strengths-based leadership handout

By

Strengths Based

Leadership

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Laurie Crawford Coaching, LLC [email protected] 920.374.3608

VIAMe!TM Character Strengths http://www.viame.org/

Appreciation of Beauty and ExcellenceYou notice and appreciate beauty, excellence and/or skilled performance to all domainsof life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience.

BraveryYou are a courageous person who does not shrink from threat, challenge, difficulty orpain. You speak up for what is right even if there is opposition. You act on yourconvictions.

CreativityThinking of new ways to do things is a crucial part of who you are. You are never contentwith doing something the conventional way if a better way is possible.

CuriosityYou are curious about everything. You are always asking questions and you find allsubjects and topics fascinating. You like exploration and discovery.

FairnessTreating all people fairly is one of your abiding principles. You do not let your personalfeelings bias your decisions about other people. You give everyone a chance.

ForgivenessYou forgive those who have done you wrong. You always give people a second chance.Your guiding principle is mercy and not revenge.

GratitudeYou are aware of the good things that happen to you and you never take them forgranted. Your friends and family members know that you are a grateful person becauseyou always take the time to express your thanks.

HonestyYou are an honest person, not only by speaking the truth but by living your life in agenuine and authentic way. You are down to earth and without pretense; you are a“real” person.

HopeYou expect the best in the future and you work to achieve it. You believe that the futureis something that you can control.

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HumilityYou do not seek the spotlight, preferring to let your accomplishments speak forthemselves. You do not regard yourself as special and others recognize and value yourmodesty.

HumorYou like to laugh and tease. Bringing smiles to other people is important to you. You tryto see the light side of all situations.

JudgmentThinking things through and examining them from all sides are important aspects ofwho you are. You do not jump to conclusions and you rely only on solid evidence tomake your decisions. You are able to change your mind.

KindnessYou are kind and generous to others and you are never too busy to do a favor. You enjoydoing good deeds for others, even if you do not know them well.

LeadershipYou excel at the tasks of leadership: encouraging a group to get things done andpreserving harmony within the group by making everyone feel included. You do a goodjob organizing activities and seeing that they happen.

LoveYou value close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring arereciprocated. The people to whom you feel most close are the same people who feelmost close to you.

Love of LearningYou love learning new things, whether in a class or on your own. You have always lovedschool, reading and museums - anywhere and everywhere there is an opportunity tolearn.

PerspectiveAlthough you may not think of yourself as wise, your friends hold this view of you. Theyvalue your perspective on matters and turn to you for advice. You have a way of lookingat the world that makes sense to others and to yourself.

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PerseveranceYou work hard to finish what you start. No matter the project, you “get it out the door”in a timely fashion. You do not get distracted when you work and you take satisfactionin completing tasks.

PrudenceYou are a careful person and your choices are consistently prudent ones. You do not sayor do things that you might later regret.

Self-RegulationYou self-consciously regulate what you feel and what you do. You are a disciplinedperson. You are in control of your appetites and your emotions, not vice versa.

Social IntelligenceYou are aware of the motives and feelings of other people. You know what to do to fit into different social situations and you know what to do to put others at ease.

TeamworkYou excel as a member of a group. You are a loyal and dedicated teammate, you alwaysdo your share and you work hard for the success of your group.

SpiritualityYou have strong and coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of theuniverse. You know where you fit in the larger scheme. Your beliefs shape your actionsand are a source of comfort to you.

ZestRegardless of what you do, you approach it with excitement and energy. You never doanything halfway or halfheartedly. For you, life is an adventure.

VIAMe!TM Character Strengths http://www.viame.org/

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Scenario #1 – Marketing Firm & Restaurant

Your DePere marketing firm has a long-standing relationship with a large and

popular restaurant in Milwaukee. They are not your number one client, but are in

the top five.

It is a family-run restaurant - the parents own the business and their one adult

daughter and two adult sons run the business day to day.

Their son and your firm’s finance manager are childhood friends, which is why

they decided to work with your firm instead of a big-city marketing company.

The parents have very high expectations and they sometimes micromanage.

You have a great relationship with their daughter, who runs the business day to

day with her brothers. She is the person you work with and communicate with on

all projects.

The parents would like your firm to develop a new and exciting marketing

campaign to reach markets beyond their current area.

The parents will be leaving in two weeks for a one-month European vacation.

They would like to see a draft plan and proposal before they leave on vacation

and a final product when they return one month later.

It usually takes at least a month to develop a draft plan and proposal.

You have other clients who have project deadlines that must also be met.

For Discussion:

What do you need to consider before developing a plan of action?

How would you use your strengths in this scenario?

How would you use others’ strengths in this scenario?

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Notes:

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Scenario #2 – Private College & Strategic Planning Team

Private College – 60 administrative and management staff, 40 faculty, 1,000

students and 15 board members.

It is January and the college’s president and board of directors are discussing

developing a new / updated strategic plan.

The college is nearing completion of goals from the previous strategic plan and it

is time to begin preparing for 18 months from now when a new plan needs to be

solidly in place.

This planning cycle will include obtaining input from the board, administrative

and management staff, faculty, and students. This is something new. In past

plans, only board and management input was included.

Your strategic planning team has been tasked with developing a plan to obtain

input from all four stakeholder groups.

Your team asked that faculty, staff and students be allowed two (2) hours

“offline” for this process. The college president enthusiastically approved.

As you begin talking about scheduling, five management staff who are quite vocal

are being just cooperative enough, but challenging at the same time. They think

input from faculty, staff and students is unnecessary and are concerned about the

downtime. The other twenty management staff are on board and fully supportive.

This is not a familiar process for the college. Your team needs to make sure that

the process makes all invited feel comfortable. Everyone needs to know that their

input is valued and how it will be used.

For Discussion:

What do you need to consider before developing a plan of action?

How would you use your strengths in this scenario?

How would you use others’ strengths in this scenario?

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Notes:

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VIA Classification of Strengths http://www.viame.org/

Virtues

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THE 5 HAPPINESS STRENGTHS

There are five character strengths that research has shown are specifically connectedwith higher levels of happiness. These are known as the “Happiness Strengths”.

Do you have at least one of these in your top five? If so, great! If not, you can boostthese strengths with certain activities.

1. Curiosity

What types of activities can help boost your curiosity strength?

2. Gratitude

What types of activities can help boost your gratitude strength?

3. Hope

What types of activities can help boost your hope strength?

4. Love

What types of activities can help boost your love strength?

5. Zest

What types of activities can help boost your zest strength?

Now Go To It!

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STRENGTHS BASED LEADERSHIP RESOURCES

WEBSITES

VIAMe!TM Inventory of Strengths http://www.viame.orgFree Basic Report

StrengthsFinder http://strengthsfinder.comRequires purchasing the book for apasscode to take the assessment

Realise2 Standard Profile http://www.cappeu.com/~$32

BOOKS

StrengthsFinder 2.0 Author, Tom Rath

Strengths Based Leadership Authors, Tom Rath and Barry Conchie

Now, Discover Your Strengths Authors, Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton

TEDTALKS (SEARCH FOR STRENGTHS BASED LEADERSHIP)

Marcus Buckingham

Joe Folkman

Tom Rath

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Notes:

strengths-based leadership handout

Leadership & Management