Finding My Three ...

Once again Marcus Buckingham delivers. As I watch the Willow Creek Leadership Summit, I continue to be captivated by this man's message: Focus on Your Strengths.

Marcus' definition of strengths is not typical. He states that strengths are those activities that make us feel stronger; not simply those things that we are good at. Marcus offered some interesting insight into identifying those things that give us strength by suggesting that we 1) take a personality profile like the one at http://www.strengthfinder.com/ and 2) embark on the following exercise next week at work:

Take a piece of paper, draw a line down the middle and above one column, write the word "LOVE" and above the other write the word "LOATHE." Throughout the week capture those activities that you either LOATHE or LOVE. At the end of the week, look at the top three things you loved doing and write:

"I feel strong when I ...."

Marcus suggested that there are four sure signs of a strength (fortunately they happen to spell the word "SIGN" :-) )

Success - those things you have success at.
Instinct - those things you do naturally.
Growth - those things you grow easily in, you can spend hours doing them.
Needs - those things that satisfy an emotional need in you.

Marcus stated that the I, G, and N drive the S. If you have no success but you still have the IGN, those things should become you hobbies.

My Arts team at GCC went through Marcus' video series "Trombone Player Wanted" and studied his book, "Now Discover Your Strengths." I think it was one of the most helpful tools we have used during my tenure at GCC.