Employee performance is a critical factor in the success of any organisation. According to research conducted by the Corporate Leadership Council, emphasising employees’ strengths can lead to a staggering 36% increase in their performance. So, the question arises: how can leaders identify and leverage strengths to achieve optimal outcomes and maintain a strengths culture?
Why are strengths important?
Using a strengths-based language in the workplace is crucial as it boosts employee engagement, leading to better performance and increased productivity. It improves teamwork, reduces conflicts, and enhances innovation.
Individualised development plans and a focus on well-being contribute to higher retention rates. Strengths foster a positive organisational culture, empowers effective leadership, and ultimately results in improved customer satisfaction.
Recognising and leveraging strengths is a win-win for both employees and organisations, creating a more fulfilling and successful work environment.
In today’s fast-paced corporate landscape, where managers are constantly juggling multiple responsibilities and adapting to hybrid work models, focusing on team engagement can be challenging, so it’s essential to find ways to improve team engagement by spotting and harnessing the strengths of your team members.
What are strengths?
Strengths, in this context, refer to the inherent qualities and abilities that individuals excel at and genuinely enjoy.
Studies have shown that when people use their strengths, their performance and productivity soar. To spot these strengths in your team members, pay attention to their energy levels, tasks they complete swiftly, their ability to learn quickly, and the language they use when discussing their work.
Understanding each team member’s strengths allows for more efficient task allocation and greater role flexibility, ultimately leading to improved team dynamics.
Top tips for using strengths to manage your team:
Here are some practical tips to help leaders bring out the best in their teams by focusing on their strengths:
- Align Strengths with Tasks: Discover the individual strengths of your team members and help them understand how to apply them effectively. By aligning tasks with their strengths, goals become more personally meaningful, and success is more attainable.
- Provide Feedback on Strengths: Whenever you observe a colleague using a strength, acknowledge it. Explain the positive impact it had on completing a task and encourage them to utilize that strength more frequently. Instead of generic praise, be specific about how their strengths contributed to success.
- Assist in Overcoming Weaknesses: Identify any business-critical weaknesses among colleagues or team members that could impact team goals. Consider how their strengths might compensate for these weaknesses, or explore opportunities for other team members to provide support using their own strengths.
- Initiate Career Conversations: While you may not have all the answers regarding each team member’s career aspirations, knowing their goals and desired areas for strength application is a great starting point. This information will enable you to assign rewarding responsibilities that align with their strengths, fostering their personal and professional development.
- Utilise Team Meetings: Regular team check-ins provide an ideal opportunity to gauge team dynamics and explore ways to leverage collective strengths. Encourage open discussions about individual strengths and goals during these meetings, allowing team members to identify opportunities for themselves and their colleagues.
- Cultivate a Strengths-Based Team Culture: Infuse strengths-related language and principles into the team’s culture. Delegation, in particular, is a valuable tool for giving team members the chance to develop their strengths.
- Authenticity Matters: Perhaps the most vital aspect of being a strengths-based manager is authenticity. Build trust by being open and honest in your interactions. Celebrate the uniqueness of each team member’s strengths profile, enabling everyone to be their best selves.
What are the advantages of maintaining a strengths-approach?
Recognising, capitalising on and maintaining the harnessing of the strengths of your team members is a powerful way to enhance performance and team engagement.
By aligning tasks with strengths, providing feedback, addressing weaknesses, fostering career growth, utilising team meetings, nurturing a strengths-based culture, and staying authentic as a leader, you can unlock the full potential of your team, leading to greater success for your organisation.
Learn more about Understanding Strengths, Strengths in Teams and Managing Strengths in Teams