Go Put Your Strengths To Work - Excerpt

Marcus Buckingham TV

11 Sept 200903:41

Summary

TLDRIn this engaging talk, Marcus Buckingham addresses the universal quest for lasting success. He emphasizes the importance of self-awareness by asking introspective questions about one's potential and success. Drawing from his extensive research on successful individuals, Buckingham reveals a common thread: they capitalize on their strengths and strategically manage their weaknesses. His insights offer a clear path to personal and professional growth, suggesting that by embracing one's unique abilities and finding ways to navigate shortcomings, anyone can achieve enduring success.

Takeaways

🤔 The script begins with introspective questions about personal potential, success, and the right paths to achieve it, emphasizing the importance of self-reflection.
🧐 The speaker suggests that lasting success can be achieved by understanding and leveraging one's strengths while managing weaknesses effectively.
📚 Marcus Buckingham has dedicated his career to studying people who have been lastingly successful in their chosen roles, highlighting the value of learning from the experiences of others.
🌟 Success comes in many forms, as evidenced by the diverse range of individuals studied, from doctors to teachers to salespeople, showing that success is not limited to a single profession or path.
🔍 The common approach among successful individuals is to build on their strengths and find ways to manage their weaknesses, suggesting a universal strategy for achieving personal best.
💡 The speaker shares a personal example of being inquisitive and strategic, yet struggling with confrontation, illustrating the importance of self-awareness in leveraging strengths and addressing weaknesses.
🛠️ The concept of 'putting your strengths to work' is the focus of the speaker's next book, indicating that there is a detailed methodology to be explored for personal development.
📈 Success is not about avoiding weaknesses but managing them while focusing on and refining one's strengths, as demonstrated by the speaker's personal strategy.
💬 The speaker's anecdote about his own struggles with confrontation and articulation serves as a relatable example, showing that even successful people have areas for improvement.
🚀 The idea that building on strengths and managing weaknesses seems 'crushingly obvious' yet is often overlooked, indicating the need for a conscious effort to apply this principle in daily life.
🌱 The transcript encourages a mindset shift towards embracing one's unique strengths and finding strategies to navigate personal weaknesses as a path to lasting success.

Q & A

What is the main theme of Marcus Buckingham's talk?
-The main theme of Marcus Buckingham's talk is about achieving lasting success by focusing on one's strengths and managing weaknesses.
What type of questions does Buckingham suggest people often ask themselves about their success?
-Buckingham suggests that people often ask themselves questions like whether they are living up to their potential, being as successful as they should be, succeeding at the right things, and how to sustain and grow their success.
What has Marcus Buckingham dedicated his career to?
-Marcus Buckingham has dedicated his career to interviewing people who have been lastingly successful in their chosen roles to understand their approach to success.
How does Buckingham define the common approach successful people have towards achieving success?
-According to Buckingham, successful people build on their strengths and find ways to manage around their weaknesses.
What is the title of the next book Buckingham is focusing on?
-The title of the next book Buckingham is focusing on is 'Put Your Strengths to Work'.
What personal strength did Buckingham identify in himself during his childhood?
-Buckingham identified his inquisitive nature or strategic thinking as a personal strength during his childhood.
What personal weakness did Buckingham admit to having?
-Buckingham admitted to being terrible at confrontation, becoming less articulate the angrier he gets.
What advice does Buckingham give for dealing with personal weaknesses?
-Buckingham advises to deliberately put oneself in situations that play to one's strengths and find ways to manage around personal weaknesses.
Why does Buckingham believe that building on strengths and managing weaknesses sounds obvious?
-Buckingham believes it sounds obvious because it is a straightforward and logical approach to personal development and success.
What observation does Buckingham make about most people's approach to their lives?
-Buckingham observes that most people do not choose to live their lives by building on their strengths and managing their weaknesses.
What does Buckingham suggest is the underlying question to all the questions people ask about their success?
-Buckingham suggests that the underlying question to all the questions people ask about their success is 'How can I be lastingly successful?'

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Self-Reflection and Success

In this opening paragraph, the speaker, Marcus Buckingham, engages the audience with introspective questions about personal potential, success, and the right metrics for achievement. He suggests that these are universal concerns that people may ponder daily. Buckingham emphasizes the importance of understanding what lasting success means to the individual and proposes that the key lies in studying those who have achieved it. Over the past 20 years, he has interviewed a diverse range of highly successful individuals, from doctors to teachers, and found a common approach among them: building on their strengths and managing their weaknesses. The speaker shares his personal example of being inquisitive and strategic but struggling with confrontation, illustrating how one can leverage their strengths and find ways to cope with their weaknesses.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Potential

Potential refers to the inherent qualities and abilities that a person possesses, which can be developed and used to achieve success. In the video's theme, it is about realizing and living up to one's potential. The script mentions the question, 'Am I really living up to my potential?' which is central to the discussion on achieving lasting success.

💡Success

Success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. The video focuses on the concept of success in various forms, questioning whether individuals are being as successful as they should be and if they are succeeding at the right things. It is a recurring theme that ties into the broader conversation about personal effectiveness and fulfillment.

💡Strengths

Strengths are the positive qualities or attributes that someone has, which can be leveraged for personal or professional growth. The speaker emphasizes building on one's strengths as a key approach to achieving lasting success. For example, the script describes the speaker's own inquisitive nature as a strength that can be refined and focused.

💡Weaknesses

Weaknesses are the areas where someone may lack ability or competency, which can hinder success if not managed properly. The video suggests managing around one's weaknesses as part of the strategy for personal effectiveness. The speaker's example of being terrible at confrontation illustrates a personal weakness that needs to be navigated.

💡Sustaining Success

Sustaining success means maintaining a level of achievement over time. The script raises the question of how one can sustain and build upon their success despite life's challenges, which is a key aspect of the discussion on lasting success.

💡Competing Demands

Competing demands refer to the various pressures and requirements that vie for one's attention and resources. The video acknowledges the impact of these demands on an individual's ability to focus on and achieve success, suggesting that managing these demands is part of the path to lasting success.

💡Self-Assurance

Self-assurance is the confidence in one's own abilities or qualities. The script begins by questioning the level of self-assurance the audience may have, setting the stage for a discussion on personal evaluation and the pursuit of success.

💡Inquisitive

Inquisitive describes someone who is curious and eager to learn or know more. The speaker identifies their inquisitive nature as a strength that has contributed to their success, using it as an example of a personal trait that can be built upon.

💡Strategic Thinking

Strategic thinking involves the ability to think about issues in a way that is focused on achieving long-term goals. The script implies that the speaker's inquisitive nature can also be seen as strategic thinking, which is a strength that can be developed for lasting success.

💡Confrontation

Confrontation is the act of facing or dealing with a difficult situation or person. The speaker mentions their difficulty with confrontation as a personal weakness, which they must manage around to be effective, illustrating the concept of addressing weaknesses in the pursuit of success.

💡Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand, use, and manage one's own emotions in positive ways. The script touches on how some people become more articulate when angry, suggesting a form of emotional intelligence that can be an asset in certain situations.

Highlights

The importance of asking oneself questions about living up to potential, being successful, and succeeding at the right things to achieve lasting success.

The central question of how to be lastingly successful, which the speaker aims to address through the talk.

The speaker's 20-year career dedicated to interviewing and studying people who have been lastingly successful in their chosen roles.

The finding that successful individuals, despite their differences, share the same approach to getting the best out of themselves.

The strategy of building on one's strengths and managing around weaknesses as the key to lasting effectiveness in one's chosen role.

The speaker's personal example of being inquisitive and strategic thinking as a strength, and poor confrontation skills as a weakness.

The advice to deliberately put oneself in situations that allow one to leverage their strengths and find ways to manage weaknesses.

The speaker's realization that building on strengths and managing weaknesses seems obvious, yet many people do not live their lives this way.

The speaker's new book, 'Put Your Strengths to Work', which focuses on the details of leveraging one's strengths.

The idea that success is not just about being good, but also about being good at the right things and sustaining that success.

The challenge of competing demands and life's craziness in the pursuit of success and how to navigate them.

The importance of self-awareness in identifying one's strengths and weaknesses for personal and professional development.

The paradox that despite the obviousness of the strategy, many people still struggle to implement it in their lives.

The speaker's personal anecdotes and experiences that illustrate the concepts of leveraging strengths and managing weaknesses.

The speaker's encouragement for the audience to reflect on their own strengths and weaknesses and how they can apply this knowledge.

The emphasis on the practical application of the concepts discussed, urging the audience to take action in their own lives.