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Engagement is a popular
concept in organizations these days,
because engagement is the
important measure of employee
productivity. Organizations small
and large are seeking ways to engage
workers. A statement rated on most
engagement surveys – “having the
opportunity to use my strengths every
day at work” – is highly correlated with
employee engagement and with team
productivity. Recent research
findings published in the Gallup
Management Journal
strongly suggest that when companies
emphasize strengths development, both
innovation and creativity increase.
Workers become more engaged when their
manager focuses on strengths and
strength development. They are
also much more likely to share ideas
with colleagues at work, essential to
improving innovation in organizations.
Many organizations –
Wells Fargo, Ann Taylor, Intel, FedEx,
Best Buy, and Accenture, to name a few –
are implementing strengths-based
initiatives. All new managers at
Toyota attend a three-day Great
Manager
training program to learn how to
identify the strengths of their
employees. New managers at Yahoo
take an online survey to pinpoint their
strengths. If you’re a soccer
coach, Major League Soccer will gladly
sign you up for its strengths-based
coaching course where they teach you to
hand out “green cards” to your young
athletes, drawing their attention to a
particularly good pass or tackle, rather
than the traditional punitive yellow and
red cards that point out what the child
didn’t do well.
STRENGTHS
-
the
PAYOFF
for
INDIVIDUALS
When we focus on
identifying, using, and developing our
strengths, we become even more competent
at what we do well, which produces a
formidable set of benefits. When
we work from our strong hand,
§
We create great results.
§
We gain self-awareness,
self-esteem, and self-confidence.
§
We are more engaged.
§
We have greater clarity
and confidence about career and life
decisions.
§
We naturally find a
deeper sense of fulfillment.
§
We are inspired to grow
and learn; we approach development
with eagerness.
§
We know what to say “no”
to and what to say “yes” to.
§
We have more fun – which
inspires us to even more success!
§
We increase our energy
because strengths are self-renewing.
§
We lower our
defensiveness about our weaknesses; they
simply become less
important.
STRENGTHS
-
the
PAYOFF
for
ORGANIZATIONS
It’s not only individuals
who benefit. The organization
realizes these advantages:
§
We improve employee
productivity, engagement,
and retention when we
focus on strengths.
§
We increase customer loyalty.
§
We raise the percentage of workers who say they “have
the opportunity to use my strengths at
work every day.”
§
Development opportunities engage the hearts and
minds of employees.
§
New learning sticks
because employees are engaged in
something they care about.
§
Partnerships and alliances, inside and outside the
organization, are more
powerful because everyone does
what they do best.
§
Succession management and development
planning are on-target
and not wasted efforts, because we
don’t squander resources
on low-return, deficit-based training.
§
We create clearer, more compelling career paths
for employees.
§
Coaching and mentoring are more effective and
have a stronger impact on the
recipients.
§
Managers provide clearer performance feedback.
The clear message is that playing to your own
strengths and creating an environment in
which your staff, colleagues, and
clients can play to their strengths is a
great leadership activity! If we
want to engage our workforce – a really
great idea whose time has come – let’s
offer them opportunities to play to
their strengths every day! Join
the Strengths Revolution. Be an
advocate for strengths! Please
deal yourself a winning hand and read
Play to
Your Strengths!
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