Hello world! Welcome to my first IT World blog post.
So you have an idea of what to expect, the type of sharing being planned for coming posts is to showcase experts and provide you with value on current topics.
As an example, in one post with Coach Sheila (thebigyes.com) we will explore the Collaborative Operating System; in another, expert Matthew Kern will share a new paper on EA and help us consider differences in internal controls at each level of architecture; and in another with expert Mark Edward Stirling Bernard we will dive into ISO/IEC 27001:2013 Improvements (the 1st revision in 5 – 10 years which is due to be published in October, the uptake on it should be very dramatic here in North America). Although the uptake on 27001 has not been great to 2010, in Asia it has always been popular, and in the UK it is on fire now (e.g., Mark says they can’t get enough people to facilitate it).
Now that you have an idea of what to expect in coming posts, let’s focus on the goal for today. In this post it is my intent to share some valuable information that anyone can use, and to showcase a colleague (Mike Pegg) in the process.
Special thanks to Nicki Hayes for helping me share the following with you. Have a great day everyone ( ps, on a final note here is a short fun very relevant video you may enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kHO9bA0QuQ that long ago was shared within my tweets at http://twitter.com/inherentquality ).
The Art of Strengths Coaching
The strengths approach to encouraging people has become increasingly popular over the past 20 years. Many people will have heard of practitioners such as Don Clifton, Martin Seligman and David Cooperrider. But the approach goes back much further.
Mike Pegg’s book The Art of Strengths Coaching shows how the principles have developed over several hundred years. It also provides many practical tools that people can use to build on their strengths, build super teams and achieve their picture of success.
The strengths approach is based on what works. It aims to study what works, simplify what works and share what works. One aspect of the approach is to encourage people, teams and organisations:
To clarify when they have performed brilliantly.
To clarify the principles they followed to perform brilliantly.
To clarify how they can follow these principles – plus add other elements – to perform brilliantly in the future.
People buy success; they don’t buy the theory of success. So it is vital to move from the ‘concept to the concrete’. People need more than theory. They want practical tools they can use in their daily lives and work.
Building on strengths
Peak performers are often ‘positive realists’. They have a positive attitude, but they also quickly read reality and see patterns. They clarify their strategy, perform superb work and find solutions to challenges. They then do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals.
People make choices every day. They can choose to be positive or negative; to be creators or complainers; to take responsibility or avoid responsibility. Each choice has consequences, of course, with both pluses and minuses.
People can choose to use their strengths to serve themselves or also to serve others. They can do satisfying work that nourishes their soul. If they want to do such work that also earns a salary, however, they may need to be savvy.
How to make a living doing what they love? One approach is to learn from great service givers throughout history. Such people often focus on their:
Strengths: they build on their strengths.
Sponsors: they find sponsors – customers or employers – who will hire them for what they do best.
Success: they help those sponsors to achieve success.
People can employ their strengths as individuals. They can also employ them to make their best contribution to a superb team or organisation.
Building super teams
Super teams are special. They often start by building on their strengths and clarifying their picture of success. They then translate this into a clear story, strategy and road to success. People know the mountain they are climbing, how they will climb it and when they will reach the summit.
Such teams are based on similarity of spirit and diversity of strengths. They are made up of people who aim to be positive, professional and peak performers. They choose to opt in and make clear contracts about their best contribution towards achieving the goals.
People co-ordinate their strengths to perform superb work and give great service to customers. People encourage each other, overcome setbacks and find creative solutions to challenges. Super teams do whatever is required to achieve the picture of success.
Practical tools
The Art of Strengths Coaching shows how the approach can be used with individuals, teams and organisations. But you can also download many of the practical tools for free by visiting two of Mike Pegg’s websites. Here are the links.
The Strengths Foundation provides a stimulating resource that people, teams and organisations can use to build on their strengths, set specific goals and achieve their picture of success.
http://www.thestrengthsfoundation.org/
The Positive Spirit provides an introduction to literally hundreds of people and organisations that are doing good work to improve life on the planet.
http://www.thepositivespirit.org/
