"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer" Albert Einstein
Malcolm Gladwell suggests that 10,000 hours is the period of time required to reach critical mass in terms of expertise and insight. The main point is that hard work, not just natural abilities or high IQ, often determine a person's ultimate success and level of expertise in a particular domain.
Numerous studies have shown that expertise and creativity emerge in relation to a particular domain of knowledge or activity. For example, we might say that a particular person is gifted as an artist, a musician, a writer, or leader. Human beings exhibit an astonishing array of strengths and abilities. To become really good or even "gifted" requires that we spend considerable time developing our innate talents, strengths and abilities.
You may discover your signature talents by using tools to assess your multiple intelligences. Once you have taken some self-assessments, you will create better clarity of those signature talents.
The interesting thing about your unique personal profile is that it represents two things: areas of strength and areas for development. How strong you are in a particular intelligence is a measure of your abilities and how much time you have spent in that domain of knowledge.
It is up to you to decide where to put your time and energy. It is important to look at the combination of strengths that you possess. The top two or more strengths create composites that map to other macro qualities such as jobs and professions.
Business and Executive coaching focuses on improving performance and developing individual skills and is often transformational with many individuals.
It can be applied to individual leaders or within a group learning environment. With regard to one-to-one coaching of leaders, often referred to as executive or leadership coaching, it is often used by organisations when a leader has been appointed to a new role or has been identified for one in the near future.
For coaching to effect sustained behavioural and performance improvements it should:
· Provide insight into current leadership style.
· Clarify inner strengths and values.
· Improve interpersonal relationships.
· Broaden perspectives.
· Identify and overcome barriers to change.
· Enhance a learning mentality.
Good coaching provides an environment where issues can be discussed in total confidentiality; where people are heard but never judged. Trust is quickly developed between the coach and client, which is used as a foundation for successful exploration, ownership and positive change.
An effective coach attempts to see the world as the client sees it, which in turn acts as a mirror to enable the client to reflect on issues and behaviours more clearly.
However, as the essence of coaching is the formation of productive one-to-one relationships, the client also has a responsibility to make the relationship work by being:
· Open to constructive feedback, either from the coach, or from the comments and results from the multiple feedback instruments, such as DISCus or PX-12 Profiler.
· Committed to the process and not just acting as a willing participant.
· Prepared to reveal personal weaknesses to others.
· Brave enough to consider modifying a leadership style that has previously been effective, but may not be fully appropriate to changing circumstances.
· Prepared to have his or her assumptions, motives and behaviours challenged by the coach.
Business Tips
Capitalise on Your Strengths
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