Be More of Who You Are with the StrengthsFinder | Episode 116

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Welcome to Seasoned Women, Serious Business, the podcast for entrepreneurs

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aged 45 to 75 and beyond who've changed lives, challenged status

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quo, who are wise enough to want more and gutsy enough to create it.

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Join me, your host, Isabel Alexander, a seasoned business owner, as

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I serve up knowledge and best.

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Practices for life and business, along with unfiltered wisdom from

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other women entrepreneurs and leaders.

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Whether you're looking to reignite your passion for your business,

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unlock new ones that build your legacy or simply shake your head at the

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folly of underestimating ourselves.

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You are in the right place.

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We're serious about business and we're serious about loving the life

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that we've worked hard to create.

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Stay tuned and be part of a community built on collaboration and collective

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wisdom that dismisses old paradigms and celebrates vibrant women just like you

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and our limitless potential at every age.

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Hello, all you spicy and seasoned women and serious business owners.

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Another great week here in the podcast world, and an opportunity for me to

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share one of my favorites with you.

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For those of you that follow me on social media, every week, I

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share a recommendation based on my favorite books, podcasts, or movies.

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And this week I shared a favorite book, and that is the Strengths Finder 2.0.

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Trying to zoom in here.

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For those of you that are listening to this on audio, you won't see

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that I am holding up the book.

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I've had many copies of this book because I have written in them,

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given them away, loaned them out, and then couldn't get them back

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from the person I've given them to.

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Because once you get hooked on this concept of looking at the world through

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the lens of strengths as opposed to weaknesses, you'll understand why.

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On Amazon, for those who are listening on audio, the book is white with

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red lettering and embellishment, and it is in the business category.

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It's also one of the top selling books in the business category of all time.

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Why is this my favorite?

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And one of my absolute, sincerely, all time, not only business,

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but personal favorite books?

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Well it goes back to when I was in public school.

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Now, even though I graduated from high school more than 50 years ago, I have some

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very vivid memories of, occasions during my education where I was, disapproved

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of, not good enough by somebody else's standards, and sometimes even

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punished for doing things differently.

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Back in that day, that was okay.

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Education's a little different now.

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But I still think today there is a lot more focus on weaknesses of

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individuals as opposed to strengths.

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and that's why sharing my passion and appreciation for this psychology, this

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way of thinking based on strengths.

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So let me explain, the origin of this concept of StrengthsFinder.

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It goes back to the founder, Donald O.

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Clifton, or Dr.

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Clifton, who did research for 40 years.

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it really was his life's work on what are the characteristics, what are the

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attributes of very successful people and through researching millions of successful

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people around the globe in different professions and locations, he came up with

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his list of 34 signature strengths that you could attribute to these individuals.

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And then he created an assessment for individuals like me, and perhaps

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you also to determine The order of your strengths and how they showed

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up in your most confident, most comfortable areas of strength.

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I was introduced to the Strengths Finder when I was in an executive

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coaching program back, in the very, very early 2000s.

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So, it must have been 2001 or 2 because, and I'll introduce him, Tom Rath, started

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writing the StrengthsFinder books, making this more available to the mainstream.

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The first one, I believe, was published in 2001,

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and I took the assessment as part of An executive coaching program

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at The Strategic Coach, which was founded by Dan Sullivan in Toronto.

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We will be right back after a brief message from our sponsors.

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As promised, we are back with this episode because you are wise enough to want more.

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I was very fortunate to be on the ground floor of Strategic Coach clients.

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I attribute that experience, not only of being in the coaching program at The

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Strategic Coach, but being introduced to the StrengthsFinder to my going on

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and having an eight figure business.

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Honestly, I'm not sure that I would have attained that level of success if I hadn't

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become educated on what my strengths were.

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To continue setting this up and how this all evolved, Tom Rath, I recently

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discovered, was a grandson of Dr.

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Clifton, and he so admired his grandfather's work that he wanted

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to take this more mainstream, and he created this series of books.

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And of course, there was the first Strength Finder and then

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the next iteration and the 2.

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0 and they've gone on to create additional materials.

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Anchored very much in my thinking is a quote that Donald Clifton made that

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said "The key to human development is building on who you already are."

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And considering that I am the author of the book, "Who Am I Now?", there

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certainly is an intersection of being aware of our identity and loving

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who we are and building on that.

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My public school memories and my high school memories of teachers saying " No!

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That's wrong.

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That's stupid.

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That's not the right way to do that" there was no latitude at all for, being

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original or approaching a question and a problem from a different perspective.

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It was all very rote, and this is the way it must be done.

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Another memory that's very vibrant for me still to this day was, I

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think I was a very good student.

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academically, not only did I love school and the opportunity to be exposed to

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a lot more than my simple farm life, small community, experience allowed,

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but to be in a school system, which opened me up to literature and theater

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and sciences, et cetera, was so great.

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Even though I was a really good student.

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I recall going home with my report card.

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I don't know what grade, maybe three or four, and I was pretty excited

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with the caliber of my report card.

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the teachers seemed pleased with me, but when I presented it to my parents at

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the dinner table, hoping for approval, being absolutely devastated by the

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reaction of my father, who skimmed the report card and then zeroed in on the

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lowest grade and severely admonished me for not having done better.

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He didn't comment on the A grades, the A plus grades, he looked for something that

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was the lowest denominator on the report card and insisted that I should try harder

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and do better, that I should pay more attention to that grade and improve it.

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Now, as much as I am being very stern about my father's parenting skills,

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I wasn't alone and neither was he, because in many cases, that's still the case.

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Depending on what your ethnicity is and your parents heritage, the point is

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often to focus on what the weakness is, or what is perceived as a weakness, as

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opposed to focusing on what are the best grades, the strengths of the individual.

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That's the whole point of this thinking, this methodology or psychology that we

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as individuals all have different areas of strength, skill, the best of our

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abilities, and we are wasting so much time and energy if we're ignoring those, and

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we are focused on what our weaknesses are.

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Certainly I went through a lot of my life that way.

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I confess as a parent, I'm also guilty of having done that.

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Boy, did my attitude change when I became acquainted with the StrengthsFinder and

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took the assessment and realized, wow!

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What a difference that made to my confidence, my perspective, my abilities,

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not only as a business owner and as a leader, but as a parent, as a community

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leader, as a friend, when I stayed in my lane, focusing on who I am at my

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best and not wasting energy and time trying to figure out how to be better

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at algebra than I am as a communicator.

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I do remember the day getting the assessment back.

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It's one of those moments in your lifetime, that is so significant.

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When I got my results back, and saw clearly, Oh my God, that is me!

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That explains why I feel joyous, at my best, most confident, most

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resilient, when I'm applying those strengths to whatever I'm doing.

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My signature five top strengths out of the 34, according to my assessment,

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and these are lifetime, they have not changed, are Communication, Duh,

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how did I end up as a podcaster?

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Now you know!

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Woo wins others over.

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There isn't a stranger in the world to me.

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They're just friends I have not yet met.

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Activator, when I've got an idea, when somebody comes up

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with an idea, I'm all right.

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Okay, great.

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Now let's go.

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Let's activate it.

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Let's act on it.

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And Positivity.

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I think everybody who knows me would agree that is one of the most evident

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of my strengths A friend of mine used to say, Isabel, you will always

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find the pony in the pile of horseshit.

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Number five for me is Maximizer.

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I have a unique ability.

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I have a strength at looking at something.

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and seeing how to make it better, which is.

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Ideally suited to my work in helping women entrepreneurs

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transform their businesses and their relationships with their businesses.

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That's why I feel so energized when I'm working with other women entrepreneurs,

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I have strengths that enable me to see things differently, and communicate how

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that might work into their life's plan.

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So as you can see, I get pretty pumped up just talking about strengths

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because why wouldn't we, right?

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Why be talking about what you don't do well according to societal standards?

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Instead, shift the focus to what is known to be true by you by just how you feel

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about what's happening, what your success is, how easy it is for you when you're

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operating within your own strengths.

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I wanted to bring this back for conversation.

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This isn't the first time I've talked about the StrengthsFinder, but now I'm,

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coming up on 20 plus years of seeing different ways it supports the best

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possible outcomes in my life and business.

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But in particular, I wanted to talk about how this applies to you as a seasoned

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woman, and as a seasoned woman with a serious business, we know this time

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of our life is constantly presenting us with challenges to our confidence,

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our clarity, our sense of who we are because everything is changing around us.

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The world is changing, our bodies are changing, our markets are changing,

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business models, competition, technology, even our desires and priorities.

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And that is why I say we are wise enough to want more and even

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wiser, if we recognize, Hell Yes!

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We deserve more!

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Figuring out what we want that to be is sometimes a little bit more complicated.

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But that is another thing that I've found, I developed models for that

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myself because I didn't easily find them when I retired, the first time, when I

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sold my first big business, it was, how do you reinvent, in your fifties and

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sixties and figure out who are you now?

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That was the birth of the Encore Catalyst and the Encore Methodology,

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anchored firmly in my strengths, that allowed me to figure that out, know

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that I wanted to change, what the options were for what was perceived as

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retirement time and retirement options and how to create something new and

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communicate that with other people.

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At any stage or age of our life or business, I always say, go back to

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your Strength Finder and look at the situation through those lenses.

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Knowing your strengths immediately, it's like an inoculation to your confidence.

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Really a boost to confidence and self awareness.

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If things aren't feeling "right", if you're just in a bit of a funk or a

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fog, then it's probably because what you are doing is not aligned with

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your highest and best self; that certainly includes your strengths.

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When you are operating in your strengths it's like an energy creation machine.

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You've got increased productivity, increased fulfillment, which means

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probability of success just shot way up, which is a renewable resource.

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When you are operating from your strengths, not scrambling to catch

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up from behind in an area that someone might describe as a weakness,

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I'd just say it is an area that is not my skill set, nor my interest.

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But the good news is there are other people out there in the world that

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possess those skills and strengths, and I can attract them to me.

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The other reason I strongly recommend that all seasoned women know their strengths

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is that it makes us better at making decisions and it makes us better leaders.

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Leading ourself, of course, but leading our organization, because we're

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operating from our highest and best self and strengths, and then we look

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to build our teams, attract to us the people that have the other strengths

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and skills that can fulfill the vision that we have for our business.

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A key part of what I do when I'm working with a client is to shift her vision of

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leadership from hands on, controlling manager, to stepping back and operating

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from the viewpoint of chief investor, chief shareholder of the organization

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and cultivating the strengths of other people around her, whether they're

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staff, whether they are contractors.

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And guess what?

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This also works for clients.

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and suppliers.

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And I'd love to talk to you more about how I employed that with my

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clients and suppliers another time.

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Can you start to sense now why knowing your strengths, embracing them and

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loving those strengths, also helps you build better relationships and increase

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your opportunities and effectiveness as a collaborator with others.

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Collaboration comes from these opportunities to find your match,

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the magnet to your strengths, to build something together.

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Which is then, as they say, the sum of the parts is greater.

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That's why a catalyst is the perfect definition for me, because adding me to

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something else creates a bigger effect.

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It doesn't diminish me, doesn't change me, and that's why I've found this great

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combination of my strengths really helped me to be aware my best role in life is

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a catalyst, a transformation catalyst.

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I would love for you to identify that moniker, label, brand, put

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it on your t shirt of what your strengths make you perfectly.

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The other aspect that I think is perfect for us as seasoned women with the

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Strengths Finder as our fuel, is that it gives us resilience and adaptability.

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I can bounce back very quickly from a " Damn!

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It didn't work out the way I wanted it to.", if I step back from a moment and

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go oh yeah because there I was trying to jam that square peg into the round

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hole because it's not my strength.

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It is not my right area of approach and therefore the outcome was frustrating,

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and then at the same time, I can go, "All right, Isabel, you've proved

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yet again that you should stay in primarily your area of strengths!"

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I've also found throughout my life that understanding and implementing the

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psychology of strengths versus weaknesses has really improved my relationships.

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I have bought probably a hundred copies of this book.

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I not only give these to my clients or require that they buy them, read

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them, and then encourage them to buy them and circulate them to their staff.

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I also share my success as a small business owner who struggled to hire

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the right people, and had to let go people that were not a right fit.

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I required every potential candidate to do a strength finder.

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I had an opportunity to look at maybe some aspect of their strengths

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that I hadn't even considered as a bonus, a benefit to our team, but

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also to be able to coach them and develop them based on those strengths.

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It's not that I would not hire somebody, a candidate for whatever their strength

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finder said, providing they had the other characteristics, attributes,

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and skills that I was looking for, but when I knew their strengths

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and I had those affirmed by their assessment, then I was a better manager.

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I was a better leader in developing them to be part of the team.

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I also use this in my personal relationships.

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Understanding the people that you are with and being aware of a strength that you

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didn't immediately see because you were up too close or you had developed, some

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familiarity, over time is another aspect.

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And I have used that in many personal relationships and friendships, to great

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joy and mutual benefit for both of us.

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One other way that I have found the Strength Finder is so great, as a

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grandmother, to be able to sit with my grandchild, who perhaps was struggling a

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bit through, a growth stage of their life, challenges in their own relationships and

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figuring out their identity, to be able to have them have the Strength Finder.

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I still feel the joy of, as a grandmother, witnessing them stand

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a little taller, smile a little wider, feel a lot more confident

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in who they are and their value in their relationships, in their life.

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The Strength Finder, I could go on much longer, but for now, I'm guessing

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that you probably already got the link up on Amazon, or you're going to

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rush out to your favorite bookstore, but let me just recap very quickly.

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I I have lots of evidence in my own life, in my businesses, in my

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personal relationships, in my clients businesses, that knowing the strength

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finder of each individual and valuing them from that criteria just leads

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to exponential growth and joy.

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That includes confidence and self awareness.

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It includes productivity, fulfillment, sense of purpose.

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It includes definitely better decision making because it's based in a place

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of strength and better leadership, stronger relationships and collaboration

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because you can see the opportunities for you to be united as a greater

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result than the sum of the parts.

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A closing quote for you, and this comes from Tom Rath, the grandfather of Donald

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Clifton, who I thank for this every day;

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"You cannot be anything you want to be, but you can be a lot

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more of who you already are."

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Saying goodbye for now, letting you know the Strength Finder is one

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of my favorite books and sharing these Pearls of Wisdom, these life

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experiences with you on this podcast is one of my favorite things to do!

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Have a great week.

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Thank you for spending your time with us today on Seasoned Women, Serious Business.

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We really value you and are thrilled to be part of your journey.

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Now, if you'd like to share your wisdom or become a co host or a

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show sponsor, please reach out to me at hello at theencorecatalyst.

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com or visit our website, seasonedwomenseriousbusiness.

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com.

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Also, I'd appreciate it if you submit questions and suggestions for future

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topics and guest experts to interview.

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Let's lift as we climb, magnify our impact, and create more

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for ourselves and others.

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Until next time, keep thriving, keep vibing, and keep living your legacy.