A Preview of the Leadership Vision Podcast in 2019

Welcome to season two of the Leadership Vision Podcast where we share our expertise in the discovery, practice, and implementation of CliftonStrengths! This episode is a preview of what’s to come on the podcast in the first few months of 2019. It’s meant to get your mind thinking about our upcoming episode topics and promote discussion. If you have questions about any of our topics ahead of time, drop us a line and we’ll try to answer them on that episode.

Lean Leadership

The first new podcast episode of 2019 is a conversation between myself and our president and founder, Brian Schubring in which we discuss the process of becoming leadership lean. We often focus on diet and exercise routines this time of year, so it’s the perfect time to apply that same thinking to our leadership.

Being leadership lean is understanding that in order for us to attain new goals as a leader, we need to let go of certain practices and behaviors that got us there. Every time we have a new physical challenge, there is something that we have to unlearn and new things that we have to learn to attain that goal. A lean leader understands that for them to attain something new or something creative, they’ll have to unlearn something, stop practicing certain behaviors, learn something new, and start practicing new behaviors to attain that secondary or third dimension.

Brian Schubring

Learning about Trust

In our next episode, Linda Schubring, one of our consultants, discusses establishing trust. Trust is a buzzword, but that doesn’t negate its importance. In this episode, we unpack ‘Trust’ a bit and offer a few simple definitions and ways to help you and your team establish more of it.

I want to talk about [trust] because I want to distill some of our thinking around what we say when we mean trust. It’s a conversation that has been popping up in families and on teams and in a variety of different circles–wherever you go people are saying ‘hey you get a group of people together and you know you’ve got to trust each other and trust is important and good and communication is important.’ But but you start to wonder like, ‘what is that?’ What does that even really mean and how do I get there?

Linda Schubring

Strengths and Marriage

In our next episode, to be released in mid-January, Sara Schlipp-Riedell and I share a few insights we’ve gained about applying the philosophy of Strengths to the context of marriage. Even if you’re not married, the principles discussed in this episode can be applied to any relationship.

I remember a few years after I discovered Strengths, I really wanted to commit myself to learning more not only for the betterment of my self-awareness but also my desire to better understand the people around me. I even asked my husband to take the assessment–I wanted to understand how he was inherently hardwired and so that we could have a conversation about our unique similarities and differences. And it was just so fascinating when we received his results. You know top 5–three out of his top five are in the bottom 10 for me. And that was very interesting.

Sara Schlipp-Riedell

Questions and Answers

When the calendar turns to February, I turn 40… which has nothing to do with our podcast schedule, but we are starting a series of episodes with Strengths questions. At the beginning of every month, we’ll pose one question for you to ponder and chew on as it relates to Strengths in your context. We also hope to host some live webinars around each question which will provide an opportunity to ask more specific questions and expand on each topic.

Defining the Terms Descriptive and Generative

From there, our next episode is with Steph Wahlund, our Senior Project Manager. We’ll discuss our use of the terms ‘Descriptive’ and ‘Generatvie,’ which are two of the most important words we use to describe the work we do with Strengths. They really give us a fuller picture of how Strengths can have the greatest impact.

…take a moment to pause and ask a question to try and understand where each person is coming from and even where you are coming from in a way that is descriptive. Hopefully, the language of Strengths gives you words to help describe how it is that you uniquely function and show up in the world.

Steph Wahlund

Learning from Silence

In the next episode, Carrie Jones, our COO, and I share a conversation all about the importance of slowing down and taking time to be still and quiet. We both agree that between busy work and home lives, and a constantly connected, always-on world, this may be one of the greatest, simpliest gifts we can give ourselves. As you begin your year, where are spaces you can carve out time to just sit, be still, reflect on nothing or everything, and take a break from the constant buzz of your daily life?

Learning from those who are Different

Moving into March, we’ll host a discussion between Carrie and Logan as they talk through what it’s like to work with someone who is very different from you. They process an engagement they did together in real time and discuss what they learned about their very different working styles and connect it back to their Strengths. They also talk about what they will apply to the work they’re doing in 2019.

The important piece to understand is that Logan and I have had some low moments and we’ve had to work through those places and come to a place of understanding and generosity to ultimately meet our goal for the client. Our goal for the project was never about us but it was really about giving ourselves to what we were working toward.

Carrie Jones

Patience and Empathy

Later in the month of March, Logan Joyce and I will revisit themes from our parenting episode we released in 2018. We’ll expand on the ideas of patience and empathy and talk a bit about how those topics are just as critical to team members as they are to parents.

None of this stuff happens by accident. Absolutely. So be intentional to be curious to hear people’s stories, to care about how they are reacting in a moment, and to take some space and work on being a little more patient day by day.

Logan Joyce

Why Teams need to Have More Fun

And finally, we’ll close out the spring podcast season with an episode all about the importance of fun. At the end of 2018, I recorded a bunch of random audio at our team holiday party and in this episode, I weave those bits into a discussion about fun. We discuss how teams that have fun together are more productive and successful and how individuals feel a greater sense of belonging and personal accomplishment.

About The Leadership Vision Podcast

The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in the discovery, practice, and implementation of StrengthsFinder. Leadership Vision uses CliftonStrengths to work with People, Teams, and Culture. We believe that knowing your Top 5 Strengths is only the beginning. Our highest potential exists in the ongoing exploration of our talents. Subscribe to the Leadership Vision Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.

Please contact us if you have ANY questions about anything you heard in this episode or if you’d like to talk to us about helping your team understand the power of Strengths.