Leadership Summit (Buckingham)

Key idea: Build on your strengths and manage around your weaknesses.

Which do you think will help you be most successful?
-Building on strengths?
-Fixing weaknesses?

The US survey (2000) revealed overwhelmingly that it was fixing one’s weaknesses. US was the only country with those results (The 2006 survey revealed percentages that were worse.). The other countries felt it was focusing on one’s strengths.

What % of people spend most the day playing to their strengths?
US 2005 (17%)
US 2006 (14%)
US 2007 (12%)

Key questions: Are you playing to your strengths? If not, how do you get to be?

3 Myths We Need To Blow Up:
Myth #1: As you grow, your personality changes.
Truth: As you grow, you become more of who you already are.

Myth #2: You grow the most in your area of greatest weakness.
Truth: You grow the most in your areas of greatest strength.

Myth#3: A great team member puts his strengths aside and does what it takes to help the team.
Truth: A great team member volunteers his strengths to the team most of the time.

How do we move our focus to our strengths:
1) Identify what your strengths are.
2) Change something. Put together a strong week plan where we focus on our strengths.
3) Talk about strengths without bragging and your weaknesses without whining.

4 Signs of a Strength:
Success
Instincts
Growth (time will speed up)
Needs (tired, but not drained; you are energized!)

“You are the authority on your strengths. You are the authority on the things that make you feel strong.” M. Buckingham