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Strengths-Based Leadership for Research Lab TeamsO'Rourke Horticulture Lab Workshop, 4/13/18

Presented by Eric Kaufman

Analytical | Maximizer | Responsibility | Relator | Discipline

Who is Eric Kaufman?

• Associate Professor & Extension Specialist in Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education

• Signature Themes: Analytical, Maximizer, Responsibility, Relator, Discipline

Our Agenda…

1. Become Familiar with Strengths Philosophy

2. Recognize Signature Themes & Domains of Strength

3. Outline a Strategy for Shared Leadership

Leadership in the Professional

WorldWhere do you start?

Early Leadership Theory: Traits

Premise: • All great leaders have common traits

Challenge: 1. Identify the leadership traits2. Make people with those traits the leaders

Strengths-Based Leadership

• Argues that we all have innate talents to be developed into strengths

• Views leadership as a collective process

• Recommends different strengths for different leadership situations

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The Truth About You(Buckingham, 2008)

• Each of us can be anything we want if we just work hard.

• We grow most where we are weakest.

• Strengths will take care of themselves.

Myths

• You can be anything your strengths allow you to be.

• We grow most in areas we are already strong.

• I can be taught knowledge and skills, but I can’t learn talents.

Truths

What is a Talent?

• A talent theme is a group of similar talents

Achiever

Enjoying hard work

Having internal motivation

Desire to achieve

A tendency to push hard to complete tasks

Finding satisfaction in getting things done

Talents vs. Strengths

• Talent = A naturally recurring pattern of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied.

• Strength = The ability to provide consistent, near-perfect performance in a given activity.

Talent X = StrengthInvestment

“A leader needs to know his strengths as a carpenter knows his tools, or as a physician knows the

instruments at her disposal. What great leaders have in common is that each truly knows his or her

strengths – and can call on the right strength at the right time. This explains why there is no definitive list

of characteristics that describes all leaders.”

- Donald O. Clifton, Gallup Researcher and Father of Strengths Psychology

Effort Matters…Even More Than Talent

Domains of Strengths-Based LeadershipStrategic Thinking Executing

Relationship Building Influencing

AnalyticalContext

FuturisticIdeation

Input Intellection

LearnerStrategic

AchieverArranger

BeliefConsistencyDiscipline

DeliberativeFocus

ResponsibilityRestorative

AdaptabilityConnectedness

DeveloperEmpathyHarmonyIncluder

IndividualizationPositivityRelator

ActivatorCommand

CommunicationCompetitionMaximizer

Self-assuranceSignificance

Woo

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Domains of Strengths-Based Leadership

Executing RelationshipBuilding

Strategic Thinking Influencing

Task-Oriented

People-Oriented

Future-Oriented

Present-OrientedExecuting

• Knowing how to make things happen

DeliberativeDisciplineFocus

ResponsibilityRestorative

AchieverArrangerBelief

Consistency

Relationship Building

• The glue that holds the team together

AdaptabilityDeveloper

Connectedness

Empathy

HarmonyIncluder

Individualization

Positivity

Relator

Influencing

• Reaching a broader audience

ActivatorCommand

Communication

Competition

MaximizerSelf-Assurance

Significance

Woo

Strategic Thinking

• Keeping us focused on what could be

AnalyticalContext

Futuristic

Ideation

InputIntellection

Learner

Strategic

What Strong Teams Have in Common

1. Conflict doesn’t destroy strong teams because strong teams focus on results

2. Strong teams prioritize what’s best for the organization and then move forward

3. Members of strong teams are as committed to their personal lives as they are to their work

4. Strong teams embrace diversity5. Strong teams are magnets for talent

(Rath & Conchie, 2008)

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Strengths Domain Distribution Insight Activity

• Identify your top signature themes, as identified by the CliftonStrengths assessment

• Tally the number of top themes in each domain/column.

• Mark the number of themes in each domain on the corresponding axis.

• Join the dots to visualize your domain distribution.

Instructions

• Where is your group likely to excel and where is the group most likely to experience “blind spots”?

• How can you leverage the group’s existing signature themes for project success?

Consider

ExecutingLeaders with dominant strength in the Executingdomain know how to make things happen. Whenyou need someone to implement a solution,these are the people who will work tirelessly toget it done. Leaders with a strength to executehave the ability to “catch” an idea and make it areality.

InfluencingThose who lead by Influencing help their teamreach a much broader audience. People withstrength in this domain are always selling theteam’s ideas inside and outside the organization.When you need someone to take charge, speakup, and make sure your group is heard, look tosomeone with the strength to influence.

Relationship BuildingThose who lead through Relationship Buildingare the essential glue that holds a teamtogether. Without these strengths on a team, inmany cases, the group is simply a composite ofindividuals. In contrast, leaders with exceptionalRelationship Building strength have the uniqueability to create groups and organizations thatare much greater than the sum of their parts.

Strategic ThinkingLeaders with great Strategic Thinking strengthsare the ones who keep us all focused on whatcould be. They are constantly absorbing andanalyzing information and helping the teammake better decisions. People with strength inthis domain continually stretch our thinking forthe future.

Executing Influencing Relationship Building Strategic Thinking1-5

Team Members

Achi

ever

Arra

nger

Belie

f

Con

sist

ency

Del

iber

ativ

e

Dis

cipl

ine

Focu

s

Res

pons

ibilit

y

Res

tora

tive

Activ

ator

Com

man

d

Com

mun

icat

ion

Com

petit

ion

Max

imiz

er

Self-

Assu

ranc

e

Sign

ifica

nce

Woo

Adap

tabi

lity

Con

nect

edne

ss

Dev

elop

er

Empa

thy

Har

mon

y

Incl

uder

Indi

vidu

aliz

atio

n

Posi

tivity

Rel

ator

Anal

ytic

al

Con

text

Futu

ristic

Idea

tion

Inpu

t

Inte

llect

ion

Lear

ner

Stra

tegi

c

Team Theme Rank Order 2 5 3 4 1James 1 5 2 4 3Thomas 4 2 5 1 3Mark 3 5 4 2 1Carol 3 4 5 2 1jama 3 2 4 5 1Eric 5 3 2 4 1Shreya 5 2 1 4 3Dana 3 5 1 2 4

Leadership Domain Report (Top 5)

© 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved. | Source: 2016 StrengthsFinder database 1

Sample Report Created by VT Gallup Portal

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16Strategi c Think ing

Ex ecuting

Rela tionship Building

Infuencing

Team Strengths GraphJa mes Tho mas M ark Car ol Ja ma Er ic Shr eya D ana Team

[Present Orientation]

[People Orientation]

[Future Orientation]

[Task Orientation]

Describe a Project for this Team

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8StrategicThinking

Executing

RelationshipBuilding

Infuencing

TeamStrengthsGraphIndividualA IndividualB IndividualC IndividualD Team

[PresentOrientation]

[PeopleOrientation]

[FutureOrientation]

[TaskOrientation]

Describe a Project for this Team

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7StrategicThinking

Executing

RelationshipBuilding

Infuencing

TeamStrengthsGraphIndividualA IndividualB IndividualC IndividualD Team

[PresentOrientation]

[PeopleOrientation]

[FutureOrientation]

[TaskOrientation]

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Describe a Project for this Team

00.51

1.52

2.53

3.54

4.55

StrategicThinking

Executing

RelationshipBuilding

Infuencing

TeamStrengthsGraphIndividualA IndividualB IndividualC Team

[PresentOrientation]

[PeopleOrientation]

[FutureOrientation]

[TaskOrientation]

Business Case for Strengths

Lesson for Practice

“A leader is someone who can get things done through other

people.”-Warren Buffet

Stages of Group Development

The Team Performance Curve Planning for Action – Goal Statement

Challenges?

Tough Goals?

Use Your Strengths

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Implications for You and Others? Strengths Experience Survey

Group: Horticulture DepartmentFacilitator: Eric Kaufman

Date: 04/13/2018

http://studentvoice.com/vpiasu/postsurvey

Want more after today?

Taran Cardone

Director of Strengths-Based Learning & Program Director for the Thrive Living-Learning Community

tcardone@vt.edu

540-231-1842

Eric Kaufman

Associate Professor & Extension Specialist, Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education

ekk@vt.edu

540-231-6258