Director's Notes: Focus on Strengths
by Jill Ryan
As we approach
the end of the year,
I find this is a good
time to take stock
of strengths; personal
strengths as
well as organizational
strengths.
We often tend to
focus our time trying to “fix” our
shortcomings rather than plowing
forward at what we do so well. By
spending our time on our strong
points, we will generally accomplish a
great deal more than if we spend our
time trying to struggle with the tasks
we find most difficult.
You might ask, if we don’t spend time
on our weaknesses how will we get all
the work done? There are several suggested
strategies an organization can
utilize to manage their weaknesses.
First, survey your members to find the
strengths of each individual so you can
divide up tasks into things people enjoy
and at which they excel. Second, for
the things for which no internal
strength can be found, seek out the
advice of an expert in that area. Finally,
collaborate with other organizations in
order to complement each group’s
areas of strength.
In the end, a few minutes spent
thinking about strengths and how you
can capitalize on them, as well as areas
of weakness and how you can cope
with rather than correct them will help
your work flow more smoothly in the
coming year.
“The keystone of high
achievement and happiness
is exercising your strengths,
not correcting your weaknesses.”
– Martin E.P. Seligman
Disclaimer:
The interpretations and conclusions presented in this newsletter represent the opinions of the individual authors. They in no way represent the views of the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, the C.S. Mott Foundation, subscribers, donors, or any organization mentioned in this publication.
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