Direction Is More Important Than Speed...Something To Ponder

Here’s a thought for highly Strategic people to ponder. After assessing my coaching clients, I have discovered that many of my clients have Strategic™ in their Top 5 or Top 10 potential strengths.

I say potential strengths because possessing the Strategic™ trait does not mean that you’ve polished and matured your Strategic™ into a well-oiled machine. That’s what the process of coaching is all about.

I guide my clients to discover how they are uniquely gifted. How a person is uniquely gifted determined how they can produce the best version of themselves. Once my clients discover exactly and precisely what makes them tick, we move on to developing strengths. 

Strengths start out as traits before intentional development, maturing, and polishing occur. Once a trait becomes a strength, there is nothing that can hold a polished strength back from creating excellence.

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How to Turn Your Weaknesses into Strengths…That’s Not Right

This video title just landed in my Inbox. It didn’t sit well with me.

I coach Strengths every day. My clients are passionate people who are already good at what they do. Often, the people I work with don’t like comfort zones. By learning their Strengths, they learn how to step outside their comfort zone to stretch and to grow.

My clients come to me because they want to fine-tune what they do to produce a great performance. They’re interested in being maximized and they can’t wait to learn more about themselves.

STRENGTHS COACHING

In the realm of Strengths Coaching, we start off with an assessment that has been taken over 16,000,000 times around the world to identify a person’s unique traits.  We all possess the 34 traits that are identified through this assessment. What makes each us 100% unique is the order in which our traits line up.

The order in which one’s traits line up determines how they have potential to deliver a great performance. Everybody can deliver a great performance of some kind.

“Everyone has hidden talents and abilities that, once discovered, can be turned into superpowers.  Jeff is uniquely talented at identifying a person’s greatest abilities, then maximizing those abilities to produce true strengths.”

— Chief Information Security Officer

STRENGTHS MATURITY

The traits that show up near the top of one’s assessment report are the traits that can be turned into Strengths. Decades of research shows that when people are given the opportunity to do what they have potential to be great at, the impact on the individual, team, or organization can be powerful.

Some of the benefits include Personal Clarity, Self-Confidence, Direction, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Engagement with one’s work, Stronger Relationships and more.

DON’T FOCUS ON WEAKNESSES

The idea here is to identify one’s natural talents. From there, we can work to mature a person’s top talents into full-blown Strengths. Strengths have no cap on them in terms of just how great they can become.

I don’t ignore weaknesses. In fact, I help my clients to identify their weaknesses. Then, I help my clients to build a strategy around their Weaknesses so their weaknesses don’t derail the pursuit of maximizing their Strengths.

There is no value whatsoever to be gained in trying to turn a weakness into a Strength.  There is tremendous value in maximizing one’s Strengths.

When you’re ready to find Clarity around what your natural Strengths are, call me.

“Stand out from the crowd and get the job!  Jeff will teach you how to discover your greatest strengths, and then market yourself to your next employer. ”

— Chief Information Security Officer

Jeff Snyder’s, Jeff Snyder Coaching Blog, 719.686.8810

There’s Great Value in Understanding One's Personal Strengths

I’m referring to Strengths as described in the Clifton StrengthsFinderⓒ assessment. One of my strengths coaching clients is a technology sales professional.  I’ll refer to this client as Bob.

In addition to learning about himself, his own Strengths and how he could fine-tune his Strengths, an interesting realization came to Bob this week. This is what he shared:

“I fully expected to learn quite a bit about myself but what I didn’t see coming was how much I’ve learned about everyone else around me.  I now find myself in meetings and conversations where I’m able to get a much quicker handle on other people, who they are, and what’s making them tick.  In many cases I’m able to make an assessment of who I’m dealing with and adjust my expectations accordingly.  It’s actually reducing my frustration level and in some cases has helped me make better connections with clients and peers while giving me a better understanding of why I may not be making the progress I’d anticipated.  In certain situations and I’ve been able to make some adjustments.”

I look for results everywhere with my coaching clients.  The results Bob is reporting is his new-found ability to understand people more quickly because he now understands his own unique wiring and he is beginning to see the unique wiring of everyone around him.

By understanding the wiring of people around him, Bob is now able to tailor his communication to each unique individual he approaches in his audience.

How much more effective might you be if you intimately understood your own unique wiring and you learned to understand the unique wiring of people around you at work, at home and at play?

Jeff Snyder’s Jeff Snyder Coaching Blog, 719.686.8810

Do You Possess a High ACTIVATORⓒ Score on the Clifton StrengthsFinder™?

Activatorⓒ is one of my top scores on the Clifton StrengthsFinder™. The more I coach people who have this strength and the more I learn about this strength, the more I understand just how unique it is.

Putting my opinion aside, here are the facts.  Out of the 34 traits measured by the Clifton StrengthsFinder™, ACTIVATORⓒ comes in at number 29 in frequency out of 34.  What that means is that 11% of people out of more than 15,000,000 who have taken the assessment have ACTIVATORⓒ in their top 5 strengths out of 34 possibilities.  In other words, having Activatorⓒ in one’s top 5 strengths is somewhat rare.

The more I understand about how ACTIVATORⓒ works, the more I like it. 

• People who have this particular strength are always thinking about how to get started and how to mobilize others. 
• They turn ideas into action and they often possess contagious energy. 
• They make things happen!

If you are deeply gifted with Analytical traits as defined by the Clifton StrengthsFinder™ and you have a difficult time hitting the “GO” button, you might need to partner with an ACTIVATORⓒ in order to get your brilliant ideas into motion.

If you have this trait yourself, you should be in a position where you have the ability to get things going.  Remember that most people don't have the "GO" button to push that you possess.

Jeff Snyder’s, Jeff Snyder Coaching Blog, 719.686.8810

She's Rare, She's Valuable, and she has Unlimited Potential!

While reading an article in the New York Times, I ran across a sentence in the article that grabbed my attention.

“In a capitalist economy, the market rewards things that are rare and valuable.” CAL NEWPORT 

Last week I was privileged to have coached four women who all work in the cyber security profession.  They are all exceptional in their own ways.

One of the tools I use in my coaching practice is the Clifton StrengthsFinder Assessment.  In less than an hour, this tool shows me exactly and precisely how each of my clients are uniquely built.  Every time I review a new client’s StrengthsFinder results, I get to look at traits that are both rare and valuable.

WOW!

One client in particular whom I worked with last week has more than one trait in her top 5 Traits / Strengths that are both rare and valuable.  When these traits are weaved together, she is a special person.  

By the way, the Clifton StrengthsFinder is made up of 34 traits.  Each term that describes a trait belongs to the Gallup Organization and is Trademarked.  Traits near the top of one's Clifton StrengthsFinder report have the potential of being turned into Strengths.  This is what Strengths Coaching is all about.

COMMAND

Command is my client's number 1 trait.  Out of 34 traits that make up the Clifton StrengthsFinder, Command is the trait that comes in at number 34 in terms of how often it is found in the top 5 on a StrengthsFinder report.  

The Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment has now been taken by more than 15,000,000 people around the globe.

• For men, Command shows up in the top 5, 3% of the time. 
• For women, the Command trait shows up in the top 5, 2% of the time.

To say that my client who has Command at the top of her Strengths profile is an anomaly is an understatement.  The reason I say that is that our traits / strengths do not work by themselves.  They work with the other traits / strengths that surround them.

SELF-ASSURANCE

Also showing up in my client's top 5 traits is Self-Assurance.

• For men, Self-Assurance shows up in the top 5 traits / strengths 6% of the time.
• For women, Self-Assurance shows up in the top 5 traits / strengths 2% of the time.

Is my client starting to look like a rare and valuable contributor to you?  She is!

COMPETITION

One more trait that shows up in my client’s top 5 traits / strengths is the Competition trait. 

• For men, Competition shows up in the top 5 traits / strengths 16% of the time.
• For women, Competition in the top 5 traits / strengths is much more rare showing up only 2% of the time.

What does this picture tell me as a Strengths Coach?  My client’s top traits / strengths are both rare and valuable. The client described above has huge up-side potential that is virtually limitless. 

The company that hires this naturally gifted leader will see multiples on their return on investment.

Jeff Snyder Coaching, Strengths Coaching, 719.686.8810

"Working with you has been an Eye Opener"

Strengths Coaching and Emotional Intelligence Coaching…Why?

I was recently asked why I offer both Strengths Coaching and Emotional Intelligence Coaching. 

Strengths Coaching focuses on what a person has potential to be great at based on their natural giftedness. Because I work heavily with people who are gifted technologists, I have built up enough data and experience to understand the uniqueness of the gifted technologists I’m privileged to serve.  When I get to pass this understanding on to the gifted technologists who trust me to coach them, I get to help my coaching clients take their personal game to a new level. 

Maximizer

This work taps into the Maximizer (one of my top strengths) in me. By default, my Maximizer causes me to focus on taking good to great all the time.  I love to show my clients how they can turn their good performance into a great performance.

Gifted Technologists

My work goes beyond working with gifted technologists.  My unique experience also enables me to show some of my clients how their unique giftedness sets them up to either become or to fine-tune their leadership abilities if they're already in leadership. 

The days when I get to coach someone who has potential they didn’t know they had before we got together are some of my best days!

Weaknesses

Because everyone I coach is a human being, there is a 100% chance that every one of my coaching clients have weaknesses.  As a Strengths Coach, I have determined that it makes no sense at all to try to help my clients turn their weaknesses into strengths.  It simply doesn’t work.

What does work is the effort I invest with my clients to strengthen their strengths while showing them how to build strategies around their weaknesses so their weaknesses don’t get in the way of their strengths. Strategies can’t be built around topics that are not clearly understood.

Emotional Intelligence

It was my observation that everyone has weaknesses that led me to discover a way to become trained and certified in Emotional Intelligence Coaching. 

Emotional Intelligence shows me how my clients perceive themselves.  Sometimes this self-perception is right and sometimes it is wrong.  I can also see how my clients are likely perceived by other people.  When there is a gap between how my clients perceive themselves and how they come across to other people, there is work to be done.

The good news here is that a person’s Emotional Intelligence can be improved upon.  In my coaching practice, these are the Emotional Intelligence skill we measure and work to improve based on each coaching client’s unique needs.

Emotional Intelligence

Self-Perception

Self-Regard, Self-Actualization, Emotional Self-Awareness

Self-Expression

Emotional Expression, Assertiveness, Independence

Interpersonal

Interpersonal Relationships, Empathy, Social Responsibility

Decision Making

Problem Solving, Reality Testing, Impulse Control

Stress Management

Flexibility, Stress Tolerance, Optimism

Working with my clients as an Emotional Intelligence Coach to improve their Emotional Intelligence is the most difficult and the most impactful and rewarding work I do.  When a person works to improve their behavior, the behavior that impacts other people and progress is made, this is the most impactful work I do and it is one of the greatest personal and professional investments my clients can possibly make.

Better behavior leads to all kinds of positive results.  When my clients are focused on doing work that aligns with their top strengths and they are focused on delivering their work with their best behavior attached, the result for my clients is their best performance. 

Jeff Snyder Coaching, 719.686.881

“I’m an Alpha Male” he told me

That’s what my caller told me during our conversation.  I’m not sure how you define “Alpha Male” so here's what came to my mind. 

I interpreted the comment in context of this conversation to mean that the person on the other end of my phone had a need to tell me he was a “Big Dog” and he was used to being in charge. 

The Alpha Males and Alpha Females I know who are impressive leaders may feel the need to tell others they are “Alpha” but they turn on their Impulse Control and they don't say what might be on their minds.

The "Alpha" leaders I know through my leadership coaching work more often than not possess the Command strength near the top of their StrengthsFinder report.  

Command as defined by the Clifton Strengthsfinder:  People exceptionally talented in the Command theme have presence.  They can take control of a situation and make decisions.  

Only 5% of the +-15 Million people who have taken a Clifton StrengthsFinder have the Command trait showing up in their top 5 traits.  Out of 34 traits that show up on the StrengthsFinder report, Command comes in 34th in terms of frequency. Command is rare.

Successful "Alpha" people tend to operate with these characteristics:

• They inspire trust by being honest and by demonstrating high integrity
• They are decisive
• They have vision and they are able to clearly communiate their vision
• They are people whose words you might not like but you always know where they stand
• They are humble
• They’re leaders

Leaders don’t need to tell others that they’re leaders.  They simply do what leaders do.

Jeff Snyder Coaching, Leadership Coach, 719.686.8810

Is the Command Talent one of your top Talents or Strengths?

People who are strong in the Clifton StrengthsFinder Command talent are part of a small group.  Out of 34 traits that are measured in the StrengthsFinder assessment, Command comes in at 34 in frequency.  Only 5% of people have Command in their Top 5 Traits or Strengths. 

People who possess strong Command have presence.  They naturally take control of a situation.  They make decisions and they lead. 

Command gifted people need to be in the driver’s seat.  They need for things to be clear amongst other people.  They are willing to speak up.  They’ll share good to know, bad to hear news to give people a realistic idea of where they stand.

People with high Command do not shy away from confrontation.  They can be direct and highly decisive. Command gifted people can inspire others to rise above their fears.

Command comes with a powerful high side to leverage if you have it.  Command also comes with a powerful low side if you have it and you haven’t built a strategy to manage it properly.

You can find out how you're uniquely wired and you can learn how to turn your unique set of talents into strengths!

Jeff Snyder Coaching

Is the Includer Talent one of your top Talents or Strengths?

People who are strong in the Clifton StrengthsFinder Includer talent are exceptionally skilled in the act of accepting others.  They have an instinctive awareness that helps them to spot those who might be left out of a group.

Includers look for ways to make the circle of inclusion larger.  Includers see everyone as being the same. Therefore, everyone should be included.  Includers bring a high tolerance for acceptance and diversity to a group or team.  Includers generally hate cliques.

You can find out how you're uniquely wired and you can learn how to turn your unique set of talents into strengths!

Jeff Snyder Coaching

Is the Restorative Talent one of your top Talents or Strengths?

People who are strong in the Clifton StrengthsFinder Restorative talent are exceptionally capable when it comes to dealing with problems.  They are instinctively gifted when it comes to determining what went wrong and what should be done to fix a problem. 

Restorative people are energized by solving problems.  People who are wired in this way can effectively deal with personal, professional, financial, systems problems and more.  They are diagnostic experts who can deal with problems in a calm and collected manner.

You can find out how you're uniquely wired and you can learn how to turn your unique set of talents into strengths!

Jeff Snyder Coaching

Is the Developer Talent one of your top Talents or Strengths?

People who are strong in the Clifton StrengthsFinder Developer talent are able to spot talent in others and they have an instinctive ability to know how to develop the potential that lies in others. 

When a Developer gets to assist in developing another human being, this is one of the best experiences they can possibly have.  Developers possess a selfless desire to help others succeed.  Developers can often see talent in other people that those people don’t see in themselves.

You can find out how you're uniquely wired and you can learn how to turn your unique set of talents into strengths!

Jeff Snyder Coaching

Is the Adaptability Talent one of your top Talents or Strengths?

People who are strong in the Clifton StrengthsFinder Adaptability talent are “right here”, “right now” kind of people.  They embrace change and can implement change quickly.  They are energized by chaotic situations because they have a unique ability to work their way around obstacles that chaotic situations tend to present.

Adaptability people aren’t swayed by sudden change or sudden requests for a change in direction.  They prefer to go with the flow and they aren’t stopped by obstacles.  Instead, they’ll figure out a way to work around what might be obstacles to other people.

You can find out how you're uniquely wired and you can learn how to turn your unique set of talents into strengths!

Jeff Snyder Coaching

Is the Belief Talent one of your top Talents or Strengths?

People who are strong in the Clifton StrengthsFinder Belief talent have sound, unchanging core values that produce a well-defined purpose for their lives. People with strong Belief talents know where they stand and they know what they stand for. 

Belief people are frequently purpose driven, mission driven, people driven and values driven.  The consistency by which they live enables people who are gifted with the Belief talent to provide a strong foundation for their relationships.

People who are high in the Belief talent are people you can depend on.  You’ll always know where they stand.  They can often raise the ethical standards of those around them.

You can find out how you're uniquely wired and you can learn how to turn your unique set of  talents into strengths!

Jeff Snyder Coaching

Jeff: Why Do You Write About Strengths So Often?

This is a simple question to answer

For a long time, psychologists focused their study on what’s wrong with people.  Then they focused on trying to fix what’s wrong with people.

Don Clifton PhD came along and decided to focus on what’s right with people.  This approach to psychology is a positive approach to psychology.  His research led to the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment.

This assessment has now been taken by over 14,000,000 people around the world.  The StrengthsFinder pinpoints unique talents each person possesses that would allow them to create their best performance if they simply knew what they had to work with and the knew how to leverage what they had in their bucket of talents.

The world is full of so much negativity and despair

In my pursuit of Strengths Coaching, I chose to pursue work that allows me to show my clients how they can figure out not just what they were built to do but I get to guide my clients in discovering how they can maximize their gifts to create their best performances.

Check Out What I Get To Do!

I'm able to blend my 26+ years of experience working as a talent agent for my clients with my understanding of strengths and how different strengths enable a person to excel at certain kinds of employment.

If everybody knew their unique strengths and if everybody knew how their unique strengths impacted those around them, the world would be a different place.  I’m changing my world one client at a time and sometimes in groups!

Jeff Snyder Coaching

Is the Analytical Talent one of your top Talents or Strengths?

People who are strong in the Clifton StrengthsFinder Analytical talent are people who have the ability to think about a large variety of factors that might impact a situation or a decision.  They search for reasons and causes.  They love to dig deep and they are stimulated by probing and asking questions.
 

Analytical people will frequently challenge others to prove their point.  They don't just accept information as truth. They're likely to do research to verify the truth.  People who are gifted with the Analytical talent are often perceived by other people as being logical and rigorous. 

Analytical people usually have a passion for data.  These people are particularly useful in situations where a high quality outcome is necessary or desired.

You can find out how you’re uniquely wired and you can learn how to turn your unique set of strengths into leverage that comes out in your personal power!

Jeff Snyder Coaching

Is the WOO Talent one of Your Top Talents or Strengths?

The Clifton StrengthsFinder suggests that people who have the WOO (Winning Others Over) talent love the idea of meeting new people.

“They see no strangers – only friends they haven’t met yet.”

People who have WOO talent high on their list of talents / strengths bring energy to groups.  They are especially gifted when it comes to drawing others out of their introverted shells.

You can find out how you’re uniquely wired and you can learn how to turn your unique set of strengths into leverage that comes out in your personal power!

Jeff Snyder Strengths Coaching

Is the Intellection Talent one of Your Top Talents or Strengths?

The Clifton StrengthsFinder suggests that people who have the Intellection talent are people who are energized by mental activity. 

Intellection gifted people love to think.  They appreciate all kinds of mental activity. They are problem solvers who are capable of developing significant ideas and solutions. Most people who possess high Intellection talent love to read and they can’t get enough of analyzing things.

You can find out how you’re uniquely wired and you can learn how to turn your unique set of strengths into leverage that comes out in your personal power!

Jeff Snyder Strengths Coaching

Is the Responsibility talent high on your list of talents / strengths?

The Clifton StrengthsFinder suggests that people who have the Responsibility talent high on their list of talents take ownership for what they say they will do. 

People with high Responsibility talent hold values such as honesty and loyalty highly. These people tend to connect their words and their actions. They keep promises and honor commitments. They are people you can count on. Responsibility people are frequently trust builders.

You can find out how you’re uniquely wired and you can learn how to leverage your unique set of talents into strengths that show up in your personal performance.

Career Coaching from Jeff Snyder Coaching

Is the Communication Talent One of Your Top Talents?

The Clifton StrengthsFinder suggests that people who have the Communication talent have exceptionally strong abilities to write, present, describe and explain.  They can turn thoughts and actions into stories.

They have the ability to create word pictures.  People who are gifted with the Communication talent generally have no trouble putting their thoughts into words that captivate others.

You can find out how you’re uniquely wired and you can learn how to leverage your unique set of talents into strengths that show up in your personal performance.

Career Coaching from Jeff Snyder Coaching