Here's how you can harness your team members' strengths for better outcomes in strategy.

Your team members are, without a doubt, your largest and most important resource. It's important to recognize their strengths from their prior and current work, but also to ask about their future goals and where they see themselves. Helping them hone, develop, or create new skills to achieve their professional goals, while improving their current performance, will lead to an overall increase in talent on the team. Also, it's important to remember to ask team members in different ways what they like and what they ultimately want. Not every team member wants to go into management, and not every staff member will freely share their goals in a meeting. Offer different mediums to get the most out of all personalities on the team.

To harness your team members' strengths for better strategic outcomes, start by conducting thorough assessments to identify each person's unique skills and competencies. Utilize tools such as the StrengthsFinder, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), or DISC assessments. These tools can help you understand not only the specific talents of your team members but also their working styles and preferences. Engage in one-on-one discussions to gain deeper insights into their past experiences, achievements, and areas where they feel most confident. By mapping out these strengths, you can align them with strategic roles and tasks that best leverage their capabilities.

Avoid "group thinking" and create strategic choices that reflect diverse possibilities and perspectives. When evaluating strategic choices, create and evaluate against a framework that's in synch with goals

As the program lead of public policy at the Center for Innovation and Sustainability, I've seen firsthand the transformative power of collaboration. When team members bring their unique strengths to the table, it creates a dynamic environment where innovative ideas flourish. Encouraging open dialogue and valuing diverse perspectives leads to more refined and effective strategies. For example, combining analytical insights with creative thinking often results in solutions that are both data-driven and imaginative.

Creating a collaborative environment is crucial for harnessing your team members' strengths. Encourage open communication and knowledge sharing among team members. Set up regular meetings where individuals can discuss their progress, share insights, and offer support to one another. Use collaboration tools such as project management software, shared documents, and communication platforms to facilitate this process. In a collaborative setting, team members can learn from each other's strengths, fill in gaps, and create synergies that enhance the overall effectiveness of the strategy. Collaboration also fosters a sense of community and collective ownership of the strategic goals, which can drive higher levels of commitment and performance.

In my opinion, clarity in goals is not just about providing direction, but also about fostering a sense of ownership and accountability within the team. When each team member understands the end goal and how their unique skills contribute to it, they are more motivated and engaged. Additionally, it creates a more cohesive and collaborative environment where everyone is aligned and working towards the same vision.

In my experience an Objectives and Key Results approach can be key for maximizing strengths with teams and team members. Practicing Clarity across the board, with everyone understanding how their individual and collective strength is contributing to the overall vision and execution, can only have good outcomes!

To maximize the strengths of your team members, invest in their ongoing training and development. Offer workshops, seminars, and courses that can help them further develop their skills and stay updated with industry trends and best practices. Encourage continuous learning and provide resources such as online learning platforms, access to industry conferences, and mentorship programs. By nurturing their professional growth, you enable them to bring even greater expertise and innovation to your strategic initiatives. Moreover, demonstrating a commitment to their development can increase their loyalty and motivation, which positively impacts their performance and the overall success of your strategy.

Empower your team members by delegating authority and encouraging autonomy. Trust them to take ownership of their tasks and make decisions within their areas of expertise. This approach not only leverages their strengths but also fosters a sense of responsibility and accountability. When team members have the freedom to apply their skills and judgment, they are more likely to take initiative and drive projects forward. Encourage a culture of experimentation and calculated risk-taking, where team members feel safe to explore new ideas and solutions. This autonomy can lead to more innovative and effective strategies, as individuals bring their full potential to the table.

I believe making it a habit to reflect on the effectiveness of your strategic approach is essential for continuous improvement and success and that is what I have made it my ritual. Regular reviews of how well the team's strengths are being utilized and whether the strategy is achieving its goals provide invaluable insights. These reflections allow for fine-tuning processes, better aligning team members' strengths with strategic objectives, and keeping the team agile and responsive to change.