Can You Bring Out the Best in Others? with Shane Lopez

Shane was one of the world's leading researchers on hope and was also a senior scientist and research director at The Clifton Strengths Institute, where he explored the links between hope, strengths development, academic success, and overall well-being. For me, one of the most magical moments of this year’s World Congress on Positive Psychology was the chance to honor, savor, and build upon the research of Dr. Shane Lopez. I first met Shane at a World Congress years ago, and he was generous enough to allow me to interview him on several occasions.

To give you a chance to savor Shane’s insight, I thought you might enjoy this interview, which was recorded prior to his death.  Shane explains how using your strengths - those things you are good at and enjoy doing -  can help you be more engaged in what you do each day at work.  And when managers shift their thinking to a more strengths based approach that encourages each person to do what they do best they can make a big difference in engagement, profitability and productivity. Learn how to identify your strengths, how these can change over time, and what you can do to develop yours and others strengths.

You’ll Learn: [01:45] - Shane shares his journey with strengths.  He talks about the work of Don Clifton at the University of Nebraska. [04:00] - Shane explains what a talent is and how they grow into strengths. [05:58] - In the workplace, we focus on weaknesses and try to “fix” those deficits rather than helping individuals find the right role.  Shane states how Don focused on talents on finding the roles for people based on those roles. [07:20] - Shane shares that our talents are not static over time, but they don’t change a lot.   [09:05] - Shane talks about Clifton Strengths Finder.   [11:57] - Shane discusses the difference in strengths between entrepreneurs and those working within organizations. [12:23] - If you have taken the strengths finder, Shane suggests you team up with someone else that has taken the assessment. [13:49] - Shane talks about how a workplace can be transformed by catching people doing great work and providing quality feedback. [15:57] - Shane talks about the 70% of disengagement in the workplace. Managers are not exempt from this lack of engagement. [17:33] - Shane shares what managers do to help employees use their strengths at work. [19:47] - Shane talks about the changes of strengths in college students and how that will eventually change the culture of workplaces. [20:48] - Shane speaks about seeing strength development at the preschool level. Your Resources: Making Hope Happen: Create the Future You Want for Yourself and Others - Shane Lopez Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining me again this week.  If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. 

Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.  And don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It’s free!

You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing.

Vale Shane Lopez. Until next time, take care!