What are you Reading? (podcast)
Welcome to the Leadership Vision Podcast where we share our expertise in the discovery, practice, and implementation of a strengths-based approach to people, teams, and culture.
Today’s podcast episode is part of our monthly series of Strengths reflection questions. We present just one question, but hope it will lead you to ask yourself and those around you several other questions. We hope this leads to a deeper understanding of how your Strengths, how they manifest on a team, or any other context in which you exist.
We feel it’s important to reflect on where your Strengths have come from and how your Strengths have shaped who you are today. We believe that knowledge will help you get to where you want to go tomorrow and help you reach your highest capacity for influence.
We feature a new question every month so I encourage you to go back and listen to the other episodes if you haven’t already.
The September 2019 Strengths Question
We know that readers are leaders and leaders are readers, so we thought we’d pause here and find out what you’ve been reading and how that is shaping your role on a team, in a family, or any context you find yourself.
This question today comes from Steph Wahlund, our client relations specialist, so let’s start by finding out what she has been reading.
Steph is in a masters program, and reading WAY too many books to list here. As you’ll hear from the episode, one that jumps out right now is called Leadership for a Better World.
You’ll have to listen to hear her talk about this in context, but a quote that really stands out to her is ,
the process of leadership cannot be described simply in terms of the behavior of an individual; rather, leadership involves collaborative relationships that lead to collective action grounded in the shared values of people who work together to effect positive change.
(Author), Susan R. Komives (Editor), Wendy Wagner
Our team is also just starting to read The Fearless Organization, by Amy C. Edmondson. Stay tuned for a full report this fall!
What Nathan is Reading
I read two books recently that have influenced me in different ways.
The first is called Scary Close: dropping the act and finding true intimacy, by Donald Miller. He writes about how we wear masks or do other things to pretend to be someone we are not. Trying to fit a mold others create for us. Many of us (myself included) think we only matter if we accomplish certain things. My favorite quote is,
Somewhere along the line I think many of us buy into a lie that we only matter if… we only matter if we are strong or smart or attractive or whatever.
Donald Miller
In a lot of ways that’s what we’re trying to help people understand through our work at Leadership Vision. Through the language of Strengths, we help people understand that there is no one right way to accomplish something. That ALL of our collective Strengths add depth and beauty and meaning and everyone’s voice needs to be heard. We matter for far more than just what we can accomplish.
The other book I read is called Super Fans, by Pat Flynn. I’ve followed Pat for quite some time, and his online resources have greatly helped us build our website and podcast. The book is about creating a community of loyal fans that are really more of a community. It’s about serving those who follow you in such a way that they become true fans, not just transnational customers. I love this approach, and it’s something we’re trying to do here as well.
What About You?
So what are YOU reading? How is it influencing you and changing the way you see the world? We’d LOVE to hear from you so please, drop us a line and tell us.
We would also like to hear how you’ve been impacted by the Strengths movement. If you’d like to be featured on the Leadership Vision Podcast, let us know how you are using Strengths and what impact it has made. We’ll follow up and see about interview you to be featured on the podcast!
About The Leadership Vision Podcast
The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in the discovery, practice, and implementation of a strengths-based approach to people, teams, and culture. We believe that knowing your 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.
