STRENGTHS BASED LEADERSHIP

SHARED FROM THE BOOK:

STRENGTHS BASED LEADERSHIP

DON CLIFTOM

TOM RATH

Gallup press, New York

266 pages

 

 

INVESTING IN YOUR STRENGHTS

 

Organizations are quick to look for leaders who are great communicators, visionary thinkers, and who can also get things done and follow through.  This is the greatest misconception of what we want: well-rounded leader.  Most spent their career in leadership role focusing on trying to mimic traits of leaders they know or read about.

 

Leaders need to be aware of their strengths to be able to lead effectively.  We all lead in very different ways, based on talents and limitations.

 

All too often leaders are blind to their own personality.  They simply don’t know their strengths and weaknesses.  Based on an analysis of Gallup’s 2007 Global client database, majority of people do not have the opportunity to do what they do best every day.  People need to build self-confidence rather than focusing on weaknesses.

 

 

 

MAXIMIZING YOUR TEAM

 

Effective leaders surround themselves with the right people and build on each person’s strengths.  But sadly, people are rarely recruited because of their strengths that are best in complementing those existing team members.  Leaders tend to pick people who act, think, or behave like themselves.  Contributions from the 4 domains of leadership strengths will lead to a strong and cohesive team.

 

4 domains of leadership strengths

Executing	know how to make things happen have the ability to ‘catch’ an idea and make it a reality
Influencing	will help reach a much broader audience
Relationship building	Are actually the essential glue that holds the team together
Strategic thinking	Will keep the team focus on what could be Will continually stretch our thinking for the future

 

 

SIGNS OF STRONG, HIGH-PERFORMING TEAMS

Conflict doesn’t destroy strong teams because strong teams focus on results
.	Debate doesn’t cause them to fragment
.	While people may have different views, they are united in seeking the truth
Strong teams prioritize what’s best for the organization and then move forward
.	Able to keep the larger goals in view
Members of strong teams are as committed to their personal  lives as they are to their work
.	Highly engaged in their work, and highly satisfied with their personal lives
Strong teams embrace diversity
.	The most engaged teams look at individuals through the lens of their natural strengths
Strong teams are magnets for talents

 

 

 

 

UNDERSTANDING WHY PEOPLE FOLLOW

 

You are a leader only if others follow.  Leaders are only as strong as the connections they make with each person in their constituency.  Many continue to focus on leaders but ignore the leader’s impact on, and the opinions of the people lead by the leaders.

 

Followers’ 4 Basic Needs

Trust

Compassion

Stability

Hope

 

The most effective leaders know better than to try to be someone they are not.  Leaders stay true to who they are.  They make sure they have the right people around them.

 

Those who surround themselves with similar personalities

Will always be at a disadvantage in the long run.

Leaders should secure themselves to enlist partners

With complementary strengths

 

The most effective leaders also get people to follow.  They develop the people who follow to be effective leaders as well.  The ultimate test of a leader is not what you are able to do here and now, but instead what continue to grow long after you’re gone.

 

 

 

LEADING WITH YOUR STRENGTHS: THE 34 THEMES

 

1. Achiever	13. Deliberative	24. Learner
2. Activator	14. Developer
3. Adaptability	15. Discipline	25. Maximizer
4. Analytical
5. Arranger	16. Empathy	26. Positivity
6. Belief	17. Focus	27. Relator
	18. Futuristic	28. Responsibility
7. Command		29. Restorative
8. Communication	19. Ideation
9. Competition	20. Includer	30. Self-assurance
10. Connectedness	21. Individualization	31. Strategic
11. Consistency	22. Input
12. Context	23. Intellection	32. Woo