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So one string over 1,000 weaknesses and so his comment was the most responsible thing. A human can do either personally for their own development or development of others is played to a person's strengths in their entire lifetime they could never solve their weaknesses. Hey everyone. My name is Henry Surya with Robin.
And you're listening to the package, you know, podcast the show where I'll be bringing you the greatest technical leaders practitioners and thought leaders in the industry to discuss about their Journey ideas and practices that we all can learn and apply to build a highly performing technical team and to make an impact in your personal work. So let's dive into our Journal. Hello to all of you, my friends
and my listeners. Welcome to the tekhelet journal podcast the show where you can learn about technical leadership and Excellence from my conversations with great thought, leaders in the tech industry and today is the episode number 109. If this is your first time listening to tackle a journal, subscribe and follow the show on your podcast app and on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.
And if you'd like to support my journey creating this, Cast subscribe as a patron at technology, know the dev slash Patron. My guest for today's episode is Brandon Miller, Brandon is the founder and CEO of 34 strong and one of the first seven. Certified Gallup Clifton strengths finder coaches in the world. In this episode we discussed Clifton strengths finder also known as Clifton strengths Brandon introduced what Clifton strengths is and why it is important for us to recognize
and focus on our strengths. He also Shared When leaders apply a strengths-based Approach at work, it leads to a much increased workplace engagement Brandon, then gave a walkthrough on how we can identify our strengths by taking the Clifton strengths assessment and what we should do. After we find out our strengths Brandon, also spend some time to discuss my top three strengths and explain the idea of complementary Partnerships towards the end.
Brandon gave some tips for parents on how we can identify and nurture children's core strength. So since their childhood, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Brandon learning about the importance of, identifying our strengths and why we should apply the strengths-based approach in leadership. If you do enjoy this episode, will you help share it with your friends and colleagues? Who can also benefit from listening to this episode? It is my ultimate mission to spread this podcast and the
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Welcome back to another episode of the package, you know, podcast today I have with me a guest named Brandon Miller fun fact Brandon is actually one of the first seven. Certified Gallup Clifton strengths finder coach in the world. This is probably one of those people who you would see pretty rare because strengths finder has been around for quite some time and he is like the first seven certified strengthsfinder coaches in the world.
He is now the CEO of the default, strong a coaching and consulting firm, dedicated to improving Employee Engagement based on. Strengthsfinder. Yes, lots of experience, providing specialized leadership training, coaching advising and facilitating. So today I'm really happy to talk to you. Brendan to discuss about strengths finder. How is it relevant for leadership and how we can grow from knowing about strengths finder? So welcome to the show. Thank you, Henry.
It's great to be here today. So Brendan I'd like to always start with my guests to invite them, to share their Journey. They are career highlights, or any turning points, anything. That you think would be interesting for listeners to learn from you sure, some of your listeners, might be interested to know that entrepreneurs.
So those of us who enjoy the challenge of starting, something from the beginning often, first begin, our careers working for others, inside of us. Lives a dream or a passion to have the independence, have the opportunity to build our own brand or own company and some of us to venture out and may not have the best success that was Me multiple times and then what I found in my career Henry is I just stayed with it. I just stay with it. Even when Aventure didn't go the
way I had hoped. I could see out there and opportunity and decided to continue to work there. So I have been a part of investing companies. I've been a part of a business that we manufactured what we
call hidden doors. So these were bookshelves that were made to look like a normal book shelf but they open like a secret passage like what you'd see in the movies so we made those, I Then also was a part of an art gallery and had a chance to launch that a carpet cleaning company and a chiropractic. So I've done many different Investments and opportunities my longest stage of career. I spent 10 years in full-time to
part-time Ministry capacity. So I served as a pastor, many people who go into that sort of work, don't do that. To make a lot of money and so as we get into my family later, I have a large family. So I always had second jobs For my business startups that I did, thankfully, I eventually made it to the place where I had one business focus, and that's where strengths finder and Drew the picture. Wow, thanks for sharing the story. So if I can just ask for the right.
So you have been in so many different jobs. So many different Industries, so many different skill set. What actually brought you to strengths finder? What are the things that? Probably peaked your interest at that time? Sure. My number one strength. According the strengthsfinder is maximizer and maximizers. Enjoy taking things that are strong and then building them to be even stronger.
So you could say that the idea focusing on people's strengths more than their weaknesses came very natural to me who's very easy to understand easy to embrace as a leader at the time in our church, we had a large staff for church about 30 liters that run staff. And then we had hundreds of volunteers, So, I was introduced to this at the church, one of the members of our congregation had done a training through the Gallup organization, they are the company that owns the
intellectual property. And so we were invited to take a course as just part of our service. I was tasked with being the person to lead the effort. So being a maximizer, it resonated well by began to engage with the team and figure out what different people did. Best learned to not ignore their areas of it's or weakness, but to learn just to manage it. Instead of trying to change them. I was a big turning point for me, instead of trying to make you better at something.
You weren't naturally good at. Could we managed it? So, it was adequate. It didn't get in the way, but put more effort, into building, on the things that you really excelled at, that's where my journey began and took root for strengths finder. So, this is one of the concepts when I read strengths finder, many years ago.
I don't remember when exactly, but it's one of the concept that I Really interesting because the book actually said you have both the strengths and weaknesses many people. Since we are children, we are being taught that we should also focus a lot on improving our weaknesses. But the book actually said that instead of doing that actually, you should put more focus on your strengths and try to manage your weaknesses so that they don't get in the way like what
you said. So tell us more about this concept of strengths finder so for people who haven't heard about it, right? Why is it so important to focus a lot more on your strengths Quest? Has your weaknesses. I'm going to take us through dr. Donald Clifton, the founder of strengths finder. They had many partners around the world. Dr. Donald Clifton over the course of a few decade 30 years.
He was drawn to study Human Excellence, he wanted to understand what was it about really successful people. And he picked many different walks of life, many different careers and he wanted to know why is it that some people could really Excel and not just Excel once or Expect sustained excellence and why many more people seem to just live in mediocrity in that space through his journey.
What he discovered is that the people who really were in touch, they have high self awareness, they knew who they were and they knew who they were not, meaning they knew their strengths and they knew their non strengths and they were comfortable with both without judgment, but they put more effort into being the best that they could according to their strengths. So what he called this was the strengths-based approach.
Approach to development simply a shift in time, most of us who were taught the conventional approach to human development, were taught to put more time into our areas of weakness or
inadequacy. His question was, well what if we just flipped it would if we put more time into our strengths and the two places Henry were, he saw this very natural again and again practiced were Athletics and in Performing Arts. So when a player would come, To either of those scenes, the instructor, or coach would determine their skill set, and almost without a doubt, without fail position them to do, what they do best. So as he observed, this is question became an all.
Tell you one of his famous interview set occurred, it was in 1984 and it was the table. Tennis team picked to win the gold medal in the Olympics in Los Angeles. The team from China had an athlete. That was renowned an amazing athlete. But he was renowned for not having a good backhand, he could not had a good back. And so any of us who play table, tennis, or tennis know, without a backhand, you have a serious deficiency, very likely you won't be successful.
So an interview was conducted that dr. Clifton was a part of where they asked the coach, so what is it that you do with your very best player who doesn't play? Well from his backhand? He said that's easy. We spend eight hours a day, focusing on his forehand to make it the most lethal very best in the world. Old, and we ignore the back end all together and with dr. Clifton surmise from. This was, we can become so far advanced in our strengths that they can essentially Eclipse
theories of weakness. Conversely. And this is an interesting statistic based on his research and I don't know that this is one of his more cemented facts. This is one, I think that was more anecdotal. But I think you'll understand the point. He said that for every one strength, a person has they have one Thousand weaknesses. So one strength over 1,000 weaknesses. And so his comment was the most
responsible thing. I human can do either personally for their own development or development of others is played to a person's strengths in their entire lifetime they could never solve their weaknesses. This is where we begin the journey with an organization or with a family, or with an agency. A non-profit to say, you only have so much time to develop people. That's the great equalizer. You only have so much time.
You may find that you will not only get better results focusing on their strengths, but then you'll have qualitative benefits happier people. People that want to be better, team members people that treat customers better. So this is some of the beginning space of where we build on this concept. Well, thanks for sharing this story. I haven't heard about this China Olympics athlete that had to train to focus more lot on his strength, which is the forehand and can win the championship
without the back end. We just some people think how could could that be 1984? It was 1984, the reference is a book titled soar with your strengths so the bookstore with your strength is where this story is immortalized. Wow, okay. I'll make sure to put that in the show notes, which brings me to the next discussion, right? Because again, since we are children, we are being taught focus a lot more to improve your weaknesses.
I mean, the idea is not so much to say that we should improve a lot on so many different areas but is to probably make us all rounder. Someone who can do many of the things. This is probably the reasons why many people if you ask. What are your strengths not? Everyone can easily say just like you're just now, right? I'm a maximizer, not everyone could actually easily say that, but if you ask them what Witnesses, people can easily throw so many things. I'm bad at this.
I'm bad at that, but to focus on the strength, maybe, some people need to find some time to actually summarize. Why do you think this is big problem? What could people do to actually change that? Well, since you brought the Family are mentioned this children who are taught to focus more on their strengths than other weaknesses. We've seen three major advances.
So first of all they can increase their confidence when a child has high confidence, it permeates into their ability to make friends their performance in their school. Their ability to face difficulty which all of us will face some difficulty in life. So it impacts resilience number two, we watch children. Increase in creativity. So their ability to approach complex problems, and see Alternatives. Instead of closed doors. They find open doors with that creativity, and expands
learning. So it opens up opportunity for increased learning and increased space for them to really develop a very full and healthy brain. Third, we see competence when we study brain science, when we lean into what is called the old brain, our limbic system, this is the part of our Brain that's reactive. So it's fight flight or freeze as compared to our new brain. The prefrontal cortex where this is where we have wisdom and logic, and a depth of knowledge.
It's our Sage brand our deepest intelligence. Well, it is space where child feels confident in their creative than their competence goes up. They can learn more. They can experience more, they're not capped by fear. They're not capped by insecurity and doubt dr. Clifton was very passionate Even more so than gallops work in the business world and they do extensive work with very large companies around the world.
He was very interested in parenting and education because if a child at a young age, could learn to build on their strengths. His reasoning is that person into their career into their family into their future would be much more successful and this is interesting much happier in life, much more fulfilled, higher well-being, and so, I think this is important and I'll give you two primary statistics. When we advance the children to their careers.
Number one is this, let's say that you and I were working together, Henry, and let's say that I was your manager. If I spent more time talking to you about your strengths and your weaknesses, you are six times more likely to be engaged on your job. So this means all that would connect to your productivity, your accuracy, your punctuality your friendliness, with our customers, with our team members. Times more likely.
And because you're engaged, you're three times more likely to report having excellent quality of life. And this is Henry outside of work. This is your loved ones places where you volunteer and your ability to get good rest and your health and fitness. So, this is where we believe at 34 strong, I believe this personally with the work we do with families, that this approach can really not only positively affect positive change workplaces, but they can affect positive change.
Change in a person's life. It can change their life because of how deep it will impact their psychology. And eventually the physiology associate, well, thanks for sharing that just to summarize. So you mentioned, if we focus on strength since we are young, there are three things that probably could increase because of that. So you have increased confidence, you have increased creativity, and ultimately increase in confidence and those will lead you to a happy and fulfilled life.
So I think that's probably a message for all the listeners, right? So, if you Even known for the longest side of your strength, try to find some of those strengths. Maybe you can go to strengths finder or buy the book. There's a free test that you can go through online. You can probably start categorizing. What are some of your strengths and start to build from there because the impact is so
massive. And you mentioned that statistics in the workplace, where if the management focus on their direct reports strengths typically, they will be more engaged in the work. Again. I've seen this traditionally, many companies in the performance. View. Yes, they will talk about achievements and all that, but they will also try to focus on people's weaknesses. You are not good at this and try to build action items to what
those things. But, again, coming back to this strengthsfinder concept, I think maybe that's not the right approach. So, tell us more baby. How can managers put more focus on the strengths so that people are more engaged and why people are more engaged specifically if we focus on their strings. Sure. So I want to say this point Salient to your comment, man. Rent or whomever it is that you call your boss, okay? So I'll use the example of you and I get.
So let's say I was the boss and you and I will have a professional relationship because of this, the tone of that relationship, the posture, the effectiveness, I will set more of that tone then you will because I'm the boss I am more responsible for the health of the relationship than you are because I'm usually paid more, I have increased responsibility. And my job is to help you to perform Formed or to get you to
perform. So when a company focuses this way on helping their managers, do this from a strengths approach simply Henry by the fact that I'm going to talk to you when we meet. So by percentage you're going to hear more about what you're doing. Well, the success you could build on the opportunity to grow and to learn. You're going to look forward to our talks more often than if by percentage. It was well Henry. You The work on this and then you need to work on that and that's almost.
Okay. But now you need to do this, those conversations, it would be a simple as I send you an e-mail, please go onto the platform. We're going to have a meeting. If you look forward to that meeting because you think this is usually a good conversation with constructive. We're building. You will naturally be more engaged. If every time you see my email pop up, you go. Oh no. What does he want? Now, what did I do now? What did I get wrong?
You will absolutely begin to feel that will pull life from you. So when a company wants to spend time thinking about the strengths of its team members, there is a necessary investment made from leaders into managers and the investment is we're going to give you tools and resources to know how to have these sorts of conversations. Because most of us were not taught this as children.
We weren't taught this in University, we weren't caught this In our jobs were learning a new approach, one that we can as I shared, if we did participate in extracurricular activities that had the spirit we can recall it, but we're going to learn new Behaviors new habits. This is where Performance Management Systems Commander Place. The essentially we have a new system that we rank managers. Oh yes, I want to be evaluated on your performance, Henry.
But I also want to be evaluated on a, my regularly. You recognition meaning to you Phil, I appreciate you. Do you feel I respect you? Do you think that I know you do? You know that I care about you as a person? You don't only work here, but I happen to know some things about your life and I keep those in mind. So, for example, today, I learned that one of my employees
was involved in a car accident. Thankfully, he and his wife were okay, but it was enough that they had some trauma that they needed to work through. And so we attend to that, we want to make sure they're okay. We Make sure that they're seeking proper medical attention and looking into how we can support them. We would want this in this sort of relationship, that's healthiest, drinks approached.
So, when managers are taught, we find that the more resources, we can help them to be meaning, giving them practical tools and practical steps so that they can learn this. This is where we see success. This is where we see what we call a sustainable strengths approach because now it's going to be part of the organization's. Its standard operating procedures. I think, if I'm not wrong, your place that the false from the oil company also has won numerous bestwick place a ward.
Can you share it as maybe some practical tips or practices that you did in your company? So that people are engaged and they do their best work. So that your company also, as a result of that becomes most successful. So maybe if you can share that the bit on that sure companies that are known as best places to work often also win awards for In, they win a rewards for growing fast.
They went awards for places that succeed in accomplishing different contest different exploits for us as a company. Our most prestigious award and the ones that we are the most proud of our when were recognized nationally here in the United States. As a great place to work to get there though because this is what we teach to other companies. We like to say we have to eat our own cooking. We can't just give you our great cooking. Do we have to eat our own
cooking? So some of the ways that we do that, we have regular interactions with our team or company. And in those regular interactions, we make sure that as a company, we are very clear on our company Mission and our company vision and our company values. We reset these. We tell them again. For example, if a person in our company is unclear on where we're going, we want to make sure they know what our mission is and what? Our pardons that's one thing we do is connect to Mission.
Secondly, we teach coaching as a manager mindset. So a manager when they see themselves more as the coach than the boss, they learn that relationship by nature is developmental in its focus. So my interest is in seeing you grow seeing you learn and it's the difference between a growth mindset as compared to a fixed mindset. A growth mindset. It is, we both agree. Our objective is to help you to be successful in a fixed mindset. I just need you to do your job.
I don't really care how you grow. I just need you to get it done cause me as little problem as possible and we will call this a somewhat healthy relationship. Well, growth mindset challenges, that it says Henry has a future, Henry has aspirations and goals. How can I help them be successful in this job? But also prepare him for his.
Next job is next stage and they're That is one of the most important things we do as a company as we want to see people through the filter of who they're becoming not just who they are today in a strengths-based culture. You're always looking ahead for where a person can grow and develop and become their next best version of themselves. Well, thanks for sharing all these practices at these really
interesting. Some of the things that I picked, for example, you train the manages to become more, like a coach, so it's not necessarily just the boss and get things done. But you also invest time in their direct reports so that That they can grow and fulfill the aspirations that personal goals and things like that. So I must assume that probably as part of this you would ask people to do strengths finder test so that they can find their
Clifton strengths. For example, I have done this test a long time back from their what's next? Because many people might have taken this test individually not necessary in the workplace but they just don't know where to continue from there on. They be, we can discuss about what should we do after we know our clips and strength. So the The strikes assessment is something Henry that at 34 strong, we do take a little bit of a different approach than the
Gallup organization. Gallup talks about a person can take it the first time and the first time is sufficient to know your strengths for the rest of your life. We actually believe that people change throughout their life. So going online and taking the assessment is step one. We think that the 34 test. So the tests were you get back all 30? For strengths in order and receive a very thorough. I mean probably the most
personalized thorough report. I think that one can invest in on the market is a great place to start. The assessment can be purchased from Gallup or purchased from a reseller like 34 strong and then you go online and take it. So that takes about 40, 45 minutes if it's been a while for somebody, it's a good idea to do it again. You know, two or three years because when you take the assessment it's like taking an x-ray of your leg at that point
in time. That's what Was and so two or three years later, it could look different. That's some of the power of this particular assessment is, it does grow with you? And so when a person takes it, first things first, is every strength coach in the world. Those this Paradigm, it's naming claiming and aiming. So the first thing we learn to do is name our strength. So I am a maximizer. I'm an achiever. I'm an activator, I'm strategic. And I'm a ranger.
I can name them. I can name you my top 15 in a row. I know exactly what Strengths are mine because I've learned their names and number two, I've learned to claim them as my own. So I can say, I am an activator, which is my number three. I know that I'm an activator because I've taken strengths finder, four times, and all four times. Activator is one, two or three all four times, which means to say Henry, I could not unbe an activator. If I tried its core to my being
claiming right next to name. A big part of that is so first, learn what the names are and become familiar. Second, there is a report. As I said, go into this report, have a pen or higher and read through it, and really assess. If you can own these strengths meeting, did the assessment. Get it right? Is this? You are you comfortable with these results? You know. Someone were to ask you what are your strengths? You could say I'm a relator. I'm high self-assurance, I'm strong in input.
Could you say that? Because that's claiming that's own? Worship. And with claiming we really recommend to post the strength somewhere where you can see them. So for a while, whether it's on the mirror in the morning where you get ready or it's in your workspace, have them where you can see them and be reminded of. Yeah that's me. That's why I am. And then the third stage is to begin thinking about how to leverage these and we call it
aiming your strings. So starting with number one as a maximizer, what can I do to aim these strengths? Thankfully For me, it was right away. I got to start helping people find their strengths and I got to learn how to see strengths and spot it and grow it.
I also learned that maximizer was going to be a part of I like to coach Athletics, how I coach people, I have a large family, I love to coach my kids that mindset there, re much affected, how my maximize your would be so naming claiming and aiming your strengths, the aiming its one at a time, just starting to see. See and to build on your knowledge. Wow, I like that approach name. Claim and Aim. So first identify with yourself? What are your strengths and you claim that you accepted? Okay?
This is who I am and then third is to build from there. So try to aim what's next that you can leverage from your strengths. I myself that top three of mine are achiever learner and deliberative. I have done this so many years ago, I guess I must have taken another one maybe in these days, and see if they're change or
not. And I will A Henry for your listeners per any that might be interested, they can reach out to us. I've done this for other leaders of podcasts that if they would like to reach out, request a code, we could provide them with one to learn complementary as just a part of our time. You include it. I will mention that your first two strengths, a cheering. Learner are the two most common strengths in the world.
So after 20 million people have completed Clifton strengths in 60 countries and in 30 languages.
Were one. And number two are a cheering learner, which is to say that your drive, your work ethic, your endurance, your willingness to work hard until a job is done, which definitely is you have almost an inability to quit it. Meaning it's almost not possible for you to not continue, even when it's hard because you have reserves of energy and learner allows you to be deeply, curious, the stay in a space where I know that the more you
learn, the more there is to learn, so it keeps you in a space of curiosity and it keeps you in a space where you stay humble Learners are some of the best team members, some of the most effective leaders, because they lead with questions, they lead with a curiosity. Instead of, I need to tell, they want to ask and understand and appreciate very respectful strength. Now you're number three. Deliberative. This is a Fascinating strength.
So it is actually one of the most rare strengths in the world. So this is a strength that very few people share in their top five deliberative what you enjoy is the opportunity to really carefully, evaluate the decisions you make. So, as a result, the Liberties are often very well trusted. There's an adage here in the United States. Maybe you've heard this measure
twice cut once. So before you act, make sure you've thought through all the ramifications you've carefully considered the options and then what you've established that, this is the right course. Now we move forward, funny thing. My number three activator, and your number three deliberative are opposite strengths their opposite. So we would be good partners. You would be the voice of caution and reason and pause and let's think and process. I have a bit more of the, I'll
just take the risk. So my wrist threshold might be higher times where you might pause. One second too long. I might have already been going or times where I need to stop and listen to you. So they're very good, call them complementary partners because those strengths can really work off of each other very well. So, when you find these would be interesting for you to know, and this is a little bit Advanced for your listeners of those three. When you think back about your
life, could you see a tail? You were that person as far back as you can remember. So can you remember being that person who would strive to do really well? Well, as your cheever, the person who's very curious us, a lot of questions, sometimes so many questions that people were like Henry and up too many questions. That would be your learner because you're curious you wanted to know were you at times maybe a shy person.
Deliberative sometimes can be a little more introverted, but careful you thought through it. You can see those back into your early childhood Good. Those are what we would call your or strengths core means they are genetically coded, they're a very deep part of you. And so, when you would retake an assessment like lifting strength, it's very unlikely, they'll stay not assume top five this in the top 10 and they will
group there. And so you would see them recur because you could identify them at that very strong level. Thank you for your assessment, a brief assessment but really insightful and Powerful to me. Thank you for noticing some of my strengths and how some of the things that I myself thinking back. I think yes I kind of like growing all this strength from my journey from my childhood as well. And I think you mentioned, one of the things that is interesting that we should
discuss next. So this is like how you can use it in your workplace as well. So knowing people's strengths and actually try to see where you can see energized, right? The moment when you and we could be good partners. So this is where you use the strengths-based approach to actually form a team or make your team as best as they can
perform. I read in another book of Clifton strengths based leadership that effective leaders, not just focus on people's strengths, but they also surround themselves with the right people and maximize their team based on the strength, tell us more about this approach because I don't think many managers put a lot of effort in building a formation. That can complement the banks worldwide. There is a conversation around.
Inclusive leadership being Equity, minded, making sure that people are feeling heard and appreciate it. All kinds of ways that we can accomplish this, the most effective leaders do surround themselves with a team that is
diverse. And one of the places where you can find the deepest roots and tubers city is in our strengths, when you took Clifton strengths, the odds of someone having the same five in the same order, so you gave me your three but we went to number five, the The odds of someone and having those same five and that same order as one in 33 million. So very unique, that's like your fingerprint compared to my fingerprint, very unique to each one of us. And so as a leader it's serves a team.
Well, to have representation in as many strengths as you can bring, because you get a richness of perspective, a difference in approach, we talked about people learning their 34 strengths. And when one does that, they're going to acknowledge. When I shared earlier about core strength, They're also going to find what we call less certain strengths. This would be number 34, number 33, and number 32. And so the reason I mentioned my activator your deliberative would be good.
Partners is deliberative is one of my strengths I think it's number 29 out of 30 for so it's a lesser strength. So even if I tried to be strong at deliberative the same way you are, I would never measure up. I could maybe do half of your Effectiveness because I honestly wouldn't want to be as soon as I got going, I would find it just deflated my energy. I couldn't be successful. So this is where it serves the team well to represent themselves.
I actually had a team hired me recently to say, we just want to make sure that we didn't just hire a bunch of the same people because we don't want to just make decisions in an echo chamber. We need to diversity of thought. We want different perspectives, different opinions. I said, I can't agree more. That's a very good way to approach leadership. Yeah, the topic of equity, diversity, inclusivity and all this, I think it's pretty quite
growing. These days as you mentioned, we don't want to hire the same kind of people because at the end of the day, you have maybe one single-minded approach to solve problems where with more inclusive D. I think it has been proven by research that you will have a more diverse thoughts and hence, probably, you will make a better decisions out of it having known people strengthen your team.
I think it's one way to go towards that route where you can actually say, okay, if I'm weak at this point, maybe you leverage on someone else who can do much better for certain kind of problems. So, really appreciate that approach. You mentioned about the core strength. This is something that is also kind of like unique, put individuals, and maybe it is like a talent you born with it, which brings us to probably the next topic because you are also passionate into parenting,
right? How to grow children, maybe it in the first place. How do you identify children's core strength? Do they need to go through Clifton strengths finder test as well? How do you actually nurture children? They Identify coasters and build from there. Yeah, so the first step with young children is what we call strength spotting, it's just learning to see them. Through the perspective, that your children have emerging beautiful core strengths that are part of the transference of
DNA, right? It's just part of who they're going to be as parents. We really encourage an open heart and mind that they might be different than yours and that's okay. They're entitled to be different. They don't have to be the same. Nor would it. Be even best case scenario for them to be a carbon copy. So strength spotting is learning to see strengths and there's a couple clues to first.
It's we call it the enthusiasm clue, what activities are children drawn to, what seems to pique their interest, where do they make time? And then second of those activities which ones just come really natural to them. So they just seem to really enjoy the process. They seem to just pick up the steps fast. They seem to just really resonate with it and then Third, where do they seemed to derive energy and this is going to come in the form of their ability to keep going.
So even when the puzzle gets hard or the game is boring, they'll finish it because it derives some level of energy to them. So those are three of the clues that appear can use to start to see some of the core strengths from there. What Gallup has done. It's very nice is, what's a child crosses into early childhood education? But attend the reach about force or fifth grade there is AIDS and assessment for kids. This is where it's called the strength Explorer.
They can actually take an assessment and learn their core strengths. Yes, I think now that you say it, we should identify kids enthusiasm than natural ability and where they derive the energy from. This is also very interesting because we can see kids with plenty of energy, but we can actually also tell that some activities that they will not, but dissipate they'll be cranky and things like that. So I think these are definitely agree. Clues for me. I'm a parent myself of three kids.
It's really hot to actually spot this naturally as parents. Unfortunately, I have to say that we all tend to one our kids to behave or maybe to beep. A person where we think is best as parents. We think they should be a doctor whatever. I think, again, coming back to the strengths-based approach, I think this is not effective, even though the kids are all different. We should try to customize nurturing them differently. So any tips around that because obviously Dealing with so many
different styles of kids. May not be handy. Maybe any parenting tips here that you can share? Yeah, the comment you just made. I think is the most important Henry is your children if you have more than one as you do. Are each very unique if we can customize our parenting approach to recognize that there are certain things that would be the same. Let's make sure they have the same nutrition and make sure they get rest and make sure they
have opportunities. But when it comes to Flipping them as a person and their strengths, and their personality and their interest allow for diversity, allow for differences. Let them have room to explore. We have children who enjoyed very different curricular activities, two of them were very into music. I have two of them very much into American football one.
That was very into football Global football soccer, as we call it here another that was into Horticulture, she loves plants and It was her passion and so supporting them in areas of interest in areas of study and areas of growth and allowing for as they age. Some autonomy to make some decisions and to get some things wrong and get some things right? And be there to support. Because what we have found is where we apply influence to our children.
Is when we know that they are in an area of strength, we know that it's an opportunity for growth, this is where we put our strongest encouragement, but we have sought to Avoid is to put the same encouragement or influence in an area of none strength. Meaning of we see one of our kids really struggling, we may ask is this something that you're really fighting easy to, really see this. And if they come back with, maybe you're right. Maybe this isn't for me, and letting that be, okay.
I think it'd be okay, that some things aren't for them. That's one of the gifts. I think children need from us as parents is to help them realize, they don't have to compare to others to be successful themselves. They can learn to be as they were Made and be the best version of that. And that's good enough. Well really beautiful. Thanks for this parenting tips.
I think we must put some of the show notes for your other parenting work, because the importance of building strengths Focus approach since children is really powerful. Because as you have said before, increase in creativity, increase in competencies and increasing. I think I forget anyone. But yeah, all these basically lead you towards a better fulfilled life, right? So people will get happier if they Had nurtured right at the beginning when they are
children. Because if you do it later, then it might be even more difficult because you need to undo some of the mindset that you rule into and your kids. So, thanks for sharing all these beautiful tips. I think for parents listeners out there, do check your children strength, try to strength spot them. As Brandon mentioned, probably try to do, maybe customize your parenting approach from there. Don't just do helicopter parenting where you dry for? You want to your children.
I think that's basically an anti-pattern. So Brandon has As we move towards the end of our conversation, I really enjoyed our conversation so much. I have one last question that I normally ask all my guests which is about sharing your version of three technical leadership wisdom. It doesn't have to be intact but maybe any kind of leadership wisdom that you think will be good to share with the listeners here so that they can grow and
learn from you. I have a word that I have made a life word against the word, magnanimous, or to practice magnanimity. The definition is to be high-minded. To be free of petty, vindictiveness to be gracious. Noble forgiving, I was drawn to this word at a young age and my 20s.
When I first learned it as the style of leadership, I want to embrace As Leaders. It can be such a lure to go down the path and vindictiveness, or to feel offended, or to allow rivalry to exist or to carry a grudge. But I have found in many others would agree that magnanimity allows you to To maintain objectivity. Stay objective to look past a situation to think with your most effective parts of your brain that give you the best opportunity to not carry forward in life.
Those things that can weigh you down, literally weigh you down, and your health, and Your vitality and your relationships. And it has served me. Well and I have to work at it to keep magnanimity in front of my eyes as the focal point of my growth and development as a later. And I encourage others to Consider some clear philosophy cleared Schreiber, what it is that they will subscribe to to be effective as a leader. Thank you so much for sharing your meghna. I can't even pronounce it.
Now make them retreat, but I guess it's a really beautiful. So people should find their own clear philosophy as well that they subscribe to try to identify that as the value. So brand has been a great conversation. If they are people who want to reach out to you again, maybe also following up on the code that You will share with all the listeners here. Is there a place where they can find you online? Yes, first place is email. Brandon be our A and D 0 n at 34 strong.com.
The number 3, the number for the word, strong.com is a great place and then on LinkedIn. Brandon Miller. 34 strong is a place where we can connect and learn more about each other and what work we're doing and perhaps to share a strengths code. For those that might be interested. Thank you. I'll make sure to probably reach To you closer to the release and put it in the show notes so that people can participate and know their strengths because this is very important.
So, thanks again for your time. Brandon, I really appreciate your sharing today, and I learned a lot. So thank you again for that. Thank you, Henry. Thank you for listening to this episode and for staying, right until the end if you highly enjoyed it. I would appreciate if you share it with your friends and colleagues who you think would also benefit from listening to this episode. And if you are new to the podcast, make sure to subscribe and leave me your valuable
review and feedback. It helps me a lot in order to grow this podcast better. You can also find the full show notes of this conversation on the episode page at tackling Journal, dot death website, including the full transcript. Arresting words and links to the resources mentioned, from the conversation. And lastly, make sure to subscribe to the show's mailing list on package. You know, dot f to get notified for any future episodes. Stay tuned for the next technology.
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