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Please, let’s focus on people’s strengths
/in Ideas to help you build a solid team/by Barbara DoescherFor years I have struggled with the incessant focus so many of us seem to have on people’s weaknesses. The tendency has stretched from the working world to the classroom; I saw this firsthand when my son, a card-carrying introvert (just like me), was told by his teachers that there was a problem — and the problem was that he needed to talk more (see our November 10, 2014, posting). My outlook on this issue completely changed when I heard the co-author of Now, Discover Your Strengths, Marcus Buckingham, speak at a conference. He, along with others, began a movement to train leaders to focus on building their team members’ strengths rather than searching for ways they could overcome their weaknesses.
In 2008, I discovered Leading From Your Strengths, an assessment tool within the strengths movement. After a little investigation, I decided to become a certified facilitator. Since then, I have had the joy of helping individuals all around the world.
You may ask, “How is this program different from other assessment tools?”
First of all, it focuses on a person’s strengths. It isn’t a personality test that labels you or tells you what you already know about yourself; instead, it predicts how you will behave when approaching problems, new information, change, and risk. While other assessments overlook the facts that some people are naturally optimistic while others are skeptical, different people handle risk in different ways, and some team members move faster while others are more thoughtful, Leading From Your Strengths takes into account all these possibilities.
From what I have seen, the real power of the tool is most evident when working with teams, because it helps individuals better appreciate their differences when making decisions and/or dealing with conflict. I believe the best companies value all points of view.
Do you fall into the same trap as our son’s teachers, who didn’t appreciate what was good about him and only commented on what they perceived as his negative trait? Do you ever find your team in conflict resulting from their different personalities and abilities? What are you doing about it?
The Power of Introverts
/in Ideas to help you build a solid team/by Tom DoescherEarlier this year, we had the privilege of hearing Susan Cain, an author and former corporate attorney, speak. As we reported in LinkedIn, we had a major epiphany while listening to her comments regarding introverted people. It was a great reminder of a simple fact: If your goal is to be the best leader you can be, you must be a lifelong learner and be open to new points of view. Susan’s observations and revelations, which were supported by years of research, were eye-opening.
We found a 17-minute TED Talk featuring Susan, and it speaks for itself. If you want to be a Jim Collins “Level 5 Leader,” we encourage you to invest the time to listen to it.
You can learn more about these ideas in Susan’s book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.
Do you have introverts in your company who you have been encouraging to become more outgoing? Does your company have a bias toward extraverts?
Please take the time to listen to Susan.
A tribute to our new hero: Mary Kate Bryant
/in Nuggets and Encouragement Regarding Strategy and Focus/by Tom DoescherSo what? Here is the “So what.” I carry Mary Kate’s picture, along with our “Last Life Marathon” goals, in my wallet. Looking at her face challenges me to invest in people, like she did, all the way until the very end.
Here is our challenge for you. Consider this question: Ultimately, why does your company exist? Once you’ve done that, spend some time contemplating whether there’s a picture/visual that you and your team could rally around, like my photo of Mary Kate?