“WHAT’S RIGHT WITH YOU?”
A POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY OF HUMAN STRENGTHS
A Retreat & Teambuilding Experience
With
Robyn McKay, PhD
Arizona State University
www.robynmckay.com
WHAT IS
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY?
•
The science of positive emotions, positive character traits,
positive experiences, and positive institutions
(Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000)
•
Research from positive psychology is intended to supplement
(not replace) information about human suffering, weakness,
and disorder (Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005)
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MY FAVORITE FACES OF
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD
“Happier!”
Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD
“The How of Happiness”
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Robert Emmons, PhD
“Thanks!”
MAJOR FINDING
 Happy people are more
likely than their less happy
peers to have
 fulfilling marriages and
relationships
 high incomes
 superior work performance
 community involvement
 robust health
 a long life
(Lyubomirsky et al, 2005)
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First, be happy.
Happiness
creates the
conditions for
success to arise,
not the other
way around.
(Lyubomirsky et al, 2005)
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But…how do you
be happy?
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EXERCISE #1:
AMAZING PEOPLE
 Take 5 minutes to write about one of the best
people that you know: someone who is living a
happy, productive life.
 What characteristics does he or she have?
 What is his or her life like?
 Compare your findings with your neighbor. How
are your observations similar or different ?
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What the Best People Do
 We all have natural talents
 Leaders spend a lot of time
practicing what they are
already good at
 They don’t spend a lot of
time trying to improve their
weaknesses
 People who are great at
what they do are decidedly
*not * well rounded
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Focusing on what’s right:
a pathway to happiness
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A history lesson
 The Gallup Organization identified over 400
different themes of talent by studying top
achievers
 34 of the most prevalent talent themes are
measured in StrengthsFinder
 StrengthsFinder is a psychometrically solid
instrument
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StrengthsQuest
 A strength is the ability to
provide consistent, nearperfect performance in a given
activity
 To build a strength:
 Identify a talent
 Then refine it with skills and
knowledge
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StrengthsQuest
 Based on a general model of positive
psychology, and captures 4 factors:
 Personal motivation (Striving/Executing)
 Interpersonal skills (Relationship Building)
 Self-presentation (Influencing)
 Learning Style (Strategic Thinking)
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Excellence
 Our talents hold the key to
excellence
 Talent + practice + knowledge =
strength
 To be excellent, you need to
have a clear vision about what
excellence is, what it looks like,
and what is required to reach it.
 Trying to be well-rounded
diffuses your talents
 To become excellent, choose one or
two talents to focus on
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EXERCISE #2: WHAT MAKES YOU
STAND OUT?
 What was it like to take the assessment?
 Review the descriptions of your signature
themes
 Ask: “What fits for me?”
 Which themes do you really like?
 Find a partner and talk about which themes suit
you
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But…shouldn’t
I focus on
improving my
weaknesses?
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Nope!
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Exercise #3: What do your
strengths “sound like”?
 With a partner,
take a few minutes
to talk about how
you each express
your strengths
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The Four Domains of Leadership Strength
The Beehive Model
of Strengths (Kerr & McKay)
Worker Bees:
The Experts
(Executing)
Sustain the culture
Achiever
Arranger
Belief
Consistency
Deliberative
Discipline
Focus
Responsibility
Restorative
Queens:
The Visionaries
(Influencing)
Transform the culture
Activator
Command
Communication
Maximizer
Self-Assurance
Significance
Woo
Competition
Honeybees :
The Helpers
(Relationship Building)
Sweeten the culture
Adaptability
Connectedness
Empathy
Harmony
Includer
Individualization
Positivity
Relator
Developer
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Drones :
The Innovators
(Strategic Thinking)
Fertilize the culture
Analytical
Context
Futuristic
Ideation
Input
Intellection
Learner
Strategic
Exercise #3: Gathering
 Identify which parts of the hive your




strengths fall into
Remember: you might be a hybrid!
Choose one segment to focus on
Gather with others in your area of the hive
Answer these questions:
 What do we have to offer?
 What do we need from those in the other parts of
the hive?
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Final Thoughts
 Every organization is a hive
 Know your bees
 Focus on developing your strengths
 There are no satisfactory psychometric fixes for social
injustice, stereotype threat, culture, and gender bias
 Just because someone is smart, creative, or has
strengths doesn’t make them a good person.
 Kindness and compassion are just as important to cultivate
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Final thoughts
 It’s hard to get out of your own
area of the hive and understand
the needs of colleagues who are
different from you
 Respecting the differences among
your colleagues and
understanding the nature of
various forms of gifts and
strengths can lead to a positive,
innovative work environment
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To schedule a “What’s Right
With You?” Retreat &
Teambuilding Experience
Contact Dr. Robyn McKay
 email: robyn.mckay@asu.edu
 Tel: 913.220.7391
or 480.727.1527
www.robynmckay.com