Leveraging Strengths in Grief

By Steve Gahagen

A while back, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wrote a blog post about leveraging strengths through a crisis. I didn’t know that unimaginable grief would soon follow when we lost our 26 year-old team member, Madie Hubert, in early June. In that original blog I wrote:

“The genius of strengths is that we can leverage our talents to successfully overcome obstacles, even those that come unexpected. Once we step back from the shock and fear of uncharted territories, we can put our talents to work to manage a difficult crisis or even transform the crisis into something positive. Innovation often flows out of desperation.

Those with strategic thinking strengths are going to be able to analyze the challenges and create a plan to take their organization into the future.

Those with relationship building strengths are particularly talented in bringing a team together. They will care for the needs of people and find ways to help people connect when touching is taboo. They may discover ways to make team or family connections even stronger than before.

Those with executing strengths will be able to quickly execute strategies. They will get things done in a timely manner to move the team forward in an emergency situation.

Those with influencing strengths will bring other people on board and share the exciting new journey with their team and beyond. They will seize the opportunity to expand your network.”

All the things I wrote back then came to life in our organization as our team and new people stepped to the plate and utilized their talents to not only preserve our work with students, but to expand it. In fact, stepping into our strengths can help fill us with life so that we can continue to move forward.

Melissa, our community outreach director, has used her connectedness and relationship strengths to tell the story of Madie and Play to Your Strengths, as well as get others involved. A football field of sunflowers were planted in Madie’s honor and are now beginning to bloom. Hundreds of people will learn about her story and the work we do to help young people write a great story through discovering and playing to their strengths. 

However, when experiencing grief, we need to take time to acknowledge our loss. This is the first blog post I have written in a while. I sat down many a time to write, but just could not do it. The pain and loss were too much. It is like when you get the wind knocked out of you. Sometimes it is okay to rest and recover. 

Pictured above is Madie’s sunflower field. You are welcome to visit this weekend to celebrate her life and our passion to make sure every student knows they have something to bring and the world needs them to bring it.