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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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At the Core of Spirited Leaders' Philosophy

by Rick Baker
On Jan 28, 2013

 

Links to articles about these 3 keys to business success...

Seeking Simple

Building On Strengths

Adding Creativity

Tags:

Seeking Simple! | Spirited Leaders | STRENGTHS: People-Focused for Success

@GKWCC #CEOP2P: Talk with people about their strengths…some have difficulty with details yet excel at generating ideas.

by Rick Baker
On Jan 26, 2013

The @GKWCC #P2P series of thought tweets contains ideas, quotes, & suggestions provided by local business leaders at "CEO Peer-to-Peer" group meetings, sponsored by the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.

The goals of the thought tweets: to help local business leaders and to promote the sharing of business thoughts.

The thoughts expressed are not opinions of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce...they are opinions of local business leaders who are Chamber members and participate in the Chamber's CEO P2P program.

Thought Tweet #659

by Rick Baker
On Jan 24, 2013

Thought Tweet #659 Entrepreneurs have an innate talent: moving back and forth between narrow and wide focus...identifying opportunities.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

I have talked with many successful entrepreneurs who possess this innate talent. Many of these talented entrepreneurs work in our Waterloo area. This innate 'focus-talent' provides them the ability to see problems & opportunities before others see them.

Because of their innate Focus BrainSmart, it is accurate to say these entrepreneurs see things that are invisible to most people. 

They see problems before others see them. Sometimes this is interpreted as pessimism. It isn't pessimism. It's better-than-most vision.

These entrepreneurs also see opportunities before others see them. Sometimes this is seen as maverick. If it is maverick then maverick is a really good thing because it opens the doors for innovation and insight...and injection of value for clients.

When this valuable talent is not recognized by employers...well, that's a common cause of successful entrepreneurial start-ups.

7 Strong Action Steps

by Rick Baker
On Jan 23, 2013
Here's the 'How to Put Talents & Strengths to Work [at Work]' process:
 
1. Context: Answer the question, Why do you want to put talents & strengths to work at work?
 
2. Define the Problem - most people feel their talents are not being used at work...so they dis-engage. This evolves into a negative-feedback and poor-performance loop.
 
3. The Solution - Leaders need to send signals that putting talent to work is a key to success and everyone - everyone, including you the leader - has untapped talent. And leaders need to take action steps to make strengths-based business a part of organization culture.
 
4. The Action Steps -
 
#1 - Prove an interest in each Individual: make an open and honest Talent-&-Strengths statement about where you are now, where you want to be, and where you want the people in your organization to be. Paint the Talent & Strengths picture!
 
#2 - Provide a comfortable, enjoyable, first-step: we have found a simple on-line assessment followed by guided 1-on-1 sessions works best.
 
#3 - Help Individuals become more self-aware...this is a critical early step. The more candid the leader is at step #1, the better. Self-awareness leads to accurate self-knowledge, which leads to improved self-confidence, which is an essential ingredient of top-notch performance.
 
#4 - Help Individuals appreciate the fact they are uniquely talented - and - so is everyone else! Don't just say those sorts of words, provide numbers, detailed descriptions, and personal sticky stories.
 
#5 - Build acceptance and appreciation of the differences in people. Without getting overly philosophical - embrace the fact that generally speaking perceptions are just differnet, rather than right and wrong. People have differnet perceptions because they have unique talents, strengths, weaknesses, and life experiences.
 
#6 - Provide education on Strengths [Talent + Opportunity + Knowledge + Skill]
 
#7 - Build a process that uses many strength-threads to weave your team's fabric.

Tags:

STRENGTHS: People-Focused for Success

Thought Tweet #650

by Rick Baker
On Jan 11, 2013

Thought Tweet #650 Focusing on people's strengths helps them feel more engaged & motivated, which leads to increased profit.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

How does that lead to more profit?

If you can help people feel more engaged and motivated about their work, then:

  • they are interested, so they concentrate better and make fewer errors,
  • they are happier and have less interpersonal conflicts,
  • they are happier and there is less staff turnover,
  • they are more able to face challenges and embrace change.
All of these things lead to increased profit.

[and these are just a few examples of how strengths-based business leads to increased profit]

Tags:

Emotions & Feelings @ Work | STRENGTHS: People-Focused for Success | Thought Tweets

Thought Tweet #648

by Rick Baker
On Jan 9, 2013

Thought Tweet #648 Talent without discipline is a hobby-in-waiting.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Malcolm Gladwell [in his book, 'Outliers'] taught us, regardless of Talent, people need to spend at least 10,000 hours to become performing masters. I think - if you are not paid to be a performing master then you are performing a hobby [not work]. I think - if you lack discipline then you won't even be good at hobbying. And, I think - if you are not good at stuff then you do not enjoy it...and that's not a good way to spend your time.

 

Tags:

STRENGTHS: People-Focused for Success | Thought Tweets

Copyright © 2012. W.F.C (Rick) Baker. All Rights Reserved.