Do It Now!
“Do it now!” is easier said than done. Perhaps it needs to be proceeded by Nike’s “Just do it!” slogan. I remember a time of little sleep, three weeks before submitting my final portfolio to graduate with my bachelors of fine art when I stuck a “Do it now!” post-it note above my drafting table. Those three words helped me persevere and continue to do so today. I have since studied other methods of self-regulation, goal setting, leadership and communication styles and techniques. Some I have taken lightly and others have really struck a deep chord in my psyche. I experienced the following two programs at about the same time within the last ten years. They have both helped me put a language to how I have determined my path and achieved my goals.
StrengthsQuest
I participated in leadership development with my work at Lone Star College. Part of this development included taking a Gallup survey called the Clifton StrengthsFinder and reading the StrengthsQuest book written by Donald O. Clifton and Edward “Chip” Anderson and revised by Laurie A. Schreiner. The StrengthsQuest program is designed to help you discover your greatest talents and develop your strengths. The Gallup Company claims to have conducted millions of psychologic interviews with top achievers over three decades. From the information gathered, they identified more than 400 themes of talent, however only used the most common 34 themes to form their StrengthsFinder survey. The entry-level participants to this program only receive the top five of the 34 themes. The idea is to help participants focus on what they do best. My top five themes are input, learner, connectedness, achiever, and intellection.
I strongly believe that if you want to achieve your goals, you need to know yourself. In what areas do you excel? What brings you satisfaction and enjoyment? Reading about my strengths confirmed my intuitions and observations about myself and gave me a quick way to express areas where I thrive. I can consciously use these strengths to reach my goals and select goals I know I can achieve. For instance, I recognize using my input strength when researching information. My learner strength comes in handy when there is a new task to master or knowledge to gain. Connectedness helps me find a purpose in all I do and keeps me motivated. My achiever strength keeps me on track and helps me get things done. Finally, my intellection allows me to think critically about many aspects of any subject. There is a darker flip side to the strengths that is helpful to know but not dwell upon. I realize my input, learner and intellection strengths can stall my progress. I can be caught up in collecting and thinking about a subject or task and run out of time to accomplish what is required. This is good information to know about myself.
The StrengthsQuest program becomes even more helpful when an organization or team all take the survey and share their strengths. Knowing what others need to be effective and how their strengths can contribute in a positive way helps with accomplishing goals. It also helps with what communication style is best suited to approaching different people. Someone like me, with input and intellection appreciates knowing the details are covered. My husband has a strategic strength. According to StrengthsQuest, he is fast at coming up with a plan to get from point A to point B. Once I found out he had this strength, I quit pestering him and gave him more of my trust. He also came to realize that I felt better when he explained some or all of the details, even when he did not think it was necessary. I think having these tools of self-knowledge and communication have helped in many ways. In addition, I feel that StrengthsQuest is just one tool. I believe any method that helps a person stop and analyze what works in their life is worth consideration.
The Leader in Me
When my daughter was in kindergarten, her elementary school purposefully adopted Stephen R. Covey’s The Leader In Me program into their culture. The program derives from his popular The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People book. The simple language used to help elementary school children learn these good habits is catchy and have become my motivation mantras. For example:
- Be Proactive. This habit reminds me to think ahead and be responsible for my own actions.
- Begin with the End in Mind. Getting a clear picture of the steps needed to reach a well-defined goal prevents me from unnecessarily expanding the scope of an endeavor.
- Put First Things First. This is one of my favorites. I try not to let distractions hinder my priorities.
- Think Win-Win. When working with others this helps remind me to look for solutions that are beneficial to all.
- Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood. This habit is important for good communication. Active listening is a challenge when my brain tries to skip ahead. I try to make an effort to stop and listen to others’ complete comments.
- Synergize. I respect others’ abilities and seek to learn from them. I try to put my ego aside so I do not miss good opportunities or solutions that come from another perspective.
- Sharpen the Saw. Self-regulating my health is a hard but important challenge. I will not be able to accomplish any goals if I am sick or weak.
Paying attention to these habits and trying to live by them has become important in my life and communication with my family. I find myself using this vocabulary with my daughter; especially “Put First Things First” when she is trying to avoid a chore. The advice does not just come from mom, but a well-respected author and expert on leadership skills.
References
Clifton, D. O., Anderson, E., & Schreiner, L. A. (2006). StrengthsQuest: Discover and develop your strengths in academics, career, and beyond (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Gallup Press.
Covey, S. R. (2008). The leader in me: How schools and parents around the world are inspiring greatness, one child at a time. New York, NY: Free Press.
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