1. Leading with Strength: Lead Yourself, Lead the Team
Laurie Callahan
Unique opportunity to not only further your knowledge of the banking industry but to be in a three year lab that allows you to flex your strengths and build leadership skills. How does leadership factor into your daily work at your own institutions? Story about coming to Norwest 28 years ago? Dan Finken – I don’t need you to know about banking, I can teach you banking. I can’t teach you personality so I’ll hire that. You’l ha ve the opportunity to work in teams this year as you learn and grow your knowledge about the retail bank. It will be about the “what” and the “how” – how you’re working together will be just as important as what you’re learning. We’ll use a tool to give us some common language and basis for team dynamic discussion. How does leadership play a ole in your organizations?

2. StrengthsFinder: what it is and isn’t
Tool for development
Clue to identify what energizes someone
Reflection of how people filter the world
Common language to foster self-awareness
Way to optimize productivity
Measure of the intensity of the themes within a person
isn’t
Complete explanation of who someone is
Way to compare two people with similar themes
Tool for hiring and advancement decisions
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How many of you are familiar with the assessment? How is it used in your organizations?
Ask: What stands out to you?
Elaborate on participants’ responses as necessary using the notes below.
IS: Tool for development: StrengthsFinder helps foster self-awareness around who we are and how we learn and grow. It helps us focus our efforts on those activities which have the potential to turn our natural talents into strengths.
IS: Clue to identify what energizes someone: StrengthsFinder results reflect what we have a tendency to gravitate towards and what we are likely to pull away from or avoid.
IS: Reflection of how people filter the world: We all respond to situations differently depending on our filters, which are made up of our cultures, values, beliefs, and talents. StrengthsFinder provides a lens through which people view the world around them.
IS: Common language to foster self-awareness: StrengthsFinder gives us a way to talk about people’s talent themes in common, relatable terms. This is different than “labeling” people, which is constraining and diminishes the value of their talents.
IS: Way to optimize productivity: When we know our talents, we can be purposeful about using them to complete our tasks. Knowing our talents helps us figure out the best ways to get our work done.
IS: Measure of the intensity of the themes within a person: “Within a person” is what is key in this item. StrengthsFinder measures the presence and intensity of the 34 talent themes in any given person and puts them in order from most dominant to least.
ISN’T: Complete explanation of who someone is: There are way too many talents to categorize anyone that specifically. StrengthsFinder shows us clues and tendencies, but no instrument can reveal all there is to know about anyone – we’re just too complex.
ISN’T: Way to compare two people with similar themes: StrengthsFinder is not meant to be used to make comparisons between people (e.g., “Two of my team members have Input themes, but Jane’s is much stronger than Doug’s.”) Doing so is not only inaccurate and unproductive but potentially damaging.
ISN’T: Tool for hiring and advancement decisions: Although it makes sense to put people in roles where they have the opportunity to use their talents every day, we don’t want to make hiring or advancement decisions that are based on a person’s StrengthsFinder results. Consider, for example, the danger of thinking, “I’m hiring someone for a sales position, so I’m looking for someone with a Woo theme.” As we discussed, there is no one approach to success in any given role or task.

3. Why create a strengths-based culture?
Increased productivity
People operating from strengths produce significantly more and with better quality.
They learn the role faster and adapt to changes more quickly.
7.8% greater productivity at the individual level 12.5% greater productivity at the team level 8.9% greater profitability at the team level 14.9% lower turnover at the individual level
:04
Say:
Although managers who focus on leveraging their team members’ strengths create positive impacts in many ways, there are three primary areas we’re going to explore: productivity, longevity, and engagement.
Let’s start with productivity. In a strengths-based culture, people produce significantly more and with better quality. They learn the role faster and adapt to changes more quickly.
Ask: Why do you think that is?
When Gallup researched the bottom line outcome, they found that a focus on strengths led to:
7.8% greater productivity at the individual level
12.5% greater productivity at the team level, which resulted in
8.9% greater profitability

4. What is a talent?
The assessment measures the presence and intensity of 34 talent themes and you have the top 5 most dominant themes. They’ve been around forever, they're hard wired. Where do they come from? How many of you have siblings?
talent
a natural way of thinking, feeling, or behaving

5. Talents vs. talent themes
Responsibility
Theme
Reputation for dependability
Commitment to follow-through
Avoidance of excuses
Talents

6. How many different talents are there?
100
1,000
1,000,000
ZILLIONS!

7. How many different talent themes are there?17 34
100
ZILLIONS!
Talents filter our world and make us draw to and repel from certain things.

8. Stand up if you … are fascinated by data.
find it easy to establish quick rapport with people.
make a list of things to do …even on the weekends.
like to get going … right now.
prefer to think and ponder before deciding.
have worked for your current organization for more than 10 years.
ask people “why” …a lot.
have alternative ways to proceed for any given scenario.
have ever lived outside of the United States.
are the calm in the storm.
are the storm.
prefer small groups of close friends rather than large gatherings.
inject energy and drama into your stories.
stay the course and not let distractions get you off track.
speak more than one language.
have an optimistic approach.
have ever served in the military.
prefer a paper newspaper over an electronic newspaper.
believe there are no coincidences …everything has a reason.
like to participate in activities like this.
Talents filter our world and we have a tendency to draw towards or pull away from things. Some of these items reflect talent themes and some are a couple of fun “get to know you” items

9. What is a strength?
strength the ability to consistently produce a nearly perfect positive outcome in a specific task

10. Talents are the raw materials for strengths

11. What does it take to build a strength?
Talent x Investment = Strength
Must exist naturally
Can be learned
Every strength starts with talent.

12. Themes play differently for everyone
Maximizer
Ideation
Connectedness
Strategic
Arranger
Harmony

13. If you have dominant Activator talents…
When talents attract
Activator
If you have dominant Activator talents…
Activator
…and you meet another person with the same dynamic drive to get things started…

14. When talents attract Activator If you have dominant Activator talents…
…and you meet another person with the same dynamic drive to get things started…
…you probably will quickly recognize and appreciate those talents.

15. But what occurs when your “Let’s get going!” essence…
When talents collide
Activator
Deliberative
…happens upon someone with highly Deliberative, “Let’s think this through” talents?
But what occurs when your “Let’s get going!” essence…

16. But what occurs when your “Let’s get going!” essence…
When talents collide
Because of your different natures, the encounter might be a bit frustrating.
Activator
Deliberative
…happens upon someone with highly Deliberative, “Let’s think this through” talents?
But what occurs when your “Let’s get going!” essence…

17. Doctors study disease to understand health
Our society has been fixated on what’s wrong with people. And I don’t blame them. We all know that good is the opposite of bad. So we have applied this in our studies...
Doctors study disease to understand health
Psychologists study sadness to understand joy
Therapists study divorce to understand happy marriages
And so many of us study our weaknesses to become stronger
Today, I am going to ask you to consider changing your focus.
Copyright © 2006 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.

18. Reframing barrier labels
He’s clueless.
He’s unrealistic.
He’s a pushover.
She’s a chatterbox.
She’s bossy.

19. Application is everything!
Analytical
Potential Productive Impacts
Potential Non-productive Impacts
Thorough
Logical
Insightful
Objective
Consultative
Credible
Too detailed
Overly critical
“Grilling”
Exhausting
Tedious
Confrontational
Talent themes should never be blamed or used as an excuse for non-productive behaviors. 19

20. Get to know the team
When are you at your best as it relates to people, tasks and environments?
What do you need from your partners?
What are your HOT buttons?

21. Get to know the team Name Top 5 talents
At your best as it relates to people
At your best as it relates to tasks and environment
 What you need from your partners
 Hot buttons

22. Mitigating hot buttons
Challenge your assumptions
Be specific on the behaviors you see or hear
Identify the impact
Ask for others’ opinions
Clarify expectations

23. Team Engagement
How do we hold each other accountable for what we commit to do?
How do we ensure we’re tapping people’s strengths?
How do we mitigate hot buttons?
What’s our commitment to feedback?

24. Your resources
Instructors
Community leaders
Executive coaches

25. Start with talent – finish with strength
‟Leadership is not about changing the mindset of the group, but in the cultivation of an environment that brings out the best and inspires the individuals in that group.”
-Arthur F. Carmazzi

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