How can you use the coachee's strengths in coaching?

I am a huge fan of Gallups Strengthsfinder and for good reason... it's simple, actionable and easy to understand as well as debrief. I realize there are endless debates about which to focus more on as a coach, Strengths vs. Weaknesses but regardless of what side of the conversation you sit on, deploying SF on your clients helps them learn the importance of both. Once defined and understood, a client/individual is empowered to move forward in life with the self-awareness of how they derail themselves, their blindspots and ultimately how to get back on track. If you aren't using this tool in your practice, I highly recommend it.

When I’m working with a new client, they are new to “Strengths”. Strengths develop by adding knowledge, skills, or experience. From experience, I help establish a solid base by using what I call “past, present, future”: 1. Look to the past to see times when “strengths” helped you succeed or when they may have presented obstacles. (Raw strengths often show up as weakness, through overuse). Intentionality can flip perceived weaknesses to recognized strengths, and using past success as a blueprint is a sure fire way to succeed. 2. Recognize your strengths in real time, and use that information to up-level. 3. Once you can recognize your strengths in action, it becomes easier to attack a goal, purposely with specific strengths.

What most clients don't realize is that many of the same things they would classify as weaknesses when used negatively are actually the same traits that are or can be their greatest strengths when used positively. For over a decade, I have also used "past, present, future" to inform solutions to current challenges using transferrable past successes. Combining both with open-ended questions in a non-judgmental environment, along with a hybrid reflective and appreciative inquiry coaching approach, creates an atmosphere where clients who are really "stuck in their story" and focusing on what is not working, wrong, failing, etc. can evolve into a transformative session focused on strengths, capabilities, and the ability to develop solutions.

So often, I find clients have 'an idea' about their strengths, but aren't really sure when it comes to articulating them. I use the Gallup Strengthsfinders assessment, and that helps give people words about how to talk about their strengths. Plus - using talents that people are naturally great at is such a positive and helps boost clients confidence when pursuing their goals!

As coaches, we don't "help" clients. We partner with them to 1. set goals, 2. explore deeply, leading to 3. awareness and actions Coaching is about partnering, adult-adult (Transactional Analysis)

Coaching, by definition, is strength-based. We look at the inherent strengths of the coachee. The assumption is that the client is complete. Hence has all answers. The coaching process is more to remind the client of his/her unlimited potential.

Please see my comment above "what are the benefits of using strengths in coaching" -- that said, if you don't wish to use a tool, use your questions and curiosity. Asking the right strategic questions can help your clients understand what they are naturally good vs great at, what lights them up and where they excel in life. Once you determine the "where" - then you can focus on the "how" which is where the skills they employ can be defined, honed and further explored.

It is not for the coach to identify the strengths of the coachee, rather support the coachee in identifying their strengths. Some methods could include reflection on past accomplishments and things that have felt exciting. Psychometric assessments and multi-rater feedback could also be useful.

Identifying your coachee's strengths is an essential aspect of effective coaching: 1. Ask Open-Ended Questions: Pose questions that encourage your coachee to reflect on their experiences, achievements, challenges, and skills. 2. Review Past Successes: Discuss times when your coachee felt most successful or accomplished. Explore what specific skills, traits, or qualities contributed to those successes. 3. Identify Energy and Enthusiasm: Take note of the topics or tasks that energize and excite your coachee. Passion and enthusiasm can be strong indicators of strengths.

+1 to StrengthsFinder etc. Super useful and fast. In the flow of Coaching I also use an exercise similar to values exercises where I ask the client to tell me about a time when they were at their very best and most effective. I then mirror back to them the strengths I have hearing in their story. More recently I have been using become a big fan of a newer interview based 360 that is grounded in Positive Psychology and science of Social Support. It is called Shift Positive and I have been using it for the past 18 months with Exec clients. It focuses on, 1. what is the client doing when they are at their best?, 2. what are their strengths?, 3. If the client was to be even more effective, what would they be doing? Extremely impactful.

Agree with many of the comments here. Focus on what people already do well. How can they do more of that to create more success? Ask questions that help create awareness of not only their strengths, but the actions that align with those strengths so they can focus on behaviors that will take them where they what to go.

There is one very effective framework to use in coaching: when your client is describing a current challenge or struggle, ask them to recall a previous time they encountered something similar. Then ask them, what was it about them that allowed them to get through it. What qualities, strengths, or learnings helped them navigate that prior encounter successfully? Next, ask them what they can pull forward and apply to their current situation. Note that this should be done only after you've explored their current mental blocks before offering a solution. If your client says they've never encountered this situation before, ask them for anything remotely similar, any situation where they felt the same way.

Integrating strengths-based questions into coaching is transformative. I center my inquiries around coachees' strengths, honing in on their capabilities, values, and successes. This approach unlocks potential, fostering self-awareness and empowerment. By exploring how their strengths can drive progress, I guide coachees to harness their innate abilities, enriching their journey towards goals and growth.

A lot of time coachees feel that they do not have what it takes to move forward in the direction they'd want to. Prodding them to think through the ways they can utilise their strengths to overcome their weaknesses, is an insightful reframe. This is called intentional leverage, which coachees and all of us become oblivious to at certain points.

1. Frame the Conversation: Begin by explaining the concept of strengths-based coaching to the client. Emphasize that the goal is to explore their existing strengths and talents to enhance their personal and professional development. 2. Discover Strengths: Ask questions that prompt clients to identify their strengths. 3. Reflect on Past Successes: Encourage clients to recall times when they succeeded or excelled, and then probe further. 4. Explore Personal Best Moments: Ask about moments when they felt proud, accomplished, or fulfilled. 5. Identify Patterns: Help clients identify recurring patterns in their life where certain strengths come into play.

Utilizing strengths-based feedback in coaching is impactful. I focus on acknowledging coachees' strengths and accomplishments, fostering positivity and self-recognition. By highlighting their unique attributes, I encourage a sense of value and motivation. This approach aids in building confidence and enables coachees to leverage their strengths to tackle challenges effectively, ultimately propelling their personal and professional development.

I use strengths in coaching teams as well. There are assessments (Gallup) that show what the top strengths of the team are, and then you can facilitate a discussion on how to best leverage the strengths of the team to achieve goals. The other part of that is identifying the behaviors that align with those strengths so the entire team is aware and rowing in the same direction.

Don't be constrained by any particular framework, including strength-based or GROW, or ICF/EMCC. That will still happen at the cognitive space from a conscious competence. Go beyond, coach from unconscious competence. We call it coaching from a state of Being.

I think that doing a strengths assessment is super useful. That way, the client can 1) recognize their strengths and then 2) CHOOSE if and how they wish to leverage them OR 3) CHOOSE which strengths they would like to improve on and for what goal...

While we want to help our clients acknowledge and leverage their strengths, one thing to maintain balanced awareness of is the tendency to over-index the reliance on strengths. When we overuse a strength, we limit the opportunity to develop other skills, and potentially what was once a strength becomes a liability because we are limited in our ability to adapt to situations where that strength is not useful or desirable. As coaches, we want to challenge and support our coachees in honing their strengths while also embracing skills they are less adept at, thereby broadening their options and perspectives and avoiding cognitive bias toward skills they are most comfortable with engaging.

One perspective to consider in strengths-based coaching is that all people tend to take their strengths and over apply them, because that's where they feel most comfortable. In essence, it's like trying to turn everything into a nail for your hammer. Sometimes to utilize one's strength most effectively, it's less about dialing up even more on the strength, and more about exercising discernment given the context of each situation. Remind your client that they have other tools in their toolbox that they can employ.

Prioritizing clients' strengths as a coach wields transformative potential for them. It cultivates a positive, empowering atmosphere, fostering self-awareness and motivation. As a coach, when you acknowledge their innate abilities you can guide them to envision possibilities beyond their limitations. This empowers them and ignites a proactive mindset, propelling them to tackle challenges with resilience a critical skill to have right now.