Coach to Coach

Dr. Paul Porter has always been positive, loved solving puzzles, and listened to his gut. It wasn't until he learned about his CliftonStrengths that he was able to start using those God-given talents with intention and better results.

In this episode, Paul shares his strengths journey and how he went from a school superintendent to the Director of Learning and Development at 34 Strong. In his current role, Paul's able to help organizations take a long-term approach to leveraging strengths and learn about their people in the process. Listen in to hear why leaders must continuously work on themselves and how to balance it with the need to focus on your people.

Additional Resources:

• Email us at [email protected] to learn your top 5 strengths

"The greatest use of strengths is always coupled with a mission to do good." - Dr. Donald Clifton, Founder of CliftonStrengths

Mark Whitacre is a model of purpose-driven leadership, embodying what it means to be a servant leader. But that wasn't always the case. When he was younger, he was a selfish leader, and it led him down a dark path. At the age of 32, Mark found himself caught up in the largest price-fixing scheme in the U.S. and eventually served eight and a half years in prison.

In this episode, we discuss how the same strengths that helped Mark succeed when he only cared about material things are now helping him excel at living for significance. Listen in for more on what it looks like to use your strengths for good.

Additional Resources:

• Email us at [email protected] to learn your top 5 strengths

Matt Stevens, a Navy captain and former Navy Seal, is the CEO of the Honor Foundation, a nonprofit laser-focused on helping men and women in the special operations community transition out of uniform into their next chapters in life.

Under Matt's leadership, the Honor Foundation has doubled its number of campuses, and they're continuing to expand. As they do so, Matt has chosen to take a strength-based approach to everything from internal operations to how they support each service member who walks in the door. Listen in to learn how strengths can help people tell their stories, scale culture, and establish "commander's intent."

Additional Resources:

• Connect with the Honor Foundation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Vimeo
• Email us at [email protected] to learn your top 5 strengths

Chad Peterman, President of Peterman Brothers, is a visionary leader with a focus on execution and a passion for learning. Under his leadership, the company has experienced significant growth and has been recognized as a top employer.

In this episode, Chad shares how he takes his big ideas and turns them into reality. You'll hear how he leans into future-forward thinking while simultaneously supporting the integrators on his team. Listen in to learn how to build highly effective teams by equally acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses.

Additional Resources:

• Check out Chad's podcast "Can't Stop the Growth"
• Email us at [email protected] to learn your top 5 strengths

Nikki Gregory, Chief Meaningful Work Officer at PeopleForward Network, is on a people-first mission, and she's using her unique strengths profile to achieve it.

In this episode, she shares her passion for building a community of engaged, people-centered workplaces and offers her insights on how others can do the same by leveraging their skills. For Nikki, it starts with creating opportunities for people to find meaning in what they do so that it's an energizing experience rather than a draining one. Listen in to learn how Nikki's influencer strengths keep her and her team inspired. Along the way, you'll also hear the dangers to avoid when it comes to rare strengths.

Additional Resources:

• Check out the works of Patrick Lencioni
• Email us at [email protected] to learn your top 5 strengths

Every strength has pitfalls, but when you can recognize them, you can avoid them.

Sapidah Shefa, VP of Operations at Road Runner Sports, says knowing both the balconies and basements (highs and lows) of her strengths is vital. Understanding them allows her to stick to work she excels at and pull herself out of situations when she dives too deep. In this episode, Sapidah shares her personal and professional journey with CliftonStrengths and how following this path has led her a point where she's able to say, "I love my job."

Additional Resources:

• Find a Road Runner Store: https://stores.roadrunnersports.com
• Email us at [email protected] to learn your top 5 strengths

Are you tapping into your unique talents and strengths to achieve excellence in your life and career?

Our hosts, Darren Virassammy and Brandon Miller, want to help organizations do that across their teams by learning their strengths and weaknesses. In this episode, Darren and Brandon interview each other about their journey with the CliftonStrengths assessment.

As you listen, you'll learn the origin story of the StrengthsFinder assessment, how it helps people understand how they work, and the ways a strengths-based approach can be used to make employee engagement skyrocket.

We spend so much of our lives thinking about what's wrong with us instead of recognizing what we do best. If we can play to those strengths, think of how powerful we could be. Think of how powerful businesses and organizations could be.

The most common denominator of the most successful leaders is self-awareness. On this show, hosts Darren Virassammy and Brandon Miller help leaders uncover and their superpowers by using the CliftonStrengths Assessment. Along the way you'll learn how a strengths-based approach can transform businesses into engaged workplaces.

This is The Strengths Whisperer, a show empowering leaders to create, build, and sustain great places to work.