What Color is Your Underwear?

Do you want to be happier and more productive? Well duh!

A couple of years ago I heard Marcus Buckingham speak on his passion: helping people discover and live their strengths. I hear he gets $60,000 for a one hour speech. He's worth every bit of it. He is the best speaker I have ever heard.

What makes him good is that what he tells you is based on research, sits well with your common sense, and is so doable.

Why focus on your strengths? Because you are never going to be very good at your weakness but you might be extraordinary at your strengths. Much as my wife and my mom would like it to be different, I could practice for 1000 years, and never make it past the first cut of So You Think You Can Dance. On the other hand, I had a chance to teach a class of adults on the spur of the moment when I was 13 and I did well. One of the questions The Gallup Organization (of which Marcus is a part) asked was, "Your child brings home their report card, 3 A's, 1B, 1C, and an F, which do you focus on?" Most people, including me would focus on the F. Wrong! If your child gets an F in math, they are probably never going to be an engineer. If they get an A in English, they might have a future as a writer (maybe even a blogger).

A strength is something you're good at, right? Yes and no. According to Buckingham, a strength is something that makes you feel strong. He makes the point that just because you're good at something doesn't make it a strength. I have a son that's good at math but he doesn't like doing it. A strength is something you are good at and that you enjoy.

Want to find out more? I recommend that you check out Marcus' books. They can help you clarify your strengths, learn how to focus on them, and help you craft your work life around them. He has written several but my two favorites are Now, Discover Your Strengths and Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance.

See Also

• Never Rely On A Single Point Of Failure
• 7 Ways To Start Your Rest Revolution
• Get Your Gatekeepers Up

Comments

[Pascal Venier]

Is 'going commando' the secret?

[Craig Huggart]

Pascal:

I think you may be on to something.

Craig