At the end of last year I had the opportunity to meet with a manager and leader who just dazzled me. She was confident and compelling. Endearing and inquisitive. Enthusiastic and engaging.
She had a vision for the team and could see the progress they were making. She enjoyed encouraging the team and loved the people.
But as she talked, she began to express an internal battle that belied her outward energy and confidence. As the leader of the team these days, she often feels ill equipped. She is beginning to feel, she admitted part way through our conversation, that maybe she is not cut out for this role.
Wow, I thought. Such an engaging, natural leader, who is feeling inadequate for the task.
{And might I add the side note that if she feels that inadequacy, well then there’s comfort for the rest of us. Managing and leading is hard!}
As we began to explore, we discovered that it was the administrative function that left her feeling below par. She loved planning a meeting but hated putting together an agenda. She loved the conversations but had a hard time closing up one topic to move onto the next. She wanted to meet budgets but had little skill in managing the numbers.
So instead of concentrating on the talents that made her a great leader, she was caught up in the apparent shortcomings that she saw as missing the mark.
Ok, so what to do about it?
One strategy—call on the strengths of others.
As a manager, she realized that she could use her one-on-one meetings with each team member to call on their areas of Strength, particularly in areas where she needed help. Where she could see that their Strengths were truly needed for the team to excel.
In Episode 7: The Best 1-on-1 Meeting Part 1, I shared a strategy that the best managers use in their 1-on-1 meetings as they strive to individualize—asking targeted questions about the unique Strengths of the people who report to them.
Today, in Episode 15: The Best 1-on-1 Meeting Part 2 of the Isogo TV | Live and Work Your Strengths Video Podcast, I share a second strategy for making the next meeting with your team members, your BEST 1-on-1 meeting yet. It goes beyond understanding their Strengths to asking them to specifically use those Talents to impact the excellence of your team.
[{ also let you in on a bonus tool that will give you some very tangible cues for your next 1-on-1 meeting. So be sure to access that below!}
I’ve seen it, and I’m living it, so let’s dive in!
This idea certainly changed the perception of this engaging manager I spoke with, and instead of handing off the baton, it helped her stay the course in her role as the leader of the team.
If you’re a team leader or manager or even small business owner wondering how you can really call on the Strengths of your team, I put together a starting point for you.
In this FREE BONUS TOOL, you will find two practical ways that each of the 34 StrengthsFinder Talent Themes can be used to bring value to your team.
This is an extremely practical tool, and I hope you’ll take me up on it!
Find it here!
If you don’t know the Top 5 Strengths of your team members, let me know, and I will help you access the StrengthsFinder to get you started!
LINKS | RESOURCES | a LITTLE ASK
Links & Resources from Today’s Episode
Get your Best One-on-One Meeting {part 2} FREE Tool
From Burnt Out to Fired Up: A Strengths Career Story
The Career of Your Dreams: A Strengths Coaching Conversation with Anna Runyan {Video}
Gallup Strengths Center
My little ask?
If you loved this Episode and think others would benefit from it, please rate and review over at iTunes. It helps get the word out to others just like you! And I really appreciate it.
As always, one of the best places to join the Strengths conversation is over at our Facebook Group — Energy Up Frustration Down by Strengths. Join us for weekly chatting, complaining and commending, as we all try to figure out just how to use our Strengths to impact the most important things around us—in our work and life.
In the meantime and beyond, I would love to hear from you and help you. So, if you’re thinking about the way a Strengths-perspective could impact your marriage or your family or you’re just not so sure about it all, reach out, and let’s connect about it. You can catch me at Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, all @isogostrong, or by this handy contact form.
Enjoy your day, and {be strong}!
