As a strengths trainer and coach, I help folks to understand their talented behaviors so they can make the most of them. It’s exciting to see people come alive to their talents and apply them to relationships, work, and life.

For example, I’ve seen people start to give themselves permission for taking time to think because thinking is what they’re good at. I’ve seen people embrace their decisiveness because that’s their power. I’ve seen people foster their...

Previously I wrote about talent development. I love helping folks find their talents—and then growing them into strengths. I mean, I really love it. However, now that I’ve worked in the realm of strengths for a few years, I’ve identified a missing piece.

Talents can tell you what you’re good at, but they can’t tell you where they’re taking you. That’s the business of motivation. When it comes to self-awareness, it’s better to work on both. I...

The other day I was coaching a supervisor whose team members weren’t as engaged as she wanted them to be. We talked about the reasons for that and brainstormed possible solutions. After coming up with five or six possibilities, she highlighted two that seemed doable for her, and decided to try them. I’m looking forward to hearing the results.

Myth: Sometimes supervisors get the idea that producing highly engaged employees is all their responsibility.

And so, they don’t want...

We've been talking about different kinds of prayer to help you find your prayer strengths. This week's focus is Prophetic Prayer. (I understand this prayer type may raise some eyebrows, but please hang with us.)

An Experience

Several years ago I’m in a worship service when I get the feeling that God may want to communicate to me about someone in the room. It's a man I don't know.

I close my eyes and what do I see? A chubby beaver, furry with buck teeth, brown matted fur, and a...

My daughter is 16, which reminded me of my driving test when I was 16. I failed it twice. One reason I failed it the first time—and I say “one reason” because I’m sure there were other reasons—was because I didn’t use the turn signal enough.

I told my friends my reason for failing, and they gave me advice (because the ones you really want to take driving advice from are the ones who’ve hardly done it). Their advice was this: use your turn signals as...

One day this summer, I drove to our family’s cabin with my daughter. The cabin is about 35 miles away. As we got engrossed in conversation, I looked in my rearview mirror and noticed a police car following close behind, so I pulled over. The officer informed me I had been speeding, and he handed me a ticket.

Honestly I didn’t even know, I had been focused on our conversation. My teenage daughter thought all of this was hilarious and laughed, “Wait until Mom finds out. Hey...

Gallup published a book this past May that discusses the most significant factor in an organization’s long-term success. What is it? It’s the manager, and the “research is based on the largest global study of the future of work.”

I’m making this point not to put undue pressure on managers—“If I mess this up, the company’s going to crumble!”—but rather to put realistic pressure on them. The manager is vital to the health of the...

As I’ve spoken on the different prayer types with folks, there are two that seem especially remarkable to people. More than any others, these two seem to stop people in their tracks and draw them to say, “I need more of that.” In this post, we’ll unpack listening prayer.

You may remember the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. Jesus (and probably his disciples) visit the home of these two sisters. True to custom, sister Martha busies herself to serve her guests,...

Psalm 84 says, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty.”

So you may have dreams for different parts of your life—your dream marriage, your dream children, your dream friends, your dream job, your dream house, your dream body, your dream bank account, your dream retirement. We could go on.

But let me ask you—have you thought about your "dream" prayer life?

Psalm 84 says, “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD.”

We have many...

We’re in this series on taking a coach approach to prayer. Last week you answered some questions about your prayer life. This week I’m going to share something personal. Usually a coach doesn’t divulge much about his own life—the coach approach is all about the client.

But the point is worth making, and the story important to tell, in making it.

A few Christmases ago, I visited the hospital with chest pains. I was 36 with a wife and three children at home. The chest...