Morning ,

Of course we know where the audio of this is by now...it's here in the google drive 🎧.

In a lot of instances, living centred in the use of your top strengths as often as possible is a sure fire way to operate at your best. It's also a great way for others to have the experience of you at your best.

And sometimes circumstances demand that we reach into the strengths further down the list because simply the situation, the conversation, the email thread, the group chat or the team huddle needs it.

It can of course feel a bit clunkier in the moment but there is a way you can look at it.

Whilst I'm not sure where I got it from and I suspect that it's from the clever Gallup folks, to myself I call this "dialling up" those strengths. Reaching down a little lower on the list, to the ones with less intensity.

Not as in the old dial up internet connection (you can hear it right now can't you?), but more like the dial on the stove top or the ripper up and down sliders you may have had on the old stereo equaliser back in the day.

My top 5 strengths would look like this on that equaliser. Learner. Intellection. Strategic. Connectedness and Empathy.

Over the last few weeks I've needed to start new relationships with a group of small business owners and operators. I've got history with this work as most of you will know, so there's a little bit of soft wiring in my brain about an approach to building relationships with them.

In particular for this situation I dialled up the L for Learner to ask questions and learn more about the humans, with a dash of the C and E to to walk in their shoes a little, understand more about their goals and how their business fits in their life. Now this all takes time and I'm just scratching the surface, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I also had to recognise though at a couple of different stages in the last few weeks that the influencing strengths of Activator and Command can be handy when needed. Some stuff just needs sorting right in the moment and someone to be clear how it will roll. So I've needed to reach further down the list for me.

I also remembered how effective it can be both dial these up when needed but importantly to partner with folks who have these in their top 5 strengths.

Very handy.

So actually at some stages it's felt like a combination of using the top 5 with some sliders going higher on the three strengths I mentioned and then to dial up those others in the moment, it's actually felt a little more like I was live in the studio with one of these funky decks...

Sliding up, sliding down, adapting and maximising in the moment.

Yep. Actually that's it. And I've loved it.

So what's the lesson here?

For me it's been to remember when to dial up, when to partner and also when to do nothing actually.

And sometimes when you find that the top five aren't landing you where you need to go, reaching into some of the less intense strengths you have is going to be important. (geez I wish I knew some of this earlier in my career).

If you find yourself needing something extra, something more than your top 5 is delivering, go a little further, re-read your 34 Report, go a little further down the list and seize one or a combo of them to dial up...test it out...You might find it takes a little extra energy, but it's worth it.

And by the way, thanks for the ripper feedback on The Man I Am Journal in the last couple of weeks. I'll be writing more about why I've published it and how it can be useful for men in the coming weeks.

Thanks again though 🙏🏻🤗

Nick

0418 870 184

P.S. When I wrote to you back in January, I talked about the importance of setting goals in light of an understanding of your strengths, a way of looking at those goals to make them more achievable. I've woven my use of Learner, Strategic and Responsibility into another creative project to add alongside the Reflection Guide on Etsy. Custom printed Strengths Mugs.

That's 2/6 ✅. There's more and more I keep learning about the world of print on demand.