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Strengths Based
Leadership
By
920.374.3608 | lauriecrawfordcoaching.com
Introductions
• Name
• Company / Title / Role
• Your #1 character strength
• What are you hoping to learn today?

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Handout
• ViaMe!TM Character Strengths
• Scenarios – Applying Strengths
• Virtues – Classification of Strengths
• The 5 Happiness Strengths
• Resources
24 Character Strengths
• Signature Strengths
strongest and most natural
• Middle Strengths
situational
• Lesser Strengths
least naturally occurring but still fundamental

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A Little Creativity…
1. If you had an extra two hours today,
what would you do with it?
2. What is your definition of fun?
3. Draw a picture that represents your
top strength.
The Science of Character

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The Science of Character
• Who do you admire and why?
“Admiration is the first stair toward trying
your wings.” Pepper Blair
Partner Up
• Choose one of your signature strengths
• How do you use this strength?
• At work
• At home
• With friends
• How do people respond to you when you use this strength?
• What does it look like when you overuse this strength?

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Positive Psychology
• In the early 2000s, a 3-year project involving 55
distinguished scientists was launched.
• A study of character traits throughout time.
• Chris Peterson and Martin Seligman
• VIA Classification of character strengths & virtues
24 Character Strengths
• What is best in you!
• Morally and universally valued
• Encompass our capacities for helping ourselves
and others
• Produce positive effects when we express them

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Using Your Character
Strengths Leads To:
• More positive emotion
• More engagement
• Better relationships
• More meaning
• More accomplishments
6 Virtue Categories
• Wisdom
• Courage
• Humanity
• Justice
• Temperance
• Transcendence
www.viacharacter.org

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Wisdom & Knowledge
• Cognitive strengths that entail the acquisition
and use of knowledge
www.viacharacter.org
Courage
• Emotional strengths that involve the exercise of
will to accomplish goals in the face of
opposition, external or internal
www.viacharacter.org

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Humanity
• Interpersonal strengths that involve tending and
befriending others
www.viacharacter.org
Justice
• Civic strengths that underlie healthy
community life
www.viacharacter.org

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Temperance
• Strengths that protect against excess
www.viacharacter.org
Transcendence
• Strengths that forge connections to the larger
universe and provide meaning
www.viacharacter.org

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Reflect briefly…
• Think about a time, recently or awhile back,
in which you were happy and fully engaged in
your life, work, and play.
Write it down…
• How were you taking action during this
time?
• What were you doing that contributed to
this happiness and engagement?
• What character strengths do you think you
were frequently using at this time?

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920.374.3608 | lauriecrawfordcoaching.com
Scenarios
Using Signature Strengths
• Scenario #1
Marketing Firm & Restaurant
• Scenario #2
Private College & Strategic Planning Team

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Scenario Discussion Results
• What was your approach?
• How did you use everyone’s signature
strengths?
• What did you learn from this activity?
5 Happiness Strengths

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Look Back At…
1. If you had an extra two hours today, what would
you do with it?
2. What is your definition of fun?
3. Draw a picture that represents your top strength.
4. Who do you admire and why?
5. Reflection…happy and fully engaged.
Your Pearl for Today

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What learning will you apply in the next week?
Write it down.
Make it happen.

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Comment Card

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