber efficient. I mean I get so caught up that I'll listen to podcasts while I'm in the shower just because I want every moment to be so productive. And so it's that moment where I go, no, I'm just breathing, I'm listening to the wind listening to the birds and just let it rest for a minute. And then I get all these strokes of brilliance in that time and the sandbox time and the white space time. Lisa: I hope for everyone reading that this gives you some inspiration to bring that creativity back into your work day. To try yes, and if that's not something that's been part of your vocabulary, that you give that, some, just give that some air go, try that. It's easy to implement at work. Just show up and say “yes, and”, and your next set of meetings and don't squash an idea even if the squash comes to your mind, let it ride, let it ride and do that later. And let the ideas and the big breakthroughs happen. So thank you everyone for reading this Lead Through Strengths today. Melissa, this has been great. The readers are going to want to check you out. You have a show to tell them about, tell us how they can find you and your doodle delicious life. Melissa: Oh sure. Well, my website is Melissadinwitty.com.com, but that's hard to spell so you can also get to the exact same place livingacreativelife.com and my podcast is livecreativenow, which you can find there are. You can go to live creativenow.com, which will take you there as well. Lisa: Thank you. And we'll put all of that in the show notes so you guys can find it super easily and we'll get you her twitter and Instagram and Facebook links as well. So guys, remember using your strengths makes you a stronger performer at work. If you're always focused on fixing your weaknesses, always stuck in that perfectionist zone she's been talking about today then you're choosing the path of most resistance and you can choose instead to claim your talents and share them with the world. | |||
| 24 Jan 2017 | Use Your Gifts To Chase Career Fulfillment - With Marcus Sheridan | 00:30:23 | |
This Episode’s Focus on Strengths Today's episode features Marcus Sheridan, also known as The Sales Lion. Marcus is a marketing and sales guru. He's best known for his concept "They Ask, You Answer." He has definitely given us a kick in the pants when it comes to making helpful video content and making an "answers" page for our customers. As a professional speaker, he's also delving into area like: individual strengths, personal success, and true fulfillment. He's such a likable guy, and you'll love him on his show The Balance if you dig the ideas they explore on fulfillment. If you're curious about how he's become so good at interacting with clients and prospects, listen in. This episode is especially perfect for marketing and sales people. Lisa and Marcus also get a kick out of their mutual love of the word "dang." Yes, it's a southern thang. Lisa is from Austin, Texas and Marcus is from Heathsville, Virginia, so they had a laugh about their vernacular. And don't worry, neither one will drop a "bless your heart" phrase on you when they're actually trying to tell you that your marketing or strengths based leadership efforts are terrible.
What You’ll Learn In This Episode How to tap into your personal strengths. Marcus tells us that he has done this from a young age. He's accomplished this by being self-aware at all times, and by tuning into his audience's reactions (whether it be one person or a whole audience). Signs to look for: Is the person leaning forward because he is interested, or back because he's bored? Is he looking up because he's having a reflective moment (which should be your goal), or is he looking down because he's only listening and not thinking? If he is smiling at you, this is good, but if he's looking at you blankly, he may just be trying to stay awake!
The art of the question. Our job as communicators is to help our audience discover an insight, before we even say it. This can only occur if we ask the right questions. Listen for Marcus' mention of the mirror of life, and see how people are really reacting to you. If you present things in the correct way, your audience will feel like "it" (whatever that is), is their idea. They won't conclude that you forced them into compliance with your idea. Besides Marcus being a great listener in a human-to-human way, he's also excellent at tuning into customers. You'll see his living proof of "they ask you answer" in the way he adds value on his website and how he shows up in helpful video content.
Prioritization. It's important to prioritize everything in your life, based on what brings you the most energy. Using your strengths will often bring you energy. To find out what your strengths are, grab the book StrengthsFinder 2.0 and use your code in the back of the book. Peak states in life when you're (in the flow) are times when you are gaining energy, not spending it. Learn to love what you are, and know what you aren't. For example, Marcus put his family first and his business second. the helps him to know exactly what he should say NO to. You may have to walk away from opportunities, even when they are attractive, if they don't fit in with your priorities. There was a time when Marcus failed to say no to a great opportunity in San Francisco, California. It turned out to be four days of speaking all day, seeing no Silicon Valley sights, and missing his family. And, people were eating while he was speaking, instead of listening. This was an "ah ha" moment, when he decided to never let money or ambition supercede his priorities - family and self-care.
How To Chase Fulfillment
Resources of the Episode Marcus' book is They Ask You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer. Books mentioned in this podcast include: A selection of Jim Rohn's books - Leading an Inspired Life, My Philosophy For Successful Living, The Art of Exceptional Living (a cd). Jim Rohn was a huge inspiration to both Marcus and Lisa when they were first digging into personal development. In fact, Lisa used to drive around listening to Jim Rohn and Zig Ziglar tapes (yeah, cassette tapes back in the day). Edgar Schein's Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling Jim Collins' Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't Subscribe To Lead Through Strengths
Go Live Your Talents | |||
| 17 Feb 2019 | Career Branding When Includer Is Your Strength | 00:11:28 | |
I get tons of questions about how to go deeper to align your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Includer with your career. So in this series, I break down one strength per post. That way, you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make a better match between your job and your strengths. - If you’re reading as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. - If you’re reading for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. Today, the talent theme of the episode is Includer. You’ll get three layers to chew on:
Career Branding For IncluderYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. If you imagine your resume or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it's full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing in most resumes and profile is "the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. This is an overlooked use for LinkedIn. That's why it's not just for job seekers - it's also about shaping your career. I bet you are just like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t see your teammates and customers every day. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It's where your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting - to see who they’re about to talk to. Rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. So here are a bunch of adjectives you can consider using in your career branding and your LinkedIn profile:
Red Flag Situations For IncluderThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Includer. They might even make you want to quit the team. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might get the urge to disengage on the job or become detached at work. Here are two Red flags for Includer:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for IncluderThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Includer at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re listening as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Includer, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
So there you have it. It’s a quick tour for building your career through the talent theme of Includer. So, here’s your homework:
Rock Your Talents As A TeamIf you’re thinking about doing a virtual or in-person event to kick off your strengths-based culture, head on over to our training page to see if our current offerings are a good fit for you. Until next time, thank you for being part of this powerful strengths movement that helps people unleash the awesomeness already inside them. Enjoyed The Podcast?To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. | |||
| 03 May 2020 | Core Concept #6: Gimme That Escalation | 00:11:05 | |
Our sixth core concept is a perfect build-on to the “Plus One, Minus One” activity mentioned in our previous episode, Concept #5: “Not an Excuse.” Plus one, in particular, is about mining your team of the things they want to have more of. Then, as you dig deeper into this challenge, it’s amazing what you’ll discover from each of the team member’s responses. The Story Behind ‘Gimme That Escalation’In one of the recent training sessions, a guy came forward and expressed what he has written on his wish list. “I would love to have more escalation calls.” This statement set off these confused looks and reactions among others in the room. “Did he just say that right? ‘I want more escalation calls?” “What is he talking about?” These people were shocked that the guy was wanting more escalation calls. So of course, they had to ask him for further explanation. According to the guy, he’s the “deepest subject-matter expert in the whole organization on this matter. He’s quite confident that he can very well handle when a customer turns utterly irate. “I know that they can be so frustrated and can give up any time, but I know I'm gonna resolve it. If anyone can, it's me.” His awareness and certainty that he has the resolution and knowledge to turn things around fires up his love for doing escalations. And for that, we have named this concept in his honor. Open Up To Meaningful ConversationsThe guy’s gimme that escalation statement opened up a whole conversation with others in the room. If you guessed that his teammates instantly offered him their own escalation calls, that’s not far-fetched at all. But expecting him to accept all escalations may not be realistic since of course, he actually has to get some other stuff done. While the guy got more escalations after such conversation, he also freed up his plate with tasks that were on his “minus one” list. Obviously, he was able to achieve the “plus one, minus one” balance, thanks to some good thinking and meaningful conversation. Opening up about what you want more of — though oftentimes surprising many in the room — can create a shift in the tasks. This proves that indeed one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Expanding The ConceptHow can we expand this concept further so it’s easier to apply? Consider the following as fun exercises for you as an individual or as a manager. 1. As an individual: Discover other people’s “trash” tasks
2. As a manager: Discover your team’s “loathe” list and shift tasks when possible Imagine if you knew what each of your team members’ trash tasks were, especially their top list. Just knowing this could be really important because you are able to spot whether the “loathe” list includes tasks they have to do every day. You get an insight into the team’s demotivation points. In reality, it might not be that outright and easy to shift things around, as tasks that people hate still need to get accomplished. But in a lot of workplaces, the assignments are not homogenous, so you might have some power to be able to switch things around. Perhaps you could take something off the plate of a top performer in your team who may be losing interest in their job as they have to do what they loathe on a daily basis. Time And Trust Are KeyOpening up a conversation with your team members about the tasks they hate require a lot of trust. That's why you can't do strengths just as a one-time offsite team building and expect it to create all the magic things in the world. It takes meaningful conversation over time, up to that point they are comfortable enough to say, “Sure, I'm gonna give it my number one best, but I actually hate this job duty.” The ‘Gimme That ________’ ExerciseOn the flip side, this exercise can prove powerful for the whole team, as it opens some cool opportunities. When assigning projects to your team members, consider these:
Sometimes, however, it can be pretty difficult when you’re finding an opportunity for them based on expertise and career goals. Let’s say a team member wants a very specific project, and you happen to have just one project like that and it’s already assigned to another person. This leaves you with very little choice as a leader. As a team leader, what do you do? Gimme That ChallengeHere’s your challenge: get cool with limiting or difficult situations like that and then approach the conversation in terms of talent themes. As we know, talent themes are about how they get things done. You can just imagine what strengths and talent themes can come up. So, here’s what you can do.
Check out these “gimme that ________” scenarios: 1) Gimme that situation. (Includer talent):
2) Gimme that dilemma. (Deliberative talent):
3) Gimme that complex problem. (Restorative talent):
With this approach, what they provide could allow you more space and flexibility in assigning projects. You’ll find that there are actually a lot more opportunities for each individual than if their “gimme that _____” was too specific and narrow. This becomes awesome to you as a manager, especially that some people in your team don’t want to deal with such kinds of problems. Key TakeawayIt’s important that you get your team to communicate their wish list of work and projects that align with their strengths. This will help you look for opportunities and assignments where they can apply those easy buttons every day on the job and give their best. Ready For The Next Concept?Up next: “T” for "takes time and intention." Stay tuned! | |||
| 16 Sep 2018 | Strengths Q11: Cultures You Value | 00:05:01 | |
In this 12-week strengths implementation series, you get one conversation per week to help your team start each week with strengths. If you “did” StrengthsFinder with your team and you didn’t follow up after the initial conversation, this is a great way to make Strengths part of your work culture. Go to [http://leadthroughstrengths.com/challenge] to get the series emailed to you one week at a time. You’ll get the question and examples to make it sound real and practical. You’ll also get additional angles so that you can take the answers beyond the surface. If you’re a manager who wants to make culture-building part of everyone’s job, have each person on the team sign up for the email series. That way, it won’t rely on you doing the question-asking each week. You can get the team to share their answers after they receive the email. This series is usable even if you’ve never used CliftonStrengths. Although the questions work in excellent alignment with the StrengthsFinder 2.0 book, they also work with no assessment at all - just conversations about what already works on the team. | |||
| 16 Dec 2018 | Career Branding When Relator Is Your Strength | 00:09:44 | |
I get tons of questions about how to go deeper to align your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Relator with your career. So in this series, I break down one strength per episode. That way, you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make a better match between your job and your strengths. – If you’re reading as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. – If you’re reading for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. Today, the talent theme of the episode is Relator. You’ll get three layers to chew on:
Career Branding For RelatorYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. If you imagine your resume or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it’s full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing in most resumes and profile is “the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. This is an overlooked use for LinkedIn. That’s why it’s not just for job seekers – it’s also about shaping your career. I bet you are just like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t see your teammates and customers every day. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It’s where your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting – to see who they’re about to talk to. Rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. So here are a bunch of adjectives you can consider using in your career branding and your LinkedIn profile. People who lead through Relator often have a tight-circle, a good BS Alert System, and are often:
Red Flag Situations For RelatorThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Relator. They might even make you want to quit the team. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might get the urge to disengage on the job or become detached at work. Here are two Red flags for Relator:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for RelatorThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Relator at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re listening as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Relator, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
So there you have it. It’s a quick tour for building your career through the talent theme of Relator. So, here’s your homework:
Rock Your Talents As A TeamIf you’re thinking about doing a virtual or in-person event to kick off your strengths-based culture, head on over to our training page to see if our current offerings are a good fit for you. Until next time, thank you for being part of this powerful strengths movement that helps people unleash the awesomeness already inside them. Enjoyed The Podcast?To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. | |||
| 31 Mar 2019 | Career Branding When Ideation Is Your Strength | 00:12:28 | |
I get tons of questions about how to go deeper to align your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Ideation with your career. So in this series, I break down one strength per post. That way, you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make a better match between your job and your strengths. - If you’re reading as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. - If you’re reading for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. Today, the talent theme of the episode is Ideation. You’ll get three layers to chew on:
Career Branding For IdeationYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. If you imagine your resume or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it's full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing in most resumes and profile is "the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. This is an overlooked use for LinkedIn. That's why it's not just for job seekers - it's also about shaping your career. I bet you are just like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t see your teammates and customers every day. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It's where your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting - to see who they’re about to talk to. Rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. So here are a bunch of adjectives you can consider using in your career branding and your LinkedIn profile:
Red Flag Situations For IdeationThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Ideation. They might even make you want to quit the team. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might get the urge to disengage on the job or become detached at work. Here are two Red flags for Ideation:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for IdeationThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Ideation at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re listening as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Ideation, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
So there you have it. It’s a quick tour for building your career through the talent theme of Ideation. So, here’s your homework:
Rock Your Talents As A TeamIf you’re thinking about doing a virtual or in-person event to kick off your strengths-based culture, head on over to our training page to see if our current offerings are a good fit for you. Until next time, thank you for being part of this powerful strengths movement that helps people unleash the awesomeness already inside them. Enjoyed The Podcast?To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. | |||
| 10 Nov 2019 | Career Branding When Analytical Is Your Strength | 00:15:26 | |
I hear a lot of reflections about how to apply your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Analytical to your career. In this series, you get one strength per post so that you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make an even stronger alignment between your current job and your strengths. - If you’re exploring this concept as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. - If you’re exploring this concept for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. You’ll get three layers to chew on: 1. Career Branding Career Branding When Analytical Is Your StrengthYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. Think about your personal resume, CV, or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it's full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing is usually "the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. Chances are good that you are a lot like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t physically see your teammates and customers every day. So many of us work on remote teams. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting - to see who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. Here are a bunch of Analytical-related adjectives to consider using in your career branding efforts and your LinkedIn profile:
Red Flag Situations For AnalyticalThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that might feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Analytical. They could even make you want to quit the team if they get really bad. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might become detached or disengaged at work. Here are two Red flags for Analytical:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for AnalyticalThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Analytical at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re exploring this concept as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Analytical, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
Here's Your Personal Branding Homework
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| 23 Aug 2020 | Superpowers At Work – How To Wield Them And Amp Up Your Work Week | 00:15:03 | |
Your Superpowers At Work - New Ideas For Finding Them And Using Them From Lead Through Strengths Facilitator Strother GainesIn this episode, Lisa Cummings and co-host Strother Gaines discuss, through analogies and practical examples, the impact of knowing how to wield your superpowers at work. If our previous episode suggested ways of striking a balance between making your strengths known and not sounding arrogant about it, this topic is all about using your superpowers at work with out overusing your power. Listen as Lisa and Strother explore one of the important paths towards professional maturity, through which StrengthsFinder has been guiding so many. You can also watch the video version of the interview on our YouTube channel. Lisa: You're listening to Lead Through Strengths, where you'll learn to apply your greatest strengths at work. I'm your host, Lisa Cummings, and you know, I'm always telling you about how energizing it is to lead through your strengths every day at work. But sometimes, the truth is, it feels like the work culture is not aligned to our strengths. And it's really soul-sucking. And we don't know how to ask for what we need, because you don't want to look like you're throwing a temper tantrum. You feel like you have more potential yet you don't know how to let it out. Heck, you might even feel like you have some superpowers to unleash at work, but you don't know how to make them known or useful. So if you're in that situation where you're thinking — "Yeah, the culture and what would put me at my best, they're not fully aligned. And I get by because I'm trying to be a good team player. "But yeah, there are some things that really get me down whether that's too many distractions, or how many details someone goes into or won't go into." There are many, many colors of this example. And I'm here in this interview with one of our facilitators, Strother Gaines. And we're chatting about this topic of superpowers at work - and how you might contribute with them without sounding like you're arrogant. We go through a few examples of people and how they have asked: “What?” “How?” We go through a few practical examples of where people are frustrated by this at work and how they have signaled to their team some of the needs that they have or how they've explicitly asked for them without sounding like a bratty jerk. So without making you wait any longer, we're just going to jump right into an example that I experienced in a workshop where someone was not liking her superpowers at work (AKA her list of talent themes) because she wasn't getting what she needed at work and she felt like she wasn't able to express them or figure out how to express them. So watch for this thing. You've heard me call it the volume knob, and you'll hear Strother talking about controlling your powers. Finding Opportunities To Leverage Your Superpowers At Work Lisa: I'm thinking of a person who looked at her list of strengths from CliftonStrengths, and she sees Communication in her Top 5 and she's like — “Number 1, number 2, number 3, number 4 ….. yes, yes, yes, yes. Those are sooooooo me.” “And then Communication — whelp, I have been told in the last few performance reviews that that's actually one of my weaknesses. So I'm not going to claim that one as a strength. That's actually been my greatest weakness.” And if you think of it like the “This or That” situation, I feel like when I look back on the situation that she was describing to me, she was saying — “I'm going to give you all my Communication all the time, turned all the way up...or down. Since they don't like it up, I’m shutting off my superpowers at work because they're not welcomed here.” Strother: Yeah. Lisa: "I'm not speaking. So..." Strother: Which is great in the meeting, and people love that like…no. Lisa: Yeah, suddenly you went from, “Hey, you don't give anyone room to speak in a meeting,” to getting feedback that “Hey, you have a resting, grumpy face." Yeah, just literally shut down.” Strother: Yeah. The on or the off, I think it's...you're totally right, it's back into what is the appropriate level right now. And as you become more adept at your strengths and you give them the space, I think that we struggle with that because in order to learn, it's like your mutant powers. I was just watching the old X-Men cartoons...and they really apply to superpowers at work. This is a weird deviation. You're like, "Yeah, where are you going with this?” And the old X-Men cartoon starts with Jubilee just sort of coming to terms with being a mutant and she has this sort of fireworks powers. And she just doesn't know how to control them. So they kind of help sometimes and sometimes they just go off and destroy everything and she hates them, because she hasn't learned to wield them yet. And you can't learn to wield those powers if you're too protective of them. She has to swing the pendulum too far to see — “Oh, that's….and now it's too much. I got to learn to pull back my fireworks because if I go that far, it hurts people.” And so in protection of ourselves and other people's, and not looking stupid and not feeling silly, and all those sort of things that we protect against, when you have it, in particular, strength that has a bias against it, like Competition or something like that, where it's like, “Well, you're just being a jerk,” we're nervous to swing for the fences, because we see really clearly what it's going to look like if it goes wrong. But you have to allow yourself that grace and that flexibility to learn how to control your superpowers at work, or you're going to waste them. So swing for the fences, let the pendulum swing in both directions until you find that nice, juicy middle ground where you're actually leveraging them appropriately. Lisa: Yeah, what a great way just to give yourself permission to experiment with it. And to not think that there's only one way to do it because Competition doesn't mean I'm shutting down or I'm challenging you to a gunfight. It doesn't have to mean this or this all the way. It can be simple things like — “Hey, when I lead through Competition, I'm keenly aware of our standing compared with our competitors. And it means that I make really cool bubble charts that show how we stack up in the industry. And the fact that I'm driven and motivated by that makes me a better performer.” And so I think when people go from the “This or That” pendulum, they shut off the ability to even play with the middle and say — “What else could it mean? How else could I contribute through my superpowers at work" And what else? And what else? And what else? Strother: Well, you and I do, both of us, when we facilitate, oftentimes will do that activity “This or That.” The thing is you ask people, “you do this, you do that,” and then they spread themselves out throughout the room. And it's very rare that you'll get people who are like, “I’m the full polar.” And sometimes it happens, and that's an identifier for people and they really care about that. But most people do fall somewhere in that mid-ground. And so in that respect, it's easy for people to see that it's shades of gray. But when it's intellectual, and you're not in like the actual physical practice of the strength, people are like, well, it's “I'm one of the poles,” and you're probably just not. Show People How You Perform At Your Best And Solicit Support To Make It Long-TermLisa: Yeah. Well, let's end with an example like that. So I did that exercise. And I remember this event vividly. The woman led through Intellection. And it was a question in my “This or That” exercise, I was having them line up on a continuum, whether they do their best thinking when they're in the midst of a group conversation, or if they're able to be alone and do the deep thinking. And she literally slammed her body against the sidewall to show — “I am so far on the... I need to be by myself.” But she was in an environment where she was not allowed to work from home. And she didn't have any physical space where she could be alone. At the same time, she felt that her superpowers at work came out when she had space to be alone and think. Yet she felt like she was always getting barraged with “Collaborate!” and “Group work!” and all of these things. But she's saying — “I can't be at my best like that — and I need you to know it.” And so that was a moment where she could bring it out and say, “I need more alone time... I need to go in my cave to think.” But how do you do that where if you just decided "I'm gonna maturely bring that up at work. I feel like I don't have a physical space to do that," without sounding like you're having a temper tantrum and stamping your feet and saying, “I need my corner office where I can be alone.” You know, how do you raise it...? She's afraid that if she brings up her superpower at work she will actually seem like she's anti-teamwork, and that's not a message anyone would want to hear. In fact, it could be a ding on her personal brand rather than an unleashing of strengths. We know StrengthsFinder can help a lot with these conversations about what we individually need to be at our best. But once you realize "I have this need, but I don't know how to bring this up with my peers or my leader without sounding selfish or like a child or absorbed in me and not thinking about the business needs or how the culture actually works." So how do you face that? Strother: I think the first piece that we, anytime we're asking for something like that, framing it in what's in it for you instead of for me. If I come to someone and I say — “Well, I need a corner office because I really need time alone and I just need you to make this accommodation for me.” Like, “Deal with it. You're not gonna get any good work for me until you do it.” Like, "Even if I have that corner office. I'm already like I'm not.... No." Lisa: You just sound like a brat or a diva. Strother: Yeah, I don't want to give that to you, because you're just complaining right now. But if you can frame that for me in, “Here's how I produce my best work.” Especially if you've done like a team StrengthsFinder type thing where everybody kind of knows, and we're all sort of moving into that methodology, we get it. “Let's find a way to activate your CliftonStrengths and activate mine.” “How can we make space for everyone?” If you're lucky to have that culture, then frame it in that way. Say — “Hey, you want the best work from me? We've found that one of the things I found in my report is that I do my best work like this. And I don't feel like we have access to that. Is there any way? What could we do?” Lisa: What could we do? Strother: Instead of “Do this,” say, “What can we do to make this work?” And then it's a co-creative process. Then you are collaborating and you're giving them the opportunity to throw something out there, which maybe you've not considered either. Apply Your Superpowers At Work *For Work*, Not Just For YourselfLisa: Yeah, maybe you don't have a corner office. So you get to go down to the park outside and instead of someone thinking that you're just messing around out there for an hour, you're actually at the park alone doing your thinking time and you come back and when you show that produce better work that way, then people will say, “Oh, okay, yeah, go to your thinking in the park. Because right, we want that brainpower that comes back when you do it.” Strother: And don't let your anticipated thoughts of what you think people will think about you, stop you, because I think oftentimes we're trying to project ourselves into other people. And we usually get that wrong. So when you think, “If I went to the park, I bet they would think that I'm lazy, or I bet they would think I'm just slacking off—” Then tell us you're not. A lot of times we're very nervous to throw those things out there, especially if it feels like an accommodation, or something that not everybody gets. People feel like, “Well, I have to do things the way they've been done.” There's no rule that says we have to do things the way it's been done. And if you can frame it in “Look at what you get from me.” Even when sometimes you might have to have a little data to support it, like, “This week, I tried out this thing, and I found that I produced so much better or it was easier work with me or I had an easier time in this way... Here's the data from my experiment. Can we make this more long-term?” So there's lots of ways to make it less like jump your feet and being a brat and more like “How can we build this together?” Lisa: Make it about the business, not about you. Make it a pilot. And use your superpowers at work in service of the team. And I like what you brought up about: “What else could we do? How could we accomplish it, given what we have available to us?” And then knowing things like, you may not get the whole thing that you want. Certainly getting a physical office space, that's a big request. That's probably not likely. But what if the concession is that the team understands, “Hey, I'm going to put these big ol headphones on, and it's my one hour tiger time, and I'm not going to answer Skype, no instant message, no text. I'm going to shut out the world just for one hour a day.” And that's not something you've ever been able to have before and suddenly you're super productive, then your team's gonna want to honor that one hour. That seems very reasonable compared with you just deciding that “Well, I can't be productive here so I'm going to pout.” Be Inoffensively TransparentStrother: I had a client who, on the door of their cubicle or like the entrance of their cubicle, had a traffic light magnetic piece and he would put the magnet on the line like — “Could you come talk to me?” was on green. “Am I deep on something? Don't come in.” was on red. So he let people know, “I'm in a deep workspace. Don't interrupt.” Because I think that is a challenge at work, it’s that constant, like, “Wanna gonna go grab coffee?” “Can I ask you a quick question (that will turn into a 20 minute chat)?” “Hey, can I grab you for just a second? Can I talk to you for a second?” And his solution was, “I'll just be very clear and very transparent. Right now, no, you can't.” And they loved it because they knew when it's green, cool, great. And when it was red, he's busy and I'm not offended because that's not, “I don't want to talk to you.” It's “I'm not talking to anyone right now because I produce better work that way.” Lisa: And even knowing the talent themes like having the conversation where this is a team event so that someone can see, for example, someone who leads through the superpower of Focus at work - that they could be in an open work environment and have their back to the room and literally not be able to hear everything that's going off behind them because they are so focused on that one thing. Other people are so distractible that they wouldn't understand that's possible. They may not even believe it to your point about, you know, putting your own behaviors or the thoughts in your head, your lens on other people. So that's a powerful one. Strother: Yeah. Want To Grow As A Professional And Wield Your Superpowers At Work? Do CliftonStrengths With Your Team Lisa: That moment when Strother said the example of his friend who said, “Life is so dynamic right now,” this is what it feels like at work when you're trying to be really mature about it. It's like, “Oh my god, there's so much chaos and I'm burnt out and I'm just overbooked on my calendar and everything has gone awry.” And then you're like, “Alright, now I need to show up and be a pro. So okay. Things are so dynamic right now.” You find a way to say it, you find a way to frame it, so that you still feel professional, but you still have needs. Even though you show up as a mature pro, there are still things that would put you at your best at work. And I loved how we were able to just jump around different examples and chat through some simple ways that people have signaled those to their teammates, and how they've asked for those kinds of things from their manager without seeming high-maintenance, without seeming like a brat or a jerk. You may not feel that you can leap from today's current state to "superpowers at work." Maybe that seems to far right now. That's okay. Take the smallest action in that direction. If you think this kind of conversations would be useful for your team to have with each other, and I'm just gonna go — hint, hint — they're really useful to have with each other, meaningful conversation about your talent themes. Over time, they're going to open up so much understanding for you so that you know:
This would be a great time to do CliftonStrengths with your team, and then consider doing some team building conversations. Many people are doing virtual training today. And Strother definitely facilitates those. So if you're interested in having him in for one of your virtual events, feel free to request him for your event. It's these kinds of open conversations that you have with each other that ensure you understand what each person on the team needs. Many people will consider it too high-risk, they won't come forward with these kinds of requests or wishes or thoughts because of the brat factor. They don't want to be seen as a brat. But they also see it as high-risk. They see it as a conversation that if they raise this, and that makes them go down a notch or two in your view, it's not going to be great for them in the workplace. And if you contrast that with what happens when you're having these strengths-focused conversations at work around CliftonStrengths, it opens it up in a whole different way. It puts it in a new context and makes people feel open in a way that they wouldn't if they were just going to come up with this conversation and raise it to you like it were an issue. With that, thank you for listening to Lead Through Strengths and for bringing your best strengths to the workplace, because you know our workplaces need that from you. Next up: It's the last interview in the series with Strother and in that one we are talking about whether your commitments match your calendar, whether the things you say you want match what you actually do with your time. It's a powerful self-audit, and we'll see you over there. Charge Up Your Superpowers At Work With These Helpful ResourcesYou can supercharge your career when you can do your best work in a way that will work not just for you but also for those around you. If you lead through Focus and Achiever, consider engaging in some mature conversation with your team and being more sensitive towards the needs of others and the business while striving for your best. In fact, why not conduct a fun experiment with your strengths? Remember the volume knob that Lisa talked about? It’s a metaphorical way of regulating your strengths — in the context of the situation and the people around you. You’ll discover whether you need to turn your strengths up or pull back a bit. And once you’ve found that sweet spot, you’ll find that your strengths are better received. Finally, review Lisa’s episode on how you can offer your awesomeness without sounding arrogant, where she explores the idea of balancing your talent’s energy with outward focus, i.e. thinking about the business outcome your strengths and talent can serve. | |||
| 01 Dec 2024 | Are Strengths Nature or Nurture? | 00:17:38 | |
We hear it all 👏🏻 the 👏🏽time 👏🏿: “Are strengths nature or nurture?”
In today's episode, we weigh in with their opinions on whether our strengths and talents are hardwired into our DNA or shaped by our environment and experiences. And, spoiler alert…we don’t always agree. 🫣
Listen in as we explore how nature and nurture play a foundational role in who we are and how we develop. You’ll enjoy some fun metaphors and personal anecdotes about the impact of childhood experiences and how understanding our nature can help us navigate our environments more effectively.
If you wonder about the interplay between your natural talents and the influences around you, this episode is for you. Thanks for allowing us to accompany you on your journey of self-discovery and growth, so you can lead through strengths! 🌟 Work With Us! Brea Roper If you need a Strengths Hype Girl, for yourself or your team, connect with Brea at brearoper.com. She’s ready to deliver an inspirational keynote, empowering training, or transformational workshop. If you’re looking for an expert guide to support your internal Strengths efforts, reach out today! Lisa Cummings Strategic | Maximizer | Positivity | Individualization | Woo
To work with Lisa, check out team workshops and retreats at the Lead Through Strengths site. For 1:1 strengths or life coaching, check out the Get Coached link. For independent coaches, trainers, and speakers, get business tools support with our Tools for Coaches membership.
Takeaways
Take Action ● Identify your talents. If you haven’t already, take the CliftonStrengths assessment to identify your natural opportunities for growth. ● Recognize the impact of your environment. Acknowledge how your upbringing and surroundings have influenced you. Consider how the people, places, and things in your life today are nurturing (or hindering) your talent. ● Learn how your CliftonStrengths can feel honored or insulted. Use these insights to nurture your strengths and manage what might negatively impact you. 🎧 Listen now! p.s. - Don't forget to share this episode with friends who might find it intriguing! Let's spread the conversation about our nature, and nurture together! 🌿
Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
AI-Generated Transcript Lisa:
Brea: I'm Brea.
Lisa: And today's episode is all about nature versus nurture.
Brea: This is a really hot button for me. And a hot button, just meaning it's interesting, intriguing. Are strengths nature? Are they nurture? This is exciting. Do you want to start with your answer first?
Lisa: Okay. I think there isn't a clear answer. And I was very fascinated by this and still am. I think there's a part of us that is just DNA. And it doesn't matter if you drop me off in Antarctica when I was a toddler, I would have turned out in certain ways exactly the same. And I also think a lot of patterns in us come from nurture, come from our environment, our conditioning, the things we hear over and over again, or watch or see modeled in front of us, and they shape us in ways that we don't even realize. And I chased down the behavioral economists at Gallup a couple years in a row. So these are the smarty pants PhDs who create these instruments and just said, Hey, do we have a percentage? You know, can we know what bit comes from what part? And the way I net out their answer is we can't really measure that. And we can't really know. Although We all have our theories. So I thought it was kind of an unsatisfying answer and it probably was to them as well because we all just want an answer like 60% comes from our genetics and 30% comes from this thing and then 10% is this wild card that comes from over here. That would be cool if we could just know. That's where I landed. I think they're probably right that we've We really can't know and it's very difficult to measure. And I suspect, Brea Roper, that you disagree with me.
Brea: Well, here's the thing. I wonder if we just need to define our terms. Are we talking about strengths? Are we talking about talent? Are we talking about what shows up on people's CliftonStrengths report? Or are we not talking about CliftonStrengths at all? I'd love to really just clarify what are we talking about?
Lisa: Ooh, okay. So let's talk nature. What's nature to you?
Brea: Well, where my mind goes is talent. Is talent nature or nurture? And that's where I feel like it is a very clear answer from that perspective because, you know, Gallup teaches that talent times investment equals strength. And at least in my mind, that's a very clear parallel to nature, talent multiplied by nurture, investment equals strength.
Lisa: Uh-huh. Hmm. I feel like I just need to sit here in a deep pondering moment right now, because what you just said, that part's easy. I don't need to ponder that. I was thinking of it like nature equals DNA and nurture equals environment.
Brea: Yeah, same, same. So if we say that talent is nature, then yeah, it's baked into you. It's DNA. It's, you know, how you come out of the womb. Nurture is investment. It's the time, the practice, the knowledge, the skills that you learn, but it also is the environment that you grew up in, right? It's the family that you grew up in. It's the teachers that you've had. It's everything else outside of nature that nurtures your nature, either positively or negatively, right? What say you?
Lisa: Well, I just I think we're pretty close. If I replaced the word nurture with environment. It works for me so easily because of all those things you listed off, country you grew up in, all kinds of elements around you and what you, the actions you've taken toward your growth and that others have even taken toward or away from, especially in your younger, younger years where you weren't the one with agency over that sort of stuff. I think environment, if I replace the word nurture with environment, everything you said, I would be like, yep, we are totally in agreement. The word nurture, trying to associate it with negative doesn't make sense for me, just the word itself. I can play, I can do that for this episode and go, oh yeah, I think we're totally in agreement. I'm glad you did definition. But nurture is a good thing to me. So saying, that there's a negative nurture doesn't, my mind's like, bonk, that's not, that's not true. So I think we're in agreement. And I'm glad you did this because it is a definition thing. So we'll just do nature versus nurture. And then I'll just be like, and put my put my little asterisk on that, as we're talking. And for me, I'm talking environment.
Brea: Yeah. Well, I think of it like this, you know, I'm the queen of metaphors. So here we go. If you're born a super sleek, sexy sports car, but you really want to become an SUV, right? Like You're never, you're never going to become an SUV. Like you are a sports car. You can drive your sports car up into the mountains or go off-roading. You can do the things that the SUV might do, but your body is just not made for that. It's going to hurt your tires.
Lisa: You might just get stuck. I've seen one in Colorado last summer. It was high-centered off-roading in a hot hatch little car. It was made for being fast on a pavement and it was out on Cottonwood Pass. It's not where it should be. I don't know how it got to where it got, but it didn't get out.
Brea: Yeah. So why didn't they go rent or borrow or figure out how to get a different tool to do the same thing? And the opposite could be said for an SUV. You don't want to put that on a race car track and expect it to handle the curves and go at the speed that the race car is designed to do. I think that's where I see it as like, we all are built, nature, we're built a certain way. And you could use the metaphor of bodies as well. Some people have more of an athletic, strong, really muscular build. You've got a football body maybe, or you've got a ballerina body or like a long and lean you know, runner's body. Like, both have muscles, both have skeletons, but they're different. And both of the bodies can go into the gym, and they can both do leg day, and they're going to work out the exact same muscles, but just because the muscles are built differently, they're going to develop differently.
Lisa: Yes. Yes. This reminds me of When I was a kid, I was obsessed with organizing. And I still am. So I believe it's totally a nature thing. I don't care where I am, I'm going to be organizing things. I want my visual environment to be tidy. And I was the kid, literally single digit ages, probably six or seven, saying, Mom, I'm going to clean out the refrigerator again because it's too cluttered. Mom, I'm going to clean up the cabinets again and organize these bowls. And I had to do it. Even if it wasn't welcomed, I would feel compelled to do it. Totally the nature.
Brea: Yeah, that's talent. That is the most natural way for you to approach a situation. There's that natural desire. So I think if people take assessments like CliftonStrengths earlier in their life, before they've learned the way that they should behave or the way that other people want them to behave or whatever, then what the assessment really finds is your nature, your most natural patterns, not your learned behaviors.
Lisa: Right, right. Yes, I agree. Yeah, I won't fight you on that at all. And I think that it translates as you age, it translates into probably more practical uses. But also it can show up in my shadow side. I feel myself compelled to organize other people's things. Like if I'm around a person who isn't as tidy as I am, I want to straighten that thing up or put it in a proper spot because everything should have a home. And there are things like that where it may not be my business to be messing with somebody else's stuff in the house. Those kind of things. But it's driving me like, oh, Oh, that has to go where it lives. In my case, that would be blind spot. That would be overuse of, it would be not my place to mess with somebody else's stuff. And so that comes into the nurture element as well. Because it's like, in this case, there's nature. And it might feel like nature versus nurture, because it's like, Okay, you also have to train yourself that you can't impose your talents on everybody else. You have to know what is your responsibility and where somebody else needs to be able to have their life and their strengths as well.
Brea: Yeah, that's why having this language can be so helpful because if little Lisa doesn't have that self-awareness yet, and is punished, and I know you didn't say this happened, I'm just making it up for the sake of conversation. If someone punishes you or reacts in a negative way when you move things or deal with other people's stuff, then that will teach the little you that that's not the right thing to do or not the right way to behave, which is not true. It just is misplaced or misdirected in that moment, maybe. So if the adults can have the language and the awareness to say, okay, little Lisa, I see what we're trying to do here, and I love that you want to be organized. Now's not the right time, or we can't actually move other people's things, you know, so maybe you need to ask permission first. Right, right.
Lisa: And in my case, as a kid, they were like, wow, the refrigerator looks so amazing. We love when you do this. I'm like, get out of the trash can. That's amazing. Yeah, I'm organizing it again. Maybe this is why I overstep as an adult. I never had someone say, oh, you should ask first. Other people use that too.
Brea: Oh, that's funny.
Lisa: Okay. I heard of another example yesterday in a workshop of a childhood thing that made me think, oh, this is cool to hear the contrast. So there were two people who led through command and they met in an activity where they were matching up with somebody else who shared the same talent theme and they both grew up in a household full of brothers where they were the only girl in the sibling group. And they came up with the question, is this nature or nurture? Because we really think it's because of nurture because our environment was all the boys around. We had to be bold. We had to be convicted. We had to be the powerful version of ourselves if we were going to play with them. And it's what made us have command. And I was like, oh, this is so interesting because I also had an event where a lady grew up in a family full of brothers. And she said something about how she got to be protected. She got to be nurtured by these brothers who took care of her and looked over her and that it made her soft. And she was convinced this is why she had all the relationship themes. Yeah. Same scenario. And they were convinced totally that it was the nurture. But actually, I think that makes the case that this is nature. They probably would have become who they were going to become either way.
Brea: Yeah. I mean, as the oldest of eight kids, I can speak from experience, you know, that like growing up with the same parents in the same house with the same siblings, we are not all the same, you know, we do not all act in the same way. So for sure, that's, that's where I feel very, very strongly that we all come out with a certain nature baked into us and the same nurture. the same nurture ring will have a different effect on each individual receiving it because the nature is different. Yeah. Our nature is nurtured. Yeah.
Lisa: I love it. Instead of the phrase nature versus nurture, that's such a cool way to say it. Our nature is nurtured.
Brea: Yeah, it's super interesting. And another area that I talk about this is with trauma. A lot of people are really, you know, trying to become more trauma-informed and on their own healing journeys. Why are some negative experiences that we have in our life, why do they affect me in a certain way and they don't affect you in the same way? You know, even if we experience the same negative experience, right? And it's because our talents have different needs. And if I need something that you don't need and the nurture that we're a part of doesn't provide that, if you don't need it, that's not traumatic for you. It doesn't hurt you in any way because you don't need it. So the fact that it's not there is fine. But if I have a really strong need for that because of my talents and it's not there, then that does affect me in a negative way. So it's all very, very interesting.
Lisa: Endlessly. Endlessly so. So if somebody wanted to talk through this sort of stuff with you, what they need, what they bring, what their talents are at the nature level, how they might nurture them more with your help, how would they work with you, Brea?
Brea: Come on over to my website: brearoper.com. You can schedule a quick call and I’d love to hear more about you, what you’re looking for, and talk about how we might be able to work together. How about you, Lisa?
Lisa: I am, for this episode, I'm just going to give people a resource on the Lead Through Strengths website. If you go to leadthroughstrengths.com slash honored, or leadthroughstrengths.com slash insulted, you'll see a list based on your talent themes, some things that might hit you at a values level. And I think, although you can get pretty close to this idea of what is innate in you, I think our talents sit on this system of values. And these pages bring it together where they get to explore some things that might make their talents feel totally honored, totally nurtured. And then the insulted page might be the non-nurture representation, where it hits them at a hot button level. And the episode was intriguing and people are listening wondering, what about me and what about my talents and how does it actually show up for my specific talent themes? I think those would be a couple of good pages to check out and run against your top talents.
Brea: Yes, I've seen those pages and for sure the insults just like, oh, it hits me. I'm like, yes, I do not like the way that that feels. So yeah, it's a great resource. I'll make sure that goes in the show notes as well. Yeah.
Lisa: Excellent. In your excellent show notes.
Brea: Okay. Bring us home, Lisa. Bring us home. Wrap it up.
Lisa: Let's see. I mean, I come back to this concept of becoming more of who you already are and getting really comfortable in that concept. We spend so much of our lives trying to direct and control and If we spend a little bit more time focused on finding who we are at our natural best, I think a lot of that other stuff gets released. The pressure that you might feel to want to control and direct things really just starts to let go.
Brea: Grow the good, people. Grow the good.
Lisa: Grow the good. Another fine alliteration to end on. Nature versus nurture, grow the good.
Brea: Love it.
Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram The Fine Print: This podcast is not sanctioned or endorsed by Gallup in any way. Opinions, views and interpretations of CliftonStrengths© are solely the beliefs of Lisa Cummings and Brea Roper.
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| 02 May 2021 | He Refuses To Participate In StrengthsFinder — Should We Make It Mandatory? | 00:09:32 | |
If Someone Refuses To Participate In StrengthsFinder, Invite Them To The Session AnywayMaybe it was a bad experience with another assessment tool, or the thought that another assessment is unnecessary. But if someone in your team refuses to participate in StrengthsFinder, it helps to gather insights behind the “why.” Chances are you can form or offer solutions that could win you into Team StrengthsFinder so everyone can experience the awesomeness of discovering one's true strengths. In today’s episode, Lisa captures the top reasons some people pass on taking the Strengthsfinder survey. Did they have a bad experience in the past? Can you convince them that you're using this to open up your understanding of each other - not to put them in a box? Is it possible to know your team member’s strengths without the assessment tool? Listen as Lisa answers these questions. Here’s the full transcript of the episode: You’re listening to Lead Through Strengths, where you'll learn to apply your greatest strengths at work. I'm your host, Lisa Cummings, and I gotta tell you, it's tough to find something at work that is more energizing than using your strengths every day. Now, in today's Q&A episode, I got a question that kind of challenges that opening statement. It's from a person who asked, “As a manager, what to do when someone on the team refuses to participate in StrengthsFinder? They don't like assessments, and they don't want to be stereotyped.” So, I'm saying, “Hey what's more energizing than using your strengths every day?” And this person is saying, “I don't know what to do. How am I supposed to use that person's strengths? They won't even participate." Now, and digging a little bit deeper, this person specifically said they don't want to participate because they don’t want to be put into a box. We've delivered training to over 20,000 participants. I think I can remember three people feeling like this, like saying, “These assessments are stupid.” Or, “I don't want to be put into a box.” Or folding their arms at the back of the room just not participating, showing up at the event but not doing the process. So, that is good news, and most people feel like, “Hey, oh you want to talk about how I'm awesome? Let's go for it.” But once in a while, you get people who don't want to participate. So first things first. I think that these kinds of tools and most training is best done in an opt-in kind of way if you're talking about personal and professional development. If somebody doesn't want to opt in to their own personal development, if somebody doesn't want to opt in to an event like this, trying to make them do it...“I just haven't seen that go well...” So, I always invite them in to the session, even if they haven't done the assessment. I always make it a point that they can decide later on, that they can take the assessment. I just tell them, “Hey, come on, try it and sit in the back. I won't bother you. See if you like the concepts. If you do, you can take the assessment later. There are some downsides to getting exposed to it before you take the assessment..." But the reality is they weren't going to do it anyway. So, let them come in. If they feel like it's a safe enough thing or it's an interesting enough concept, then most of the time they'll opt in later. Show The Appeal Of CliftonStrengthsOne of the reasons that they do change their minds is: if you think about CliftonStrengths, the chance that someone else will have your exact top 5 in the same order as you, it's one in 33 million. And I don't think it's lost on people that you do feel really unique when you're doing an assessment like CliftonStrengths. It definitely does not feel like putting someone in a box. The language is really easy. It's easy to understand and have conversations with each other on the first day that you're learning about it, but at the same time, when you know that it's one in 33 million that would have the same as you, 1 through 5 in the same order, that actually makes you feel like, “no boxes are being made at all.” So I do think it helps that “don't put me in a box” situation. And sometimes, just giving that proof point up front — because there are 34 talent themes that are potentially there, and then of those 34 we’ll usually focus in on their top 5 — that usually helps people not feel like you're going to put them in one of four categories and they're going to be in the corner of the room as the mean people or the weak people or the whatever people because usually that's where it's coming from. We're definitely not here to create stereotypes. What about when they've had a bad experience at another company? Maybe they've done Myers Briggs or DISC, or one where they're put into four colors, and maybe it was facilitated in a way where it just did seem like there were only four options and a couple of them were demonized. So I get it that people have some bad experiences and then they think it's dumb and they don't want to participate. Of course, the design behind those assessments is deeper than that, yet sometimes they get over-simplified in training events. Another approach to consider: if you have a solid relationship with this person, ask some questions like, "Tell me more about your reluctance." You will probably hear insights you didn't think about. For example, “Well, I don't like taking assessments like this. I don't speak English as a first language.” Well, great - you actually have a solution for them. You can do the assessment in many different languages. Maybe they’ll say, “Oh, the truth is I don't like doing assessments like this because I don't do well on tests.” Well, if you actually have learning disabilities or some other situations, you can actually call the customer service line at Gallup, and they can take it off of the timer. So I know that one can be touchy to talk about it. You likely don't want to get into medical issues with people, but if somebody does not like taking tests because of processing speed, it is something that you could offer up to them. Okay, so we've got the person who refuses to participate in StrengthsFinder because, “I don't want to be put into a box.” We covered that part pretty well. And you know that I like to do assessments in an opt-in culture kind of way. So invite them in to start participating at anytime. The second thing, we have different languages and different test scenarios that can be available for them. Although it's not a test. On the language part, I like to call it the StrengthsFinder tool or the CliftonStrengths assessment. "Survey" can seem a bit too informal, like it's not a valid instrument. Tool sounds useful and accurate (because it is). If you're talking to an HR team, the word "assessment" will ring true to them. It all depends on your audience. For me, "tool" is the most widely-appropriate descriptor. I know I'm nerding out on the nitty gritty words, but wow - the "test" thing can really wig people out. And then the last idea is, just let this person participate in their own words. So when we design our virtual training, we always take people out to tools that will say, if you have your top 5 focus in on XYZ — and when I say XYZ I mean, we've made tools for each of the 34 talents where they can look up their specific information. But if somebody hasn't, we have this extensive list of an inventory of words, where they can pick words that reflect how they get worked on when they are at their best. So we actually make the virtual training available so that someone could participate without having an assessment in front of them. We started doing that because people ran into budget issues and they were like, “Hey we want to run 100 people through this, but we don't have the money for assessments right now.” And then we could have strength-focused conversations, regardless of whether they had an assessment. So it's also handy for someone who didn't get to take the assessment because something came up. Maybe someone in the family died the couple of nights before your StrengthsFinder training. And now they're at the event, and boom, they don't have anything to go on, and I don't want to alienate them. So that's one solution as well. And one way that you could do this, if you go to leadthroughstrengths.com/challenge, you will see a page where we do this 12-week process. It's kind of like a team challenge for you to run a 12-week process of asking people about their strengths. Eleven of the 12 of those questions don't even mention anything specific about their talent themes. They are literally just thinking of what puts people at their best. So you can get them participating in the process, just have everyone on the team sign up for that, and have the discussions as a team and learn what puts people at their best. You don't have to have a language. CliftonStrengths is a total shortcut. It can be like a decoder ring. I would use it every time - it's almost like having a human instruction manual for each person on your team. You can get to this faster with a tool like StrengthsFinder, yet you can uncover similar things about each other with meaningful conversations over time. I love CliftonStrengths because it makes everything so much easier. It gives you a common language and helps you really understand who shares some similar talents, and that helps them understand how to apply them more quickly. I mean it's my favorite assessment by a mile. At the same time, we don't have to have a tool in order to have strengths conversations. So that's one thing I would do as a team, is get enrolled in that challenge. It's free, and that way you can start to have those conversations without the tool as a requirement. Guide People To Their Strengths By Recognizing Them At Their BestThe last thing is, especially if you are a people manager — but this would go for anyone leading an effort like this — if someone refuses to participate in StrengthsFinder (or any training you're delivering to get strengths-based conversations going), just start looking for their strengths anyway. You know when they're at their best, and if you've recognized it, you are now showing them that you see them when they're at their best. You don't need an assessment to tell you where they really rock. And they don't have to have a tool to figure out where they really rock. Sometimes it gives you a whole new filter for looking at things. It gives you a whole new set of language that maybe you haven't considered. So of course, the tool has benefits - yet it's not the only way to get there. Usually, I find that people are really good at describing what they know, kind of like the skills and experiences stuff they're really comfortable with. But when you talk about how you work, how you relate to people, how you make decisions, how you do critical thinking, those are the areas of these natural talents where people aren't as good at knowing their own. That's one reason I love the assessment because it brings it out and they're like, “Oh yeah I already know this but I wouldn't have said it.” So if you are on a strength-spotting mission as a manager, or a teammate who's trying to spot it in someone but you don't have their list of talent themes around you, just watch for what they do well and think of things like that.
Those are some really good categories if you go through. They'll help you spot their strengths, regardless of having any assessment. And the good news is, the likelihood is, once the momentum gets going in the organization, they're going to join you, because they see that it's being used for good and not for evil. So with that I will see you for the next question. Bye for now. Additional Resources To Help You If Someone In Your Team Refuses To Participate In StrengthsFinderCheck out this episode to help you articulate the best advantages of StrengthsFinder for your team, as well as the practical applications for your strengths. Far from putting you inside a box, Lisa's guest Adam Seaman thinks that as you access the tool deeply, not only will it confirm how you already see and describe yourself, it will also guide you on what to do with those strengths. But you may ask, is there proof that strengths-focused development works? See the data-driven proof points from Gallup research in this episode, which shows the difference in effects when you invest in your strengths versus when you invest in something that you’re just average in. That’s because strengths are easy buttons for better performance. When you focus on what feels easy for you (which may not come easy for other people), that allows you to be more productive and to contribute better to the team. The more these natural talents are consistently noticed, the more you are encouraged to cultivate them. Focusing on your strengths really works the magic. | |||
| 10 Jan 2021 | Not Feeling Very Worky Today? Get To The Truth About Why | 00:26:10 | |
If You're Not Feeling Very Worky Today, Your Feeling Is ValidIf you woke up not feeling very worky today, you're not alone. All around the world, this happens for reasons that are either obvious or hard to dig. Being in a funk is a real struggle that can last from days to months and can impact many important decisions that you make. It happens in the workplace and beyond. Being in this situation may lead you to deliberate whether to stay in a job or not, to stay in a relationship or not, to adopt a certain lifestyle or not, and so on. This feeling is valid, but when it does happen, do you usually deal with it from a place of fear, or from a place of strength? In another fun and insightful episode, host Lisa Cummings and fellow StrengthsFinder facilitator TyAnn Osborn share their personal and professional take on what it means to be in a funk, and effective ways to turn that "funky monkey" situation around. (Expect some hints of Beastie Boys along the way too.) Here’s their conversation. Lisa: You're listening to Lead Through Strengths, where you'll learn to apply your greatest strengths at work. I'm your host, Lisa Cummings. And you know, I'm always telling you, it's hard to find something more energizing than using your natural talents every day at work. Well, something that's just about as energizing is when I get to hang out with my other host here in the room, TyAnn Osborn. Today, we are going to talk about being in a funk. So very often, we go to strengths events, we get invited in to deliver training, and often it's from an inspirational standpoint. We want to get to know each other better, we want to communicate better, we want to get to know a new team... TyAnn: Right. Lisa: Team building... TyAnn: Very positive. Very fun. Lisa: And then the reality of the world is we have days when mojo meter is level zero. We have seasons, times, months, weeks, where sometimes you're just in a funk. Once, I had an entire, probably six months of a job where I was in a funk and I was like, “What is wrong with me? I like the people, I like the job, the pay is good. Life is good. Everything on paper sounds so right. What is wrong?" And almost never do people think, “Well, this would be a great opportunity to use my strengths!” It just doesn't come up for people. But I know that you have ideas for this, and you've talked about them being one of the best things you could do for yourself when you find yourself in a funk or you think someone else might be in a funk. Step 1: Acknowledge When You’re Feeling FunkyLisa: So, if you are going to even begin applying strengths to this concept, what would you start with? TyAnn: I think that's so true. And like Lisa said, often when we come in, we've done a big team building event, everyone's all jazzed up, this is exciting. And then you go back to your desk, and work happens. Or life happens. And you're like, “Oh, that was fun.” But meanwhile, Now my customer is upset with me. My kid’s upset with me... My spouse is upset with me... I have to make dinner... Whatever it is, and life just happens. Or, like she said, sometimes you can't really put your finger on it. And for whatever reason, you're just like, “Oh, I feel like a funky monkey, I don't know why.” That sounds more cute than you might actually be feeling. Lisa: Sounds like Brass Monkey. Makes me think of Beastie Boys. TyAnn: ‘Love Beastie Boys. Yes, that's my jam. Lisa: (sings) TyAnn: So I think it's really easy to use strengths when things are going well. But I think really a powerful application is when you're not feeling that great. And so what do you do? So I would say the first thing is, be able to recognize when you are feeling funky. And sometimes we don't want to intellectually allow ourselves to even go there. Or like you said, “I shouldn't be feeling bad about myself. I'm getting paid good money!" Lisa: "My thinking skills tell me that does not make sense and therefore I must feel great!" TyAnn: "This must be a first world problem because look at me, I have a job and on paper, everything looks fine... I'm not hungry. I'm able to feed myself, I'm able to provide for my family..." And whatever. And here's the deal. Lisa: "You just feel like you're being a baby!" TyAnn: "You feel like you're being a baby." And again, you might say like, "Oh, this is a first world problem." But here's the deal: feelings are valid, because they're your feelings. And if you're feeling funky, you don't have to explain that away to yourself. It's okay. It's okay. I mean, nobody can discount your feelings because they're your feelings. It's okay. So I would say the first thing is just to put that baggage aside for “I shouldn't be feeling this way,” because that's the quickest way to really start some problems internally. Lisa: Let's break that piece down, like you're saying, Step 1 is to figure out that you're feeling like a funky monkey. And then what actually is it. Well, if our client base is representative of many more people in corporate, which I think they are, like, if you're feeling wimpy about it, or feeling like you're being a baby, it's easy to want to discard it, push past it pretty quickly, or to not really spend any time going, what is it actually? Lisa: When I ask people, “What do you think you're really feeling about the situation?” And people will be like, “Well, I'm anxious about it, it's stressing me out.” Those are the two... I think they're the easy words: stressed, anxious. TyAnn: Yeah. Lisa: I know you can tell me if you hear others are saying like anything past it. TyAnn: They're socially acceptable to say. You know, what is not socially acceptable, is to say I'm scared. And usually, if someone's angry about something, almost always fear is underneath that. And anxiety? Fear is almost always underneath that. And so when you peel it back, you're like —
And so you can kind of follow this line of thinking.
And we tend to have an irrational fear. And sometimes I call it like the “bag lady” fear — that you're going to end up as a bag lady sort of pushing the shopping cart living under the overpass. Lisa: This is a real fear. TyAnn: This is a real fear. Lisa: I had a situation where I took a wrong job. I took a job that was a bad fit for me. TyAnn: By the way, this happens all the time. I have also done this. Lisa: Yes, and you've also written blog entries about the Mondays, the case of the Mondays that you get. TyAnn: That's right. This happens. Lisa: Yes, this happens. So when I picked that role, and I thought, “I think that the answer is to leave.” But then there was so much baggage hanging on to the leaving. So I was in a funk because I got myself stuck in a thought circle. And we actually went through a process, kind of like what you described. "What is the worst that could happen there? And then what would happen there? And then what would happen there?" So I just played it out off of quitting. And what would happen? "Oh, well I just, I would disappoint people because I put them through an interview process. How could I do that to them? They went through this whole thing. They picked me!" TyAnn: They would be mad at you. Lisa: Yes! I didn't want to be viewed unfavorably. I didn't want them to be angry with me. But also, I didn't want to be a jerk to them. I thought what if I'm not giving it enough time? TyAnn: Hmm. What if you're a quitter? Lisa: What if I'm a quitter? What if I'm a poor decision maker? TyAnn: [7:05] ***You're branded with the scarlet Q that you'd have around for the rest of your life.*** Lisa: Yeah. I mean, these are things. And then it was... Okay, and then what? Let's say I quit. Well, normally, I'm a planner. I think ahead. I think far ahead. I would have been deciding what I am going to do next. And then I would get myself lined up for it. And then I would have it all lined up, and I would have an acceleration lane all planned up. I didn't have any of that. So this would be all new territory. I decided, well, this would be a good time to start a business. Not this business but it was a different one. But I was like — okay, what if I don't get any customers? What if I have no revenue? What if I… TyAnn: And now I have to make a business plan. And now that's a huge project. Lisa: Yeah. And I was like, “Oh, we had just purchased this land that we wanted, that was the forever plan. What if I ruin, what if I single-handedly ruin the forever plan because I took one wrong job?” TyAnn: Oh, that's a lot of pressure. Lisa: But you know, even when you go through the worst, when I realized I was really just being a chicken, and that the worst that could happen...you know what we came to when we stayed up really late that night, just talking about, “No, seriously, what is the worst?” TyAnn: What was it? Lisa: We were going to live on an RV and be camp hosts in a lovely State Park, and it was like, “Oh, this is okay.” TyAnn: Which by the way, I have not one but multiple friends who are doing that right now. Lisa: On purpose? TyAnn: That is their dream. Lisa: Yeah. TyAnn: Yeah. Like that's the thing. Lisa: Yeah. And at the time, it was just like, “Well, we had an RV. So we literally wasn't something to purchase. It was just like we take the thing that we have while we lost the house, because remember, I lost the whole dream farm. We lost the farm. TyAnn: It burned. It burned up overnight. Lisa: Yeah. I brought it crashing down in flames. And then it was right there. TyAnn: Yeah. Lisa: So the answer was there. I'm not saying it made it unscary, but that was a funk breaker. So I know it was a bit of a long story to support your point, but I was in a funk — because I was stuck in a decision. TyAnn: You were afraid. Lisa: Yeah. TyAnn: It was fear. Lisa: Yeah. TyAnn: But you knew the right thing to do. Lisa: I guess so. TyAnn: You wanted to leave. Lisa: Yeah. TyAnn: You were just afraid. Lisa: But we fire ourselves on that often. I know. I do. And I know that a lot of customers do... And many smaller things because, well, you know, we work with plenty of people who are not in a funk because they're making self-actualizing giant life decisions. That does happen as well. You know who you are. If you're listening to the show and you stayed after one of the sessions, and we’re like... TyAnn: Right...which we love by the way. Lisa: Oh my God, this made me realize... TyAnn: I made the complete wrong job. Lisa: But also it happens in the everyday mundane. TyAnn: Yeah, absolutely. Identifying The Root Of The Funky Feeling Is Not Magic But A ProcessTyAnn: I hear this a lot. And believe me, this is kind of what keeps coaches in business, is working with people who kind of get to even like the 40, 50-plus category who are like: “You know what? I've worked all this time, and I've sort of made it. I've gotten to wherever it was in the career in the company. I've gotten to whatever level job that I thought was the place I wanted to be, and kind of, is this all there is?” Or like, “I thought somehow I would be riding my unicorn to work and playing with puppies all day. And you know what? I don't. I don't like it. I don't like what I do... I don't really like who I've become.” Or, “My kid drew a picture of the family and I'm not in it.” What we've heard from a colleague of ours... Or something else happens. This is why people have a midlife crisis or a complete breakdown. Talk about a funk. And that's something where you know that there's that little voice whispering in you, of discontent, and you have shoved it down. And you know, when you push that bad boy down, just like feelings, it is like your jack-in-the-box analogy — that thing will shoot out in a very ugly and untimely way. Lisa: That's true. And you know, it's like, once you've been shoving it down, long enough people know. And you're like, I have the pit in my stomach. I know it's off, but I don't know what is off. I can't put my finger on it. TyAnn: Right. Lisa: And then boom, Jack in the box jumps out. TyAnn: Or people feel scared because “I have set up my life now where now I have the big house, or I'm supporting my whole family.” Or I mean, whatever it is. And we kind of make it bigger in our head sometimes. Lisa: Oh, I had one of those recently in a Strengths session. She said, she called it her "big kid bills." And she was like, “I have the house, I have the car, I have the stuff, I have everything. And I've got my mind all wrapped up in keeping with the Joneses.” And she's like, “All I want to do is just go buy a Honda Accord and live in a one-bedroom apartment and unravel it all. And I can't even do that.” TyAnn: So like, “more money, more problems.” And I mean that's why I think there's such a pull right now for downsizing, for minimalism, for “let's chuck it all and go live in that RV and go be the camp host...” And there's a huge movement for that right now. I mean, even in the design world, there's you know, “Minimalism is in!" Not "Rococo is in.” You know what I mean? Lisa: I don't even know what that is. TyAnn: "The heavily layered look is out!" So you see this, there's a real pull and desire for that. And so it's real. It's a thing and it's okay to just sit back and think, “I've worked and maybe I've been the one pushing this, and I feel funky. I don’t know if I want this.” Lisa: Okay, so I'm your client. We've been talking Strengths. TyAnn: Okay. Lisa: I do the CliftonStrengths assessment. I am in fact, in a funk and I did do my assessment. I know my top strengths. I think I'm gonna talk to Ty as my coach. So I'm going to start to open up to the concept and kind of like, talk through what's going on, so I can figure it out because I can't put my thumb on what is making the funky monkey situation happen. TyAnn: Right. Lisa: So what do you do, like if you're in a corporate office, you know, most of our customers are, and they're like living through the funk, and they've acknowledged the funk isn't gonna go away in a one conversation sort of thing. This isn't a magic dust... TyAnn: And I wish it was. I would charge a lot more. Lisa: No kidding! Poof! Life is amazing! TyAnn: For $20,000, I will solve your funkiness! Lisa: 1 hour! TyAnn: Shazam! Yeah, sadly, a little bit more of a process. Lisa: So I know like in one podcast episode, we can't end it and say, “And here…” TyAnn: Here's your 30-second easy answer. Lisa: It will be jerky if I'm like, “Go pay Ty $20,000 so she can get you the answer.” That's not the most fun. TyAnn: But there are some things you can do, for sure. Lisa: Yeah, So getting a coach is a great one. But what else, like what actions can people take away when they're living through the funk, they're in the middle of it, and they're getting to the other side? Look Up To A Coach Or Your Strengths Report As Your 'Spirit Guide'TyAnn: So one thing you said, getting a coach.So I would say absolutely. I'm a huge fan of that, not just because I'm a coach, but because I believe it works. So if your company supports that, awesome! But if they don't, see if you can reach out to a trusted person, because often when you're in it, it can be really hard to see. You know what I mean? So it can be helpful to have spirit guides — somebody to walk beside you on that. So that's a) if you can, you know, put your hand up, and that takes being a little bit vulnerable. But it's okay to just say, “You know what, I gotta get some help here." Because there's no prize for doing that hard and by yourself. Just a little clue to life here. And something too that when you can pull out your Strengths — and again, I realized when you're feeling funky, you might not be thinking Strengths, I mean, that might not be it — but I encourage you, like reach back in your desk and pull up that report. And there's going to be a piece in there about Brings & Needs, that I really like. And you know, often when you first read it, you kind of blow through some of that. But oftentimes, when we're feeling funky, it's because we have a need that's not being met. And each one of our strengths themes has a really specific thing that we need in order to feel fulfilled in that way. And so almost invariably, when I find myself in a funk, I can go back and like literally put my finger on the thing that I am not getting. And it is illuminating to be able to give language or a word to, “Oh my gosh, I thought it was just me. I am not getting this. This is what I need.” And life isn't about putting your needs on a shelf and doing it, again, the hard way. You are at your best and the world needs the best of you, not the most mediocre funky version of you. That's not helpful to anyone. Does that make sense? Lisa: Yeah, absolutely. And if they have the full 34 report, the version that you get the lesser themes at the bottom, you might look at the bottom 5 to 7. And you might notice, if you don't think of these as weaknesses, you think of these as potential energy drainers. Well, you look at that list. And you might think, “Oh right, look at that one. It's number 33 of 34. And I'm using that all day, every day. It's taking a lot of me to give it.” TyAnn: Yeah. Lisa: Because you can be totally competent in those areas. By the way, if you're new to Strengths, it can be at the bottom of your list in the stack rank of 34. You can get competent, you can do the thing, but it's sucking it all out of you and you're empty by giving it. TyAnn: Right Lisa: And it can really make you feel funky if you're having to do that over time. TyAnn: Absolutely. And you know, Gallup’s got these engagement metrics that we talk about with our clients. And you know, the data shows that people who are able to use their strengths during the day — six times as likely to be engaged, three times as likely to have a better quality of life. And as I tell my clients, this doesn't mean I only get to work on fun stuff all day long, that really, you know, it is the Ty land. That's not life. But what the research behind this shows is that something in my day brings me energy. And because it does, it lifts me up enough so that then I can get through that noise and deal with some of that stuff that might be pulling on my themes that are at the bottom of my stack. Does that make sense? Lisa: Yeah. So gas in the tank. It gets you back up there so you can get through the day doing things that you're paid to do even if you don't like those things. TyAnn: That's just it. Because sometimes clients are like, “Oh, well, this means I don't have to do those other parts of my job I don't like.” I'm like, “Yeah, no, it's still work.” Now if 100% of your job you don't like, that's not something. But there needs to be something every day that kind of fills your tank, and then you can get through that other stuff. But I think that's where you can start to kind of put some analysis around the funk and then say, “Oh, my gosh, I didn't realize 75% of my job is doing that thing that takes so much energy. I can do it because I'm smart, I'm competent, I mean, I got to this point, I can do it. I just don't want it to take so much of my energy." And then, "Frankly, I don't even have enough energy left to do the things that do excite me." Which then, that becomes sad, you know. I don't even have enough energy to play the drums. Or, I found this happening with me. I love to read, that's kind of my thing. I found if I get in a funk, I'll stop reading. And that's when I've noticed that, man something's really wrong with me. Because I love to read. So if I don't have enough energy to read... Lisa: Okay, you know, we're into these analog tools in the list, this would be a good list like, "Can you remember back to times when you were in a funk and what might the signs be?” And some things like that. You stop reading. I might skip my drum practice for the day I notice. I let myself get a little disorganized, like if my trash starts to overflow because I'm Mrs. Cleanly, I'm Mrs. Tidy is basically me, so I noticed... Oh, if a couple of little signs, like my fingernails are very chipped and my trash is overflowing and I'm playing Tetris waiting for it to fall out — I know, I'm not in my normal game. TyAnn: Isn't that interesting? Lisa: Yeah. TyAnn: So kind of know that about yourself, like what are these little signs, little guideposts along the way so that you can pay attention to those before you get to sort of the edge of the cliff, and you've fallen off. Unleash Your Best You — The World Needs ItLisa: Okay, this is good.So we have to-dos for them. Okay, we've got lists to make....
TyAnn: Absolutely.
Lisa: Yeah.
One thing I love about your style in this regard is, well, depth, obviously. You get corporate, you get people's busy lives, but you're both empathetic and tough at the same time — not empathy in the Gallup sense of the word, but like, you feel the person for how they need to be seen and heard and appreciated in the moment. But then you can also tell the truth. You're not afraid of... TyAnn: I definitely have huge compassion for people because — especially with the clients we work with — I've been there. You know, we've had these jobs. I have had the job where I felt like I had to be on 24/7. I've had the ex-pat job where I literally felt like I was on 24/7 because I had a whole job on the other side of the world, and just when that job was ending, the US was coming online. I've had the job where I got 300 emails a day. I've had the job where you go into the Ops review, and you have to prepare a 75-page deck that you get yelled at about. I mean, we've lived this, right? Lisa: Yeah. TyAnn: I've been in a place where you get promoted to a position that you're like, “I don't want this. I don't want my boss's job. I don't want any of these jobs.” Lisa: “Why did I do this?” TyAnn: “Why did I do this?” But you know what, I've also had things that are great. And I'm just saying, life can be awesome. And you have tremendous and powerful skills. And we just want to harness those so that we can unleash the best of you in the world — because that's what the world needs. Lisa: Yeah. Okay, that is a perfect end to this. One thing I am going to put in the show notes for you is a link to http://leadthroughstrengths.com/negative. There's one called /positive and there's one /negative. And it's a list of emotions. It's like an inventory of emotions. And so if one of your takeaways is coaching — great, bring on Ty. If you are more like, “Hey, I just need to DIY this right now, and I'm going to go back to the very beginning of this episode and do that thing where I'm trying to figure out beyond saying I'm stressed or anxious, what's going on with me with this funk... That list, it just gives you a whole different set of words to say — "Oh, yeah, I think I'm just angry about this thing that got switched up on me at work. And I've just had the bee in my bonnet for a while, using an old saying, and now that put me into a funk.” So that will be a good resource as well, if you have trouble naming it. And remember Ty’s wisdom, I will call it, which is — you don't have to look at these emotions and name these emotions so that you can go tell your boss you're feeling it. This is actually you just doing it so you can understand what is making the funk. Right? TyAnn: Yeah, absolutely. And it could be, I mean, I've seen this before, you could be mad because you're not getting recognized, you know. You're mad, you worked on that project and somebody else got the credit for it. You know, all these things. And you might think, “I can't say that out loud, because that sounds really petty.” You know, then someone's going to be like... But that's a valid feeling. That's totally valid. So I love that lists can help spark that for you. So write that stuff down so you can help in your mind...just get kind of granular on what specifically is it that's causing the funk. Because once we know, and we can drill into that, then we can help start building bridges to get over the funk. Lisa: Yeah. And you layer that with what you described about going back through your report and reading the needs. And if you have the full report, looking at the very bottom, so you might see something that is a soul sucker for you that you didn't know. You have a pretty good inventory either of, “Oh, I've got my early warning signs”, or, “Oh, I've figured out what might have spurred this.” Like that moment where you didn't get recognized, maybe you're annoyed for about 30 seconds, and then you're like, “Yeah, [24:33] ***I'm a grown-up*** so I'm over it.” And then you move on — but you didn't get over it. TyAnn: Right. Lisa: You just told yourself you did. TyAnn: Right. Or maybe that's like the 5th time that that's happened in this job, and it's just like, it's like your bee in your bonnet. It doesn't go away. It's there. And then every time that happens again, it's just that confirmation that's like see, this is in here. And maybe one of your themes is Significance, and maybe yours needs to be recognized. And so that's a really good starting point to think... What's going on here? How can I put more Venn in this diagram than these things that are totally opposite? So I think that's just a great place to start. Lisa: It is. And speaking of starts, we're stopping. [Laughs] So even though we're at the end of the episode, you know we always talk about how using your strengths will make you a stronger performer. And in this time, if you're listening to this, if you are in one of those moments where you are in a funk, don't forget that your strengths do strengthen your performance. Because, I think to Ty's point, it is not the first thing that comes to mind. But if you're experiencing the funk right now and you're feeling like the brass monkey-funky monkey, get over to your CliftonStrengths report and get...reflecting? Is that what you would call it? TyAnn: Yeah. You’re reflecting. Yeah, go back and dig into those Brings & Needs, and I think you'll find some wisdom there. Lisa: All right. With that, we will see you next time. Bye for now. Need More Resources To Help You Further Beat Those Funky Blues? Check These OutLisa mentioned how being in a funk is largely linked to being “stressed” and “anxious,” based on her experience discussing the situation with her clients. Listen to her as she explains how having a bad day, a person/team who frustrates you, and an environment where you feel mismatched might bring out the shadow side of your strengths in What Do Strengths Look Like Under Stress? Here you will learn how to reframe them from bad to better. Or listen to Lisa’s grandma Venetta as she shares 5 career lessons. In one of the lessons, she encourages listeners to simply step back, get some perspective and look for the good in things even when stressed at work and feeling overwhelmed. The rest of her shared nuggets are just as golden! Funky moments, whether major or minor ones, are all part of life, as the path towards our goals is not always straight and smooth. Our episode on How To Start Living Your Best Life with Lisa and Strother Gaines will inspire you to embrace situations that can throw you off your path yet lead you to reroute or arrange new ones. All this points to the importance of anchoring on your CliftonStrengths talent themes in life. See you in the next episode with Lisa and TyAnn. | |||
| 28 Jun 2020 | What To Do When You Don’t Like Your Strengths | 00:05:37 | |
Lead Through Strengths Facilitator Strother Gaines - Helping You Figure Out What To Do When You Don't Like Your StrengthsThis episode is all about the situation when you don't like your strengths — or you don't think you like someone else's strengths. It's easy to stereotype one of the CliftonStrengths talent themes, good or bad, when you only take a cursory glance at it. It's also easy for your talent to masquerade as a weakness if you have the volume turned up too high for the situation. Here's the transcript of the interview with Lisa Cummings and Strother Gaines as they explore the nuances: Lisa: You're listening to Lead Through Strengths, where you'll learn to apply your greatest strengths at work. I'm your host, Lisa Cummings. I'm always saying it's tough to find something more energizing than using your strengths every day at work. And today, the topic of the podcast episode is about those moments when you're asking yourself — “Oh, should I not use my strengths at work?” “Are these not good ones to have for a given job?” Or, “I don't know that this talent theme is going to be well appreciated in the work culture that I'm in, so maybe I should just bring it down a little bit because I don't think people at work are going to appreciate it.” This will help you figure out whether it should go into hiding when you don't like your strengths. The format is going to be a little bit different in the following series coming up for the podcast here. I actually have Strother Gaines joining as a co-host, he's one of our facilitators here at Lead Through Strengths. So many times now people are experiencing facilitators other than me when they do training classes on CliftonStrengths, StrengthsFinder, strengths leadership development, etc. And so I thought, wow, our customers and our podcast listeners need to get to know these amazing facilitators. So, coming up over the next weeks and months, you will be getting to meet many of them. In the next six episodes, you'll meet Strother, where I'm having a conversation with him. Having A Case of ‘Bad’ Talents? Don’t Like Your Strengths? We Get YouLisa: We're talking about that thing today, where you get your list, and you're loving a few of them, but one of them is leading you to think — “I don't know about that one... I don't think I would call it a strength... I think I want to get that one back.” “Can I see my #6, 7, 8, 9, 10? Can I choose from some other ones?” So when I jump into this interview with Strother, you'll see that we are cracking up a little bit because I had just been a klutz in the office and caught my pocket on the table in the office. And so we're busting a gut a few times in these episodes. I'm going to do an intro for each one, I'll do a closing for each one. And if you hear us jump right into some laughter, well, yes, some shenanigans are probably going on me being a klutz, or us goofing around. If you want to see some of the shenanigans and silliness - things we were doing where we're playing around in the office - then make sure that you go to YouTube and look at the video version. At the end, I'll include some of the outtakes so that you can see them there. So let's jump right in to talk about what to do when you don't like your strengths. Shifting Perspective When You Don’t Like Your Talent ThemesLisa: Let's say you take the CliftonStrengths assessment, and four of the five of them you're like — “Oh, yeah, these are so me... I love that, but that one -- well, I mean, it's kind of me, but I don't really like one of my strengths…” Or, “I don't really think that in this workplace they're gonna love it. I don't want to be seen like that... I don’t know if that would be valuable here or even accepted here if I let that one out.” So what's your opinion on that? What do you do with it? Strother: Well, I totally had that happen in mine. I have Significance in my Top 5, and to me when I read Significance, it came across as like, “Tell me I’m pretty… Tell me I did a good job..." I need everyone else to tell me, like, “This is a good thing.” And one of my greatest fears in my work is that I required external validation. Everyone tells you to find that joy, find all of that inside of you. And then my StrengthsFinder came back and it's like, “No, you actually need people to tell you what’s good. And I was like, NO. But then, after I sat with it for a long time — you encouraged me to, like, “Stay with it for a little bit...” — I started to find that it influences so much of the types of projects that I take on, and it helps me actually delineate what I would be good at, what I would be excited about, and what I'm not. I'm not great at something that I'm not passionate about, and I don't like creating something that doesn't have that feedback loop where I get someone else's opinion or other people are collaborating with it. It's re-visualizing how you conceptualize that strength. Find a way that you can tilt that so that it is still you... Your ‘Bad’ Strengths Are Good Enough To Make You Stand OutWe've talked a lot about “basements and balconies.” Do you have a strength that's in the basement, and that's where you're viewing it from? What does it look like when it's fully actualized, when you're actually taking control and being intentional about it, instead of letting it run the show underneath all of the things, that when you look at it, you go, “That's the thing I want.” Then it's a lot easier to bring it out, even in a culture that might not support it, because that's your unique offer. This is a tricky situation - training participants will often say that you save a talent for your home life because you don't like your strengths for work purposes. If it's something that doesn't show up a lot, if you have a rare strength, you're going to stand out. And standing out can be challenging sometimes, but it's also the thing that's going to get you noticed. Most of the time, anytime you want to move forward, first you have to get noticed. So use it, like leverage that weird thing and make it your strength. From ‘Irrelevant’ Strengths To Workplace ImpactLisa: I love how Strother framed this one out for you, as a way to bring your unique offering to the workplace. We always talk about your differences being your differentiators. So, instead of thinking of a strength as something that you need to squash down and say, “Oh, maybe I have a bad strength...” — which is an oxymoron — use your strength fully, figure out how to mature it, and get the most out of it. Now sometimes people feel like they have skills that aren't relevant on the job. This is definitely a case where you might wonder what to do when you don't like your strengths because they don't feel helpful in your current role. For talents, we're talking about something different. We're talking about how you naturally think, or feel, or act when you are at your natural best, and you wouldn't want to squash those out — because it would be squashing down the best of you. With that, thanks for listening to Lead Through Strengths. You've been getting to meet Strother Gaines, one of our facilitators from DC. In the next episode, you will hear us talking about how to not feel arrogant when you're talking to other people about your strengths. We'll see you there. Want More Ideas For What To Do When You Don't Like Your Strengths?A while back, Lisa interviewed Ben Fanning on what to do when you think your job isn't a good fit for your talents. Ben was funny and insightful. He gave lots of ways to reconnect with what you like about work, build a personal brand around strengths, and to mold your job in that direction. Ben wrote a whole book on the topic called The Quit Alternative. The book is excellent, and it hits on a common situation where people think they might need to quit their job to be content again. If you read Ben's book, you'll almost certainly think that the grass isn't greener on the other side — it's greener around the corner of the same company. Another episode you might like to explore is the one where Lisa answers the question of what to do when you only have 2 of the colors in the CliftonStrengths lineup. This is another situation that makes a typical training attendee say that you don't like your strengths. | |||
| 29 Sep 2024 | Discovering Strengths at Home | 00:20:25 | |
Whether on a trip to Vegas, family reunion, or navigating the mountain’s edge, our strengths are there every step of the way. The question is, are they guiding, protecting, and supporting you? Or are they getting in the way, causing conflict and confusion?
In today's episode, we dive into the fascinating world of applying our strengths beyond the workplace. You’ll hear us share some hilarious and relatable stories about how recognizing and celebrating each other's strengths can help you move from frustration to fascination, transforming everyday interactions into opportunities for connection and appreciation.
If you're dealing with a frustrating situation using strengths at home, or just want to bring a little more joy into your relationships, this episode is packed with insights and tips to help you embrace your strengths in every aspect of life! 🌟
Work With Us to Discover Your Strengths at Home BREA Roper If you need a Strengths Hype Girl, for yourself or your team, connect with Brea at brearoper.com. She’s ready to deliver an inspirational keynote, empowering training, or transformational workshop. If you’re looking for an expert guide to support your internal Strengths efforts, reach out today! LISA Cummings Strategic | Maximizer | Positivity | Individualization | Woo
To work with Lisa, check out team workshops and retreats at the Lead Through Strengths site. For 1:1 strengths or life coaching, check out the Get Coached link. For independent coaches, trainers, and speakers, get business tools support with our Tools for Coaches membership.
Takeaways on Strengths at Home
Take Action as You Apply Strengths at Home ● Apply Strengths in Everyday Life: Reflect on how you can use your strengths outside of work, particularly in family and personal relationships. Consider moments of frustration and think about how your strengths can help you navigate those situations. ● Communicate Openly About Strengths: Have conversations with family and friends about your respective strengths. Discuss how these strengths manifest in daily life and how they can complement each other, enhancing collaboration and reducing conflict. ● Practice Appreciation: When conflicts arise, take a moment to pause and appreciate the other person's strengths instead of reacting negatively. This shift in perspective can lead to more constructive conversations and a better understanding of each other. ● Engage in Strengths Coaching: Consider seeking coaching for yourself or your family to better understand and leverage strengths in your relationships. This can be done individually or as a group to foster a deeper appreciation of each other's talents. Join us as we explore these themes and more! Let’s embrace our strengths in the wild and see how they can transform our relationships. 🎧✨
Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
AI-Generated Transcript on Using Your Strengths at Home Lisa: Hey, I'm Lisa.
Brea: I'm Brea.
Lisa: And today's topic is Strengths in the Wild.
Brea: I feel like we need some kind of like epic like MGM Grand.
Lisa: A lot of deep reverb on that. Yeah. Strengths in the wild. Yeah. Let's talk about beyond work – strengths at home. We always talk about the workplace. We have a lot of clients that we work with in the workplace, but you know what is interesting about people who work and people who don't?
Brea: What's that?
Lisa: They both have lives outside of work.
Brea: Stop it. What? People don't just work every hour of every day. I mean, what are you talking about?
Lisa: There is life outside of work and there's an opportunity to apply strengths outside of work and especially, let's think family time. I hear people talk about my significant others getting on my nerves. Oh, I'm in a fight with my mother-in-law. Oh, my kid has been just insufferable this week. Yes. Those are also things you could apply your strengths to.
Brea: Come on! Oh, I love this. So what you're saying is there's not just a work me and a home me. There's an all of me, all the time, like who I am as all the things, all the time. Yeah, okay.
Lisa: Pretty much. And I know we've both said it before, maybe every single time we've ever delivered a workshop in the workplace, when we've been like, hey, this report, it's not just about work. We are one whole being. This applies strengths at home - this applies in all the places, but we get really focused on workplace often. So we're dedicating this episode to strengths beyond the workplace.
Brea: And this is one of the reasons why strengths is the best assessment out there. In my opinion, I love it so much because so many of the other assessments are focused on just the workplace. And even though Strengths was designed just for the workplace.
I mean, it does such a good job of really getting to the core of not who we are as human beings. It's not our identity, but but how we show up, how we work, how we live, how we think, how we feel, how we act. It's all those patterns that are just so central to how we move throughout the world, you know. So let's dive in.
Lisa: Well, I have the perfect example about using strengths at home. And I don't know if this is a great thing for me to do or not. I'm tattletaling on my parents.
Brea: Well, it's all from a place of love, you know?
Lisa: It is. Okay, so they took their CliftonStrengths assessments recently and came to visit. And as they arrived at my house, they were squabbling with each other. And what happened was they came up, my driveway is on a mountain and the parking can be a little bit, a little bit precarious.
They had just taken a two day road trip and had done all kinds of driving. And my dad was trying to navigate this truck, pulling up. There are all these different trailers in a tight space, so he didn't want to hit the nose of one of the trailers. So apparently he had asked my mom, can you get out and tell me how close I am?
Brea: Yeah, sure.
Lisa: And maybe road-weary, she made a snide response. Oh no. Like, how long have you been driving? 70-something years? And he said, you are the worst wife.
Brea: Oh my gosh! Dad! Come on!
Lisa: He said, I've been driving for two days and I haven't asked for any help. And he asked one little thing and she made fun of him for not being able to drive.
Brea: Oh my gosh.
Lisa: So this created a whole fight. So we talked about it through the lens of strengths. And when you're having those moments, and this would go for either of them, if they looked at this as appreciation instead of being annoyed with each other what would it have looked like.
Let's just give a for example and now this is my words not not theirs but if she had said what is it about him that really wants to get the extra eye on this well one he wants to make sure he's not falling off the mountain because you truly could fall down a switchback. I mean reasonable. He leads through deliberative. Risk manager.
Brea: I was just going to say, where's the deliberative? Number one. It is number one. What's the absolute worst thing that could happen right now? We could literally fall off the side of the mountain and die. Okay, great. Don't want to do that.
Lisa: Okay. How about also number two, responsibility.
Brea: I was just going to ask, where's his responsibility, right? I got to do it right.
Lisa: I'm going to do it right. I don't want to dent my truck. I don't want to move their trailer. I don't want all of these things that you would do if you were being responsible about showing up to this tight space. Also, am I parked appropriately and not too crooked because someone else is about to come up the driveway and I don't want to block them in. There needs to be turnaround space. Yes.
You know how it is. If you're frustrated with somebody, do you take a 60 second pause before you answer so that you can be in fascination and appreciation? No, often we don't. We make a little comment and it offends someone. And if there was a little bit of pause there, she could have appreciated. Why? he was asking for this extra help. And then instead of him saying, you're the worst one.
Brea: Which is obviously not true because they have been married for so long.
Lisa: Well over 50 years. So yes, then he could have been looking from her perspective…what she might have cared about in that moment. And we had a great conversation over the next few days about appreciating each other's talents.
One we all had in common, the three of us, is Strategic. So we talked a lot about what that looks like. And it looked very different on each of us, because you can imagine if my strategic is mixed with focus and activator, but my dad's is mixed with Deliberative, making a quick decision may not look the same. He doesn't make quick decisions. He can see all the options really quickly, but he wants time to think on them.
So we talked about how sometimes we have these similarities, but then in the daily life, it shows up. really differently on a person. And then sometimes you have opposites, like his deliberative is number one, it's at my bottom, it's at my mom's bottom. So being able to see some of those areas where they could cause total conflict, but they could also be amazing, because if you don't want to spend your headspace in that area, then how cool that your home teammate is, and now you don't have to.
Brea: Totally. I've learned it the hard way, but it's so important to have that perspective, especially when big life decisions are happening. If that's a blind spot that you know that you have and it matters, partner up with someone.
Lisa: Yeah. I mean, we're talking about everyday strengths at home. This is totally something my husband does as well. He walked around the house and saw that the toilet hoses were made of plastic instead of the braided stainless or whatever the good ones are made out of. Oh no. And came out and said- Of course he just noticed that.
Brea: Yes. He's just walking around and he just sees it because of his talent.
Lisa: Yes. And when he brings it up I'm like, is there a leak? What brought this to your attention? And he's like, no, because these are the things you have to catch so that you don't have an insurance claim. So you don't. That's right. That doesn't happen. Yes. And I'm thinking, never, literally never would I be examining behind a toilet unless there was water under my feet. And this is beautiful. I get the benefit of now having all the hoses replaced and no insurance claims.
Brea: And really you get the benefit of there never being water under your feet, right? Like that won't happen because he's done the work. Yeah.
Lisa: Yeah. I think it's a really good use of strengths at home because these are the exact things that could cause conflict in relationships, but also they're the exact things that make you so valuable to each other and they're so easy to appreciate if you're not in the moment of a conflict, but you're just in a moment of thinking about what you appreciate or where you need someone to complete you. Right, right.
Brea: Well, don't get me started on that, but that can be another podcast, the whole you complete me thing. But here's what I think is super interesting is the idea of frustration and the connection to talents. I think two things come to mind.
Number one, when we feel frustrated, it might be coming from someone else's talents. We can feel frustrated by the way that other people act, right? We can also feel frustrated when our talents are not being seen, heard, met, fed. When our talents are not able to do what they're meant to do, that can feel very frustrating to us.
Sometimes it's what we have and sometimes it's what we don't have. Like someone else is deliberative, being number one when it's my 34. That can feel really frustrating to me because I'm like, I don't think like that. So the frustration that we feel can clue us into the talents of others and to our own talents.
Lisa: Well, another example just popped in my head. Shout out to my bestie, Christine. We went to Vegas this summer to go see the Beatles love show before it closed out. And so fun. Yeah, it was so fun. And we really got to explore our strengths just in an everyday-life-strengths in the wild. We both lead through Individualization in our top five.
An interesting thing there is we're both very tuned into what the other person would want. And it almost kept us from getting some cool progress. So she leads through a ranger and that one is not high for me. We both like to be organized. I'm definitely a planner, but she's like, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. If you talk about a thing, it can be just done. And she was hesitating to do things like suggest hotel and where the seats would be and all of these things you could optimize to get all the tickets purchased and all the things done.
Finally, we started talking about it through strengths. And she's like, Yeah, if you're down, I can just get it all done. And I was like, Yes. And when anything automatically happens, and I don't have to do the work, I think it's the most exciting thing ever, even if it would have been my third pick for a hotel, even if it would have been my fourth best seat, which was not the case.
But I was just so stoked that it was getting done and getting done so quickly. And all I had to do was log it in the calendar. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. But we actually had to have the conversation. because she was excited to get it done. And I was excited to have her get it done. But I didn't want to abuse the relationship and put it on her because for me, that feels like a ton of work to do all of that coordinating of those things… the flight, the hotel, and all of that.
So we had this cool strengths conversation where it felt good to her to knock it out, get it done. And then it felt good to me that it was done. It felt so smooth. And she got energized by doing that. And I got energized by her doing that.
Brea: Gosh, it's such a good example because how many times, spoiler, every day, all the time, how many times do we project our own biases onto other people? We think, oh, because this is hard for me, it's gonna be hard for her, so I don't wanna subject her to that. And gosh, it's just such a gift when we have this language of strengths because it gives us the permission to just show up in our strength and to say go for it, like you do your thing and I'll do my thing and together we're all stronger. I love that.
Lisa: And also I think it brings out this good example of how you do often have to talk about it out loud with a person in your family or your friend. You have to, yes. Yeah, because she assumed, actually, because individualization, she thought I would want more say. She thought I would want to have a little bit more control or input over what the trip looked like, and I didn't. I didn't need that at all.
It was magical that I didn't have to worry about that. So just think about that. She could have been using her individualization strength to honor that I had input and I would have liked that less. And that is exactly what would have happened if we hadn't talked about it.
Brea: And this is such a good point that the assessment is just the beginning. How many times have we said that? We can't put people in boxes. I can't look in my magic crystal ball and say, well, because you have this profile, I know exactly how you're going to respond or what you're going to want. It's the beginning of the conversation, right?
We have to have communication with each other and communication with ourselves as to say, what is this assessment suggesting that I look into? Can I dig a little bit deeper? Um, it's not, oh, it's just, it's not prescriptive like other assessments that are out there. It doesn't put you in a box. It really opens so much more room for you to grow, to grow in relationship with others and appreciation for others and appreciation and relationship with yourself too.
Lisa: Yeah. So much of what happens with strengths comes on the inside motivations, not like this prescription that says you will totally behave this way and this is what this one looks like. You could name an action and we could probably give you three to ten different CliftonStrengths that might describe why someone would be motivated toward that kind of action because of a strength. That's why the conversation is so important.
Brea: Yes, don't put labels on people. Strengths are not labels, right? This is an opportunity to show up and have those conversations and I just think that's so important when we are having challenging conversations. There's a difference when we say a talent theme name versus the person's name, right? It really changes the conversation to be able to to separate someone's action or something that we're observing that we want to talk about, to separate that from the person themselves is, it's just, it's such a gift.
Lisa: It's such a gift. You're making me think of one more of my best buds, Anne. She gives this example of a code word they've come up with, and it's Penelope. And they'll be like, Penelope! So how much nicer would it be if she's in the middle of something and he says, Penelope, instead of, you're being really bossy right now.
That comes across totally differently and keeps you from being defensive. And I think those kind of code words and or open conversations come out from these strengths discussions with family, friends, relatives, in ways that you never would have if you only kept your strengths to the workplace.
Brea: Yes, having 34 words help us move from frustration to fascination really quickly. If you understand what each of the 34 talent themes are, or at least the top five or the top 10 of the person that you're in communication with, if you can understand what they are and how they can be good, how they can be helpful, productive, fascinating, right? All those things. even if in the moment, they're not fulfilling their fullest potential, maybe they're in their shadow side of their strength, we can still understand coming from a good place.
Without that language, we don't have that understanding and it's very difficult to have that appreciation. So use the words, get to know all 34 talent themes so you can spot them in the wild. You can appreciate them in the wild, in your family, in your home, in strangers, at the natural grocers, everywhere you are. Spot strengths and celebrate strengths at work, at home, and everywhere else.
Lisa: Yes, mic drop. Okay, Brea, if someone needs your help because they cannot see the positive intent in somebody at home right now and they do want to use strengths at home and they want to coach with you, tell them how to work with you.
Brea: To be honest, I love working with teams and Couples and families are some of my favorite teams to work with because this is your reality every day. It's the most important team that you will ever, ever be a part of.
If you have an interest in doing some coaching with your spouse, with your kids, one of my favorite things ever is to come to your family reunion and do this with like your whole family. I know one client did that once and it was so great. So yeah, if you literally want to bring strengths at home (or to your home), I'd love to do that. Come to my website, schedule a call. We'll make it happen. Yeah, what about you, Lisa?
Lisa: Oh my gosh, who would ever know when I said, bring it home, Brea, you'd be like, yep, bringing it home all the way, literally.
Brea: Literally, I will come to your home if you want. Yeah.
Lisa: So for me, Lisa at Lead Through Strengths, You can go to the Get Coached link. We can do multiple people together on a call if you want, or if you want the confidential individual not shared with the other person version. Sometimes we need to start there as well. That is absolutely fine. We can honor the confidentiality fully while you get through the exploration and finding the fascinating, appreciative kind of part of things with someone.
Brea: Love it. All right. We're awesome. Work with us.
Lisa: Bring it home, Brea. Bring it home. Let's do our strengths. Strengths at home. Let's go. Let's go.
Brea: I'm still thinking about that, that family reunion. It was so awesome. They all got t-shirts and everybody put their number one strength on the back of their t-shirt. We did a big team grid that I blew up like super big.
Lisa: No, you didn't. Oh my gosh. I'm imagining family picnic vibes with games and things that we would do as team building events when they're out there with kids and balloons and Lego activities. Oh my gosh.
Brea: So fun. It's so fun.
Let’s Connect! ● LISA: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook ● BREA: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
The Fine Print: This podcast is not sanctioned or endorsed by Gallup in any way. Opinions, views and interpretations of CliftonStrengths© are solely the beliefs of Lisa Cummings and Brea Roper.
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| 01 Sep 2014 | Career Q&A: Unrealistic Job Descriptions are Killing Me – How Many Of The Skills Do I Really Need? | 00:13:16 | |
This Episode's Question What You'll Learn - How job descriptions get written behind the scenes - Where to find six figure job openings - Whether you should take all of the requirements seriously (education, skills, years of experience, competencies) - When all of those things in a job description go out the window, and how applying "blindly" to job descriptions will not be your best bet - How to get creative and get an interview, even if you don't meet the criterion on the job description Tweetable of the Episode Resource of the Episode My favorite is Indeed- it's an aggregator that pulls from many sites, and lets you filter by salary. | |||
| 03 Feb 2019 | Career Branding When Individualization Is Your Strength | 00:12:26 | |
I hear a lot of curiosity about how to apply your CliftonStrengths talent theme of Individualization to your career. In this series, I break down one strength per post — so that you can add to the insights from your StrengthsFinder report and make a better alignment between your job and your strengths. - If you’re exploring this concept as a manager, use this series for career development ideas and even new clues about responsibilities you could give a person with this talent theme so that they can show up at their best. - If you’re exploring this concept for yourself, use this as a chance to build a reputation for your strengths so that you’re more likely to be given assignments that live in your strengths zone. You’ll get three layers to chew on: 1. Career Branding 2. Red Flag Situations At Work 3. Fresh Application Ideas Career Branding When Individualization Is Your StrengthYou probably already have a reputation for what you know. Think about your personal resume, CV, or your LinkedIn profile, I bet it's full of “the what,” which are things like job titles, skills, knowledge, expertise, or the degree you earned. What’s missing is usually "the how,” and this is where your StrengthsFinder talent themes live. Chances are good that you are a lot like my StrengthsFinder training clients, where you don’t physically see your teammates and customers every day. That’s why LinkedIn has become so important for career branding. It’s how your teammates, customers, and vendors go look you up before a meeting - to see who they’re about to talk to. And rather than only telling them what you know, you should also give them a peek at how it is to work with you. So here are a bunch of Individualization-related adjectives to consider using in your career branding efforts and your LinkedIn profile:
Red Flag Situations For IndividualizationThese are the cultures, interactions, or situations that feel like soul-sucking drudgery to someone with the talent theme of Individualization. They might even make you want to quit the team. So I’ll give you a couple of these to be on watch for — because if they fester, you might get the urge to quit the job or become detached and disengaged at work. Here are two Red flags for Individualization:
3 Fresh Application Ideas for IndividualizationThese are ways to apply the talent theme of Individualization at work, even when the job duties on the team feel pretty locked in. If you’re exploring this concept as a team manager, be sure to have a conversation around these ideas. You’ll both be able to come up with places to apply them. For someone who leads through Individualization, put this talent to good use with one of these options:
So there you have it. It’s a quick tour for building your career through the talent theme of Individualization. So, here’s your homework:
Rock Your Talents As A TeamIf you’re thinking about doing a virtual or in-person event to kick off your strengths-based culture, head on over to our training page to see if our current offerings are a good fit for you. Until next time, thank you for being part of this powerful strengths movement that helps people unleash the awesomeness already inside them. Enjoyed The Podcast?To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from this website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published. | |||
| 17 May 2020 | Core Concept #7: Team Strengths Take Time and Intention | 00:11:37 | |
Our seventh core concept in this STRENGTHS series, “Takes Time and Intention,” may sound like a lame title compared with our previous topics (“Troublemaker Talents,” “Easy Buttons,” “Gimme That Escalation,” etc.), but as we go along you’ll find that there’s a lot more nuance to it than that. You’ll get a deeper sense of why strengths take time, and hence calls for intention along with consistency. As in any process or situation, patience is a virtue. Something good always awaits, so stay with us! Let’s break this core concept down to its two components. 1. Strengths Take TimeBetween the two components, time is generally the easier one to commit to. It may mean a little bit of being patient, but the concept is more about asking:
After all the strengths blitz you go through with your team -- for example, going through the motion of reading “StrengthsFinder 2.0,” or preparing a budget for a team offsite and then getting together for some retreat or teambuilding activities -- ultimately, what do you do with all of that? How do you connect them to your natural strengths once you’re back to the grind? While team activities like these open to a number of realizations, the questions remain: what’s next? How do we go about what we’ve learned? It all boils down to having the patience to take consistent effort towards building a strengths-based culture or thinking on the team. This includes breaking old thinking patterns in order to adopt new and better ones. For example, if many in your team are oriented lopsidedly towards weaknesses, it will take consistent effort in order to correct that. The best thing we can recommend is to have meaningful conversations with your team over time. And to achieve meaningful conversations, that takes a lot of trust between a manager and the team members. Patience As A Way Of ThinkingHere at Lead Through Strengths, the way we help patience come into effect is by making it a way of thinking rather than just generic words of encouragement. Instead of telling teams to “just keep waiting, it will happen,” we prefer for them to think of strengths as the way they can get any results more easily. To illustrate this concept further, if you're using your natural talents and you've been developing them into strengths, you should be able to apply them to the work you're already doing. It shouldn't feel like strengths is so much of an initiative or an event or an extra thing on your plate that’s already full, but rather something like —
When you are constantly busy and overworked, you would not want to view strengths as an extra task to have to manage. You would have less resistance when you are able to successfully lend your strengths to the work that’s currently on your plate. When you see this from your own perspective, it opens things up and paves way for patience that will allow these meaningful conversations to happen over time. It is over time that you discover more about your team. Ultimately, when your understanding about each other deepens, trust is built and you collaborate better. That’s how you can honor their talents so that they can be effectively applied at work. Remember: Think of patience more like how you do the work you're already doing to easily achieve results versus seeing it as another item on your plate. That helps make patience more effective. 2. Strengths Demand IntentionIf time is the easier component in this concept, intention is the bigger one. As human beings, we have a number of cognitive biases, including negative cognitive biases. Let’s skip Google search and the psychology language by looking at this term this way -- if we are naturally oriented to spot what's negative, that is usually because we are trying to figure out what's gonna hurt us.
These are just some of the reasons we are drawn towards this negative cognitive bias. The problem arises when we become too focused on it to the point of overdone or overblown. That’s where the idea of leading through strengths becomes powerful, because it gives you a totally different result when you’re working within your strengths zone. What Happens When We Lead Through Strengths Instead?When we think of strengths as a tool that we could use, like the "Easy Buttons" we talked about in Concept #4, that can unlock some real performance gains that people are missing out on. Have you ever tried to pull a nail out with the back of the hammer and you don't have the lever in the right place because you can't get it up in there all the way? Because you're not pulling against the strong lever, you exert more effort to get the nail out so it bends it all sideways and messes up the material you're pulling it out of. That's what it’s like when you're working in your weakness zone. But when you're working in your strengths zone, you get the full leverage and you exert less effort to get better results. You get that kind of satisfying feeling when it happens. Time And Intention As A Factor In Realizing StrengthsSetting time and intention means that you stay consistent as you go through the process of fully realizing your strengths, from spotting talent to developing it.
This whole process of seeing the talent, experimenting with it, applying it, and then developing it further may sound like an easy cycle to do, but it takes time, intention and thought. You’ll find that it’s not that easy to do when you don’t set aside time from your busy schedule, or if you're not stopping to give it some thought. It takes all that in order to succeed in this personal exercise for growth. As a personal exercise Your Team Challenge: Create A Strengths-Based SubcultureAt the introduction of this series, we mentioned a 3-coin challenge that can help get you in the habit of noticing what works in each of your team members so that you get more of what works. The beauty about doing that as a team, especially if you do it consistently with time and intention and it works well, is that you get to start a culture in your company. That would be the culture where,
A tiny subculture of 10 people (or whatever size of direct reports you have) is powerful enough to start the snowball effect of what the whole team is doing. It is even more powerful than the company culture overall, as the different departments, founders and variations that come at play can get pretty complex. But if you are a team where you all work closely and learn about each other day in and day out, that is going to be a force in the company. So, Now What?The concept of taking time and intention is a very important that we’re giving it its own term and airtime. It allows patience or some breathing room for the strengths to fully develop instead of cramming them all in at once. Have meaningful conversations with your team over time, and you’ll find that it is much more effective and less expensive than constantly going on offsites. Ready For The Next Concept?Up next, we're going to talk about a concept that you surely wouldn't want to miss: "Honored and Insulted." Stay tuned! | |||
| 06 Oct 2015 | Steal The Show In Your Next Presentation At Work - With Michael Port | 00:32:53 | |
This Episode's Focus On Strengths Michael Port joins us to help you lead through your strengths in all of the performances in your corporate life. You'll find this especially useful if you give presentations, if you're interviewing for a job, or if you're delivering a speech in front of others.
What You'll Learn
Resource of the Episode Check out the book Steal The Show: From Speeches To Job Interviews To Deal-Closing Pitches, How To Guarantee A Standing Ovation For All Of The Performances In Your Life. Also, if you visit the Steal The Show website, there are great resources to download. You'll read Steal The Show and you'll want more of Michael. It's a bit addicting. So here are his other books:
Remember, using your strengths at work makes you a stronger performer. If you’re focused on fixing your weaknesses, you’re choosing the path of most resistance. So claim your talents. And share them with the world. Read the full conversation: Lisa Cummings: Today you will experience a guest who is using his strengths in spades. Michael Port is joining me today to talk about stealing the show at your next job interview or corporate presentation and you might notice that the phrase ‘steal the show’ sounds a little bit like something an entertainer would do and it is, so Michael beautifully blends this experience he has as an actor with the business world in a way I don't think the business world has seen before. You guys might have seen him on Sex in the City or Law and Order or movies like the Pelican Brief and then in the business world you might be familiar with his marketing system “Book Yourself Solid” or speaker training called Heroic Public Speaking. And let me tell you guys, he is living the idea of using your strengths at work. So, speaking of that, Michael, can you talk a little bit about discovering work that just looks so natural on you when someone else sees it? I dare I say it kind of looks like you're living out your calling. Michael Port: I think that I've always worked in the areas that I'm strong because the areas that I'm weak in are really weak. I'm not kidding. One of the reasons that this idea of working within your strengths were so powerful to me early in my career is because I’m very dyslexic. Growing up I had a hard time with the systems that were presented in school. So the way things were taught didn't always make sense to me. I still can't spell to save my life. I have to ask my girlfriend how something is spelled, you know, the most basic things that I've written. But as of this show, I have written sixth books, which just goes to show you that you don't actually need to know how to spell it to write. And I got very, very good at identifying things I needed help with and developing relationships with people that could help me with those things. Michael Port: And this is important because what I have experienced is those who think that they need to do everything themselves have a hard time progressing in their career because they don't rely on other people or call for help from other people when they need it. So they end up mediocre in a number of different areas and the areas in which they could be exceptional, you know, they end up mediocre as well because they're not spending as much time in those areas. So for me as a performer, I had a natural talent for performing. And so I went to graduate school and got a master's at enacting at the Grad acting program at NYU and I did have to craft a set of skills that would allow me to exploit those talents because I think without training, talents are just talents; with training talents become a craft. Michael Cain, the wonderful actor says something to the effect of “Whether I have talent or not is not an issue, I’m a professional actor with a craft.” And that I think is something that we should all consider that it should have. Mastery with respect to skills is so important and it’s really helpful to focus on the areas where we're strong. The thing that's tricky for some people is that they need to present. They need to present themselves in job interviews, in promotional situations, interviews and trying to go in and get the job or get the job promotion, sales pitches, and leading meeting, etc. Lisa Cummings: So, let’s focus on meeting and corporate presentations on Michael Port: Sure. So the issue is, you know, some people feel that they are naturally gifted, that “I can wing it.” I go in and, or go give her a speech or presentation. I'll just quick on my feet. No problem. Others go nerve and said, “I don't know what to say. Uh, I'm, I'm kind of stiff.” Michael Port: And both of those groups face their own challenges. Let's start with the group that thinks that they have something special first; that group can get by and more often than not they end up average when they could be exceptional because they think that they are naturally talented, so they don't prepare. They don't spend much time rehearsing. They wing it. And when I meet somebody who's like that and I call them on it. I said, listen, you're not preparing, are you? You're just going and winging it. (and they say) “Yeah”. and I think you could be usually you can be better, don't you? Michael Port: We generally don't rise to the occasion. Rather we fall back on our training Lisa Cummings: and it's a perfect example of your, what you said about investing in your talents and then you turn it into a craft by rehearsing, by putting the practice in. Michael Port: Absolutely. So anytime we have a meeting that we need to lead or an interview that we want to net. We want to make sure that we can demonstrate to the people in the room is that we know what the world looks like to them. That's very important that we start there because if we don't start there, they may not think we understand that, so they need to know that we understand that, so we always start with the way the world looks to them right now. Then we make sure that they know the promise that we're making, the promise that is inherit, is built into the meeting or the interview so that if they follow your lead, this is what will occur and they need to know the consequences of what will happen if they don't, if they don't achieve this promise, if they don't realize this promise, what are the consequences? How bad are they? And what do the rewards look like if they do? Lisa Cummings: And gave you some urgency when you combine those together? Michael Port: Absolutely. Act and urgency is such an important part of getting anything done, you know, moving forward in any way. Do we have urgency? So what does the world look like? What's the promise that you're making to them? What are the consequences of not following through on this and what are the rewards of following through on this? Lisa Cummings: It also sounds like that could be a strategy for that person who doesn't feel like they were born with jazz hands to dazzle and have charisma and they're a little more shy or they're nervous in front of audiences and they're saying, hey, come on Michael, you do this for a living. I'm totally uncomfortable in the spotlight. What do I do? It sounds like you go to apply what you just said to relate one to one and then build from there. What else do you offer that person? Michael Port: First of all, I’m nervous all the time, anyone who cares about what they're doing, maybe a little bit nervous, and often I hear advice to people that get nervous and don't think that they're naturally talented. They suggest that they focus on their breathing or that you a physical warm-up, relax a little bit. Those are great. Those are really important things to do. Get your instrument ready to perform, but here's the thing, the more that you focus on yourself, more internal you get before you present, often the more anxious you will be because you're thinking about you and how you look and how you're going to do when in fact, if you focus on the audience and what you're going to help them with, what you're going to do for them; if you focus on their needs, their desires, their goals, then you take the pressure off of yourself and it no longer is about you. It's about them and if it's about them, you get out of your own way and you are less likely to be as anxious. Lisa Cummings: That's one of those tips that sounds so obvious when you hear it, yet people don't do it and I see you do one thing masterfully that they could use, which is before you give a speech, you're out there relating one to one, to people in the audience so that they're not the big scary monster when they're. When you're up on stage, how do you go about that and how would you recommend doing that for someone who is trying to shake the stage fright and have a personal connection with the audience? Michael Port: If I give a speak at a convention center to 6,000 people, most people who are listening to probably not giving those kinds of speeches, so if you're giving a presentation to a room full of five people or 50 people want to try to shake the hand of every person in the room, look them in the eye, smile, make a connection before you present to them for a couple of reasons. One, it may relax you because you feel like you've gotten to know them. Two, they feel that they know you and they are going to give you more of themselves right from the beginning because if you are someone who they don't have a relationship, then they are more likely to sit back, cross their arms and say, all right, let me see what you got. But if they've shaken your hand, talk to you for just a few seconds. Even look me in the eye, smiled. They already feel an obligation towards you. Feel an obligation to you to listen to you right off the bat. Now if you don't serve them throughout the presentation, then they may sit back and cross their arms and go, hi, come on. But if you're focusing on them throughout and the promise that we're going to deliver to them, then it's likely that they will. Lisa Cummings: I could see that they want to have your back. If you've had a conversation, you have a different relationship with them just straight away. Michael Port: Of course they do. If they are going to sit there and listen to you, they'd much rather enjoy themselves than be bored. I mean, isn't that the case? Of course there's always somebody who just wants to be oppositional, but most people want to have a good time. So they want you to do a great job. I want you to serve that and they want you to have fun doing it. So here's the thing. Often people will start a presentation by saying, I'm really happy to be here. Really excited to be here, but I don't think you need to say that. I think you can just actually show them that you're happy to be there because, what's the alternative to being happy to be there? That you're really pissed that you're there. So just show that there's a lot of things that we often say at the beginning of the speech that is just filler and it actually makes the presenter to look weak. For example, they may you here present presenter say, all right, let's get started. Well, it started as soon as they saw you. It started even before if somebody introduced you with a Bio. So as soon as you're introduced, it's already started. So any filler that you might do, you can cut and get right to the heart of the matter. Lisa Cummings: Everything's an interview. You're always on stage at work. People are watching you a year before you decide to apply for the job and then you walk into a room where you're giving a presentation and eyes are on you very keenly because you’re the one who was about to deliver a message. It's a really great thing to think about that; people are always assessing. That's just what we do to discern as humans. Michael Port: Chapter three - in Steal the Show is about playing the right role, every situation. So this is specifically geared for people that need to perform in lots of different situations, not on a stage necessarily, but inside your organization you may need to play different roles with different people. Some people are superior in terms of their position, a supervisor, some people are subordinate, and you are a sort of, as a leader for some people are on the same pay scale, so to speak. Sometimes you have to deal with folks in the mailroom. Sometimes you have to deal with folks in the marketing department. Sometimes you have to deal with folks in the accounting department. Sometimes you have to deal with folks in the sales department and each department may have different culture, different sensibility, different types of personalities. And we've got to be able to move through all of these environments very comfortably. Michael Port: And if we learn how to play the role that is the right role for that situation, well, then we can excel because the people in those other environments, they feel more comfortable with you. They feel you get that. You understand that. And folks who are comfortable adopting different styles of behavior, playing different roles in different situations, often excel more quickly than those who only have one style of behavior, who are overly true to self. Now listen closely because this may seem like a confrontational idea, people like that because it seems like it's an authentic thing to do. However, if you are so true to yourself, you cannot easily flow from one situation to the next with different types of people where you need to play different roles. Then you generally get left out of those situations, but if you are chameleon like, then you are generally invited to more environments, more situations with different types of people. Now, here's the thing. The reason this is often confronting us, people say, yeah, that seems inauthentic, Michael. It seems like you know, a chameleon changes their colors depending on the environment that they're in. That's not authentic, but if you think about it, a chameleon is a hundred percent authentic. When an actual chameleon is at a green leaf? it actually turns green. It's not pretending to turn green. It has actually turned agree. If it is on a red leaf? It's actually turning red. It's not pretending to turn red, so It is absolutely authentic. Lisa Cummings: It's just a part. It's revealing. Michael Port: So you're amplifying. What you're doing is amplifying different parts of your personality so that you fit comfortably into these different situations. Lisa Cummings: It's perfectly aligned with what I talk about in strengths is there's a raw version and a mature version of your strengths and if you're mature enough in that strength and you've really invested in that talent, then when you show up, you can decide which strength to lead with based on the environment you're in so that you can show up your best and show your red when you need red and show your green when you need green. Michael Port: Exactly. Green is not called for in that situation or might make trouble for you, leave the green at home. Right? You know, sometimes you know, we walk around with a chip on our shoulders and want to make sure that everybody knows how we feel about every little thing and in fact that can be very counterproductive inside the corporate world because you may create conflict inadvertently, but you may create conflict based on some of the ideas you have or worldview or ways you feel about different situations that aren't really necessary to bring it up all the time. Now, I'm not saying in any way, shape or form that you should not be true to your values. Michael Port: This is important to me. Integrity is an essential fabric of my way of being that we should be true to our values, but this idea of being true to yourself in such a way that it creates rigidity? Well, that's a problem and that's very different than saying, you know what? I'm not going to jump over that fence into a place that says no trespassing because it's a nuclear waste site. Even if that's supposed to help my career, I'm not going to do. That's being true to your values. Here's the thing, just because you have a different value system doesn't mean you have to share it all the time. Lisa Cummings: It's such an important distinction because if it's really hot right now to talk about authenticity and authenticity is important, yet the definition of it is very loose. It depends on who you are and what you believe about it and I do hear a lot of people equate authenticity with sharing everything that comes to the tip of their tongue at every moment and that might be a really bad career move. Michael Port: I'm with you 100 percent. This buzzword as I just hear, authenticity, authenticity, authenticity and authenticity and yes, I think has become a problem because it means to some people like, hey, let me tell you about my date last night, man, she was hot. That is not something that needs to be discussed in the break room at the table. So that kind of authenticity is not called for, and this is performance. this one I'm talking about, like Shakespeare said, all the world's a stage and I think he hit the nail right on the head because what you share with people tells them something about you, and this is not just performance, is not just about speaking in front of people. Performance is about the way you walked into the break. Do you walk in with your head down looking at the floor or do you walk in with your shoulders back and your chest open and a big smile on your face that is performance and you're playing a role, but this is, you know, it's performance and the question is, are you the kind of performer that says yes to people and plays well with others and is part of an ensemble or are you the kind of performer that upstages people and stealing the show and upstaging people is very different. Michael Port: Stealing the show, it means that you have brought something to others that is extraordinary. That's special and what it does is it makes the whole show better, but it's not upstaging anybody else. Upstaging is trying to purposely hinder somebody else's performance. You've never going to do that. Lisa Cummings: I appreciate having the difference there because someone not familiar with the term may have thought, oh, that's, I don't know that I want to steal the show from someone. So you're very good to have the distinction. Now, here's a situation where maybe somebody thinks they should and I don't think so, but what about job interviews that gets people in a very competitive mindset. So I've loved hearing your perspective on competition and how that works. So what do's and don'ts would you suggest for stealing the show with a potential employer and they're just learning as much as they can about them, but they don't know as much as they would in a regular work environment where they've been an employee. Michael Port: Competition is fantastic, but not when you compete with others, you know, competition is something that drives us. And the question is, are you competitive in such a way that you are knocking other people down or are you competitive in such a way that you want to produce more because you're urgent, you have urgency and hopefully so when you're in a job interview situation, you want to look at what role are they trying to cast, this is important, what role are they trying to cast and how would you play that role? For example, when I left acting, the first interview I had was for a middle management position at a fitness club and I wanted to be the group exercise manager. I was teaching a spinning class because I raced bikes and that was a fun thing to do and I taught the class once a week, but I absolutely no experience in group exercise management whatsoever. Michael Port: I didn't tell any of the certifications that were required for that job. So I said, well, it doesn't seem like I have what they're asking for to play this role but let me see what I have done in my past that I could use to demonstrate that I could play this role. And I identified the way the role is currently played and then I crafted the way that I thought the role could be played better. So, for example, the way that they played this role currently is they would hire the top instructors in fitness to be the managers, which I didn't think turned out that well because they weren't necessarily managers. It was a different skill-set. So I presented the idea that the role should be cast with somebody that has management skill and understands performance and creating theatrical experiences. And they said, hmm, I hadn't thought about it that way. Michael Port: And I said, look, if you look at the managers that you have now in this particular department, you'll notice that there are payroll issues. People don't always get paid what they should when they should. There are often scheduling issues, dropped classes and they're often human resource issues. And I knew this because I had been teaching a class and I said, I think this is because the folks who are running these departments don't have experience in management. And I said that I have experienced because I was producing plays and tv commercials when I was acting and so I said, look, I understand budgeting, I understand production. I understand casting, which of course is important part of which is hiring and let me demonstrate why this will translate to what you have to do here. I also understand about creating theatrical experiences and all of these different classes should be theatrical experiences. That's what makes them so compelling to the members. I know I don't have this certification or that certification, but if you need them, I can get them in short order and guess what? They took a chance on me and within a short period of time, six months, in fact, I was running the division for the entire company throughout the country Lisa Cummings: It ties so beautifully with what you were talking about where you thought all about them. It's all about the audience. What do they care about? What are they trying to achieve? And you tied that into productivity for the company and then you linked into your strengths and leaned in on what you're great at and what you could offer. So the two things came together perfectly. Michael Port: Exactly right. One of those developing this character to play this role. I didn't pretend those anything other than I was. That's the key. When you go in for job interview, if you pretend you are anything other than you are, that's when you're inauthentic. That's when you're faking this role and a great performer never fakes their role. The most authentic performance in the world, the best performers in the world are the most authentic performers in the world. And often the most authentic performers in the world are the most authentic people. So if you look at actors like Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, these are honest performers. One of the reasons you love watching them is because they seem so real and they are real. They don't pretend to be feeling what they're feeling when they are having an emotional experience. They are actually feeling that, which is why you feel it. Michael Port: And so you don't want to pretend that you're, that you are somebody that you're not. You want to go in there and leverage what you have to turn it into what you want so you can play lots of different roles as long as you can see, take your strengths and the things that you've done and figure out a way to apply them to this new situation. And that is role play. That in part is also improvisation because you are responding to what is coming at you in the moment. So people often ask about preparation and say, well, you know, if I prepare too much, then I feel like, you know, I'm on, I'm going to be stiff. You know, how much should I prepare? And I say, you should prepare more than you think you should prepare. You know, if I asked somebody if they've rehearsed, you know, before they give a presentation and say, oh yeah, I went over to the hotel room a few times before I get it. Michael Port: That's not rehearsal. But one of the reasons that we are afraid of the rehearsals because we think we're going to get stuck in the patterns or in the exact process or protocol that we rehearsed in our presentation and that is only because we are not in the moment during that presentation or during that interview, but if you're so well prepared that you can throw out what you've prepared before you walk into the room and stay in the moment, then everything that you worked on, other thing that you prepared will come to you naturally and organically in that moment and if what we prepared doesn't apply to what's actually happening in the moment, because sometimes interviewers will throw things at you that you did not expect, you won't get stuck. You won't feel like you're trying to draw on something that you prepared even though it doesn't fit to the situation at hand. But rather you're in the moment and you're answering by saying “yes and” which is an important improper technique. We don't say no. We always say yes, and you try to come up with a response that is honest and organic to that situation. Lisa Cummings: What a way to whet the appetite. I'm big on improv. I take improv classes and love them. Michael Port: The second part of Steal the Show, introduce the performance principals, specifically principals that performers use to steal the show and how each of those principles can be used in everyday life for the nonactive, for real regular person and one of them is the principle of saying “yes and” which is what's something you learned on shore and improv class because if I'm doing, if you and I are doing an improv scene and you walk in the in the room were on the stage and say, oh my god, I broke my leg. I'm in so much pain. And I say, no, no, no, you're fine. You're fine. It just it's over. this scene is done. But obviously, oh my god, that's terrible. But you know what they said your hair looks fantastic and you say, I know it's because I was at the hair salon was getting a haircut. Then I colored my hair that you show the chemicals. I fell out of the chair, fell down, broke my leg. Well, now we've got somewhere to go. So saying yes, it says an important part of improvisation and so when you're in a meeting and somebody comes up with an idea that you're not crazy about, the default response is, yeah, but we got to worry about this as opposed to yes, and we can also think about this, and it changed the dynamic of the relationship the entire. Because you're not saying no to people. You're saying yes ad and you will then talk about some of the issues that may come up, but it's not a no, it's a yes. And if everybody in the room says “yes and” rather than no, you will change the feeling in the room, which of course changes the collaborative spirit, which then changes the results. What you produce in that room. Because I'm not just a former actor who writes books about business and give speeches. I run two very, very competitive companies. Two of the top companies in the industry and you know, we employ lots of people. We have tens of thousands of clients and customers around the world and we run our businesses the same way that we would work in an ensemble if we were performers and I have detailed all of that in Steal the Show. Lisa Cummings: It's such a beautiful tip and we can turn it into a challenge for the listener. So if you're a listener and you find yourself playing the devil's advocate all the time and meetings, challenge yourself for a week to get out there and instead say those two simple words, “yes and” make yourself follow on the sentence and build. Instead of breaking it down. Michael Port: It's one of my rules. Listen, if anybody in an interview for our company says they like to be the devil's advocate, they're out. They're gone. It doesn't mean we want, “yes people”. The devil's advocate just likes being oppositional and I don't want people who like being oppositional. I love when people find holes in our theories and the things that we're working on. They say “yes and” I have an idea of how we can plug that hole, but the devil's advocate doesn't devil's advocate. Now there's a hole there. That's where the devil's advocate, that we call them the DA. We don't want any idea is in the room. Lisa Cummings: Definitely using that one. That's great. Michael Port: That's actually in the book. This whole concept of the devil's advocate and the DA. Lisa Cummings: Who knew I was getting into that part. That's great. Well, dear readers, you might've guessed that the resource of the episode is Michael's book. The title is Steal the Show: from speeches to job interviews to deal closing pitches, how to guarantee a standing ovation for all the performances in your life. Michael, any other goodies you want to tell them about if they're interested in finding more about you because you know you write those books and they're like potato chips. Once you eat one, you're going to want another. So I'll link to all those in the show notes as well. Your other five bestselling titles. Michael Port: That's fantastic. So stealtheshow.com. I've got lots of bonuses, free videos to watch on performance, lots of downloads, tips, cheat sheets, etc. So to stealtheshow.com, you can pick those up and of course buy the book, you'll love it. I promise. | |||
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