23 rd GSC SHRM Annual Conference & Expo October 2014 Atlantic City, NJ Super Strengths in Real Life M. Nora Bouchard, MA, MCC Executive Coach

M. Nora Bouchard My Super Strengths: Narration, Adventure, Feedback You Your Super Strengths: Turn to a colleague “My name is __________. And my super strength is ___________________!

The Case for Activating Strengths: 1. Are happier 2. More confident 3. Have higher levels of self-esteem 4. Have higher levels of energy & vitality 5. Experience less stress 6. Are more resilient 7. Are more likely to achieve goals 8. Perform better at work 9. Are more engaged 10. Are more effective at developing themselves & others People who use their strengths at work:

The Case for Activating Super Strengths: Performance 1. Corporate Leadership Council (2002) 2. Over 19,000 employees from 34 companies across 7 industries and 29 countries

Defining Strength: OrganizationMad GeniusDefinition VIA Institute on Character Martin SeligmanMorally, universally valued Our capacity to help ourselves & others Produce positive effects when we express them Strengths Finder 2.0 Donald O. Clifton & Marcus Buckingham Based on dominant talents – the way you naturally think, feel & behave Centre for Applied Positive Psychology Alex LinleySomething you perform well that energizes you

Discovering Strengths: 1. Observations 2. Questions 3. Tools Observing Strengths 1. Two volunteers!

Observing Strengths: 1. Possesses high energy 2. Exhibits lost sense of time 3. Demonstrates rapid learning of new information, tasks 4. Shows repeated pattern of successful performance 5. Always gets the task done 6. Feels a yearning to use the strength 7. Sounds clear, with a bit of an uplift to the voice 8. Speaks quickly, rhythmically, and with a natural pace 9. Appears happy, confident, and optimistic 10. Uses more elaborate language 11. Responds immediately to questions A person using his/her strengths:

Observing Weaknesses 1. Are hesitant to talk about it, with many starts and stops 2. Struggle to express themselves 3. Sound dejected, deflated, flat 4. Are more critical and unforgiving of themselves 5. Are focused on problems rather than solutions 6. Use a heavy and self-critical tone 7. May appear disengaged from the conversation 8. May seek ways to withdraw from the situation 9. Are more likely to be backward looking 10. Possess poor eye contact and seem distracted 11. Show drooped posture Those suffering from Kryptonite:

Questioning for Strength: What makes a really good day for you? What are you looking forward to in the future? What would it be easy for you to teach others? What activities have you done since you were a kid? What energizes you most at work? When have you been happiest at work? What is your most significant accomplishment? Tell me about your best day ever! When do you feel the most relaxed? What sort of every day things do you enjoy? When do you feel most real, authentic?

TOOLS:VIAStrengthsFinder 2.0 Realise2 DefinitionEnablers of a good life Innate talents/knowledge /skill Performance/Ener gy Measures24 Character Strengths in 6 Categories 34 Themes60 Strengths in 4 Categories Questions Std Report$0/ List of 24 Character Strengths With book purchase/ Top 5 Themes $25US/ 21 Strengths in 4 Categories OptionsVIA Survey VIA ME! VIA Pro Certificate Talent Discovery & Dev Report R2 Standard R2 Premium R2 Team Use Worldwide2.5 Million+1 Million+ 70,000

Activating Strengths; Realise2:

Activating Strengths: 1. Consider 1 issue/challenge you are facing 2. Which strengths are you using? 3. Which might you be over-using? 4. Which learned behaviors (those you do well, but drain your energy) are you relying on? 5. Which weaknesses (those you do poorly and definitely drain your energy) might you be relying on? 6. Which new strengths could you tap into?

M. Nora Bouchard

Resources 1. Centre for Applied Positive Psychology 2. VIA Strengths 3. Gallup Strengths 4. StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath 5. The Strengths Book, Be Confident, Be Successful, and Enjoy Better Relationships by Realising the Best of You by Linley, Willars & Biswar-Deiner 6. Now, Discover Your Strengths by Donald O. Clifton & Marcus Buckingham 7. Strengths-Based Leadership, Great Leaders, Teams and Why People Follow by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie