What if the fastest path to better performance is not fixing people, but helping them do more of what they do best?I am Brandon Miller, Chairman and Founding Partner of 34 Strong, a consulting firm recognized as a leader in strengths based leadership and employee engagement. Over the past decade I have helped organizations move from low engagement and turnover to cultures marked by clarity, connection and high performance.I oversee a family of companies that serve leaders, teams and coaches around the world. This includes Churchill Leadership Group, our global executive coaching and leadership development firm. It includes CoachStrong, a new brand created to equip coaches with certifications, world class training content and a platform that elevates their work. I also oversee Incredible Family, which supports working parents inside organizations and strengthens families at home.Across these ventures I have partnered with billion dollar corporations, government agencies and multinational teams. My work is rooted in practical tools and data driven approaches such as Gallup’s CliftonStrengths and  Q12. LQ’s Echo Listening Profile, Be Heard Engagement Survey and Incredible Parent and Incredible Kid assessments. I help leaders build cultures where strengths thrive, communication strengthens and early career talent grows and stays.I am a husband to my high school sweetheart, a father of seven and a grateful grandfather. I am the co-author of two books on strengths based parenting, and I actively support education and outreach efforts in India, Uganda, Mexico and around the USA including my home town of Elk Grove, California. My leadership is grounded in my Christian faith and a simple calling. Build places where people feel valued, equipped and empowered to rise.If you lead an organization and want to develop stronger managers, healthier teams and a culture where people flourish, I would love to connect and learn about your goals.

Brandon Miller

Do you know the CliftonStrengths Person of the Year? 

This isn't actually a thing, but if it was, 2025 would tell an interesting story.

More than two million people took the CliftonStrengths assessment last year. When the data settled, five themes surfaced most frequently:

Relator
Achiever
Developer
Learner
Empathy

Before we over-interpret that, let's be clear:
This is not a psychological profile of humanity. It reflects who chose to take the assessment, where strengths conversations are gaining traction and who currently has access.

Still, I find it fascinating!

High relationship orientation.
Strong drive.
Growth mindset.
Deep care for people.

That says something about the kinds of leaders leaning into development right now.

Here's a better question:
Do you know your Top Five?
And are you building your life and leadership around them?

I'm curious which of these themes shows up for you. Drop them in the comments.

Advancing the Global Strengths Movement | Founder 34 Strong | Podcast Host, Speaker and Author

I often hear in the gym:
Muscle is built through progressive overload.

You lift something that challenges you. You stay with it until it feels steady. And when it feels steady, you increase the weight.

Simple. Not easy.

The last few reps are always the hardest. That's where the strain shows up. That's also where the growth begins.

The same pattern shows up outside the gym.

Growth rarely happens when things feel comfortable!

It happens in the conversation you've been avoiding.
In the added responsibility.
In the stretch that asks a little more of you.

If it never feels heavy, it probably isn't building anything.

Progress doesn't require dramatic leaps. It requires intentional increases.

Where are you choosing to stay steady and where is it time to add weight?

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If you had a shirt with your life motto on it what would it say? Someone sent me this photo and said it reminded them of me!

Lift heavy.
Pray hard.

A good reminder that leadership requires both discipline and dependence.

The discipline to keep going when things are hard.
And the humility to rely on God, knowing the strength we need doesn't come from us alone.

Faith changes the way we carry the weight.

#Discipline #Strengths #FaithInLeadership
#PurposeDrivenLeadership

Who's feeling ready to catch a flight for spring break?

There's a feeling most of us recognize when we travel.
We slow down.
We pay attention.
We see things we would normally walk past!

Conversations feel richer. Moments feel intentional. Perspective widens.

It's easy to assume the location creates that shift. I'm not sure it does.

Travel changes our pace. And when our pace changes, our awareness increases. Maybe that's the real gift.

What if we didn't wait for a plane ticket to live that way? What if we brought that same curiosity, presence and perspective into an ordinary Tuesday?

Sometimes the environment changes us. Sometimes we just choose to see differently.

What would it look like to approach next week with that kind of posture?

I recently had the privilege of spending extended time with CORE young adult leaders.

We prayed.
We studied leadership and discipleship.
We had honest conversations about strengths, contribution and where each of us still needs to grow.

We prepared meals side by side.
And yes, we competed hard in a pickleball tournament!

What stands out most isn’t their energy.
It’s their commitment.

Every week, they welcome and serve 30-40 young adults who are hungry for community, truth and purpose. That kind of impact doesn’t happen by accident.

It requires leaders who are willing to grow first.

We leaned into strengths-based development: clarifying what each person uniquely brings and what each person needs from the team.

Strong teams are built when both contribution and need are named.

Unity isn’t accidental.
It’s cultivated through understanding.

Their passion for making disciples of Jesus is real.
Their devotion is evident.
Their willingness to sharpen one another is inspiring.

I’m proud of them.
I believe in them.
And I’m grateful to serve alongside leaders who are serious about growing in character, clarity and calling.

#leadership #strengths #youngadults #genz

Happy Friday!

I've learned to end the week with a little perspective:
Not just on what got done, but what 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙.

The conversations that moved things forward.
The moments that required patience.
The stretch that built a little strength.

What did this week teach you?

#strengths #happyfriday #leadership

Some of the most meaningful leadership conversations don't happen in offices.
They happen in airports.
Over travel delays.
In between destinations.

Growth often happens in transition.
The right partnerships make the journey sustainable.
Looking at you, Anthony Kavouras!

Who are you growing alongside right now?

Most leaders assume they have a talent gap. What they often have is a visibility gap.

Last week I joined Melissa Yerxa Ortiz  -- Talent Optimization Expert on You've Got People Problems to talk about The Hidden Cost of Underutilized Strengths at Work.

In many organizations, the capability leaders are searching for already exists on their team. It just hasn't been identified, evaluated, or aligned correctly.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why underutilized strengths quietly erode performance

• How leaders mislabel alignment issues as people problems

• Why structured tools matter when evaluating team capability

• How to uncover strengths before defaulting to hiring Before you assume you need someone new, it may be worth taking a closer look at who you already have.

The episode is out now!

#CliftonStrengths #StrengthsBasedLeadership #Podcast

Are you listening? Not listening is the fastest way to break communication.

If people don’t feel heard, they don’t feel valued.

Every strength has power.
But without listening, even the strongest one can tilt in the wrong direction.

#Communication isn’t just about what you say.
It’s about whether the other person feels understood.

When we slow down and truly listen, that’s where real opportunity and impact begin.

Is Communication in your Top 5?
And more importantly: are you using it to speak or to listen?

#strengths #podcast #cliftonstrengths

Your ability to lead gets put to the test when you move from leading yourself to leading others.

When there are no followers, the feedback loop is internal. Your decisions, your pace, your growth.

But once people start following you… everything changes.

Now your leadership and your strengths are exposed through the feedback others give you.

Followers don't just experience your leadership.
They reveal it!

#Leadership #StrengthsBasedLeadership #CliftonStrengths

For years, I've watched leaders make the same move when something feels off on their team. 

They assume they need to hire.

They assume something is missing.

But more often than not, what's missing isn't talent. It's visibility.

Visibility into the strengths that already exist inside the organization.

My conversation with Melissa Yerxa Ortiz  -- Talent Optimization Expert on You've Got People Problems is live, and we talk about The Hidden Cost of Underutilized Strengths at Work.
We discuss

• Why leaders mislabel alignment issues as performance problem
• How overlooked strengths quietly erode engagement and results

• The difference between a true people problem and a placement problem

• Why structured tools matter when evaluating team capability

You can watch on YouTube:
https://lnkd.in/gf8NKHRS

Or listen on Spotify:
https://lnkd.in/gEZg95MR
dHFvL 

or Apple:
https://lnkd.in/gwYZXqvu
people-problems/id1807417926

#CliftonStrengths #StrengthsBasedLeadership #Podcast

Leadership doesn't just happen overnight. It's shaped over time through experiences, challenges and the people who influence us along the way.

But if you had to choose just one…

The author can see how you vote. Learn more

Ken Barr Jr.

Ken is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, Licensed Professional Counselor, career coach, and organizational consultant dedicated to helping individuals and teams discover, develop, and apply their strengths.  He works frequently in the education, non-profit, retail, hospitality, healthcare, and customer service fields providing solutions that include program startup, team development, best practices, recognition, and talent insights.

As the former director of Student Strengths Development at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Ken was responsible for leading all facets of the creation, development, assessment, and operations of an award-winning talent development/student success program.  

He also specializes in career coaching, guiding clients through the career decision-making process based on their Strengths, personality type, work values, skills, and interests. He emphasizes making informed career choices and finding ways to use natural talents every day.   

Ken is also a passionate speaker and trainer who focuses on:  Talent and Strengths development, engagement (campus and employee), mentoring, networking, experiential education,substance abuse prevention, risk management, and strategic planning.

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