INSPIRE
What if you could see yourself through the eyes of those who have witnessed you at your best? As leaders, we can sometimes be guilty of hyper-focusing on our mistakes. Or, more commonly, all too often we move through our days without pausing to recognize the moments when we are truly in our element – when our strengths, passions, and impact align and shine.
Recently, our team engaged in an activity that brought these moments to light. We shared reflections, highlighting times when we saw a colleague’s genius in action. Then, we stepped back to reflect on the patterns: When are we at our best? What does that reveal about our love and our unique contributions?
The experience was powerful, not just in discovering our own strengths, but in elevating those around us. Recognizing each other’s unique brilliance doesn’t just build confidence and clarity. It builds interdependent, more connected teams. Teams where we’re each leaning into our own genius and leaning on each others’.
DISCOVER
In Marcus Buckingham’s book Love + Work, he introduces the concept of “red threads” to describe activities that naturally energize and engage you, making time seem to fly by. These are the tasks that align closely with your innate strengths and passions. He emphasizes the importance of identifying and incorporating these red thread activities into your daily routine to enhance job satisfaction and reduce burnout. He points to research out of the Mayo Clinic that suggests that if only 20% of your work involves these energizing tasks, it can significantly improve your overall well-being and resilience.
Pretty powerful stuff, right?
While learning about red threads, I was introduced by way of Adam Grant to the Reflected Best Self Exercise, created through research by the University of Michigan’s Center for Positive Organizations. This exercise involves collecting stories from people in your life about moments when they saw you at your best. By analyzing these narratives, you can identify patterns that reveal your unique strengths and how you positively impact others.
More powerful stuff, right?
Well, get ready. Because we’re about ready to talk about a mash-up that is a game-changer full of awesomeness.🔥
Threads of Genius – The Activity
Prepare the Cards:
Provide each team member with an index card for every colleague, labeled with their colleague’s name. You can simply write the name or, as we did, include the prompt: “This is a story of [Name]’s love and genius…”
Ask each person to write about a specific moment when they saw that colleague at their best – when their genius and love made a meaningful impact.
Distribute the Reflections:
Collect the completed cards and deliver each team member their set, along with one additional blank card labeled with their name. This card might include the prompts:
“I am at my best when…” and “I love it when…”
As they read through their colleagues’ reflections, ask them to pay attention to recurring themes. (Note: We also provided a short red string to symbolize threading together the moments of genius as they read their stories.)
Identify Patterns & Reflect:
Encourage team members to look for common themes in the feedback, noticing what it reveals about their unique strengths and passions. Once they’ve reflected, they should complete their personal card.
Share & Connect as a Team:
Gather in a large circle and invite each person to share their reflection. (Note: We used a long green thread (our team’s primary color) to physically connect our insights, symbolizing how our individual strengths and passions weave together to create something exponentially greater as a team.)
Note: We completed this activity twice – once with our leadership team during our summer retreat (size of 11 and we completed one card for each team member) and a second time with our entire team at our kickoff team retreat (size of 50 and we selected 5-10 team members to complete a card for their colleagues.)
Feel free to copy this Canva card graphic for use with your team!
ELEVATE
As we continue discovering and pursuing our own red threads, as leaders, it’s just as important to seek out and nurture the genius in those around us. Great teams are built when we not only recognize and lean into our own strengths but also create space for others to do the same. When we amplify each other’s greatness, we strengthen our connections, deepen our impact, and elevate what’s possible together.
What’s one moment when you felt at your best? Take a moment to reflect on that and add it to your personal highlight reel. A powerful reminder – your red thread is impactful.
What’s one moment when you saw a colleague at their best? Take a moment to tell them. Your words could be the thread that helps them see their own genius more clearly.
I’d love to hear—what did this reflection reveal for you? Together, we are brilliant, so let’s continue the conversation.
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