Playing to Your Strengths by StandOut (Coursera)

Playing to Your Strengths by StandOut (Coursera)

Playing to Your Strengths is designed for any professional individual striving to be more productive and more focused today than they were yesterday and those who want to make their greatest contributions at work and in life by embracing a strengths-based mindset. Based on the six-part film series Trombone Player Wanted from Marcus Buckingham, this 6-week course includes video demonstrations, practice simulations, a course guide, and reflection activities that will inspire you to identify your strengths and make them a vital and sustainable part of your everyday life.

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Leaning into the powerful story of a young boy who wants to make a change, this course centers on the metaphor of building your own orchestra, with each lesson serving as its own “Rehearsal” that allows you to:
• LISTEN to responses from the previous lesson
• WATCH a 10 min or less video in the Trombone Player Wanted series
• PRACTICE applying what you’ve learned
• PLAY your part, using the "Learning Guide" and “Orchestra Map” to capture your self-reflection
Playing to Your Strengths illustrates that when people get the chance to put their strengths to work, everyone wins: individuals, who get to do more of what they love; team leaders, who get better performance out of team members; and organizations, which see better business outcomes as a result.
This is a beginner's course, intended for learners with an interest in building a strengths-based mindset. To succeed in this course, you should be willing to self-reflect and open to shifting perspectives. Making the effort will result in a positive and fulfilling response. By the end of this course, you will be able to:
• Identify your strengths and demonstrate them individually, at work, or in personal situations
• Share, listen, and learn from others as you use your identified strengths
• Stimulate conversation and articulate your strengths by asking relevant questions
• Create habits that stick as you keep them at the forefront of your correlating Orchestra Map

What You Will Learn

  • The most powerful definition of your strengths and how to spot your strengths in action.
  • Strategies for putting your strengths to work and how to identify and cut out your weaknesses.
  • How to talk about your strengths effectively and strategies for sustaining the strengths-based approach.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Playing to Your Strengths
Welcome to Playing to Your Strengths Week 1! This course is designed for individuals who want to make their greatest contributions at work and in life by embracing a strengths-based mindset. Based on the six-part film series Trombone Player Wanted from Marcus Buckingham, this course will inspire you to identify your strengths and make them a vital and sustainable part of your everyday life. By the end of this week, you will be able to describe myths and beliefs holding you back and the importance of playing to your strengths most of the time.

WEEK 2
Playing to Your Strengths
Welcome to Playing to Your Strengths Week 2! I hope Week 1 was a success for you and learning what's getting in the way of your playing to your strengths most of the time has been discovered. By the end of this week, you will be able to identify and describe your strengths in detail.

WEEK 3
Playing to Your Strengths
Welcome to Playing to Your Strengths Week 3! I hope Week 2 brought insight into what makes you feel strong. By the end of this week, you will be able to recognize situations that help you call upon your strengths and plan ways to make your greatest contribution.

WEEK 4
Playing to Your Strengths
Welcome to Playing to Your Strengths Week 4! I hope during Week 3, you made preparations to call upon your strengths and now have a complete understanding of what makes you feel strong. By the end of this week, you will be able to identify activities that weaken you and refrain from investing too much time in those activities.

WEEK 5
Playing to Your Strengths
Welcome to Playing to Your Strengths Week 5! I hope Week 4 was a success as you reflected on what weakens you. By the end of this week, you will be able to explain your strengths to others and discuss ways in which they can rely on you the most.

WEEK 6
Playing to Your Strengths
Welcome to Playing to Your Strengths Week 6! We're in the final stretch. Hopefully by now, you have identified what makes you feel strong, what weakens you, how to call upon your strengths, and share them with others. By the end of this week, you will be able to connect everything you've learned and prioritize your strengths as a daily contribution to yourself and people around you.

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