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We notice it all the time: when we point out to people their natural talents through meaningful conversations, their success comes more easily. In this episode, we refer to this phenomenon as \u201ceasy buttons\u201d \u2014 our fourth core concept in this series.

Here at Lead Through Strengths, we love seeing people\u2019s potentials. It\u2019s always an amazing experience to help others realize something special about them and saying it aloud to them. This is because people often find it difficult to notice their very own potential. And so the more we hear responses like \u201cReally? That\u2019s a special thing?\u201d or \u201cOh, I\u2019m good at that?\u201d \u2014 the more we find fulfillment that we are into strengths development.

A lot of people still\xa0hold this default assumption that if something feels easy to them, it\u2019s\xa0probably\xa0easy for anyone else. They think it\u2019s nothing special. They dismiss it as they wouldn\u2019t want to offer a bunch of work that\u2019s ordinary or easy.\xa0In effect, they are actually depriving their team of their gifts or potentials.

\u201cWhy bother? Anybody could have done it anyway.\u201d

If you\u2019re a manager, you have to mine for these potentials and spot them.\xa0Make your particular team members aware that what they\u2019ve got is something special until they themselves acknowledge it.\xa0

Once they\xa0are convinced\xa0that what may be easy for them may actually be a challenge for others, they\u2019ll\xa0cease\xa0to think that their talent is \u201cunspecial.\u201d They will be more inspired to do more of that.

The more you\xa0consistently\xa0notice your team members\u2019 strengths, the more they will develop the eagerness to cultivate them.\xa0Eventually, they will let their easy buttons get pushed. Those little but meaningful conversations mean that much.

The CliftonStrengths talent themes show how you naturally think or feel or act at your default. Your reports provide you some words that may serve as clues to make it a little easier to spot your easy buttons for success. Again, while this is a very simple concept, it\u2019s strangely way overlooked in the office.

How exactly do easy buttons work?

What comes easily and enjoyable to you puts you in the strengths zone. And if you\u2019re in your strengths zone, your performance gets strengthened even more.\xa0

When we talk about implementing strengths, we normally ask people what comes easily to them. What do they find most enjoyable? They would list them down for sure, but as previously mentioned, they also tend to think that they\u2019re easy, that there\u2019s nothing special about that. \u201cAnybody could do that,\u201d as they would add.

Nevertheless, as we listen to the conversations, we find that the things that are easy and enjoyable to a person tend to be in their strengths zone. But given their default assumptions, they tend to go for what\u2019s challenging or difficult.\xa0In their effort to be top performers, they labor through their weaknesses rather than shine in their strengths.

But then again \u2014 as your strengths strengthen your performance, your weaknesses weaken your performance.\xa0

Most of the time, working on stuff that\u2019s really hard for you is like banging your head against the wall. You keep working hard and fighting the struggle that comes with dealing with things that are:

• not enjoyable
• doesn\u2019t come naturally
• not intuitive

In other words, these are not the things you typically excel at.\xa0

In order to stand out without draining yourself, you need to be aware of this lever of strengths which when pulled leads to:\xa0

• better performance
• people acknowledging you like you\u2019re a top performer
• getting your desired outcomes at work

That is equivalent to simply pressing those easy buttons.

Your CliftonStrengths talent themes also represent\xa0how\xa0you get things done, not what you\u2019re choosing to do. So regardless of the job you\u2019re in, your easy buttons will tell you how you can approach any outcome to get better results.\xa0

Easy buttons vary among people. In sales teams, for example, a benchmark personality type is usually set for the ideal salesperson. Desired types may include:

\xa0

• A challenger \u2013 one who challenges the current beliefs that are embedded in the organization today
• Presentation-savvy \u2013 someone who is the best at presenting case studies

\xa0

The truth is, all these will depend on the easy buttons for each person.

Maybe there\u2019s\xa0Person 1\xa0for whom it\u2019s natural to challenge current thinking, so that\u2019s what he is inclined to do. But the person who\u2019s best at it is the one who\u2019s developed that in a way to make it a palatable conversation for another person.

Maybe there\u2019s\xa0Person 2\xa0who\u2019s really great at collecting data, case studies, and analytics. In a sales engineer capacity, he can brilliantly present data that support how the product has worked for other similar companies. This can lead a client to make a buying decision.

Maybe there\u2019s\xa0Person 3\xa0who\u2019s highly effective at building relationships with people by breaking the ice and making them laugh and have a good time. He may say, \u201cI\u2019m a relational person, therefore that helps me sell because once the relationship is built, then we gain mutual trust that works out for us.\u201d

These are very different easy buttons and you could take any of those three people and they could all learn the other model. They could memorize sales tactics, scripts, and whatnots.

But for them to achieve their best performance, as a manager you have to help them figure out their easy buttons. By pushing these buttons, you help them towards great outcomes.

As you explore this fun concept with your team, you still might feel some resistance or hear excuses like:\xa0

\u201cNope, I\u2019m not doing it your way because that\u2019s in my weakness.\u201d\xa0

\u201cNope, not in my strengths zone.\u201d

When you face this scenario, hang in there because that will be tackled in one of the upcoming core competencies.\xa0

1. What\xa0you need to\xa0accomplish\xa0at work\xa0is dictated by\xa0the job description, but\xa0how\xa0you do that will\xa0largely\xa0benefit from\xa0talent themes tools.\xa0Think of them like easy buttons to help you deliver your responsibility with much better results.
2. Keep a list of your talent themes somewhere readily visible or accessible. Some ideas include:
   • A frame of your Top 5 talent themes on your desk\xa0
   • As magnets
   • As your phone\u2019s lock screen display\xa0
3. Examples of moments when the \u201ceasy buttons\u201d concept comes in handy:
   • When you\u2019re feeling a little bit stuck and you need something to help you maneuver the situation
   • When your default reaction hasn\u2019t been working for you and you\u2019re looking for a new way out

Your natural strengths are easy for you for a reason. Why choose another way?

Up next:\xa0\u201cN\u201d for \u201cnot an excuse.\u201d See you in the next episode!