Sometimes I get asked what happens in a Strengths coaching session (also known as a Strengths debrief). The short answer is it depends on what the client wants to get out of it. I don’t approach a session with my own agenda; as a coach, I want to follow the client’s agenda.

But if a client has never been to a coaching session, they may not know the possibilities. That’s when I like to offer options so the client can choose what will be most valuable. The subject is...

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I was speaking for a leadership group and asked, “How many of you know what you’re good at?” All of them raised their hands.

Then I followed, “How many of you think about using what you’re good at to do your work?” None of them raised their hands.

By not connecting their strengths with their work, they’re leaving so much value, efficiency, and power on the table.

I think this happens a lot in the workplace. We move...

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Over the past five years, I’ve worked with thousands of people to help them understand themselves better. This work is sacred because you’re dealing with people’s actual lives. The context may be a business workshop, academic setting, or corporate coaching series, but the topic is always personal—let’s talk about you.

When working with people, there are sometimes three big questions that come up: HOW, WHY, and...

When you read the sages on calling, you understand how important it is to understand your story. Your story leaves clues to who you are, where you’ve come from, and where you are going. If you ignore your story, you leave a big piece silent that is meant to be speaking about your calling.

In the spirit of story, I’m going to share a very personal one that may help to explain why we’re shifting to a more Christianly approach to our work. As I announced in a previous blog, our...

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If you’ve been following me, you know that our family is facing a lot of transitions:

• Being fully self-employed after working full-time for EnergyCAP
• Moving to Virginia from Pennsylvania this summer
• Preparing for our daughter to start college in the Fall

While we’re at it, why not throw more transition on the pile?

Two memories from my childhood stand out as especially significant to who I am. When I think back on moments when I felt fully...

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CliftonStrengths® isn’t supposed to be used for job selection, but what if you’re looking for that kind of direction? That’s where PathwayU comes in. CliftonStrengths can tell you what you’re good at, while PathwayU can predict possible pathways for fulfillment and impact. Together, CliftonStrengths and PathwayU are a winning combination.

What is CliftonStrengths?

CliftonStrengths is a talent...

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How do you know which paths to take for greater meaning, purpose, and joy in your calling? Introducing PathwayU.

PathwayU is a platform that uses predictive science to help you discover which paths could create more purpose, meaning, and joy in your life and work. Think of it as a calling assessment, possibility finder, job hunter, coaching tool, and educational resource rolled into one platform.

It is awesome and we’re providing it free-of-charge.

PathwayU...

When I started working for myself full-time, it opened new possibilities. My wife (Colette), and I began imagining what this job change could mean. What was now possible that wasn’t possible before? One of things we pondered was where to live.

I was no longer tied to an employer and a locale.

Sure, this was my hometown, and my parents and my brothers’ families were here. Also, many dear friends whose hearts were part of ours. And a church that we loved. But we felt hungry for a...

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Did you ever have a moment that made you come alive? When you felt like you could do this forever? When you started to dream about a life ordered around that gilded inspiration? We call that moment a spark of calling.

Three Remarkable People

Kypros Nicolaides was a medical student who didn’t care for medicine; he was in school to appease his father. Then a new professor brought an ultrasound machine to class. Kypros saw the image of an...

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Hey, hey, Happy New Year! I hope your year is off to a good start. I’m not big on creating resolutions for the new year, but I do like to evaluate what changes to make. In Dream Big, Bob Goff says that he quits something different every Thursday. I’m not going that far, but I like the idea of considering what to quit and what to add. Here are three changes I’m making in the new year.

#1: More Writing, Less Podcasts

Last July we started...