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.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
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
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
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Sunday, May 5, 2013
"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!
Perfect!
Friday, April 26, 2013
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.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
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.
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.
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."
Thursday, April 11, 2013
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".
Monday, April 8, 2013
Sunday, April 7, 2013
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!
Friday, April 5, 2013
"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?
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?
Saturday, March 30, 2013
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.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
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.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
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?
How are you approaching Strengths?
Sunday, March 10, 2013
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.
Tom Black is an insanely great Yo Yo Artist. He displays his skills here at new TED venue devoted to talent search.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
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.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)