Strength-based Leadership July 17, 2007
Posted by Bill in Competencies, Leadership & the Self, Organizational Behavior, Development, and Culture.add a comment
Strength-based Leadership
“living your best life” choosing the best for our lives
Cheryl shared some from her own story
Objectives:
understand the difference between themes/strengths
identify at least three strengths
formulate strategies to plan for a “strong week”
Articulate primary strategies to manage the “shadow side of strengths”
develop a template for creating a “strengths based” organization
Primary references
Clifton Strengths finder
Now, discover Your Strengths (Buckingham and Clifton 2001)
Go Put your Strengths to work (Buckingham 2007)
Strengths finder 2.0
Clarification: More than just another tool
Definitions: Themes vs strengths
Goal of strengths initiative:
build a workplace/role where strengths are utilized to advance accomplishment of mission through the collaborative efforts of leaders/tem members.
Theme as applied to, mature itself into a strength in a flawless way
Themes become strengths with effort and practice.
Step one: Reflection
identify the themes
Strengths engagement track
Practical application
Step two:
Conversion of theme to strength/review of strength components
Essential question: How will I ensure that I put my strengths into play just a little more this week than I did last week? (objective is to build your job around the best of you).
Clarification of strengths
Those specific activities at which I do well for which I retain a powerful appetite
Three components:
Talents (innate)
skills (learned – consistent/near perfect performance
Knowledge
S = Success (you feel effective)
I = Instinct (I can’t help but…)
G = Growth (it feels easy)
N = Needs ( a feeling of fulfillment/ being “in the zone”)
Your strengths are those activities that make you feel strong. Note: feelings reveal strengths
Evidenced through our speech:
It thrills me when…
I love it when…
I get so excited by…
I can’t wait to…
Practice this conversation with participant/employees, bosses. this will provide them the freedom to use “strength speech”
Long term objective
How can I play to my strengths a little more this week than I did last week?
- identify exactly how and where each strength helps you in your current role
- find the missed opportunities to leverage each strength in current role
- learn new skills and techniques to sharpen each strength
- build your job toward each strength
consider:
Implication for :
- dissertation topic
- strategies for completion of doctoral studies
- enhanced understanding of how to work more effectively with committee members
What is the “Strengths” of your advisor(s)?
The “shadow side” of strengths
Harm others; excuse behavior; insights to manipulate; to put others down
What to do with weaknesses?
I feel drained when…
Warren Buffett gave Bill and Melinda Gates money to give away because he doesn’t like doing that…
4 strategies to stop your weaknesses
1 – stop doing the activity and see if anyone notices/cares
2 – team up with someone who is strengthened by what weakens you
3 – Offer up one of your strengths and gradually steer your job toward this strength and away from your weakness
4 – Perceive your weakness from a different perspective
Recommended three part proactive strategy
Part 1: strengths chat with boss
Part 2: how can I help you?
Part 3: How you can help me
Strengthen the team
What are you passionate about?
where can I expect to see the best from you?
What kinds of situations should I actively steer you away from?
Note: there will be critics:
expect it
Identify “champions”
stay the course – make a plan
Strength based Organization
Mission Statement
core values
hiring process
evaluation process
Team building
Succession planning
Strategic long term plan
Conclusion:
Moses was a strengths based leaders…
Ex 15.2
Deut 6:4-10
Ex 15:3
Breakout Session: The Glasers “A Model for Collaborative Problem Solving” July 16, 2007
Posted by David Jeffrey in Communication, Organizational Behavior, Development, and Culture.add a comment
The Steps:
- Silent Brainstorming
- Round Robin Input
- Discuss and Advocate
- Prioritize
- Choose Champions
How does it work?
Pose an important open-ended question
e.g. What action can we take to improve student involvement on this campus?
e.g. What actions can we take to improve our service to our customers.
This model’s been 30 years in the making.
What actions can we take to make our regional group meetings more compelling, involving and productive?
Number off, and sit in a horseshoe shape facing the “group memory” – the sheet on the wall
Each group selects a recorder who has two qualities: speed and legibility
Recorder writes the information at the top of the page, then sit down
People will usually sit and stare at you when you give them a question like this and then the extroverts would start to talk
- Silent Brainstorming (think big, and think small; only two minutes; keep short)
- Round Robin Input (recorder takes one from each person until all items are exhausted; no evaluation of ideas while entering ‘group memory’ – not even non-verbal negatives; extended positives are also a bad idea; short grunts of approval are acceptable)
- Discuss and Advocate (each person takes 3 that they want to put their support behind)
- Criteria: significance, do-ability (reasonable to carry it off, measurability)
- Anyone begins with a PRES model or at least give a reason, but don’t mark the options at all
- You’re both advocating and listening to the advocacy of others
- Do not cluster items together at this point
- Don’t reach consensus at this phase
- Prioritize (create groupings of like items; quick way using symbols – “Does anyone object to grouping these items?”
- Group using symbols and then name later
- If there’s disagreement over whether an item should be in or out, it’s out.
- Disperse votes silently – 3 points to your highest, 2 points to your second, 1 point to the third
- Collect scores by asking where the top points go
- Look at the top two scores
- Choose Champions
- Say to the group, “Okay…who would be willing to be the champion for that item?” – pick two champions
- If no one’s willing to champion an idea, then let it go – it’s not going to happen
- If someone wants to champion an idea that didn’t get enough votes, let them if there are no objections
