Tuesday Night Tunes – work on your strengths

I have been reading a good book. One Question by Ken Coleman. I recommend it to you but for now I just want to share a bit from it in the context of Tuesday Night Tunes.

Marcus Buckingham wrote a good book and he was featured in Coleman’s book with one question. Buckingham brought out the idea of focusing on your strengths instead of your weaknesses. Conventional theory says you need to work on your weaknesses so you’ll be a better employee, employer, boss, dad, mom, etc. Buckingham says it is your strengths that will give you joy, success and allow you to grow in the areas that matter. The first book of his I read was Go, Put Your Strengths to Work.

After the break, I’ll get to the point. Check out someone here who put his strengths to work.

Coleman asked Buckingham this question. “In light of the idea of focusing on your strengths, how do you handle it when one of your kids brings home an F and an A on the same report card?”

I wish I had known the answer to that question a long time ago. My own kids might have enjoyed school more.

The answer (and I am paraphrasing) was to focus on the A and see what you can learn that would help the F. We are not going to be a 10 at everything and it is not reasonable to expect an A everywhere, every time. You can’t leave the F alone but it is likely that it could be a C and not be allowed to hold them back from doing those things that they get A’s in if you can figure out what it is about the A that could be applied to the F.

Clapton is someone you would agree has excelled in his craft. Last week I shared a clip that got me started digging into more of Clapton’s work. I love the sound, depth and the talent he has honed for years. Can you imagine the outcome if he had worked on his drum skills and his clarinet skills and his oboe skills instead of focusing on the guitar?? I think he chose well and we all benefit from him getting A’s in guitar.

So where are your strengths? Where do you need to focus your time to get to be the best you can be at something?

Who else do you love to hear? Anyone that just captures you and you can’t stop listening to? Share with us if you do.

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Thanks for listening,

• ← Tuesday Night Tunes – My guitar gently weeps. Redux.
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