Getting the Best out of People: Focus on Strengths

Think back to when you were choosing a career path. For many people, this process involved figuring out what they did best, and just as importantly, knowing their weaknesses. This was important, because it was useful to know both what we were good at and what needed improvement, which (hopefully) led to a wise career decision. Most people find that they have the highest levels of satisfaction in their careers when they are able to use their strengths.

This does not mean that they will remain in the same career or industry for their entire working life, but it does mean that they will experience a greater level of satisfaction and a higher level of productivity when able to do what they do best. For some people, this may mean being able to use their influencing skills to sell others on a product or idea. For others, it may mean being able to study intricate details of a project. Thankfully, people have a wide range of strengths, and an organization that employs a diverse workforce can take advantage of this fact.

Acknowledging Strengths

How do you help employees use their strengths? First, you need to know what they are. During the hiring process, ask potential employees what their strengths are and for examples of how they have used them to solve a problem or deal with a situation. When checking references, try to obtain feedback on a candidate's strengths when obtaining personal and professional references.

Once a person has been hired, and has had adequate time to learn the position, observe his or her performance. What stands out? Where does the person excel? What skills and abilities do they use to make this happen? Also, ask them what they enjoy about their job, as this too is a good indicator of their strengths. Think about where else in the department or organization you could you use those skills? Providing people opportunities to use their best abilities will boost morale, allow them to shine, and will likely increase productivity, because employees will have greater levels of satisfaction and will be more motivated to do the work, because they will be good at it.

In addition to observing employees, use your inter-office network to obtain feedback from others. What do co-workers have to say about an individual? What might they know about that person's strengths or interests that you may not be aware of? How do others rank the employee's performance in various aspects of the job? This information can be very useful to you as a manager.

Meet with the employee. Keep the lines of communication open. Provide opportunities for employees to volunteer for special projects, and let your team know that they can come to you when they have ideas or want to expand their job descriptions. This may not always be possible, but it's helpful to make the options available whenever possible.

Provide Positive Feedback

When conducting formal or informal appraisals or offering feedback, focus on the person's strengths. Let him or her know that you are aware of the extra effort put in on a job, or his or her ability to communicate effectively with co-workers, etc. Provide this type of feedback regardless of the situation or reason for meeting. This helps your employees feel valued, even if they need to change some things or correct a mistake. Be sure employees understand that you're aware of what they do well in addition to any areas needing improvement. Doing so will help ensure that your team will continue using their strengths, and will help them remain open to making changes.