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It’s Not Bragging If It’s True — Embrace Your Strengths!
Think of the top masters in your field. Those credible role models people turn to for insights. They have spent a tremendous amount of time building those strengths you admire. Do you want to be more like them?
Welcome to the third installment in the Best DNA Series! You are on your way to discovering the best of yourself that the world values. Last month we completed a Passion Brainstorm. If you haven’t already completed that brainstorm, it is worth taking a few minutes to check out. It can be helpful in this month’s activity—the Strengths Brainstorm.
These two brainstorms are really at the core of discovering your Best DNA because Passion and Strengths are what you do well and are motivated to do.
So why are we focusing on strengths?
There is ample evidence that suggests we can improve our performance more quickly when we focus on our strengths more than our weaknesses. World-renowned business guru Peter Drucker said it the best: “One should waste as little effort as possible on improving the areas of low competence. It takes far more energy and work to move from incompetence to mediocrity than to move from first rate performance to excellence.” Obviously we have to be good enough at compensating for weaknesses, but strengths are where it’s at!
Identifying strengths can often be a challenge. We are conditioned to believe that we are bragging if we say we’re good at something. But this brainstorm helps you recognize strengths as a factual inventory instead.
Like a lot of people, I have been afraid of saying what I am good at because I didn’t want to be thought of as egotistical. For example, one of my strengths is public speaking. Early in my career, I found that I really enjoyed working with large groups, but I didn’t see myself as a presenter or speaker back then. I just saw myself as a team-building guy. It wasn’t until I got into improv comedy that I saw speaking as a real strength instead of just something I liked to do. My comedy and public speaking mentor helped me develop my skills, and over time people started calling me a motivational speaker and a keynoter. I just wish I had the Best DNA tool at that time because I would have started improving it sooner!
For this Strengths Brainstorm, you are going to come up with as many ideas as you can around your strengths. First, a few guidelines to help you define strengths:
- You tend to do these things more easily than many others can.
- You are enjoyably motivated to do them.
- Time passes quickly when you are doing them.
- You tend to seek opportunities to do them.
A strength can be an activity, or a behavior or a skill that makes you stand out while performing that activity. For example, if “Blogging” is a passion of yours. Your strengths under blogging could be “Writing” or “Editing blog posts” or “Designing a blog” and so on. Also consider specific skills or outcomes that people frequently compliment you on. (E.g. “You always inspire me.” or “I’m amazed at how easily you organize complex projects.”)
Hearing our strengths from others is one of the most uplifting activities during my Best DNA Teambuilding Programs. As you can imagine that it is also a big morale booster as well to hear our strengths!
Strengths Brainstorm
- Brainstorm a list of 3-10 Passionate Strengths. Consider both strengths from work and from other areas of your life (hobbies, volunteer activities, fun stuff you do for your family, etc.).
- Then circle the ones that you are the most passionate about, that you look forward to doing, and tend to want to improve naturally.
- Then choose the top 3 strengths that you want to use more and more. Think quickly. Don’t overanalyze or take too much time. Listen to your heart here.
Give the gift of strength awareness to others! Encourage others to discover their strengths and build on them. Recognizing and respecting others’ strengths can also help you build a successful team/family. Where can you play to others’ strengths to make you both more successful?
Once I understood about natural strengths, I started to hire people who had strengths in areas where I was weak. It improved my business—and I learn from them! I once had a warm and caring colleague who was so appreciative and supportive that everybody loved working for her. I wanted to know her secret. I once followed her around to observe what she was doing. She asked a simple question that I had never thought to ask: “How can I help you?” As simple as that question was, it was mind-blowing to me with my more directive style. People just opened up to her. They felt more supported and did a better job because of it. I was much more successful with her on my team playing to that strength.
Hopefully you’ve enjoyed the Strengths Brainstorm—and learned a lot more about yourself in the process. Next month we will talk about Value Add!
In the meantime, I’d love to hear about your thoughts and experiences with this brainstorm. Feel free to comment below or connect with me on social media.
Creating Optimism – Make your life a work of art, with Jason Silva
Jason Silva is one of the most profound thinkers of our day. To make it even better he is a master video producer (and host of Brain Games) so creates dynamic videos to explain his concepts.
I challenge you to create vital cycles of optimism. Design experiences for yourself that increase your passion, enhance your optimism, and as Silva says, “make your life a work of art”.
Convince the Thinker – logic can save the day
In addition to calming the Caveman’s fears and energizing the Artist, positive change of any type also requires convincing the Thinker. This part of the brain wants to have a clear vision of how to get to your goals. If there’s too much detail, the Caveman gets bored and confused, but too little detail leaves the Thinker unconvinced. For example, when I had to change the vicious cycles of economic despair into the vital cycles of a great career, I created a few steps that I thought would lead me to my goals. I planned the first step, but I didn’t worry too much about the following steps until I was ready for them. Each person’s Thinker is different and requires a different blend of information. Experiment to find out how much planning is enough to make your Thinker confident, without planning so much that you lose motivation in the process. The Caveman part of our brain starts to rebel when plans get too complex.
Some people need lots of background information and analysis to help convince the Thinker. However, people who have stronger Artist tendencies are happier with a big picture and motivating reasons; and are impatient with too much data. When motivating others, choose your approach based on what they prefer.
There are some things that both the Caveman and the Thinker like. For example, both like it when you are clear about a specific amount to accomplish. This works whether your goal is money, job satisfaction, depth of relationship, or any other goal in life. Both of these parts of the brain also like things that are clearly beneficial to all aspects of your life. For example, when I started doing more public speaking, my Thinker enjoyed the mental stimulation and potential for bringing in more work, my Caveman enjoyed the fun I had working a crowd, and my Artist thrived on the passion I felt talking about positive change.
Get Creative with a Positive Focus
(Bob’s goofy caveman comes out in the outtake)
Supporting research: http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/a-positive-mood-allows-your-brain-to-think-more-creatively.html
Learn more at Influencing Your Inner Movie – The Thinker and the Caveman (10 minute video by the Matchbox Group)
Rebalancing our negativity bias
I explain some of the most helpful research I’ve read, with some tips… followed by a goofy outtake
A happy sense of purpose is good for our genes — who knew?
I love those wonderful discoveries that show how doing what we love is good for us physically.
Click on The New York Times to read this fascinating, and heartening article.
This is particularly exciting for living into what we call our “Best DNA“.
“Energize” from a CEO’s perspective – radio interview
Bob Faw, interviewed on NEDD Radio by Tom Raffio, head of Northeast Delta Dental
Interview about Energize – NEDD Radio
Energize Performance
Feedback biting you in the …backside? Try feedforward
Feedforward is usually far easier to give than feedback. Most of the time it is more helpful: specific, clear, actionable, and positive. Learn what it is, and how to do it well. Improve relationships at work and home. Achieve success more easily.
This video is Bob Faw teaching how to use feedforward, in performance management, and elsewhere in life.
The energizing effect of intrinsic positive motivators – from “Drive” by Daniel Pink
I give ideas on how to use these positive motivators for increased passion and performance. Thanks to Dan Pink for his great work in “Drive”!