Working from Your God-Given Strengths (Interview w/ Brent O’Bannon)

On this episode, Brent O’Bannon (the first Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach in the world) teaches how to do business with your God-given strengths and performs a live strengths-based coaching session with Darren.

Brent O’Bannon, CEO of Strengths Champion Solutions in Dallas, TX, is an ICF Master Certified Coach and the world’s first Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach. With his Top 6 StrengthsFinder® themes of Focus, Individualization, Achiever, Command, Competition, and WOO he has led over 27,000 coaching sessions and 2,000 workshops globally. He is an author, entrepreneur, tennis enthusiast, and thankful grandfather. Brent is called to champion strengths around the world for human flourishing.

Brent and his son Trent were ranked #1 in father-son tennis doubles in the state of Texas.

Brent and I are part of the Christ-Centered Company Group of Christian business influencers.

• Download complimentary Strengths Champion Toolkit at https://brent-o-bannon-llc.ck.page/strengths-champion-toolkit and learn more about Brent at https://brentobannon.com/

Key Takeaways 💡

• Brent O’Bannon shares his journey of discovering his strengths through the Strengthsfinder assessment, which helped him articulate his talents, including the rare strength of command.
• Brent initially felt called to ministry at 17, thinking it meant being a pastor, but later realized his role as a coach and encourager in the business world.
• Understanding each other’s strengths has significantly improved communication and relationships within Brent’s family.
• Brent explains the difference between strengths and spiritual gifts, noting that strengths are inherent talents while spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit.
• The spirit-controlled temperament framework is discussed, highlighting its relevance in understanding personality and behavior in a spiritual context.
• Brent emphasizes the importance of understanding one’s talents and those of team members for effective leadership, advocating for a common language to discuss and utilize these strengths.
• Clifton’s strengths are organized into four domains: executing, influencing, relationship building, and strategic thinking, which differ from but share similarities with the DISC model.
• The strengths finder is described as a talent potential assessment focusing on naturally recurring ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving, rather than a personality assessment.
• The coaching approach involves asking questions to help individuals discover their own insights about their strengths rather than simply providing answers.
• The four domains of strengths are summarized: executing (working harder), strategic thinking (thinking smarter), influencing (motivating faster), and relationship building (caring better).
• Jesus’ focus is highlighted, particularly in Luke 4, where he declares his mission, illustrating the importance of clarity and purpose in one’s calling.
• The speaker reflects on the importance of focus in Jesus’ ministry, particularly in the parable of the lost sheep, demonstrating his commitment to every individual.
• Understanding one’s strengths and weaknesses is crucial for building effective teams and organizations, emphasizing the need for complementary partnerships.
• The speaker discusses the interplay of their competition, achiever, and focus strengths, referring to this synergy as ‘theme dynamics’ that produce a maximizer effect.
• The speaker reflects on their strengths and how they have evolved over time, using the biblical example of Saul’s transformation into Paul to illustrate that while talents remain stable, values change.
• The speaker shares their experience of taking the assessment multiple times, noting a change in their top strengths and expressing interest in exploring their full range of strengths.
• The importance of relying on God as the source of strength rather than solely on natural talents is emphasized, referencing biblical figures like Moses.
• Listeners are encouraged to visit BrentO’Bannon.com for resources and a toolkit for leadership development centered on strengths, and to consider participating in a two-day virtual workshop for certification in coaching others on strengths.
• The episode concludes with a reminder to subscribe and review the podcast, emphasizing the ongoing exploration of God’s will in business.

Theology of Business is the show for marketplace Christians seeking to explore and apply God’s will for business. If you want to learn more about how to do business for the glory of God and shape culture through discipling the business world, this show is for you.

BIG THANKS to this episode’s sponsor: High Bridge Books

High Bridge Books helps Christ-centered authors build a legacy by crafting and publishing messages and stories that glorify God in all spheres of culture.

• High Bridge Books’ professional book publishing package: https://www.highbridgebooks.com/publishing/ 
• High Bridge Books’ proofreading, line editing, developmental editing, and co-writing services: https://www.highbridgebooks.com/editing-and-proofreading/
• Examples of our books: https://www.highbridgebooks.com/bookstore/

We’re extremely proud that …

• 45% percent of our 204 books under contract were written by authors who have published more than one book with us, and
• 51% percent of our books under contract were referred to us by authors who have previously published with us.

Contact High Bridge Books’ CEO Darren Shearer at [email protected] to get a conversation going about your book!