We have a special guest on the Leadership Vision Podcast today! Zack, the connections pastor at a church in Arizona, is the first to share his story. Today on the podcast, we get to hear how he is working to build a strengths-based team. Listen now!
In this episode of the Leadership Vision Podcast, Linda Schubring and Nathan Freeburg are talking about what it takes to build a Strengths Based employee experience. The two get way down into the weeds. The good, the bad, and the ugly of transforming an organization into one that is planted deep in the soil of Strengths, and subscribes to a philosophy that everyone should operate from a position of Strength.
One of the ways StrengthsFinder gets misused is in the hiring process. Hiring good people is hard. Sometimes, to short circuit the process, employers try and use StrengthsFinder as a way to find the “perfect” person with the “perfect” Strengths to fill a role. In our opinion, StrengthsFinder was never intended to be used this way.
When we work with clients who are on the journey to becoming Strengths-based organizations, we remind them that when it comes to hiring, the first step is less about the StrengthsFinder language and more about cultivating a culture focused on what’s right about people. The positive foundation shapes the rest of the complex, people-focused work.
What do you think is the objective of Strengths Based Leadership? At Leadership Vision, we believe Strengths Based Leadership is necessary because it turns the focus of Strengths from self, to focusing Strengths on meeting the needs of others. Keep reading as Brian explains how to handle this balancing act between an inward understanding of self, and an outward expression for others.
Carrie was surprised, sitting in the Strengths Based Leadership training, by how much it shifted her thinking about her StrengthsFinder themes. As a result, she is now approaching leadership by considering the perspective and Strengths of others, instead of trying to make others adapt to her own. The self-reflection exercises helped her acknowledge areas for growth, and areas of great strength. Continue reading to learn more about this, and consider this: How can my Strengths be used to create trust, compassion, stability and hope in those around me?