Marcus Buckingham in the CA

Author wins converts to focusing on strengths

Says too much time wasted in ignoring the positives, shoring up weaknesses

By Jane Roberts

Friday, October 12, 2007 Memphians by the hundreds came out to hear their favorite professor Thursday, many carrying his books and even more taking notes during the noontime lecture.Marcus Buckingham isn't a professor, and he didn't start the "strengths revolution," a way to improve outcome, by focusing on strengths instead of weaknesses.Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal Author Marcus Buckingham, a champion of strength-based leadership, addressed the 10th anniversary Leadership Academy. But he did coin the expression in Book 2 of his trio of best-sellers, starting in 1999 with "First, Break all the Rules," followed by "Now, Discover Your Strengths" and "Go Put Your Strengths to Work," published this year.The Leadership Academy, celebrating its 10th anniversary, invited Buckingham as a catalyst to get Memphis talking about its strengths."We want to foster dialogue to come to some conclusion about what Memphis' special strength is, and than draft strategies around that," said David Waddell, co-organizer of the event at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn. "This is the beginning of a cumulative effort for us."More than 700 people from every industry sector in the city attended the event, including those from aviation, medicine, education, real estate development, small business and education."I just wanted to get up on top of the table," said Judy Bell, senior vice president at the Memphis Area Teachers Credit Union. "I do career counseling. I agree 100 percent that you have to work on your strengths. I hire people who are better than I am in my weak areas."If you spend lots of time on your weaknesses, all you will have is a bunch of strong weaknesses."Buckingham's philosophy has trickled across cubicle and workroom floor in the United States and almost every other industrialized nation in the world, creating a groundswell of people who know their strengths because they took the online assessment that comes with each book."The way to make a product or process better is to identify the flaw in the process and tweak it," Buckingham says. "But you can't keep tweaking a person until you make them perfect. You can try, but it's a waste of your time."In his years as a researcher at Gallup Poll, Buckingham noticed the best managers in all kinds of companies managed from a point of optimism or strength."They seemed to all know instinctively that you get a better return on your coaching time, your training time and development time if you figure out where your individual employees have some strength."Then they say, 'This is your particular way of being productive. Let me help you sharpen it.'"That thinking has made his books required reading across corporate America, said Dr. Jim Posner, psychologist and executive coach here."It's required reading for my clients because I think it makes a whole lot of sense for improving relationships in the business world, not just with companies and their customers but for the people inside the companies who are customers to each other," he said.Although Buckingham has millions of fans, the pendulum in his quarterly surveys shows a majority of people still view weakness as the block to their success.He equates it to fearful times."When you live in a frightening time, you pay attention to those things that can hurt you or where you are vulnerable. You narrow your focus," he said. "You figure the best way to survive is to find out where we have gaps and plug them like crazy."The Leadership Academy, which has offered executive-level leadership skills to more than 2,000 traditional and emerging leaders, uses Buckingham's tenets as a touchstone to cultivate and retain talent in Memphis."It's about looking at ourselves, and our city, and asking: In what ways are we capable? What do we do well? People, and cities, thrive under this appreciative eye," said Nancy Coffee, executive director. "Memphis is hungry for the shift."--Jane Roberts: 529-2512