“What do you do well?” I’ve asked this question to groups of students, business supervisors, and organizational leaders and (most often) I get a blank response. People seem to hesitate to answer because they may appear boastful and arrogant, or over-the-top with self- confidence. Plus, it seems that our culture emphasizes what we don’t do well and what we don’t do well is something that many of us can most quickly identify.
So, I ask again, “what do you do well?” Think about it, what are the qualities within you that over and over assist you to be successful?
What are those “talents” that you may have even had from childhood that when developed have made you more successful as an adult?
What people do well is a frequently topic of study and interest at Azusa Pacific University (APU), and this extends to the APU Murrieta Campus. In fact, APU has former and current faculty who have focused much of their academic careers on the study and development of an individual’s strengths with the goal of developing them and enhancing one’s leadership ability. In 2002, Dr. Laurie Schreiner, current APU Chair and Professor in the APU Department of Higher Education, started the Center for Strengths Based Education at APU. In 2005, and through a generous gift from the Lee and Mary Noel family, the APU Noel Strengths Academy was established. A visit to the APU Strength Academy website will provide extensive information and several resources for learning more about strengths-based approaches to teaching, learning and leading. Here is the link to the website: http://www.apu.edu/strengthsacademy/
Digging a bit deeper into this question of “what do you do well?” I want to provide the opportunity for 10 readers of my Valley Business Journal June 2016 article to further discover and develop their strengths. Here is my offer, contact me at murrieta@apu.edu and the first 10 people to respond will be sent the book, Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. This book offer applies to one book per mailing address. I’ll be waiting for your response!