As a leader, you want to bring out the best in your direct reports and peers. But how do you identify and nurture their strengths, and help them overcome their weaknesses? In this article, we'll share some tips and tools to help you do just that.
Strengths are the natural talents, skills, and abilities that you and your team members use to perform well and enjoy your work. They are not just what you can do, but what you love to do. Research shows that focusing on strengths can boost engagement, productivity, and well-being in the workplace. It can also help you create a positive and supportive culture, where everyone feels valued and appreciated for their contributions.
One way to identify your own and others' strengths is to use a strengths assessment tool, such as StrengthsFinder, VIA Character Strengths, or CliftonStrengths. These tools can help you discover your top strengths and how to apply them in different situations. You can also ask for feedback from your colleagues, managers, or mentors, and reflect on your past achievements and challenges. What tasks or projects did you enjoy the most and why? What skills or qualities did you use or develop? How did you overcome obstacles or cope with stress?
Identifying strengths is a great priority for any leader that wants to help their team maximize their potential. Using individual tools like those mentioned above can be a great starting point, but continual listening and observing can be just as helpful. Where does my colleague or team member thrive? What tasks do they seem eager to take on? Are people noticing when team member "A" operates in a certain function? It is just as important to take a macro approach when identifying strengths. Where does my company exhibit its unique strengths? This would be useful in hiring decisions as we want to include people who exhibit strengths maybe not yet felt on the larger team.
Once you have identified your own and others' strengths, you can nurture them by using them more often and in more creative ways. Additionally, you can look for opportunities to learn new skills or knowledge that complement your strengths, or collaborate with others who have different or complementary strengths. To nurture your direct reports' and peers' strengths, you can recognize and praise them for their achievements and encourage them to share their success stories with others. Delegating tasks or projects that match their strengths and interests can give them autonomy and flexibility to complete them in their own way. Furthermore, providing constructive feedback and coaching can help improve performance and overcome weaknesses. Supporting their professional development and career goals, as well as helping them find mentors or role models who can inspire them, are also great ways to nurture strengths.
Focusing on strengths does not mean ignoring weaknesses; rather, it involves acknowledging and accepting them, and finding ways to manage or minimize them. You can create balance between your own and others' strengths and weaknesses by being aware of blind spots, biases, or limitations, developing a growth mindset, and finding the right fit for everyone. A growth mindset means believing that you and others can learn and improve with effort and feedback, as opposed to having a fixed or static approach. It is also essential to align your own and others' strengths with the goals, values, and culture of the organization, while avoiding roles or tasks that are not suited to your strengths or preferences.
Building on personal and professional strengths improves performance and has positive impact on productivity. It is important to engage in tasks and roles that can translate those strengths into meaningful outcomes with value for others. While we sharpen our saw, we cannot deny the weaknesses we have. As human beings, we are not perfect beings, and it is ok to have flaws. It is a strength to know one's weaknesses, to decide and act on transforming a weakness into an area to learn, explore, and grow. In times of VUCA and change, even a strength can turn into a weakness. We need a growth mindset to approach our positive and negative sides with an awareness and determination that we can choose the path of continuous learning and growth.
Creating a strengths-based culture requires that everyone be encouraged and empowered to use their strengths and support each other's. To achieve this, you should communicate the benefits and expectations of a strengths-based approach, and involve your team in identifying and developing their strengths. Additionally, it is important to foster a collaborative and inclusive environment where diversity of strengths is valued and leveraged. Celebrating successes and learning from failures are also essential for this type of culture. By nurturing the strengths of your direct reports and peers, you can enhance your own and your team's performance, engagement, and satisfaction. Ultimately, you can create a positive and supportive culture where everyone can thrive and grow as leaders.