Strengths Based Institute

By Diego Arancibia, ASAPconnect

Are you tired of viewing yourself and your colleagues through a "deficit lens”, always thinking about those things you’re not good at doing, what your co-workers need to improve upon, and ultimately focusing on what you and your organization lack?

Nearly a decade ago, Gallup unveiled the results of a landmark 30-year research project that ignited a global conversation on the topic of strengths. Since then, more than 3 million people have taken Gallup’s StrengthsFinders assessment to learn what their own natural strengths are as well as those of their colleagues. People who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged on the job; teams that focus on their strengths are 12.5% more productive.

Tom Rath and Barry Conchie, authors of Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams and Why People Follow, share that it’s easy for leaders to misunderstand what followers need. To run an organization effectively, leaders must be able to strategize, set visions and priorities, build relationships, influence others and make things happen. But if you ask followers what they need from their leaders, the clear answer is trust, compassion, stability and hope. These four basic needs are the result of a Gallup research team asking more then 10,000 followers what the most influential leaders contribute to their lives. It’s critical for leaders to understand and meet those basic needs, because if people don’t have close friendships on the job and if they don’t have a leader who cares about them, there’s almost no chance that they’ll be engaged in their work.

ASAPconnect is hosting a two-day Strengths Based Institute on June 27-28, 2016 at the Santa Clara County Office of Education in San Jose. This training, facilitated by the Youth Development Network, is intended for working teams. Space is first-come, first-served. Register soon to reserve a space for you and your team! For more information, please contact Judy Trevino at Judy_Trevino@sccoe.org.

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​Diego Arancibia has been a leader in the after school and non-profit field for over two decades.  His experience has ranged from working with students in elementary, middle school, and high school in both programmatic and administrative capacities. His marketing and programming methods are extremely innovative and have been embraced by after school and non-profit practitioners everywhere, producing some of the most successful programs in the nation. He also has had the privilege of traveling across the country to train youth program advocates in consensus building, action planning, and team-building workshops. Currently, Diego works as the Director of ASAPconnect and lives in the Bay Area with his beautiful wife and his amazing son and daughter.