Leading with Emotional Intelligence: Hands-On ... - always yours

DEVELOPING OTHERS TOOLS AND STRATEGIES 227
“I’d like to do that.” Leaders use yearnings as a clue for strengths.
Talking about their dreams, aspirations, or future goals will help to
identify these aspirations.
WATCH FOR SATISFACTIONS: “Satisfactions are experiences
where the emotional and psychic rewards are great; typically they
are the activities we ‘get a kick out of doing.’ ” 12
WATCH FOR RAPID LEARNING: When someone catches on
quickly to something, this is an indication of a strength or talent.
It comes easy to the person and it feels like he or she has always
known how to do it.
Slow learning, where a person just doesn’t get the hang of something,
is also very significant. It is an indication of a nonstrength.
GLIMPSES OF EXCELLENCE: Within each task there are a series
of moments or subtasks where someone can demonstrate excellence.
This can be a glimpse of a strength. My son and I were taking
guitar lessons, and our teacher demonstrated what she wanted us
to do. As I was trying to memorize the sequence, my son just listened
and was able to repeat it perfectly. As I toiled away, he got it
effortlessly—a glimpse of excellence.
These glimpses can be nurtured to develop the talent. Examples
include an ability to know just the right time to ask for the sale, or
an ability to make people feel very comfortable, or thinking on one’s
feet in a presentation, responding to hard questions, or an ability to
simplify complex tasks.
TOTAL PERFORMANCE OF EXCELLENCE: This isn’t a glimpse
of excellence, but rather when the whole task is done with excellence.
In sports, for example, the person may be experiencing “flow,”
where the performance is effortless.
Notice that the aforementioned five characteristics for strengths
involve your watching and listening. You will need to listen with one
ear for strengths and one for development opportunities.