8. On Paying Attention & Knowing Your Strengths with Maghan Haggerty

Overview

In this episode, I’m joined by Maghan Haggerty, founder of Connecting Dots Coaching & Consulting and a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. I wanted to have Maghan on the show to share her wisdom on the importance of tapping into your strengths to help you find more work fulfillment. One of Sustainable Ambition's pillars is Right Success, which is about defining success on your terms and defining your own personal reward. I believe a key component of that is leaning into your strengths, especially those that put you into flow. 

So, you'll hear in my early interviewing days that I'm very CURIOUS about what Maghan has to share! She talks about the importance of leaning into one’s strengths, how to define them (they are the activities not just that we are good at, but that we have an affinity for), as well as how our strengths can at times turn into weaknesses. We talk about Gallup's CliftonStrengths Assessment, which Maghan is certified in administering, and how the philosophy is such that the strengths can be applied to any profession, because they are about how we interact in the world. 

Another important theme you hear us talk about throughout the episode is PAY ATTENTION! If there's one thing to take away, that is it. Don’t go blindly through your career. Pay attention.

I hope in listening to Maghan you get convinced of the importance of investing in identifying your strengths, and even more importantly working to determine how to bring them into your everyday life experiences.

More about Our Guest

Maghan Haggerty is the founder of Connecting Dots Coaching & Consulting and is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. Prior to becoming a coach, Maghan had a successful career in the marketing world, a past career universe we both share.

Topics Covered

  • The definition of Strengths, and how they can sometimes turn into weaknesses

  • The importance of identifying one’s strengths to fuel personal work success, as opposed to doing the “should’s” and what you are “supposed to do”

  • Start by paying attention to when you are energized and in flow and when you avoid doing work or are drained doing certain work

  • The Gallup CliftonStrengths Assessment, a tool to help you do the above

  • Redefining weaknesses to be anything that gets in the way of you making progress

  • When to consider pulling out of a flow state - when you’ve passed the point of diminishing returns

  • The importance of paying attention to your fulfillment at work and navigating one’s career over time

  • The importance of managers to organizational success and employee engagement

  • Why it’s important for managers to focus on employees’ strengths, both for employee fulfillment and to increase performance and engagement

  • Maghan's belief, “We should capitalize on what makes us unique not minimize what makes us different,” and just how every one of us is different and that should be celebrated

  • Maghan's 6-week Strengths Mapping Program

Resources Mentioned

Thanks for Listening!

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8. On Paying Attention & Knowing Your Strengths with Maghan Haggerty

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2021, 2020Kathy OnetoRight Success