I am writing a new book entitled The Golden Rule In Business: 21 BE Attitudes. The premise of the book is that you can use a positive, helpful, "look out for the other guy" approach to business (i.e. living the Golden Rule) and still be successful.

One chapter is entitled BE Positive and I discuss the benefits of managing by reinforcing associates positive attributes rather than constantly trying to "fix" the weaknesses.

Today I was visiting a customer, Big Tree Media and normally I meet with the owner Matt Reeder but today I met with Susanne Wisner, one of his technical experts. I noticed, as I sat in a chair across the desk from her, that she had a small frame in which there was a listing of her personal strengths.

Susanne Wisner

My Strengths: Achiever, Learner, Relator, Input, Intellection

When we finished the meeting I asked her about it.

"Everyone in the company received a copy of the book Now Discover Your Strengths. The book lists a website to visit where you take a quiz and the results provide your top 5 strengths. Matt believes that people should be placed in positions that utilize their strengths rather than trying to fix their weaknesses."

What a great concept. What a great leadership style. What a great company.

Think about your management style. Have you focused on the strengths or the weaknesses? I think human nature is to lean toward fixing and changing and training and focusing on the things we don't do as well as we'd like.

In business and in life.

Look in the mirror - do you focus on the waist-line that has expanded since high school or the wise, kind eyes?

Check out my article Kill 'Em With Kindness, Managing With a Positive Attitude.

Deborah Chaddock Brown
Writer, Glass if Half-Ful Kinda Girl