Appreciation of Your Strengths

4/7/14 Appreciation of Your Strengths

The institution sets aside a time and a process to recognize the accomplishments of faculty and staff members. Much of the recognition is for specific professional accomplishments, but many are longevity related. I applaud this effort to intentionally call out the dedication and expertise of our colleagues. But, each of us needs to see every day that the strengths that we bring to our positions are being utilized and appreciated. Really, my goal as a manager of people is to maximize the utilization of your strengths within the scope of your position. 

You bring so much to this position and I’d like to see you challenged to grow and to bring even more to it.  Veronica Roth, author of Divergent, wrote “A brave man acknowledges the strength of others.” I don’t know that bravery is my imperative here, but trust is. Am I willing to be trusting enough to take the risk that you can apply your strengths in new and different ways to help us meet the needs of our customers? Here’s the challenge for both of us… Yes, let’s discover and apply your strengths. Then, we’ll see what we can do!