1. Put Me in Coach: Using Your Strengths to Prepare for the Next Level Tammy Aagard University of Florida Tammy Aagard University of Florida

2. Overview Shifting the paradigm: Weaknesses vs Strengths What position do you play? Identifying your strengths using StrengthsFinder 2.0 Role of the Coach and Manager Strengths of teams Why people follow Leading for a lifetime

3. Shifting the Paradigm: Weaknesses vs Strengths Focus has been on remediation of weaknesses –Self-help books –Sessions at conferences –Talk shows Why focus on strengths? Talent X Investment = Strength

4. Baseball is an allegorical play about America, a poetic, complex, and subtle play of courage, fear, good luck, mistakes, patience about fate, and sober self-esteem. ~ Saul Steinberg

5. What Position Do You Play? Pitcher Catcher In-field Outfield Manager Coach

6. Strengths Categories Achiever Activator Adaptability Analytical Arranger Belief Command Communication Competition Connectedness Consistency Context Deliberative Developer Discipline Empathy Focus Futuristic Harmony Ideation Includer Individualization Input Intellection Learner Maximizer Positivity Relator Responsibility Restorative Self-Assurance Significance Strategic WOO (Winning Others Over)

8. Strengths-Based Leadership Four Domains of Leadership Strength –Executing –Influencing –Relationship Building –Strategic Thinking

9. Executing Make Things Happen Implement solutions Someone to Get’er done Leaders have the ability to “catch” an idea and make it a reality Achiever Arranger Belief Consistency Deliberative Discipline Focus Responsibility Restorative

10. Influencing Help team reach a broader audience Selling the team’s ideas inside and outside organization Take charge, speak up, and make sure your group is heard Activation Command Communication Competition Maximizer Self-assurance Significance Woo

11. Relationship Building Glue that holds a team together Ability to create groups and organizations greater than the sum of the parts Involve people, reduce distractions Adaptability Developer Connectedness Empathy Harmony Includer Individualization Positivity Relator

12. Strategic Thinking Focus organization on what could be Constantly absorbing and analyzing information to make the team better Continually stretch thinking for the future Analytical Context Futuristic Ideation Input Intellection Learner Strategic

13. Playing All Positions? Does the leader need to be able to cover all areas? Is that possible? How many leaders have spent countless hours and a great deal of energy trying to be “good enough” in each of these areas?

14. The Coach/Manager Manager Create and implement team strategy Lead team Create batting order Select starting pitcher Decide when to bring in relief pitcher Coach Mentor and train players Improve techniques and form Relay signals Direct baserunners

15. I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it. ~Rogers Hornsby

16. The Strength of a Team Team Member ExecutingInfluencingRelationship Building Strategic Thinking Assoc Registrar Arranger Responsibility AdaptabilityContext Input Assoc Registrar Deliberative Achiever Consistency Learner Analytical Prof Staff Member Adaptability Empathy Context Input Learner Support Staff Member Consistency Deliberative Focus HarmonyAnalytical RegistrarMaximizerIndividuationIdeation Strategic Learner

17. Team MemberExecutingInfluencingRelationship Building Strategic Thinking Assoc RegistrarAchiever Deliberative Responsibility Learner Input Assoc RegistrarBelief Arranger WOORelator Positivity Support Staff Member Achiever Focus Deliberative Discipline Relator Support Staff Member DeliberativeAdaptabilityInput Intellection Strategic Support Staff Member AchieverMaximizerAdaptabilityInput Intellection Support Staff Member ResponsibilityHarmony Developer Learner Input RegistrarRestorative Responsibility Achiever Arranger Analytical

18. Common Themes of Strong Teams 1.Conflict doesn’t destroy strong teams because strong teams focus on results 2.Strong teams prioritize what’s best for the organization and then move forward 3.Members of strong teams are as committed to their personal lives as they are to their work 4.Strong teams embrace diversity 5.Strong teams are magnets for talent

19. Why People Follow Baseball is like church. Many attend. Few understand. ~Leo Durocher

20. Followers’ Four Basic Needs Trust –Be candid even when delivering difficult news –Successful teams spend little time talking about trust –Trust dominates discussion for struggling teams Compassion –Cares about employee as a person Stability –Provide a solid foundation –Stability in the midst of change (evolving, growing overtime) –Nothing creates a sense of stability as quickly as transparency Hope –Sense of direction –Enthusiasm about the future –Strive to initiate the future rather than reacting to the present

21. My Top 5 Strengths Maximizer Individuation Ideation Strategic Learner

22. Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple. ~Barry Switzer

23. Leadership for a Lifetime Stay true to who you are Surround yourself with the right people –Complementary strengths –People who can do something better than you ever could Focus your self-improvement on bolstering your strengths, not remediating weaknesses Understand why people follow and develop them into leaders Personal success is an end in itself – Your success as a leader is measured by what continues to grow long after you are gone

24. Baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical ~ Yogi Berra

25. Questions? Thank you Tammy Aagard taagard@ufl.edu Thank you Tammy Aagard taagard@ufl.edu

26. References Rath, T., & Conchie, B. (2008) Strengths- Based Leadership. NY: Gallup Press. Rath, T. (2007) Strengths-Finder 2.0. NY: Gallup Press.