Maximizing Human Potential Through StrengthsBased Leadership in Higher Education

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Maximizing Human Potential Through
Strengths-Based Leadership in Higher Education

• 17th Annual
• International Leadership Conference for Post
  Secondary Leaders
• Chair Academy
• April 3, 2008

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Strength-Based Team

• Chad Coauette
• Achiever, Competition, Focus, Arranger,
  Analytical
• Responsibility, Maximizer, Strategic
• DeAnna Murphy
• Responsibility, Connectedness, Learner, Achiever,
  DisciplineInput, Communicator, Relator
• Shari Olson
• Achiever, Learner, Maximizer, Activator,
• Command
• Ideation, Strategic, Significance

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Minnesota State Colleges Universities
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Our Journey in Strength-Based Leadership

• Session will demonstrate how two organizations
  are applying strength-based leadership to achieve
  excellence utilizing the StrengthsFinder 2.0
  book.
• 2005-2008

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What To Expect From This Session

• Learn how to create talent awareness
• Experience the impact of focusing on
• strengths
• Discover useful tools
• Understand how this process can be a
• springboard for continuous improvement
• efforts
• Conclusion
• Question Answer Session

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Father of Positive Psychology

• Great organizations must not only accommodate
  the fact that each employee is different, THEY
  MUST CAPITALIZE ON THESE DIFFERENCES.
• Don Clifton

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Strength-Based Leadership

• A school of thought that has been emerging over
  the past two decades human beings have an
  unbelievable, untapped potential in ways which
  are unique to their individual make-up.

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Key Strength-Based Researchers

• Gallup Organization
• Donald Clifton
• www.gallupconsulting.com
• Tom Rath StrengthsFinder 2.0 (180 item on-line
  assessment that measures a persons talents in 34
  themes)

• Marcus Buckingham
• Steven Covey

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Our Journey in Strength-Based Leadership

• 2005 2008 A collaborative leadership
  development program for employees working in
  Business Outreach and Customized Training at
  Alexandria Technical College and Northland
  Community Technical College.
• VISION To build a cross-college team that would
  leverage the strengths of the individuals working
  within these two colleges to create excellent
  value-added services and results for business and
  industry partners and customers.

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Collaborative Initiatives

• Tools of Quality Training
• StrengthsFinder Training
• Multiple Grant Applications
• Statewide Truck Weight Education Project
• Founding Members of the Coalition of
• Manufacturing Education
• Founding Members of the Coalition for
• Continuous Improvement in Healthcare

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Our Journey in Strength-Based Leadership

• 2006 2008 Utilized the Strength-based
  leadership program as a springboard for
  continuous improvement
• Principles of Continuous Improvement
• Workplace Organization
• Value Stream Mapping

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Our Journey in Strength-Based Leadership

• 2006 2008 Administrative Services
• department at a multi-campus college
• StrengthsFinder 2.0 was utilized as the
• keystone training event, it assisted in
• Breaking down silos between departments
• Creating self-awareness and team awareness
• of talents
• Enhancing team collaboration and
• effectiveness and
• Engaging supervisors in coaching and
• mentoring their direct reports.

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StrengthsFinder Learning Seminars

• Administrative Services Teams
• Introduction to StrengthsFinder (2 hrs)
• Discover Your Talents (3 hrs)
• Putting Your Strengths to Work (3 hrs)
• Building a Strengths-Based Team (3 hrs)

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Strength-Based Voices
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StrengthsFinder Learning Seminars

• Supervisors
• Intro to StrengthsFinder (2 hrs)
• 60 Minute coaching sessions
• Discover the Strengths of Your Direct
• Reports (3 hrs)
• Coaching Your Direct Reports for Ongoing
• Success (3 hrs)
• Building a Strength-Based Organization
• (3 hrs)

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Strengths-Based Voices
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Talent Bank
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Partner Interview

• Think back through your entire life (preferably
  your work life). Locate a moment that was a high
  point, when you felt most effective and engaged.
  Describe how you felt, and what made the
  situation possible.
• Without being humble, describe what you valued
  most about yourself and your work at that time.
  What did you do that helped you feel that way?
• What results did you get because of your passion
  and engagement? How did it affect others around
  you (your team)?

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See-Do-Get
SEE
Paradigms
Results
GET
DO
Behaviors
From 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by
Stephen Covey
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Results of Strengths Focus

• Organizations experience
• Heightened productivity
• Fiercely loyal customers
• Long employee tenure
• Low accident incidence
• Increased profitability

• Individuals experience
• Heightened
• productivity
• Passion/enthusiasm
• for work
• Less stress
• Greater sense of
• contribution/value
• Recognition and
• growth

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Strength-Based Voices
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Performance and Job Complexity
Low-Complexity Jobs
Medium-Complexity Jobs
High-Complexity Jobs
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300
1,200
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What Do You Believe?
Strength Building Paradigm
Weakness Fixing Paradigm

• Each persons room for growth is in the area of
  his or her greatest strength.

• The greatest human growth potential is in the
  area of greatest weakness.

• Some behaviors can be learned, many are nearly
  impossible to learn.

• All behaviors can be learned, if a person applies
  him/herself.

• The best in a role deliver the same outcomes, but
  use different behaviors.

• To have success, we should try to replicate the
  behaviors of the best performers.

• Weakness-fixing prevents failure.
  Strength-building leads to success!

• Weakness-fixing is the key to success!

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Knowledge

• What you are aware of.

Example A teacher, who understands the issues
of his students, and how they relate to his
ideas.
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Skill

• The capacity to perform the fundamental steps of
  an activitythe how-to area of a job.

Example A teacher, who has practiced
articulating his ideas, so others understand them.
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Talent

• A naturally recurring pattern of thought,
  feeling, or behavior that can be productively
  applied.

Example A teacher, who has exciting ideas that
captivate students.
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Strength

• The ability to provide near perfect performance
  in a given activity.

Strength
Talent
Knowledge
Skill
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Strength Formula

• Talent
• x Investment
• Strength

• 2
• x 5
• 10

5 x 5 25
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Look for the SIGNs of Strength

• Successexcellent performance
• Instinctnaturally drawn to the activity
• Growthfocus, learning comes easily
• Needpsychologically energizing

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What Are Your Strengths?
Most Americans do not know what their strengths
are. When you ask them, they look at you with a
blank stare, or they respond in terms of subject
knowledge, which is the wrong answer! Peter
Drucker
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Tool

• New Upgraded Edition of Online Assessment from
  Gallups StrengthsQuest
• Identifies top 5 themes
• StrengthsFinder 2.0
• cost 12.95

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StrengthsFinder Themes
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Understanding Your Strengths

• How do you see this theme show up in your
• personal life?
• How does this theme manifest itself in your
• work life?
• What impact does this theme have?

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StrengthsFinder Print-out Includes

• Theme description
• Personalized theme
• description
• Examples of theme in
• action
• Ideas for
• development

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Let Your Strengths Shine!
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond
measure. It is our light, not our darkness that
most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to
be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing
small does not serve the world. There is nothing
enlightened about shrinking so that other people
won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant
to shine... And as we let our own light shine, we
unconsciously give other people permission to do
the same. As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
Marianne Williamson
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Team Strengths Grid
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Discovery Guide

• Your own personal report

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4 Levels of Leadership Covey

• This diagram symbolizes the importance of
  focusing investments first to the individual, as
  it is at the core of high-functioning teams and
  organizations.

Organization
Organization
Team
Team
Interpersonal
Interpersonal
Personal
Personal
Trustworthiness
Trustworthiness
Trust
Trust
Empowerment
Empowerment
Engagement
Engagement
Alignment
Alignment
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4 Levels of Leadership Covey

• The Strength-Based Leadership philosophy suggests
  that individuals who recognize and live from
  their own strengths, at the Personal level of
  leadership, are more able to celebrate the
  strengths of others at the Interpersonal level of
  leadership.

Organization
Organization
Team
Team
Interpersonal
Interpersonal
Personal
Personal
Trustworthiness
Trustworthiness
Trust
Trust
Empowerment
Empowerment
Engagement
Engagement
Alignment
Alignment
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Developing People

• The best way to develop people and net the
  greatest return on investment in their growth is
  to identify their talents then help them add the
  skills and knowledge that build strengths -- the
  ability to provide consistent, near-perfect
  performance.

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Strength-Based Voices
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X-Factor

• (r x2s x1/rs)(r y2s y1/rs)( r z2s
  z1/rs)

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Strengths-Based Voices
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Questions?
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Marcus Buckingham 2007
Find a small stream in which your strengths
flow, and see if you can carve it into the
Mississippi.
Headwaters of the Mississippi
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Marcus Buckingham 2007
Find a small stream in which your strengths
flow, and see if you can carve it into the
Mississippi.
Mississippi at Louisiana
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Contact Information

• Chad Coauette
• Alexandria Technical College
• Telephone [phone]
• Email chadc_at_alextech.edu
• DeAnna Murphy
• Northland Community Technical College
• Telephone [phone]
• Email deanna.murphy_at_northlandcollege.edu
• Shari L. Olson
• Minnesota State Colleges Universities
• Telephone [phone]
• Email shari.olson_at_so.mnscu.edu

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Thank You!
Presentation paper can be found at
www.mc.maricopa.edu/community/chair/conference/200
8/index.html