Create A Strengths Habit - With Michelle McQuaid
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This Episode\\u2019s Focus on Strengths
Today\\u2019s episode features Michelle McQuaid, the author of \\u201cYour Strengths Blueprint: How to be Engaged, Energized, and Happy at Work.\\u201d During this engaging interview, Lisa Cummings chats\\xa0with Michelle about her personal experience using her unique Strengths. Michelle shares practical examples about how she made huge changes not only at work, but also throughout every aspect of her life. Today, Michelle is flourishing and providing guidance to others via her books, coaching, training, and through her annual\\xa0Strengths Challenge.\\xa0 In 2016, the strengths challenge is September 6 \\u2013 12, and we hope you\'ll join the next one!
If you are interested in adding new tools to your Strengths toolbox, then this is the episode for you! Listen for several tips and tools to improve your work and home life, and perhaps learn a Dr. Seuss rhyme along the way.
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Michelle and Lisa\\u2019s Strengths
Michelle\\u2019s VIA Character Strengths: Creativity, Hope, Love, Love of Learning, Perseverance
Lisa\\u2019s VIA Character Strengths: Creativity, Humor, Curiosity, Hope, and Zest
Michelle\\u2019s StrengthsFinder Talents: Strategic, Learner, Maximizer, Achiever, Activator
Lisa\\u2019s StrengthsFinder Talents: Strategic, Maximizer, Positivity, Individualization, Woo
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What You\\u2019ll Learn In This Episode
Michelle was in an executive role. She\\xa0had achieved her career goals, and everything looked great on paper. However, she had a nagging,\\xa0unhappy feeling about\\xa0work, and she found herself\\xa0dragging her feet\\xa0into work each day. One day, she was watching a popular tv show, and saw a segment on \\u201cpositive psychology.\\u201d This segment would forever change her life. Michelle found one of Martin Seligman\\u2019s books. He\\u2019s the guru in the field of\\xa0positive psychology. As she read (and later studied directly with Seligman), she realized that our goal should be to bring out the best in ourselves and others more consistently. The more we use our strengths in our jobs, the more engaging, energizing, and fulfilling our lives\\xa0can be.
Michelle started with the free VIA Survey, and found that her #1 trait was Curiosity. That led to her Ah Ha moment \\u2013 the reason she was unhappy was because she wasn\\u2019t learning anything at work any more. In an effort to fulfill he need to learn new things, she implemented this plan:
- Read one new thing about positive psychology each day for 10 minutes. Michelle found that this exercise had a positive ripple effect throughout the rest of her day. It shifted how she felt at work.
- Each Friday, she emailed her boss 3 things she had learned through her reading that week. Later, she found out that he had been forwarding her emails to other people. At her 9 month review, he noted that the company hadn\\u2019t been using her strengths as effectively as they could be, and asked if she\\u2019d like to teach these ideas to others. This gave her a chance to put her strengths to work every day.
- The moments that people were able to actually see her strengths led to new career opportunities. In essence, Michelle ended up crafting her new career path.
VIA is a a system that \\u201cdiagnoses" the best in people. It\\u2019s a list of 24 character strengths that are\\xa0consistent across cultures and history. The goal is to focus on the top 5 character strengths that light you up the most.
Because we are affected by situations around us, Michelle recommends taking the survey every year. If there is a character strength you want to move up the list, there are methods to follow (but Michelle notes that it should only be because it\\u2019s something you value, not because society desires it). Here are 4 steps:
- Determine which strength you want to build
- Harness the natural part in your brain to create new habits (good or bad). Make sure you have some cue to work on that strength each day. For example, putting a book on your keyboard for the next day, or listen to a recording about this strength each day on your way to work.
- Try and use that strength when you are in a state of flow (when you can focus)
- Reward yourself each time you work on this new habit; it needs to be something you really want. For example, have a cup of coffee after your 10 minutes are up.
Check out the resources below, because Michelle offers a free e-book on her website to help you be in your\\xa0zone of greatness. It\\u2019s an excellent aide to improving yourself and creating new habits.
Tool: Appreciative inquiry
It\\u2019s a strengths-based approach to change, where you build on things that are working well. There is a positive effect on the company and the team.
Spend 80% of your time on your strengths, and 20% on our weaknesses. You want commitment not compliance.
Be realistic about how to get the best return on investment.
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Resources of the Episode
Here are ways to reach Michelle: Website Twitter Facebook LinkedIn YouTube
Your Strengths Blueprint: How to be Engaged, Energized, and Happy at Work by Michelle McQuaid and Erin Lawn
What Good is Positive Business? By Robert Dauman and Michelle McQuaid
Books of Interest by Martin E.P. Seligman:
Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life
Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being
Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification (by Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman)
Michelle\'s Article with Shane Lopez.
Take the free\\xa0Character Survey from VIA Institute on Character.
Michelle\\u2019s eBook resource: Can You Do More of What You Do Best?
Learn more and register for the Annual Strengths Challenge, which is September 6 \\u2013 12, 2016.
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Subscribe
To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from the website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published.
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StrengthsFinder Mini-Course For Managers
If you\\u2019re a people-manager and you want to sharpen your strengths based support, come join our monthly mini-course. We don\\u2019t charge for this because we want to help you keep the StrengthsFinder momentum going. Teams who receive strengths feedback have 8.9% greater profitability. Yowza! Sounds like a great reason to join. Source: \\xa0Asplund, J., & Blacksmith, N. \\u201cStrengthening Your Company\\u2019s Performance.\\u201d Gallup Business Journal.
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Go Live Your Talents
Remember, using your strengths every day at work makes you a stronger performer. If you\\u2019re always focused on fixing your team\\u2019s weaknesses, you\\u2019re choosing the path of most resistance. Go claim your talents and share them with the world!
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