In today’s uncertain times, strong leadership is more critical than ever. Dealing with factors like a changing workplace, fears and doubts of team members, unpredictable customer behavior, and financial concerns can impact teams negatively. But the strong leader was made for times like this.

Using the acronym S-T-R-O-N-G, let’s look at the four core needs of followers and the three things strong leaders do. If you’re a leader, consider how you will meet your follower’s...

Many workers who normally work in an office setting have become remote workers due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This wasn’t a decision by choice, but rather by necessity. And now you’re wondering how to make the best of it. This is when some self-awareness paired with intentional action can make a big difference.

Let’s look at the situation of suddenly becoming a remote worker. Let’s say at the office you’re used to having:

• an effective workstation with...

After being around for a long time, the Enneagram has gained a resurgence in popularity mostly due to social networks, popular books and podcasts, and word of mouth. While this is good because the ancient personality tool is getting exposure, it can also be detrimental. Lots of folks think they’ve “done the Enneagram” when they really haven’t.

For them “doing the Enneagram’ means taking a free online quiz, laughing and chatting about the results with...

I don’t know if you’ve heard of the Enneagram, but it’s hot in some circles. At its simplest, the Enneagram is a personality profiling tool that describes nine basic personality types. The idea is to find your type, discover how you live out your type, and then take steps to grow.

It’s actually been around for a long time but has recently gained a resurgence due to some popular books, podcasts, and social media. There’s a debate among some Christians about...

Here in the U.S. it’s Valentine’s Day, which means people are talking about love. This comes two days after I led a workshop for a group of leaders on the Enneagram.

It was a fun and insightful time, and it went way too fast. The goal was to help them understand themselves better and the value they bring at work.

The intersection of the workshop and Valentine’s Day got me thinking…what might each Enneagram type want to hear on Valentine’s Day?

If you’re...

CoachTalk.tv interviewed me about using the Enneagram for coaching. I use the Enneagram as an internal coach at my company and also with external clients.

In this conversation, we cover questions like:

• What are the nine personality types and core drives?
• How can we achieve health for the whole person?
• What types connect to other types?
• What is a wing?

We also talk about two coaching clients and how the Enneagram helped to improve productivity and set personal boundaries.

Watch the interview...

As I shared before, self-awareness is critical for success in life, work, and relationships, and there are plenty of great tools out there. If you commit to learn from just one tool, you will be farther along today than you were yesterday, and tomorrow you will be farther along than you were today. So, what tools do I use when I work with people?

The two tools I like best are CliftonStrengths® and the Enneagram—and I’m certified to use both. Rather than use them separately,...

Sometimes connections between ideas come when you’re not expecting them, even in front of a room of people. Recently I was leading an introductory strengths workshop for a team. While explaining the concept of talent, I shared Gallup's definition of talent:

Talent by Gallup

“Talent is naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling or behavior that can be productively applied.”

Each of us is naturally good at certain things, and these things fall into one of three...

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...