I’m learning the power of the bright spot from one of my current favorite reads, Switch by Dan and Chip Heath. I’ve been incorporating this concept into my coaching relationships as well as my life/ministry conversations.
Say someone brings up an issue: “I want to feel more peace in my life.” Rather than immediately targeting all the issues they may need to change, I begin by asking, “Tell me about a time when you did feel peace.” Then, “Tell me about another time.” Where are they feeling peace? What commonalities do they see?
Someone else may say they want to work on leadership development. I can ask, “What has worked for you?” “Tell me about a good time.” By focusing on the success points—the bright spots—you build confidence. Too often people think that if they need help in an area, it’s a big zero for them there. But it’s not a zero. They may have only 1 or 2 out of 10, but they do have something they can begin building on to move up to a 3 or 4.
Next time someone presents you with a problem, trying looking for the bright spots and focusing on what is working. You’ll be surprised by how much mileage you get out of this approach.