Happy New Year, and welcome to the first 2025 issue of The Bright Side! We’re three weeks into the year—how’s everyone’s New Year’s resolution going?
Ok, I’ll admit, I didn’t make one. Let’s skip the excuses and opportunity to procrastinate and, as Nike says, Just do it!
What are our topics for today?
- Leadership / CliftonStrengths: How to keep the spark alive after a training
- BrightPath Updates: Partnership with AC Authentic Consult and speaking at the Health Equity Summit
- Self-Reflection: Partnerships
How to keep the spark alive after a training?
We have all seen it and we have all been there: You attend a training, learn new techniques or gain new insights and then… nothing. You leave the training super excited but then you don’t have a chance to apply your newly gained knowledge.
Take a look at the Forgetting Curve by Hermann Ebbinghaus below, which shows how quickly we lose information if it’s not reinforced.
After only one day, we have lost about 40% of the information we acquired. Having multiple touch points (4-6) in various forms after acquiring new information ensures that we actually retain it.
Here are a few ways to keep people engaged after introducing CliftonStrengths:
- Have people share their reports with each other via Gallup Access
- Use the Quick Reference Guide before 1on1 meetings and read up on the other person’s strengths
- Make Strengths apart of the (hopefully weekly) team meeting
- Strengths Spotting: Have the team point out where they have seen others apply their strengths
- Asking a specific talent for help
- Add everyone’s Top5 to the (internal) email signature
- Have people create their personal Strengths statements (one sentence, including information from all five themes) and share it with the team
- Print out Top5 and display them around your desk
- Provide feedback using a person’s Strengths
- Play the “Guess the person” game where people have to guess the person based on their top5.
These are only a few ways to keep things present and interesting. Obviously this doesn’t apply to CliftonStrengths exclusively.
Purposefully design the touch points after any training and you will reap the benefits.
BrightPath Updates
- I am partnering with Authentic Consult, a German-based consulting business with an office in Charleston. AC was founded by Gerald Wood, former Managing Director of Gallup in Germany, with the goal to revolutionize strengths-based development, advance employee engagement and to prepare companies for the future of work.
Our “Path toward Authentic Growth!” unlocks human potential by fostering talent-driven teams and creating emotionally connected workplaces. Through innovative tools and AI-driven insights, we empower organizations to thrive by transforming stress into growth and purpose into performance. Here’s a quick overview of what we offer:
- It’s official, I am set to speak at the Health Equity summit on 4/17 in Columbia! Here is a link to the agenda.
Here’s a quick abstract of what I will be talking about:
“This session explores innovative strategies to enhance mental well-being, build resilience, and retain talent—key to fostering health equity and stronger communities. Learn how tools like CliftonStrengths and the Q12 Employee Engagement framework can amplify team strengths, improve engagement, and sustain momentum in your initiatives. Walk away with actionable insights to empower your teams, prioritize mental health, and create meaningful impact.”
Self-Reflection
Confidence grows when you trust and leverage your unique talents. This month, let’s explore the power of partnerships—because success is rarely achieved alone. Reflect on the following:
- Think of a recent success. What was the setting or context in which this success occurred? Who else played a role in making it happen?
- Focus on the key person who supported you in this situation. What specific strengths or actions did they bring that helped make the success possible?
- How can you intentionally create similar opportunities for collaboration? What steps can you take to partner with this person to increase your chances of success?
Taking a few moments for self-reflection helps make us aware of our impact and provides an opportunity to appreciate our growth.
Give it a shot, try it out.
Even consider writing down your responses. Going back through those notes can really lift you up when you have a bad day or help when you are facing self-doubts.
I would love to hear your feedback on this news-note or if you have specific topics you would like to see in here.
…and if it’s been a while since we last connected, let’s grab a (virtual) coffee and catch up.
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And always remember, even the smallest steps get us closer to our goal – but you have to take the first step!
Let’s make 2025 count and Stay Bright!
Jakob