Energy for Excellence

by Stephanie Clergé
Yesterday was a long day. I flew to Salt Lake City on business early in the morning and returned late in the evening. In between I had a busy day of consulting and facilitating an energetic group of communications and media specialists, recording some video footage about the work that we’re doing and building a relationship with the agency’s partners. By the time I sat down in my seat to fly home I was grateful for a wonderful day, but exhausted. Instead of the restful flight I had planned, the person in the seat next to me immediately began talking. It started in the usual way, sharing about what we do for a living, but for the next hour or so we talked nonstop about nearly every aspect of our lives, from culture to faith to parenting. It was the best conversation I’ve had with a stranger in years. On my way home from the airport I began to contemplate how my desire to take a nap quickly turned into an exhilarating hour that left me wanting more. And then it hit me, I was using my strengths!
Many years ago I took the StrengthsFinder assessment and learned that my top 5 talent themes—my naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling and behavior—are:

1. Maximizer (stimulate personal and group excellence),
2. Communication (easily put thoughts into words),
3. Harmony (look for areas of agreement),
4. Input (craving to know more) and
5. Empathy (sense the feeling of others)

I immediately recognized these as patterns that had repeated over my existence, going back to my childhood. Over my life I had both consciously and unconsciously worked to develop in these talents, thus turning them into strengths; talent productively applied. In the case of my new friend from the flight, his sharing and questioning opened a door for me to do what comes naturally—to have meaningful conversations with others that stimulate excellence. Many people know the definition of strengths only to include what you do well, but the additional value of strengths comes from the energy they give while using them.
I am so excited that through the You’re Stronger Than You Think Women’s Event so many women will have the opportunity to discover their talents and learn how to capture the energy they need to be the wonderful women of faith they are meant to be.

What could you accomplish with extra energy? Are you ready to accelerate your personal and professional performance through strengths?

Stephanie Clerge Keynote Session Facilitator

Stephanie Clergé is the keynote presenter for the 2014 You Are Stronger Than You Think Women’s Event.

Stephanie’s Session is titled, Discover Your Strengths, Deploy Your Power

What you can expect: Glimpses of our greatness can often be fleeting or masked by our doubts and fears.  Yet deep inside we know that we have the potential to make a unique contribution beyond our current imagination.  Knowledge and application of our strengths are the key to excellent performance and the impact that we want to make in the world.  Join me on a brief but powerful journey to discover what sets you apart and enables you to access success, freedom and happiness in your personal and professional life.

To Learn more about Stephanie, visit StrengthsPro.com.