The Strengths Zone

Arrangers get the right people in the right seats on their "bus"  Long before I became an evangelist for StrengthsFinder, I read the book Good to Great by Jim Collins.  At its core, this popular business book instructs readers to expect the best from workers.  When you expect the best from team members, you can get it.  When excellence is an option, why accept anything less?  I recall (and quote) the “people on the bus” parable which is used effectively in the book.  At first, the author believed the way to take a company from good to great was to have leadership set a clear vision and strategy and then get every employee aligned behind the new direction.  In fact, what great leaders did first was to get the right people in the right seats “on the bus” and then figure out where to drive it.  With the right people on the bus in the right seats – and the wrong people off the bus – teams can figure out a way to travel to someplace amazing.  Starting with a t

I have a dream (Futuristic #3).  My goal is to align annual performance metrics for myself and those on my team with strengths which have been revealed using StrengthsFinder 2.0.  The strengths (or Top 5 Talent Themes) are pre-existing patterns of thought, feelings and behavior that are authentic, energizing and a pathway to excellence for every person.  It only makes sense that the natural talents of each team member should become the foundation from which we build their 2019 objectives, accountabilities and action steps. In researching this dream of intentionally pairing talents with performance metrics, I came across a model of goal-striving called the Self-Concordant Model.  The word "concordant" was foreign to my vocabulary.  It is defined as "in agreement" or "in harmony".  To be self-concordant is to find a balance between your authentic self and your daily actions. Here are some ways to apply the Self-Concordant Model to goal sett

It's back to school for many kids in Florida.  I recall the mix of excitement and nervousness on that first day of school.  In Elementary School my mixture was 95% excitement and 5% nerves.  My mixture progressively changed for the worse through Middle School (we called it Junior High) and High School as my fear of fitting in got the best of me.  Bouncing around from Public School, to Catholic School and back to Public School in the same Township did not help the situation.  "Woo" (Winning Over Others) is #27 out of my 34 Talent Themes; then like now, I was cautious in a room full of strangers. We all remember those first days of High School.  Walking slowly into each class, scoping the room out and hoping you knew someone (liking them was an added bonus). Then, once finding that person, you made a beeline to sit close to them.  Lunch was always an adventure.  Discovering who was in your lunch period and trying to sit at the "right" table.  As the days w

If you are moving in North Jersey, you might check out Dan the Moving Man - no relation!  So what's your dream job?  Near the top of my list would be to own and operate a Moving Company.  "Dan The Moving Man"   Inc. has a ring to it - don't you think?!.  I have always enjoyed the process of moving.  Over the past 30 years, I have moved into four different houses and have coordinated the moves of my kids in and out of countless dorms and apartments.  I love the tangible beginning and end to moving and the feeling of accomplishment when all is unpacked and put away (Achiever #5).  I love the effort, the organizing, the sweat and the aches and pains that come with a hard days work. When I think of every chore I have ever done for my family, moving mastery has garnished the greatest praise from the peanut gallery (followed closely by travel planning and interior painting).  So what moves me to moving?  It is the StrengthsFinder Talent Theme Strategic .  Strateg