There’s Great Value in Understanding One's Personal Strengths

I’m referring to Strengths as described in the Clifton StrengthsFinderⓒ assessment. One of my strengths coaching clients is a technology sales professional.  I’ll refer to this client as Bob.

In addition to learning about himself, his own Strengths and how he could fine-tune his Strengths, an interesting realization came to Bob this week. This is what he shared:

“I fully expected to learn quite a bit about myself but what I didn’t see coming was how much I’ve learned about everyone else around me.  I now find myself in meetings and conversations where I’m able to get a much quicker handle on other people, who they are, and what’s making them tick.  In many cases I’m able to make an assessment of who I’m dealing with and adjust my expectations accordingly.  It’s actually reducing my frustration level and in some cases has helped me make better connections with clients and peers while giving me a better understanding of why I may not be making the progress I’d anticipated.  In certain situations and I’ve been able to make some adjustments.”

I look for results everywhere with my coaching clients.  The results Bob is reporting is his new-found ability to understand people more quickly because he now understands his own unique wiring and he is beginning to see the unique wiring of everyone around him.

By understanding the wiring of people around him, Bob is now able to tailor his communication to each unique individual he approaches in his audience.

How much more effective might you be if you intimately understood your own unique wiring and you learned to understand the unique wiring of people around you at work, at home and at play?

Jeff Snyder’s Jeff Snyder Coaching Blog, 719.686.8810

Do You Possess a High ACTIVATORⓒ Score on the Clifton StrengthsFinder™?

Activatorⓒ is one of my top scores on the Clifton StrengthsFinder™. The more I coach people who have this strength and the more I learn about this strength, the more I understand just how unique it is.

Putting my opinion aside, here are the facts.  Out of the 34 traits measured by the Clifton StrengthsFinder™, ACTIVATORⓒ comes in at number 29 in frequency out of 34.  What that means is that 11% of people out of more than 15,000,000 who have taken the assessment have ACTIVATORⓒ in their top 5 strengths out of 34 possibilities.  In other words, having Activatorⓒ in one’s top 5 strengths is somewhat rare.

The more I understand about how ACTIVATORⓒ works, the more I like it. 

• People who have this particular strength are always thinking about how to get started and how to mobilize others. 
• They turn ideas into action and they often possess contagious energy. 
• They make things happen!

If you are deeply gifted with Analytical traits as defined by the Clifton StrengthsFinder™ and you have a difficult time hitting the “GO” button, you might need to partner with an ACTIVATORⓒ in order to get your brilliant ideas into motion.

If you have this trait yourself, you should be in a position where you have the ability to get things going.  Remember that most people don't have the "GO" button to push that you possess.

Jeff Snyder’s, Jeff Snyder Coaching Blog, 719.686.8810

The Limitations of an Executive Leadership Coach

Coaches who are gifted and talented to deliver the services they deliver can help their clients to take quantum leaps forward.

However, even the world’s most gifted coaches have a limitation 100% of the time. Dr. Marshall Goldsmith who wrote the book “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” is one of my mentors.  On more than one occasion, I have heard Dr. Goldsmith suggest that unless someone wants to change and is willing to do what is required to change, there is no coach in the world that can make that person change. 

Dr. Goldsmith’s advice when a coach meets someone who isn’t willing to get out of their own way to face change is to walk away and to walk away quickly. If someone doesn’t see their need to change or they see the need but they don’t want to devote energy and efforts towards making change occur in their life, they are not coachable.

I always ask prospective new clients if they are teachable and coachable and then listen very carefully to their response.  If they’re not teachable and coachable, it doesn’t matter how large my results pile is, this person will not achieve the same results as my previous clients.

A while back, I received a call from someone who found me on LinkedIn. His introductory statement was a question. 

“Am I correct to believe that you do both recruiting and coaching? Please understand that I am not interested in any of the coaching services you offer that come with a fee attached.”

As I sat at my desk looking at this individual’s average resume, I had to bite my tongue and I remembered the advice from Dr. Goldsmith.  I was deeply challenged to not say a word when I already knew what the caller’s new resume could look like and I knew how much more effective his new resume would be in opening interview doors if he would simply trust me to guide him.

If you ever consider the idea of working with a coach, first ask yourself if you are ready to do what it takes to achieve positive change.  If you are not, there is no reason to invest your hard earned money with a coach. 

If on the other hand, you're ready to move forward and you're just not sure what that means and you're ready to be teachable and coachable, the right coach can help you to take quantam leaps forward that you might not have been able to achieve on your own.

Jeff Snyder’s, Jeff Snyder Coaching Blog, 719.686.8810

Chief Information Security Officer Resume Writing Testimonial

Jeff Snyder Public Speaking

Director, Physical Security Resume Writing

You Measure The Size of the Accomplishment...

"I Knocked It Out Of The Ballpark"

When Seeking Resume Writing Advice, Focus On Results Rather Than Opinions

I recently read an article on LinkedIn entitled THINGS YOU SHOULD REMOVE FROM YOUR RESUME IMMEDIATELY.  If you want to read this article, simply click on the article title. I provided the hyperlink to take you to the article.

When I cut and pasted the text of this article into a Word document so I could read it later, it came out to 12 pages.  While I agree with some of the article’s points, I don’t agree with every point.

Instead of arguing over opinions, know that my resume writing opinions come from results, results and only results.  Here’s what you need to know about what I teach my clients about resume writing.

Jeff Snyder Coaching

Governance, Risk, Compliance Resume Writing

Career Coach For Women In Technology

If You Want To Lead, You’ll Need Exceptional Soft Skills (People Skills)

Not long ago, one of my 30ish year old coaching clients brought something to my attention that he encouraged me to ponder and to take action on.  I’ll call him Bob.

Bob told me that he wished I’d been available to him 5-6 years ago as a coach when he was a Team Leader for the first time in his career.  Because he knew more about a particular technology than everyone else in his company, he was asked to lead the team that was implementing a new version of the technology.

Knowing a lot about technology and leading a team are two entirely different skill sets Bob told me. 

Bob told his story as if it had happened yesterday.  The memory of being asked to do something he was not trained to do was fresh in his mind.  In the end, he admitted that he did a great job of leading the technology side of the project but he also admitted that he didn’t do so well when it came to leading the people side of the project. 

I sensed that Bob wasn’t happy with his previous boss for putting him in this situation without giving him proper preparation.

Bob continues to rise in his career. Today he is a Vice President.  The training he didn’t have around people leadership 5-6 years ago still isn’t part of Bob’s skill set.  That’s why he came to me for help. 

I’m working with Bob at his request to help him develop people skills or soft skills as Bob called them so he can deliver his best possible performance as a new Vice President.

Bob is a gifted technologist but he admits to not being a gifted people person.  He has to be one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met.  His high IQ unfortunately doesn’t translate into naturally having exceptional soft skills. 

In Bob’s current role where he routinely works with his company’s leadership group and he routinely meets with his company’s customers, Bob has come to the realization that the technical skills that propelled him to where he is today are not enough. 

It was the President of Bob’s company who told him he needed to develop better soft skills. This comment captured Bob’s attention. 

If you’re a rising technologist who is gifted with high IQ and you’re great at all things technical, the sooner you start developing soft skills like Bob is developing, the better. 

Jeff Snyder Coaching, 719.686.8810

5 for 5!

She's Rare, She's Valuable, and she has Unlimited Potential!

While reading an article in the New York Times, I ran across a sentence in the article that grabbed my attention.

“In a capitalist economy, the market rewards things that are rare and valuable.” CAL NEWPORT 

Last week I was privileged to have coached four women who all work in the cyber security profession.  They are all exceptional in their own ways.

One of the tools I use in my coaching practice is the Clifton StrengthsFinder Assessment.  In less than an hour, this tool shows me exactly and precisely how each of my clients are uniquely built.  Every time I review a new client’s StrengthsFinder results, I get to look at traits that are both rare and valuable.

WOW!

One client in particular whom I worked with last week has more than one trait in her top 5 Traits / Strengths that are both rare and valuable.  When these traits are weaved together, she is a special person.  

By the way, the Clifton StrengthsFinder is made up of 34 traits.  Each term that describes a trait belongs to the Gallup Organization and is Trademarked.  Traits near the top of one's Clifton StrengthsFinder report have the potential of being turned into Strengths.  This is what Strengths Coaching is all about.

COMMAND

Command is my client's number 1 trait.  Out of 34 traits that make up the Clifton StrengthsFinder, Command is the trait that comes in at number 34 in terms of how often it is found in the top 5 on a StrengthsFinder report.  

The Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment has now been taken by more than 15,000,000 people around the globe.

• For men, Command shows up in the top 5, 3% of the time. 
• For women, the Command trait shows up in the top 5, 2% of the time.

To say that my client who has Command at the top of her Strengths profile is an anomaly is an understatement.  The reason I say that is that our traits / strengths do not work by themselves.  They work with the other traits / strengths that surround them.

SELF-ASSURANCE

Also showing up in my client's top 5 traits is Self-Assurance.

• For men, Self-Assurance shows up in the top 5 traits / strengths 6% of the time.
• For women, Self-Assurance shows up in the top 5 traits / strengths 2% of the time.

Is my client starting to look like a rare and valuable contributor to you?  She is!

COMPETITION

One more trait that shows up in my client’s top 5 traits / strengths is the Competition trait. 

• For men, Competition shows up in the top 5 traits / strengths 16% of the time.
• For women, Competition in the top 5 traits / strengths is much more rare showing up only 2% of the time.

What does this picture tell me as a Strengths Coach?  My client’s top traits / strengths are both rare and valuable. The client described above has huge up-side potential that is virtually limitless. 

The company that hires this naturally gifted leader will see multiples on their return on investment.

Jeff Snyder Coaching, Strengths Coaching, 719.686.8810

"Working with you has been an Eye Opener"

Why Can't You Write My Resume...I Gave You My Last 3 Job Descriptions

Your last 3 job descriptions describe what you were hired to do in your last 3 jobs.  If a resume writer could simply compile the descriptions of what you were hired to do to create your resume, there would be no skill involved in the process of writing a resume.

A great resume is far more than a record of what you signed up to do in past jobs. A great resume shows a record of what you signed up to do, what you actually did and the value that was created as a result of your efforts.

It is your Accomplishments, Contributions and Results that need to be demonstrated on your resume in a language that aligns with the language of your resume’s audience. 

While your resume is always about you, it is for your audience 100% of the time.

What you were hired to do in previous jobs should actually be allocated the least amount of real estate on your new resume.

Resume writing is difficult because when it is done strategically and correctly, it is a mix of technical writing, business writing and creative writing.  Many people do well with the technical writing piece.  The business writing piece of a resume is still within the grasp of some.  It is the creative piece of writing that is outside of most of my client’s skill sets.  Too much of any one of these elements will upset the delicate balance of a great resume.

Finding just the right balance of Technical Writing, Business Writing and Creative Writing is required to build a resume that will be most appreciated by the resume’s audience.

Jeff Snyder Coaching, Resume Writing, 719.686.8810

Can a Career Road Map be Strategically Planned?

Not long ago, a really bright converged security professional came to me for resume writing help.  After sharing a phone call with this person, I was convinced that he/she was extremely articulate.  After a short amount of time on the phone, I saw a serious disconnect between the person portrayed on the resume that was in front of me and the person I was listening to on the phone.  This happens all the time by the way.

There was no doubt at all that this caller needed help from a professional resume writer but that’s not all they needed. I sensed that I was listening to a Security Rock Star who didn’t know they had a future as a Security Rock Star.

My caller needed clarity, confidence and a clear career road map.  I suggested that they consider my Strengths Coaching program. 

Here’s how it works and here’s what my clients can expect in terms of results after the coaching program is has been completed.

1.      The beginning of the program focuses on learning.  After my clients take a Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment, our first two phone calls focus on me helping my client to understand what their unique talents are, how they operate, how they come across to other people and what the powerful edge and potential pitfalls are that are connected to each of their unique talents.

2.      In the second phase of this program, my clients begin to understand their unique talents.  At this point they can claim what is naturally theirs and they can choose to own the gifts they have.

3.      Once my client decides to claim and own their gifts, then I’m in a position to help them to properly aim their gifts.  What this means is that some people are gifted to be the most brilliant architects and engineers in the building.  Other people are naturally gifted to manage people and some people are naturally gifted to learn how to lead. At this point, I can step in with my 26+ years of experience in recruiting and I turn to my top strengths. My Futuristic strength combined with my Strategic strength and my experience all work together in helping my clients to build unique strategic career road maps that align with their unique giftedness.

A Strength as defined by the Clifton StrengthsFinder is the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance in a specific task. 

The good news is that every human being has talents that can be turned into strengths. All of our talents are different; making us unique individuals.  Once talents become strengths, the sky is the limit when an individual can deliver a near-perfect performance over and over and over again.

 Jeff Snyder Coaching, Strengths Coaching, 719.686.8810

Strengths Coaching and Emotional Intelligence Coaching…Why?

I was recently asked why I offer both Strengths Coaching and Emotional Intelligence Coaching. 

Strengths Coaching focuses on what a person has potential to be great at based on their natural giftedness. Because I work heavily with people who are gifted technologists, I have built up enough data and experience to understand the uniqueness of the gifted technologists I’m privileged to serve.  When I get to pass this understanding on to the gifted technologists who trust me to coach them, I get to help my coaching clients take their personal game to a new level. 

Maximizer

This work taps into the Maximizer (one of my top strengths) in me. By default, my Maximizer causes me to focus on taking good to great all the time.  I love to show my clients how they can turn their good performance into a great performance.

Gifted Technologists

My work goes beyond working with gifted technologists.  My unique experience also enables me to show some of my clients how their unique giftedness sets them up to either become or to fine-tune their leadership abilities if they're already in leadership. 

The days when I get to coach someone who has potential they didn’t know they had before we got together are some of my best days!

Weaknesses

Because everyone I coach is a human being, there is a 100% chance that every one of my coaching clients have weaknesses.  As a Strengths Coach, I have determined that it makes no sense at all to try to help my clients turn their weaknesses into strengths.  It simply doesn’t work.

What does work is the effort I invest with my clients to strengthen their strengths while showing them how to build strategies around their weaknesses so their weaknesses don’t get in the way of their strengths. Strategies can’t be built around topics that are not clearly understood.

Emotional Intelligence

It was my observation that everyone has weaknesses that led me to discover a way to become trained and certified in Emotional Intelligence Coaching. 

Emotional Intelligence shows me how my clients perceive themselves.  Sometimes this self-perception is right and sometimes it is wrong.  I can also see how my clients are likely perceived by other people.  When there is a gap between how my clients perceive themselves and how they come across to other people, there is work to be done.

The good news here is that a person’s Emotional Intelligence can be improved upon.  In my coaching practice, these are the Emotional Intelligence skill we measure and work to improve based on each coaching client’s unique needs.

Emotional Intelligence

Self-Perception

Self-Regard, Self-Actualization, Emotional Self-Awareness

Self-Expression

Emotional Expression, Assertiveness, Independence

Interpersonal

Interpersonal Relationships, Empathy, Social Responsibility

Decision Making

Problem Solving, Reality Testing, Impulse Control

Stress Management

Flexibility, Stress Tolerance, Optimism

Working with my clients as an Emotional Intelligence Coach to improve their Emotional Intelligence is the most difficult and the most impactful and rewarding work I do.  When a person works to improve their behavior, the behavior that impacts other people and progress is made, this is the most impactful work I do and it is one of the greatest personal and professional investments my clients can possibly make.

Better behavior leads to all kinds of positive results.  When my clients are focused on doing work that aligns with their top strengths and they are focused on delivering their work with their best behavior attached, the result for my clients is their best performance. 

Jeff Snyder Coaching, 719.686.881

​ I’m a Director, She Wrote…That’s Great News, I Thought in My Mind

My Resume Writing Service

I have been assisting people with resume writing since 1990.  In 2008, I turned my pro-Bono work into an active part of my business.  I didn’t go out and study other people’s approaches to resume writing.  Rather, I collected thoughts from several of my clients as well as from many of my colleagues and peers; people who have reviewed tens of thousands of resumes in their careers.

From there, I set out to build a resume writing methodology from scratch. I started with my own thoughts, the information I’d collected from my colleagues and peers as well as information your audience told me they wanted to see in a resume and began building from the ground up.

What I created is a proprietary resume writing methodology that has opened interview doors for my clients around the globe since 2008 and continues to open interview doors today.  My clients have included Analysts and Engineers, Architects, Managers, Directors, VPs and “C” Suite Executives.

Hiring a Resume Writer

Here are a handful of suggestions with regards to how you might want to go about selecting a resume writer or a resume coach.

• Hire a resume writer who understands your profession and the audience you’ll be sending your resume to.
• Hire a resume writer who can demonstrate client results as a result of their clients using their resume writing approach.
• Be ready to roll up your sleeves to partner with your resume writer or resume coach.
• Don’t approach a resume writer with this mindset:

“To be frank, I was really looking for someone just to write my resume. I was not looking for guidance. As you may have noticed, I am Director of Information Security and have very little time to devote to resume writing.”

 

You’ll Have To Participate

Understand that you are the only person on the planet who has walked in your shoes.  Nobody knows why you are unique or special other than you.  Nobody knows how to tell your stories of Accomplishment, Contributions or the Value you’ve created for previous employers other than you.  The best any resume writer can do is to meet you half way.  If they claim to be able to do more, I suggest that you turn around and run away.

A great resume is a forward leaning document.  This document cannot be written by you handing a resume writer your last three job descriptions.  Job descriptions talk about what you are hired to do.  They never talk about what you did or how you did what you did.  This by the way is what employers told me they want to see in a resume. 

You have to participate in the resume building process.

My Resume Writing / Resume Coaching Options

I offer a 1 Hour Resume Coaching program for my clients who are confident in their writing skills.  These clients are people who want to learn my proprietary resume writing methodology.  I’ve boiled this knowledge transfer down to a 1 hour coaching call. 

For my clients who are not as comfortable with their writing skills, I have a service that I refer to as my Full Resume Writing Service.  My 1 Hour Resume Coaching program is so effective because it addresses both auditory and visual learners, so I deliver this program to my Full Resume Writing clients before I take over as their editor.

I my Full Resume Writing clients to the drawing board to build their raw resume material based on the methodology I have taught them.  When my clients are ready for me to jump back into their resume writing process, I do so as their personal editor.  I take their raw material and turn it into a polished, professionally written resume that is then ready to open interview doors.

Conclusion

Nobody on the planet can write your resume for you from start to finish.  Regardless of how busy you might be, you have to slow down to participate in a knowledge transfer process. 

There is no other way to end up with a great resume.

Jeff Snyder's Jeff Snyder Coaching Blog, 719.686.8810