Morning 👋,

There's this beautiful metaphor within the Clifton Strengths work I've been doing that speaks to which strengths you put "behind the wheel" to get something done.

Dependant on the situation at hand or the goal you're striving to achieve, an understanding of your unique natural talents, embracing them in your life and then pointing them towards your goals can be a beautiful path to achieving them.

The more of this work I do, the more I observe and experience this as truth. It's been just a joy.

So today, just so you know, I've put "responsibility" behind the wheel to send this email your way. It's a super handy strength I have when it comes time to take an idea from the thinking 🤔🧐 and the planning (e.g. pondering what I'll talk about in this email to you all) and to the getting-it-out-into-the-world-execution.

So I'm just going to take a short piece of your time this morning and tell you why I'm writing to you and about the kinds of stories and information I'll be sharing here via these emails.

So, why strengths, why now, why me?

Most of you in this email group will know that as a leader, a manager, a team mate or a business partner, I've always loved to develop others around me, to make sure learning is occurring.

In the last few years, to add specifically to the tool kit I use to do that, I've been working with and using the Clifton Strengths tool and have become a Gallup Accredited Strengths Coach.

As a strategic, people centred and practical operations leader over my career, I've always looked for tools that I can learn, understand and apply in my work. Clifton Strengths has been a complete winner on all fronts 💪💪

It's helped me over the last few years to improve food service profits and nutritional quality of that food with outback supermarkets and to support managers and senior leaders to know themselves and their teams, better than ever before. Well that's just two of the ripper examples....

And for the individuals I've worked with, let's just say that what I've observed as the impact from strengths based conversations has been beautiful and that I have simply delighted in seeing more and more of the best of you be shared with the world.

I love it.

When I've combined strengths use with the training of management and leadership competencies, this work has for example, produced significant changes in safety outcomes in a large scale manufacturing environment. Another example of its ripper impact (a reduction of 70% in LTIFR, which is a story for another time, or a quick view here).

No wonder I've developed a strong belief with this tool.

So, I'd love to share more stories with you about the impact of this work, how it can support you in yours and because I also love to write, I'm going to put "responsibility behind the wheel" once a fortnight to share these stories via email.

Now.

I also know, because you're here in this email group that you know I love a voice memo. So for the next one of these emails I'll be adding an audio version of the email as well. I keep being told that some of my messages are like podcasts (maybe tooooo long 😬 but we know I love sharing them), so I thought I'd adapt in part here with an audio version of the email as well 🤭🎙.

There is however, no conversation with me that comes without questions....questions to make you pause, make you think and challenge you to reflect (it's where some of the best learning happens!).

So as much as I'll be sharing stories here, I'll also be adding one question specifically for you each time and of course I'd love to hear the answer that first comes to mind, either via reply email, via voice memo yourself 🎙or simply a text.

So please look out for another email from me soon and take a peek if you get a chance at my glorious orange glowing bald headed videos on LinkedIn (for some other examples of surfacing strengths in action).

For now though, I'm going to ask you a two part question that is great for bringing your attention to the clues in your life that tell you where and when your natural talents and strengths are in action.

a) What activity, when you are doing it, makes you lose complete track of time?

b) And have you been doing that in your work this week?

Speak soon, thanks for reading.

Nick

0418 870 184