By Michael W. Hill, Mobius Vendor Partners Executive Consultant, Author of Measuring to Manage
All of us perform better when we are using our strengths. Some of those strengths might be unique to the individual and some might be very similar to what others in the organization exhibit.
Regardless of the level of uniqueness, when we are using our strengths, we are more engaged, productive, and more open to ways to increase those strengths.
A Harvard Business Review study confirms that playing to employee strengths benefits your business objectives. Workgroups that received a “strengths intervention” saw a 10 to 19 percent boost in sales, a 14 to 29 percent increase in profit, and a 22 to 59 percent decrease in safety incidents.
So, if identifying someone’s strengths is so important, how do we do it? First, start by identifying those strengths needed to achieve outstanding performance. Communication skills, planning ability, problem solving, and ability to handle stressful situations are a few of the strengths that might be needed.
The first step in the identification process is to ask your employees. In what situations do they feel they are at their best, fully energized? What tasks do they enjoy doing? What task accomplishment do they feel comes naturally to them? Another possibility is for the employee to take an assessment, here’s a warning: they don’t all measure strengths! A third source could be other employees’ observations or interviews with mentors.
Once the strengths are identified, put the employee in the work situation that needs these traits and watch the employee’s performance soar.
You probably noticed that I point out that you need to ask your employees for their input. Some of what you “need” to know can only be answered by the employees themselves. Maybe a survey would help? You might be making some assumptions that are just not correct! Get your employees involved! Employees really want to be known for their strengths, those employees that don’t believe the organization is letting them do their best work may currently be looking for employment elsewhere.
You may want our help.
At Mobius’ Employee Experience – EX Consulting Employee Experience – Mobius Vendor Partners (mobiusvp.com) – we have the software to survey your employees so you can make the best decisions for your company and respond to your employees’ needs. Contact us to get started.
Mike’s book: Measuring to Manage is available on Amazon.
