If You Study Bad...

I watched another Marcus Buckingham video today. This guy is worth looking up. He has some great resources, I believe. I'm not acquainted with very many of them yet, but I am impressed and inspired.
(This is the guy who sparked the "there's no 'i' in team" post.)

Originally this was near the end, but it didn't quite fit there. Still, I want to share it so, laugh with me here and then we can get more serious. :)

There were a couple of things Marcus said that made me laugh. He said them jokingly which is why I share them with you, in the same spirit.

Therapy is the price you pay to let your children know they're wrong.

Back to business:
Today some of the truths from the other video I watch were reiterated but there were some new things too. Even more thoughts came from the conversation the team had afterwards. I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight one or two of them here.

We have a tendency to study the bad to try to improve or learn about the good. For instance, people study divorce to learn about marriage and sickness to learn about health. Here's the thing (that Marcus said, at least in essence), if you study bad and revert it, you don't get good. You get not bad.

While I understand that, especially in the area of science and medicine, there is a lot to be learned from the bad, I think too often we neglect learning from and capitalizing on the good. At least, I was a bit convicted and confronted on that today.

I'll speak for myself now. For far too long I believed the myth that I would grow most in the areas of weakness. That's not true. While that can't be an excuse for me to ignore them, it is a sufficient reason for me to focus on my strengths. It is freeing enough for me to invest my time primarily in improving my strengths. It is an encouragement to offer what I have and improve in those areas. May I be honest? I'd rather work on improving these things: things at which I am good, things that I am passionate about.

I think the world would be a happier, and quite frankly, better place if we would start focusing more on our strengths. It can look like arrogance when someone steps up to the plate, so to say. But let's be honest. Wouldn't you rather have someone leading you who likes leading and is a great manager. And how about other roles? Do you want to have the job you hate just so you can supposedly "improve yourself." Wouldn't the team, company, or organization be better off if you work in your area of strength and allow and encourage others to do the same. Not for them to work in YOUR area of strength, but to set them free to work in theirs. I really think that makes a happier atmosphere and life. That's not to mention a more productive one.

I'll wrap up here... If you want to check out some resources (that are no doubt more eloquently written and succinctly stated) you can visit simplystrengths.com. Let us not settle for studying the bad only to get to "not bad." Let us instead seek out the good, the strengths. Let us pursue it passionately - for the good of ourselves and those around us. Be free to step up and offer your strengths. And in the process, may you find that you are setting others free to do the same.