These are complex times in which we need to lead courageously. I see this in my clients. I have a great deal of respect for the gifts and talents they bring to the table. Their conviction to being authentic leaders with integrity is admirable. I watch them tirelessly working with their various contingencies, offering solutions […]
Authentic Leaders Engender Trust
Being self-aware is not enough to be seen as authentic and to engender trust. I’ve learned this the hard way over the years. Through using the Strengths Strategy model and becoming self-aware through my Strengths lens, I’ve been inundated with insights on dimensions of my Strengths that I now recognize I need to monitor and […]
Authentic Leaders are Self-Aware
When I reflect on Authenticity I think of the retirement celebration I attended for someone who had worked in the same office for 38 years. She experienced many obstacles, challenges and adversity in leadership during those 38 years, always handling everything with integrity and courage. Throughout the celebration I heard over and over again how […]
The Pursuit of Authenticity
My journey to realizing and claiming my authentic self, my voice, has felt like a bumpy and difficult process because I relied so much on feedback from others. I often felt misunderstood or that my authentic self was not okay — was there was something wrong with me? Then I came to learn about and […]
Engage All Stakeholders : The second promise of effective leaders
There is much written about the importance of feeling that there is meaning and purpose in our work. For those of you who have the Belief and/or Connectedness Strengths (like myself, whose Strengths are clustered in the Influencing and Relational domains) meaning, purpose and contribution to the greater good is a necessity in your life’s […]
Effective leaders have a vision: Where are we going? For the sake of what are we doing this?
Fully embracing both the challenge and opportunity to lead with your eyes wide open takes courage. No one feels fully prepared for the breath of responsibilities and skills that are needed to successfully lead people and serve the organization simultaneously — I’ve learned this in my work with talented leaders. There is an art and […]
Focused Conversations
Expanding my Strengths Intelligence has provided me with pragmatic approaches that have exponentially assisted me in strategically applying and leveraging my Strengths, allowing me to live and lead from the A+ Zone. I am amazed by the new insights that I continuously discover about how my top 15 Strengths dance together in different scenarios. This […]
Motivating Without Micromanaging
The more I have come to know and deeply understand my Strengths the more sense it all makes now. How my Strengths dance together, what lit their fire in the places where I have flourished professionally, where I have floundered and how I do not perform well and am demotivated with I’m micromanaged. The careers […]
What Can Managers Learn From Monkeys About Motivation?
I am curious about what motivates people. My biggest driver, my motivation, is the intrinsic reward I experience when I am in an environment that allows me a lot of autonomy. In the past, when I was around people who appeared to be driven, disciplined and consistent in how they work toward something I had […]
The Motivational Triad
We never lose our desire for autonomy. In fact, for me, autonomy has increased as I have matured and have come to know myself better. My coach feels that Strengths are my “Red Thread”. Reflecting on her insights, I now realize that my desire for autonomy, my “Red Thread” leading from my Strengths, is woven […]
Diana Gabriel, PPC