As the world’s first Gallup-Certified Strengths coach, I’m invested in helping people understand how to apply their Strengths. Many of you have discovered your CliftonStrengths (StrengthsFinder assessment) but have succumbed to “top drawer syndrome.” That’s where you get excited about your assessment, but then you get busy, put it in the top drawer of your desk and forget about it. Years can go by before you ever learn how to master, leverage, and apply your strengths. So, today I want to give you a complementary Strengths Champion Toolkit to help you grow stronger, work smarter, and live richer.

Inside the Strengths Champion Toolkit are 7 amazing tools that I have used myself and with clients over the last 10+ years. The toolkit includes:

1. 1-page strengths strategy

  • A fillable go-to guide that will help you apply your strengths to your work or business.

2. Maximize your strengths workbook

  • A fillable workbook for your top 10 strengths – with a series of questions related to your strengths.

3. Strengthometer

  • Infographic of how to drive the right strengths, at the right speed, at the right time.

4. Raw-to-Refined Strengths Workbook

  • See what a raw strength looks like versus a refined one.

5. 4 Domains of Leadership

  • Infographic on the four types of leadership domains: executing, strategic, influencing, and relationship building.

6. Leadership Brand Statement

  • How to take your top five strengths and craft a brand statement that can be used for your resume, elevator pitch, or with your team.

7. Goal Setting with Strengths Worksheet

  • Be able to name, claim & aim your strengths.

 

If you want to grow further, faster, and better, the Strengths Champion Toolkit is a great place to start. If you’ve discovered your strengths but don’t know what to do next, sign up HERE to receive the toolkit and join the mailing list.

To explore this topic as a new potential client, I would love to hear from you. Schedule a complimentary Ask Brent Anything Call HERE.

I recently took a course from Dr. Charles Stone, the author of the book: Brain Savvy Leaders. One of the tools in that course really spoke to me and fits closely with what I do. It deals with our Emotional Agility and Emotional Regulation. This tool is beneficial for leaders, managers, and individuals who support others in personal or professional settings. To provide further support in managing emotions and stress, review the 4 Tips to De-stress at your Desk.

Emotional Agility and Emotional regulation can be trained by using a system created by Dr. Charles Stone known as CARTS:

C Change your circumstance through selection

Make a conscious decision to change a situation you are not happy with.

A Alter your attention through distraction

Use positive distractions to help you regulate your emotions.

R Reframe the situation through reappraisal

View situations from a different perspective.

T Tag your emotions through labeling

Labeling emotions allows you to identify them before you implode from avoiding them or explode from overusing them.

S Step back from the emotion by distancing yourself.

Create space so you can slow down the power of the emotion.

 

You don’t have to be a professional counselor to learn how to deal with emotions. You can be a business leader, manager, parent, or individual that wants to love people, encourage them, and help those who experience tremendous overwhelm & stress. To learn more about emotional agility and emotional regulation, I highly recommend you read Dr. Charles Stone’s book and watch the full video. If you want training, workshops, or are interested in coaching reach out to me HERE.

If you feel like you’re not stronger, more confident, or intentional with your strengths, I want to show you 12 steps to maximize your strengths today. This is a process that I’ve done with myself and with clients to maximize their strengths. In my book Let’s Talk Strengths, I give various examples of how you can maximize, mobilize, and monetize your strengths. To add to this resource, I have created a quick reference 12 Steps to Maximize Your Strengths Infographic where you can evaluate how well you are maximizing your top strengths.

12 Steps to Maximize Your Strengths Infographic

There is a very intentional process to maximize, mobilize, and monetize your strengths. By accessing this FREE download, you can discover the power of your signature strengths. For personal examples of the 12 steps to maximize your strengths, join in on the conversation – watch the video replay. To hire me to train with your organization/team or if you are interested in coaching you can contact me HERE.

4 Tips to De-Stress at your Desk

One of the most requested topics that I’ve been doing trainings and webinars for is the top 4 tips to de-stress at your desk. These 4 tips are bult to help you refresh, refocus, and reenergize. Research shows that since the Pandemic, many people working from home are working more hours, and even spending up to three hours or more in front of their computers daily. Whether you are working at the office, from home or a hybrid of the two, it is likely that you spend a lot of time behind at your desk and at a computer screen. Here are 4 tips to de-stress at your desk:

1. Stretch it out. Whenever we are in front of our desks too much, we get stuck in a rut. Learning to stretch and move is one of the best ways to bring oxygen into your body. You can stretch your hands up and down, fingers, neck, shoulders, and your entire body in sideways and circular motions. For detailed descriptions watch the full video below.

2. Deep breathing. When we are stressed, we are anxious. We breathe from our chest in shallow breaths. Take a deep, cleansing breath through your nostrils, hold it a few seconds, then exhale through your mouth. A helpful technique to add in this exercise is a tool known as box breathing. When you practice box breathing, you will imagine a box while you are breathing. For four seconds you will breathe in starting from the top of the box, hold your breath for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, then hold your breath for another four seconds. At the top of the box, you start your breathing motions again. This technique is known as box breathing because as you breathe, the image of the box helps you create a consistent pattern to control your deep breathing. You can continue these steps until you feel your stress levels drop.

3. Visualizations. Find a picture in your mind of a soothing, relaxing place. It could be a forest, a beach, next to a person you love, or even on a vacation you remember fondly. Close your eyes. Instead of focusing on distractions around you, go to that place of quietness, meditation, and solitude. Take a deep breath and practice mindfulness breathing. When you are practicing mindfulness breathing, you notice your emotions and the thoughts that are coming through your mind. You may even notice some “ants on the brain” – which is described in last week’s blog 4 Ways to Stop Anxious Thinking. Take those thoughts and reframe them into positive thoughts and affirmations.

4. Break it up. It is very common for individuals to work through their lunches and breaks. However, those breaks are incredibly necessary. You must break it up! Think of your favorite ways to take microbreaks. It can be as small as opening the front door, getting a snack from the fridge, walking through your yard, or checking your mailbox. Also, take time to eat your lunch. You can eat your lunch outside, at the table or even in front of the tv. Just make sure you’re in a different room or space from where your desk is located.

It’s crucial to know that how you end your day also impacts how well you can de-stress at your desk. Having a good morning ritual like meditation, reading, praying, solitude, and reflection are all helpful practices to destress not only at your desk, but at the beginning and end of your day. These 4 tips will decrease your stress and help you sleep better, be more alert, be more focused and ultimately gain the most out of your productivity.

If you would like me to speak or train your team/organization, or if you are interested in hiring me as a professional coach for your executives, you can send a request by clicking HERE.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio