I can’t believe it – I’m almost ready to launch The Strengths Deck!
This has been a passion project and an incredible thing to be working on during a global pandemic, where so many of the ways we used to do things have been challenged. In many cases, we’ve realised that the “old” way of doing things hasn’t been serving us nearly as well as we had thought. And one of those old ways was always focusing on our weaknesses, and what we need to get better at, rather than appreciating all the great qualities and capabilities we have, and how we can best use them to achieve our goals.
Since 2020, virtually all of my work has revolved around personal strengths – teaching individuals, teams and organisations how to discover their unique strengths fingerprint, and how to make the most of what’s in their toolbox. It’s all about knowing how to use what you’ve already got to achieve your goals with maximum energy, engagement, and wellbeing, create the kind of life and work you want, and to help others do the same.
Developing the Deck
As part of this work with my amazing clients, I have spent the last 2 years developing The Strengths Deck as a hands-on, fun and interactive way to:
- think and talk about strengths,
- see how strengths can work together and against each other, and
- create smart strategies to make the most of what’s in your toolbox
I’ve tested, trialled, and refined the concepts, cards, and approach, gaining valuable feedback from colleagues, friends, and clients. It’s been a fascinating journey for me – full of ups and downs, moments of uncertainty and doubt followed by moments of hope and optimism, and learning so much more about my personal strengths and how to use them to give others the chance to discover their own special brand of magic that they bring to the world.
How is it different to other strengths approaches?
Most other approaches on the market involve you completing an online assessment, which then generates a multi-page report for you to digest, usually with the support of an accredited coach. I’m not against such an approach – after all, I’m an Accredited Practitioner with Strengths Profile. But there are a couple of reasons why I think the online assessment and digital report approach doesn’t always get the best results.
1. The time delay between the assessment and debrief
There can be a week or more between doing the assessment and having the debrief conversation with the coach. This means you can lose some of the finer details of what was going on for you when you were completing the assessment. How we are feeling, what we are thinking, and even whether we are hungry or distracted can have a significant influence on the way we answer assessment questions. So a good coach should be probing for this information in the debrief conversation – but even the best coach can’t help if your memory has faded!
2. “The computer says”
The other big challenge is that receiving a digital report can end up feeling like having a computer telling you who you are or what you’re good at. While you actually supplied the information that has generated the report, it can still feel a bit “at arm’s length”, which makes it difficult to engage with and take ownership of.
Meanwhile, I developed The Strengths Deck to be a hands-on, in-the-moment activity, where the power is quite literally in your hands. You hold the cards and you decide where to place them – the coach is there to answer any questions you have as you go through the sorting process, and then to prompt you to reflect on your strengths, weaknesses, capabilities, beliefs, history and strategies.
It’s already having an impact
Until now, I’ve been using The Strengths Deck with private clients. We’ve had lots of engaging and fun sessions, as well as deep conversations. And the best bit is that my clients have seen fantastic success as they develop, test, and refine their strategies to use their strengths to light up their work and deliver great results.
Now it’s time to put it out there. So, very soon, I’ll be launching it onto the market. I can’t wait to share it with you!
Let’s stay in touch
If you’d like to be the first in the know when The Strengths Deck launches, and to receive practical tools, tips and strategies about how to use your strengths, sign up to the newsletter using the form below.
I love connecting with people on LinkedIn, so feel free to send me a connection request – you can find me here. And, I love hearing your thoughts, ideas, feedback and strengths stories – feel free to drop me an email or send a message via my Contact page.