by cstrauss | Mar 13, 2025 | Business
It’s the end of Winter…. not quite Spring. We’re officially in the stretch between now and Memorial Day — the no-holiday zone. It’s that time of year when the days start blending together, and even the most motivated teams can feel like they’re on autopilot.The work gets done. The deadlines are “hopefully” met. But… where’s the fun?
Here’s the thing: people don’t burn out from doing too much. They burn out from doing too much of what drains them. That’s why this is the perfect time to take a step back and ask:
What kind of work feels exciting and easy?
What tasks drain energy faster than a dead battery?
Where do conversations flow, and where do they stall?
When teams know their strengths and how to communicate them, it doesn’t just make the grind easier—it makes the work more meaningful (and even a little fun).
Here are two ideas to play with:
- Discover your team’s Working Genius: What parts of work feel energizing? Which parts feel heavy? It’s amazing what happens when you figure out how to spend more time in your area of genius.
- Words matter: The way we say things changes everything. Try experimenting with simple phrases to see what sparks better conversations. Sometimes the smallest shifts make the biggest difference.
And here’s the challenge— Do something to make the next stretch of work matter to you, your team and your entire company. I can help! Reach out if you want to bounce some ideas around.
Because even when the grind is real, the fun doesn’t have to be missing.
by cstrauss | Feb 8, 2023 | Uncategorized
With the big game on Sunday, fans and observers are focused on what the Quarterbacks will do, what the Kelce brothers dynamic may be (this to me is so exciting), how the teams will play, and who wins.
With that in mind, how is your team faring this season?
In football, a coach would never ask the Quarterback to play Fullback, or ask the Kicker to play Tight end. But sometimes in our companies, our team members have to step in and play roles that they may not be best suited for.
In business, that’s ok, and often necessary as physical injury is not generally a risk in business. Also, which is currently the case with many businesses, our team may not be fully staffed. That said, are you asking your team members to spend a majority of their time in positions that are best suited to their skills and natural abilities? And can you know when you are asking your team members to play outside of the zone of genius?
If you have not yet experienced the Working Genius assessment (from Patrick Lencioni and the Table Group), it is the simplest, cleanest and most applicable tool I’ve found to let you and your team members know which positions are most suited to their natural gifts and abilities, and where they can best help your team to win as you move through 2023.
I hope you enjoy the game this Sunday, (if football is your interest), and I invite you to watch the game through the lens of, what is our business goal? What does it look like for us as a company to win? Is my team set up to be optimized? And does every player on our team know what their role is in our success?
Also, I’d love to hear what snacks you’ll be having most of this Sunday…. sweet or salty?? Me… sweet all the way! Enjoy your Super weekend!
