Focus Magazine - Winter 2015 - (Page 46)

5 QUESTIONS Tim Sosbe 5 Questions With... Thuy & Milo Sindell L eadership is a skill, and like any skill, it's more eﬀective when properly applied, directed and managed. How can you best unlock your leadership skills and rise to the proverbial occasion? I recently spoke with uy Sindell and Milo Sindell, authors of Hidden Strengths: Unleashing the Crucial Leadership Skills You Already Have about creating leaders. Tim Sosbe (TS): What is your definition of leadership? Thuy & Milo Sindell (TMS): Independent of position, leadership is a culmination of values and principles that are demonstrated in behaviors. Underlying great leadership is belief of continual evolution and growth. Thuy Sindell, Ph.D,. and Milo Sindell, authors of Hidden Strengths: Unleashing the Crucial Leadership Skills You Already Have TS: Why should leaders develop their middle skills rather than relying on their strengths and focusing on weaknesses? TMS: In our dynamic world, relying on what has always worked well for you in the past (your strengths) is a risk - what worked today is not necessarily going to work tomorrow. Conversely, focusing on improving skills that are your true weaknesses takes an inordinate amount of eﬀort. e alternative is examining and developing your middle skills that with moderate investment of time and energy will ensure you are evolving as a leader. TS: What is a "hidden strength" and what is diﬀerent than the traditional view? TMS: e subject of strengths in both popular and business culture has been a positive force helping raise the bar on personal and professional development. Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clion define a strength as a combination of talents, knowledge and skills. When these three components come together naturally, we call it a natural strength. What is the likelihood of this occurring? e answer is about 20 percent, as in your top 20 percent of skills. So how do we remain agile and ensure continued professional development? e answer here is by developing the rich pool of hidden strengths in our middle 70 percent. TS: You have said that relying upon historical strengths is a liability. What do you mean? TMS: If agility leads to success in today's business environment, then rigidity and overreliance is a risk. Life would be so much easier if we could just stick with what we do well for the rest of our lives, but research shows us that to be eﬀective, leaders must constantly adapt to their changing environments. Identifying and developing your hidden strengths involve a realistic you-driven approach to meeting those challenges. TS: Is it possible to transform people and define what they are good and bad at today? TMS: Yes. People can transform themselves through understanding opportunities for development, identifying clear objectives and the behaviors that will help them achieve those objectives and then performing the behaviors that create the desired change. ■ Tim Sosbe is editor of Focus magazine and editorial director for LTEN. Email Tim at tsosbe@L-TEN.org. 46 FOCUS | WINTER 2015 | www.L-TEN.org http://www.L-TEN.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Magazine - Winter 2015

Focus Magazine
From the President: Put a Bow on It!
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Guest Editor: Mastering Connections of the Construct
Directions: New Year, New Opportunities
Front of the Room: 'Where Is This Going?'
Neuroscience: The Neuroscience of Messaging
Carol Wells: Training's Shining STAR
LTEN Events: Connecting Members
The ACO Opportunity: Defining the Value
Cloud-Based Collaborative Platforms: Raising Productivity
Transformational Leaders: From Fear to Followership
Field Development: 4 Steps to Success
Delivering Messages that Drive Business
Virtual How: The Learning Technology Landscape
Ad Index
Focus Contacts
5 Questions with Thuy and Milo Sindell

Focus Magazine - Winter 2015