An author once noted that the troubles he had seen in his long life were caused by one of two human tendencies; over simplifying things that were actually complicated, or over complicating things that were actually simple.

As a Strengths coach, I strive to ensure my students understand their natural abilities and talents. I also want them to know how awesome it will be when they start leveraging those talents and transform them into massive strengths! I focus on the Gallup taught process of Name, Claim, and Aim. I use the reference materials provided to me during my certification training, and I always have a few additional tricks and tactics up my sleeve that I pick up from other coaches on Facebook and Twitter.

I do everything I can to equip strengths enthusiasts with the tools necessary to take full advantage of their God-given skills! I plant the seed of growth, satisfaction, and future success.

But one thing I try to avoid at all cost is…over-watering!

In my opinion, Strengths-based development is a simple concept. You achieve more when you take action to strengthen the talents that come naturally to you, and you spend less time trying to become well-rounded or flawless.

People love simplicity. It’s the reason infomercials that run at 3AM still exist! There’s a problem, and the product is the solution. When you try to cram too much down the consumer’s throat, they feel a sense of anxiety and quickly scan for the nearest exit. They’re scared of complexity, and rightfully so.

They want a fix-action, and they want it yesterday.

Strengths-based development solves problems. If presented correctly, it’s viewed as a way of life that’s so simple…it might just work. The terminology is simple, the application is simple, and the way it enhances the rate at which information is communicated is borderline magical!

But if you want to place a group of professionals on the defense and watch them squirm in their seats, start talking about Strengths like it’s Trigonometry.

“This talent works with this talent divided by that talent times the square root of this other talent, and you get this talent! Do you get it?????”

I’m a simple person. And I love Strengths! I love it so much that I decided to build a career around its teachings. So in an effort to satisfy my own desires, and enrich the minds of the people I coach, I’m going to do everything I can to keep things simple.

“The greatest ideas are the simplest.”
~ William Golding, Lord of the Flies