Strengthscope Series: Collaboration

🌊 What are your unique ingredients for finding a flow state?

Hi Friends,

What energizes you most at work? What drains you? In what ways might your biggest strengths become liabilities when in overdrive, and what drainers can you approach with the help of your brightest energizers?

I’ll be running a special series here on Pivot this Fall to help you better understand your energy-strengths: not just what you’re objectively skilled at (and praised for), but the work that truly feeds your spirit—so you can show up as your highest and best self.

McKinsey research shows we’re five times more productive when we’re in a flow state; learning more about your energy-strengths will help you get there.

This series is based on an assessment called Strengthscope—I was certified in 2019, and it folds perfectly into the Pivot Method—a process for doubling down on what’s already working to map what’s next—and the Free Time Framework to help you better align and design how you spend your time.

• If you’re an individual and want to take the Strengthscope assessment with a 90-minute Upgrade Your Energy workshop on Dec. 5 to better understand your results, Register here » (Paying subscribers: you get an extra 20% off, so scroll down below the footer for your special discounted link!)

• If you work within an organization and have the budget available to run this as an in-person half-day team-building workshop with your group, we have two spots remaining for this quarter and three spots open for Q1 2025. Learn more about Pivot Programs and inquire here »

Now onto this week’s #PivotList, with bonus goodies over the paywall rainbow at the end :)

📆 Upcoming Events for Paying Subscribers

🔗 The links to register are below the paywall in the footer of this email.

✍️ Write the Thing! First Wednesday of the next three months: Join us for the first co-working session on Wednesday, October 2, from 1pm ET to 1:45pm ET. This is guided co-working time (and moral support) to write what matters most: an essay, a newsletter, morning pages, an autoresponder, an invitation, an important email, a page of your book—whatever surfaces that would leave you feeling lighter ❤️

• Might you also be interested in a NaNoWriMo accountability group for the month of November? If so, comment or reply and let me know :)

💻 Quarterly Office Hours — November 20: Ask me anything, connect with fellow Pivoters, and talk through your pivot-in-progress.

• Want to join us? See the footer (below the paywall) for the link. Upgrade your membership here »

💪 Strengthscope Deep Dive: Collaboration

Is collaboration an energizer or a drainer for you? Let’s find out . . .

Scenario: You’ve joined a project where the leader wants to get together with you in person or on video calls frequently, and work on everything collectively as a small group. Are you energized by this approach? Put another way, how strongly do you resonate with this meme? 😂

🪫 If collaboration is a drainer for you: You’ll experience stress without sufficient alone time at work. You may focus on your own agenda, opinion, or position too strongly, without seeking to work with others to achieve your aims.

• Reframe it by reflecting: What scaffolding—and which of your strengths—can you leverage to collaborate more effectively? (For me, it’s systems and efficiency! And minimizing meetings by working asynchronously as much as possible)

🔋 If you thrive on collaboration, you’ll sound something like this: “I do my best work when we’re actively working together. I understand you may prefer to work by yourself, but working together helps me get more done.” You may experience stress with too much alone time at work.

• Who annoys you: People who focus on their own agenda and argue too strongly to defend their point of view/interests without seeking to work cooperatively with others to achieve their aims.

• Who is annoyed by you: Decisive and results-focused people will get annoyed if you spend too much time trying to collaborate with others when this is unnecessary or inappropriate, specifically where a quick or straightforward decision is required.

🥵 When in overdrive: If you’re a strong collaborator, you may lean on this strength too much during stressful times, seeking out collaboration and consensus when it is unnecessary, especially when a quick or straightforward decision is required.

• Self-check by asking: Do we need to gather more group consensus now, or should we just move forward?

📆 Reminder: If you found this helpful and want to dive deeper into the 24 energy-strengths, including an assessment that will show your “Significant Seven” (and biggest drainers):

• Individuals: Take the Strengthscope assessment and join us for a 90-minute Upgrade Your Energy workshop on December 5. Register here » (Paying subscribers: scroll down below the footer for your special extra-discounted link!)

• Teams: If you work within an organization and have the budget to run this as an in-person half-day team-building workshop, we have two spots remaining this quarter and three open for Q1 2025. Learn more and inquire here »

🎙 Related episode from the Pivot archives

Although the podcast is paused, you can still browse the archives and subscribe here »

230: Creating Flow States (BookRx)

Want help exploring your biggest strengths and how you can leverage them for your pivot-in-progress? Learn more and sign-up for Pivot coaching here »

That’s it for now . . . thank you for reading and listening!

❤️  With Love, 

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P.S. Extra Goodies Over the Paywall Rainbow 🌈💰

🔐 Thank you to our generous paying subscribers who help sustain PivotList!
Upgrade to unlock this week’s bonuses as a token of my gratitude :)