Strengths

A circus is nothing if not a “strengths-based” organization. A group of people with unique and irreplaceable talents come together to build something greater than the sum of its parts. The audience is captivated by the sight of people performing these impressive feats of artistry, flexibility, and bravery.

But it only works because you let the acrobats do the backflips and the trapeze artist fly through the air. If you start asking the clowns to walk the tightrope or the jugglers to tame the big cats, things are going to go sideways pretty quickly…

Because the truth is that the “death-defying feats” you see in the circus aren’t nearly as dangerous as they seem. The people performing them combined their natural talent for their craft with years of training. Long before they stepped into their spotlight, they invested time and energy into honing the gifts they were born with into strengths that look impossible from the audience’s perspective. And they didn’t do it alone!

Outside of the circus, however, we’re often taught to disregard our talents. The stuff that we like and we’re good at is brushed aside, and instead we’re encouraged to invest in building our skill in the areas that don’t come naturally to us. We’re supposed to become “well-rounded.”

But becoming “well-rounded” doesn’t make us better. At anything. It makes us frustrated and overwhelmed and exhausted to pour our energy into tasks for which we have no talent. And it makes us insecure, doubtful, and ashamed about work that should be energizing and exciting! Instead of spending time and effort getting better at the things we’re good at, we wind up wasting that investment trying to become something we’re not.

I’ve always been a believer that people do best what they like and they’re good at. Seems simple enough, right? But it’s far from easy… When you’ve been told again and again that the things that come easily to you aren’t valuable, it is understandably challenging to learn to trust your instincts.

Overcoming your doubts can’t happen in a vacuum. You can’t simply will yourself to get over them. You need to replace the voices in your head by finding people who believe in your gifts and can help you build your talents into strengths. That’s how you learn to step into your spotlight and perform your very own version of “death-defying feats”.

My favorite part of running the circus was using my talents to help clear the path for people to develop their most unique and impressive strengths, whether that was standing on horses, perfecting a magic trick, or implementing systems & processes. Now I get to use that same set of talents as a leadership coach, helping encourage and support the development of leaders and teams so they, like the circus, can create something greater than the sum of its parts.

If you need someone in your corner, I’d love to help you discover and develop your unique and irreplaceable talents.