"Knock Softly"

You can become world class and make a world class difference in the lives of others from any position, even a very humble one. This video short shares one such story.

Self Awareness - "Know Yourself To Grow Yourself"

John Maxwell is a huge advocate of the strengths movement and he has lived the principles as well as anyone I'm aware of. In this video short, John talks about a principle that has been validated by two major studies. These two studies looked at hundreds of possible success factors involved in human performance. The only two universal factors were that successful people were disproportionately aware of their strengths and disproportionately worked in ways that leveraged those strengths.

The "Gold" Program - Introducing Kids To Their Unique Strengths

As a strengths advocate I lean heavily toward helping people grow in their understanding of strengths by moving toward more granular strengths based assessments. Marcus Buckingham offers StandOut which has 9 different themes or talent groupings. Myers-Briggs offers 16 ways of understanding the uniqueness of individuals. Strengthsfinder, which Buckingham helped build during his time at Gallup offers 34 different themes and perhaps serval hundred threads.

But DISC is still a great strengths assessment. It begins with 4 very easy to understand groupings. The "Gold" Program, introduced below is specifically designed DISC for kids. If you are a parent or work with children, check it out!

Play, Passion and Purpose with Harvard's Tony Wagner

Tony Wagner recently accepted a position as the first Innovation Education Fellow at the Technology & Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard. Prior to this, he was the founder and co-director of the Change Leadership Group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education for more than a decade. Tony consults widely to schools, districts, and foundations around the country and internationally. His previous work experience includes twelve years as a high school teacher, K-8 principal, university professor in teacher education, and founding executive director of Educators for Social Responsibility.

The Finland Phenomenon

Finland now consistently leads the world in education including international test score results. The students start at a later age (about age 7), have shorter school days than there U.S. counterparts and have almost no homework.

What's Up With That?

A Harvard University Professor takes a look.

What Makes You Come Alive? - Sean Aiken

Sean Aiken graduated from college and like a lot of kids had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. What he did have was a very creative way to figure it out. He lined up 52 very diverse organizations who were willing to employee him for one week and then give his paycheck to charity. He filmed the project and wrote a terrific little book called The One-Week Job Project. Sean shares his experience here on a Ted Talk.

I work with people all the time to help them identify their strengths and then deliver them in the workplace. I use a variety of inquiries or questions, assessments and other tools to help my clients uncover gifts and talents long overlooked and underused. But the best indicator available is to "try stuff". Sometimes you need to try a lot of stuff before you find your niche.

In my last post I used the analogy of trying on a suit of clothes. When Susy and I went shopping for her wedding dress, we covered dozens of stores and half of California in the process. Then there it was...on a rack at Nordstrom in South Coast Plaza.

Lining up your dream job, the one that fits will take some effort. Sean Aiken embarked on a very novel approach that allowed him to "try on" a lot of jobs in a relatively short amount of time. You can take a similar approach. Conduct informational interviews. Set up job shadows and internships. Volunteer.

Watch Sean's talk and be inspired!

Does Your Perfect Job Exist???

Do you have your perfect job?
Somewhat near?
No where near?

Does the perfect job for you even exist? I think it does, but not off the rack. If you've ever bought a business suit you know what I'm talking about. I'm a 42 tall... but not a perfect 42 tall. When I buy a suit I immediately head for the rack with the 42 talls. And I also know that if I want a perfect fit, I'll be spending some time with the tailor.

It's the same with jobs. In the world of work, this tailoring is called job crafting. If you're interested in crafting your off the rack job and turn it into one that fits more perfectly, I recommend Marcus Buckingham's book, "Go Put Your Strengths To Work". If you'd like support around that along with a few more ideas, I'd love to help.

There is another strategy that works well for many people. It's called a portfolio career. In this Ted Talk, Katie Ledger talks about "working toward work that will work for you". She says, "Your perfect job probably doesn't exist...yet." Then she goes on to give some terrific examples of people who have pieced together a mosaic of fulfilling work. Take a look!

Re-Discover Your Creative Genius

When you are working in a strength, you have almost limitless access to creativity in that area. When you are working in an area of weakness, creativity may plummet.

This is a cool video advertising the book, "Unthink".

Ken Robinson's "How To Escape Education's Death Valley"

Our friend, Sir Ken Robinson has a new Ted Talk!

Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

This is another video short based on Sir Ken Robinson's new book Finding Your Element

Authenticity & Acting Like An Owner

I worked for one manager, Mr. A.W. Lanford during an eight year span of my career. At his retirement dinner he went around the room and said something about each of his District Managers. When he came to me, he said, "Dale pushed back on me harder than any district manager that I ever had". It was true. We had that kind of relationship. And it was with complete respect and even love that I had for him. One of the things he repeatedly taught me was, "If you're trying to keep your job, you're probably not doing your job".

In this video, Professor Kaplan talks about speaking up, acting like an owner and being authentic...

Leveraging Failure As A Strength

Is failure a strength? It is if you leverage it correctly! In this video short, professor Kaplan talks about pulling out our failure stories and mining them for wisdom.

Assessing Your Strengths & Weaknesses

Being Successful vs. Reaching Your Unique Potential

In this clip, Harvard Management Practice Professor, Robert Steven Kaplan talks about a critical distinction. He shares the difference between being successful, as society might view it, versus reaching your unique potential. These thoughts are shared in more detail in his book, What You're Really Meant To Do: A Roadmap For Reaching Your Unique Potential.

Finding Your Passions - Robert Steven Kaplan

Robert Steven Kaplan has come out with a new book, What You're Really Meant To Do: A Roadmap For Reaching Your Unique Potential.

In this video clip, he shares some thoughts from the book!

The Path To Discovering Your Talents and Passions - Sir Ken Robinson

Sir Ken Robinson wrote The Element just a few years ago. It's become one of my favorite strengths books. I'm just finishing Robinson's helpful sequel, Finding Your Element. It's very practical with lots of questions and exercises. Here is a series of videos from "Big Think" sharing ideas from both books.

How Would You Develop A Business Person?

If you wanted a child to grow and develop a head for business, what type of classes would you encourage him to take? Math? Science? Accounting? Surely you could make a case for each of these choices. But in an article for Inc. Magazine, Kevin Daum makes a pretty good case for the arts, specifically theater arts.

Daum argues, "Performing arts students must create a concept from scratch, refine it so they can articulate a compelling vision, recruit skilled labor, and manage everyone to completion on time and on budget, since moving opening night is never an option. They also get to sell their product and collect immediate customer response in the form of ticket sales and applause. This process is completed by millions of students several times a year, all over the world."

Of course, from a strengths perspective, we want kids to find the marketplace that leverages their passions and talents. If that happens to be math and science, that's wonderful. If that happens to be shop class, that's wonderful as well.

I maintain that I learned more about business from my high school baseball coach than any class I took. Ironically, he was also my high school business teacher and a very good one. But it was on the baseball field where I learned to compete, to win and lose, to understand the importance of both natural talent and developed skill and to cooperate with teammates toward a common goal.

Yet sports programs have been dropped, arts programs have been canceled and auto shop has been eliminated from the curriculum. I fully support science, technology, engineering and math or STEM classes. But they're not more important than theater arts, baseball or auto shop.

One would think that math and accounting are irreplaceable components of running any successful business. And maybe they are. But Richard Branson was already a full-fledge billionaire that had successfully started hundreds of businesses before his accountant was able to help him fully understand the difference between gross sales and net profit.

To read Kevin Daum's full article in Inc. click here

The One Thing Your Child Needs by Jenifer Fox

"Breakaway" - Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things

This terrific video short was produced and distributed by Farmers Insurance. It's worth watching several times. Your second time through, pay attention to the lyrics from the song "Breakaway", performed by Kelly Clarkson. It was written by Avril Lavigne, Bridget Benenate and Mathew Gerrard.

Perfect!

Neurons to Networks: The Science Behind Your STRENGTHSPATH

There is solid science behind the STRENGTHSPATH principle. This short video, From Neurons to Networks is a good short explanation of the science supporting what I teach. Your STRENGTHSPATH is really a metaphor for neural pathways in the brain. Although I'm also a firm believer in the concept of lifelong nueroplasticity, or the ability to learn and grow throughout life, this video establishes that our hard-wiring begins before birth and is fairly complete early in life. The STRENGTHSPATH Philosophy is geared for the most part toward nurturing your nature, rather than attempting to completely re-wire what some might label as a weakness. Of course weaknesses must sometimes be addressed and managed, but the emphasis should always be on reinforcing what you naturally do well.

What's Your Child's Spark? 3 Responses

This is a terrific video from the Search Institute. It communicates 3 different parental responses to a child's passion and talent? If you're a parent or someone who otherwise has interaction with children, how are you doing?

How to Find Your Personal Calling - Brad Lomenick

In a recent article published by Outreach Magazine, Brad Lomenick writes about how to find your personal calling.

As Brad shares, asking good questions is one key answering this question well. I've been collecting such questions for many years. He's come up with some new questions and a few twists on some old ones that I plan to add to my collection:

What keeps me awake when I should be falling asleep?

What wakes me up when I should still be sleeping?

What are your passions and gifts? At the intersection of these two elements, you'll find your calling in life.

What would you work on or want to do for free? That is usually a good sign of what God has designed you to do.

What energized you when you were a child? Does it still animate you? Knowing your calling is often connected to childhood passions and gifts.

If you could do anything and take a pay cut, what would that be? You may have to blow up your financial goals in order to find your true calling.

What barriers are preventing you from pursuing your true calling? Can you begin removing those?

If you aren't engaging your gifts and talents where you are now, could you make changes in your current role to better to better engage those? Don't rule out the possibility that you are where you need to be.

Helping Your Child Find Their Spark!

John Maxwell on "Talent"

John Maxwell says, "You do have talent. Every one of you has a gift. You've just got to find it. And then when you find it, focus all your time and energy on it. That's what is going to give you the success that you want."

Warren Buffett's Advice to Kids

Warren Buffett has a program for kids called "Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaire's Club". Each segment has great financial advice. But if you weren't aware, Buffett is a huge promoter and terrific example of the strengths message I communicate regularly on this blog. Check out this short clip titled, "Gotta Dance".

"Great Minds" - A Message to Teachers

Math and Science Are Inextricably Linked??? Or, Are They???

Maybe you have been led to believe what I've been led to believe, namely, "that math & science are inextricably linked. That is, if you want to be good at science, you'll need to be good at math.

Hmmmm...Well, not according to Harvard professor emeritus Dr. E.O. Wilson. In his article, "Great Scientist ≠ Good at Math", Wilson writes:

"For many young people who aspire to be scientists, the great bugbear is mathematics. Without advanced math, how can you do serious work in the sciences? Well, I have a professional secret to share: Many of the most successful scientists in the world today are mathematically no more than semiliterate.

During my decades of teaching biology at Harvard, I watched sadly as bright undergraduates turned away from the possibility of a scientific career, fearing that, without strong math skills they would fail. This mistaken assumption has deprived science of an immeasurable amount of sorely needed talent. It has created a hemorrhage of brain power we need to stanch."

Wilson continues, "I speak as an authority on the subject because I myself am an extreme case. Having spent my precollege years in relatively poor Southern schools, I didn't take algebra until my freshman year at the University of Alabama. I finally got around to Calculus as a 32 year old tenured professor at Harvard, where I sat uncomfortably in classes with undergraduate students only a bit more than half my age. A couple of them were students in a course on evolutionary biology I was teaching. I swallowed my pride and learned calculus."

Wilson shares that Charles Darwin himself had little or no mathematical ability. When Wilson needs math for his science work, he collaborates with mathematicians.

Wilson's advice to aspiring young scientists?... "A key first step is to find a subject that interests them deeply and focus on it"

And that's a pretty good summary of the strengths message!

"That Kid Was A Find" - The Staples Price Guy

In 1998, Staples ran a terrific commercial designed to highlight their dropping prices. But what the commercial also gave us was a wonderful picture of an individual who was working in his strengths.

What are you doing to discover, develop and deliver the passion of the Staples Price Guy?

What are you doing to insure you're hiring people who can do the job, but also want to do the job?




Credits: This commercial was created for Staples by the Cliff Freeman Advertising Agency.
Creative Director: Arthur Bijur
Copywriter: Ian Reichenthal
Art Director: Wayne Best
Agency Producer: Catherine Abate
Account Supervisor: Livia Tuzzo
Advertising Supervisor: Dwight Garland
Production Company: Johns + Gorman Films
USA Director: Jeff Gorman
Producer: Gayleen Sharon

Strengths and a World Class Cup of Coffee

I believe everyone can be "World Class" at something. James Freeman founded Blue Bottle Coffee Company with the ideal of creating an insanely great cup of coffee. Check out the trailer for his new book, "The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee". And if you're in San Francisco or New York City, drop by for a cup...and plan on waiting in line.

This is the Essence of Strengths Oriented Management

If you have a manager, make them watch this clip every day for a month! If you are a school teacher or a parent...the same.

Be Remarkable!

The Difference Between Fireworks and The Space Shuttle

Our friends over at African Mosaic of put up a great clip that causes us to think about 2 approaches to Strengths Discovery. In the first approach, Discovery is the end. In the second and much more valuable approach, Discovery is only a beginning that leads to Development and Delivery.

How are you approaching Strengths?

World's Greatest - Tom Black

I love to ask people the question, "What Are You Insanely Great At?" And usually a follow up question, "What could you be great at, if you developed it?"

Tom Black is an insanely great Yo Yo Artist. He displays his skills here at new TED venue devoted to talent search.

Two Questions That Can Change Your Life - Daniel Pink

As a coach, I'm a collector of questions that can change a life. My collection has grown to somewhere well over 100. Daniel Pink has two questions here that I will add to my list.

What Do You Desire? by Alan Watts

Sir Ken Robinson on Multiple Intelligences

I love Sir Ken Robinson and I absolutely love this clip. Make sure you listen all the way to the end and hear the Gillian Lynne story.

Faking It: How Introverts Succeed

I count myself among the approximately 25% of the population who define themselves as an introvert. Author Susan Cain has some interesting thoughts about what the experience is like.



Introversion is not the same thing as shyness or social inhibition. In fact, motivational speaker and sales person extraordinaire Zig Ziglar claimed to be an introvert. I worked for his organization as a marketing representative early in my career. Off stage, Zig was very soft-spoken. On stage he was a terrific actor.

According to career publisher JIST, introverts often display the following traits at work:

Thoughtfulness

Patience & Persistence

Originality in Thinking

High Work Output

Good Writing

Ability to Work Independently

Jack Canfield on Choosing A Career

Inventor Dean Kamen on "Knowing Yourself"

Who Do I Envy & What Do I Lie About?

Who do I envy & what do I lie about? I'm posting a few videos this week from Gretchen Rubin's "Happiness Project" series based on her book by the same title. I've been a collector of questions designed to help people uncover their innate talents and passions for many years. These are two questions I hadn't run across or thought about. But after listening to her explanation, it makes sense.

Most of us were taught that envy is a bad thing. Gretchen says nothing to alter that framework. But she does suggest a positive use of envy. Like Gretchen, I have envied writers all my life. Most all of my free time is either spent in bookstores or writing myself.

Her second question, "What do you lie about?" was a little more uncomfortable. I'm not sure I've exactly lied about my work, but for many years, I was professionally engaged in a career that I tried to avoid sharing. To be truthful, it embarrassed me and I routinely went out of my way to avoid talking about it in a social setting. It should have been a clue.

What Did You Love Doing As A Child?

Gretchen Rubin explores a terrific strength discovery tool in the short video below. She asks the question, What did you love doing when you were 10 years old?" It really is a great question. Don't get hung up on the precise age. Maybe the key clue came at age 14 for you. Maybe it came much younger.

Consider this amazing memory from physicist Freeman Dyson. He writes, "I've never remembered a time when I wasn't in love with calculating. One of the first memories I have was when I was being put down for a nap in the afternoons. I was in the crib and not able to climb out, and I was calculating the infinite series, 1 + 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1 + 1/16...and discovered that it came out to 2... I just loved calculating. It's something your born with...

"Do What You Do" - Gretchen Rubin

"People Do Best What Comes Naturally"

Gretchen Rubin is an author that I have followed on and off for many years. In this short video, she explains the background and context from something John Kennedy once said.

Role Optimization – Good or Great?

Do you recognize this baseball pitcher? Probably not, unless you are among the most dedicated of baseball fans. He was a very good pitcher too. But at one point in his professional career he made the decision to stop pitching so he could focus on a role where he was much better. He was even heavily criticized for the decision. Looking back, it was a pretty good choice. This former pitcher was the legendary Babe Ruth. His decision to set aside the role of pitcher, where he was merely good, in favor of a role where he could become the world’s greatest hitter, was life changing for him and his teammates.

Often the difference between being good and being great is making adjustments that allow you to spend more of your time developing your greatest strengths.

Do you need to use the “Babe Ruth” strategy? Do you need to figure out how to let go of tasks and activities where you don’t have the potential to become the best? Maybe you need to be in another position all together. Or maybe you need to expand or carve from a current role.

Some estimate that as many as 80% of U.S. workers are in a role or position that needs adjustment if they are to maximize their performance and contribution in the workplace. About 1/3 of that 80% are playing the wrong position all together. A second 1/3 would perform much better if they were working in a paired down or more focused version of their current role. And a final 1/3 would actually contribute more if they worked in a more expanded version of their current role.

What about you?

Lessons From The World's Greatest Sushi Chef

Be The Best & Work With The Best!

Jiro is known in Japan a sushi master. He cuts the perfect piece of fish and matches it with the perfect amount of rice. But he doesn't try to be the best at every part of the process, for example, with the purchasing of the ingredients. He outsources that to others who are the best at what they do.

Jiro partners with and purchases supplies for his sushi restaurant from a number of different independent experts. He has an octopus expert, a rice expert, a shrimp expert and a tuna expert. Each, is is the best at what they do. If Jiro settled for mediocre partners, he probably wouldn’t have reached the level of perfection that he did.

Watch for the movie. It comes out in March 2013.

Add Value - It's The Point of Strengths

John Maxwell talks about adding value in the short clip below. Sometimes people join the strengths movement without really understanding the purpose or the mission. At the end of the day, strengths aren't just about you. The strengths message is about understanding the ways that you will add the most value. As Marcus Buckingham says, "Performance is always the point".

The Neuroscience of Personality - UCLA's Dario Nardi

This is a terrific session by professor Nardi speaking at Google. I recommend watching it in 20 minute increments.

How Do You Develop Strengths In Others?

How do you develop strengths in your people?

Encouragement? Modeling? Nudging? Patience?

It's all here in this video...