Can You Spot Others’ Strengths?

When was the last time you walked into a meeting with a colleague with the deliberate intention of spotting their strengths?  If the answer doesn’t roll off the tip of your tongue, don’t feel bad.

The truth is while it’s relatively easy to spot the worst in others, finding the best in people and ways you can bring more of this out in their work isn’t something most of us naturally excel at.

Scientists have long understood that while we all share a deep psychological need to be respected, valued and appreciated, the negativity bias hardwired into our brain makes us much better at spotting what we don’t like about people, rather than their strengths.

So is there a way you can retrain your brain to help you see the best in others? 

Why is it worth spotting strengths in others?

Well to be honest here the science is still catching up.

There is a growing evidence base that when leaders focus on spotting and appreciating the strengths – rather than the weaknesses – of their employees, people perform better.

But how does it impact people whom we’re not leading?

I saw the power of this spotting strengths in others first hand, when I was lucky enough to spend more than a decade working alongside a man named Jim Stynes.  Jim was an Irishman who came to Australia to play professional football and along the way donated his time to help thousands of teenagers find the confidence to achieve.

He was a master and looking for the strengths in others and then telling them what he saw and in today’s episode of Chelle McQuaid TV I’ll share his secret.

How can you start spotting strengths in other people at work?

If like me you’re not as proficient as Jim was at seeing people’s strengths, try these three simple steps to spotting strengths in others.

Firstly, before you head into your next meeting or conversation at work remind yourself to look for the best in the people you’ll be seeing.

As things get underway look for the moments where they’re more engaged, energized and enjoying what they’re talking about or doing.  Often their bodies will literally start to lean in to the conversation, the body language might become more animated and the tone of voice and pace of speech tend to be uplifted.  You’ll find more tips on spotting strengths here from Dr. Alex Linley.

Secondly, as you leave the meeting or conversation use the cheat sheet below of VIA Character Strengths to help you spot which strengths they may have been using.  Again think back to those moments when they lit up, which strengths might have been in action.

Finally, follow up your interaction with a call or a note of thanks for their time and include a little appreciation for the strengths you saw in play.

For example if you think their strength might be curiosity you might say: “Thanks for taking the time to meet today, I really valued the questions you were asking to help us get a better outcome on this project.”

As I’ve experimented with this in my own relationships at work I’ve discovered more important than actually getting the strength right every time, is showing up with the willingness to look and offer appreciative feedback.  It takes only a moment of my time and it’s been instrumental in improving even my most difficult relationships.

Want more help on spotting strengths in others? Read more here from Dr. Alex Linley on strength spotting or watch this short video with with Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener.

What happens when you spot strengths in others?  If you’d like a little help with more practical, tested approaches to spotting strengths and how to appreciate people for them just ask below!

- See more at: http://www.michellemcquaid.com/

Turn The Job You Have Into A Job You Love

Job Crafting

Ever been asked to do something at work you didn’t really want to do?

Perhaps you’re weren’t sure if you could really pull it off.  Or you just didn’t want to spend your days wrapped up in this particular work.  Or maybe you thought your boss had gone completely mad!

A few years ago I found myself in exactly this situation.  I was asked to take on what most people in my organization considered an impossible task to reposition our brand with a tiny budget, a small team and a tight deadline.   And I really wasn’t that keen on spending the next year of my life on this particular project.

Unfortunately my career progression depended on me not just doing it – but doing it well.

So what can you do when the job you have, isn’t the job you want?

Using Your Strengths To Craft Your Job

Of course one of the best ways to make a job easier, more engaging and more enjoyable is to try and find ways to use your strengths – the things you like doing and that you’re good at – in your work each d

ay.

But if your job description wasn’t written with your strengths in mind and the day -to-day demands of your job have you running around like a headless chicken, just how are you meant to find time to play to your strengths?

Personally I was saved by the research of Professors Jane Dutton and Amy Wrezneuski who have discovered crafting your job by changing where you choose to spend your time and energy and how you think about it, can help you reclaim your power, motivation and relationships no matter what your job is.

In today’s episode of Chelle McQuaid TV , I’ll show you exactly how to use the  job crafting toolkit created by Dutton and her colleagues to reshape the work you dread, into work you’ll actually love because it draws on your strengths.

Not only did the approaches I discovered mean my team and I were actually able to deliver the project on time, on budget and exceed every measure set for us, but it made the work I dreaded far more engaging and enjoyable and wound up getting me promoted the job I dreamed of.

How Can You Craft A Job You Love

Take a few minutes to note done all the tasks required in your job.  Now divide them into those you enjoy and those you feel drained by.  The ones you enjoy are usually are good indication of where your strengths lie.

Think about what you could do to grow those things you enjoy doing just a little more in your day.  Remember for me even 11 minutes a day shifted the way I felt and performed.  This might involve changing the type and number of tasks you undertake.  It might mean thinking about who you spend your time with.  It might mean thinking about how you think about some elements of your work.

Then experiment with what’s possible.  Move past your own expectations of how you “should’ spend your time and find small moments – even if it’s at lunch time or just before your day starts – to use your strengths and shine.  It’s likely everything else in your day will go better because you did.

If you want more help to develop your strengths grab my free video training series.  I also recommend the step-by-step video on job crafting,

What would you change to craft the job you have into  a job you love?  If you’d like a little help with more practical, tested approaches to play with just ask below!

- See more at: http://www.michellemcquaid.com/job-crafting/

Need An Energy Boost?

Ever have one of those mornings where your energy is so low you’re struggling to get out of bed?  The thought of all the things you’ve got to pull off is enough to make you want to put that duvet right back over your head?

Even after all these years and all I’ve learnt about well-being, I still have days when all I want to do is crawl back under the covers.  Despite all my good intentions about the life I want to be living, sometimes the fears and the failures leave my energy levels running on empty.

Sick of sleep walking my way through life, lately I revisited one of my favorite positive psychology tools to help me tune in more closely to what boosts my energy and what depletes it.  Want to see how I found the energy to show up for the life I want to be living?

How Your Emotions Impact Your Energy

Professor Barbara Fredrickson‘s research suggests when we strike the right balance between the amount of positive and negative emotions we’re experiencing, we reach a tipping point that gives us the intellectual, psychological, physical and social energy to flourish.

Fredrickson‘s studies have found negative emotions like fear, anxiety and stress spark a downward spiral of negativity that cause us to feel helplessness, despair and left unchecked leave us to languish with very little energy.

On the other hand positive emotions like joy, hope, love, interest, pride, amusement, serenity, pride, gratitude, inspiration and awe spark an upward spiral of positivity that improves our sense of confidence, self-belief and ultimately move us towards flourishing so we have the energy to live a life we love.

The goal is not to get rid of all negativity.  Although it can sap up our energy, negativity that we can learn and grow from is a healthy part of human development. Rather, Fredrickson suggests the goal is find the right balance between the amount of negative emotions and positive emotions we’re experiencing.

While there’s hot debate in the scientific community about what this level might be, it’s important – like any piece of research – you put it to the test to find what’s best for you.  In today’s episode of Chelle McQuaid TV, I’ll show you how you can do just this to boost your energy levels.

How To Boost Your Energy

To see what you can do to boost your energy levels start by taking Fredrickson’s free positivity ratio test.  It takes about two minutes and she recommends you do it for two weeks to get an accurate gauge on how you’re doing rather than let one day skew your results.

As you track your positivity try to pay attention to what’s creating positive emotions in life and what’s creating negative emotions.  Notice how this impacts your energy levels each day.

Finally, experiment with what you can do to dial up your positive emotions or dial down your negative emotions to improve your ratio.

In her book “Positivity”, Fredrickson suggests dialing up your positivity by getting close to nature, performing acts of kindness, ritualizing gratitude, connecting with others and meditate regularly.  Try dialing down negativity by avoiding sarcasm and gossip, monitoring your media consumption and breaking the grip of rumination.  You can watch Fredrickson talking more about these strategies here.

By tracking my positivity ratio I became much more aware of how my energy ebbed and flowed over the course of a day based on the experiences I was having.  It helped to remind me that when the negativity is piling up, I don’t need to just crawl back into bed.  Instead by injecting some positive emotions back into my day, I can balance out what I’m experiencing and find the energy to continue showing up.

What are your favorite approaches to recharge your energy?  How do you slay the energy zappers in your life? And if you’d like a little help with more practical, tested approaches to play with just ask below!

- See more at: http://www.michellemcquaid.com/