Your Employees’ Strengths Make Your Company Stronger and More Profitable
Cathie Leimbach • December 7, 2021
Focusing on employees’ strengths does more than engage workers and enrich their lives. It also makes good business sense. Gallup recently completed an extensive study of companies that have implemented strengths-based management practices.
By positioning employees to work from their strengths – doing what they do best – they have higher energy, less stress, and are six times more likely to be engaged at work.
Additional research provides a compelling business case for implementing a strengths intervention showing performance increases, which, even at the lower end, are impressive:
10%-19% increase in sales
14%-29% increase in profit
3%-7% increase in customer engagement
9%-15% in engaged employees
6 to 16 point decrease in turnover (in low turnover organizations)
26 to 72 point decrease in turnover (in high turnover organizations)
22%-59% decrease in safety incidents.
All employees have strengths – the unique combinations of talents, knowledge, skills, and practices that help them do their best daily. These strengths provide employees and employers with their greatest opportunity for success. And, the best way to do that is through their managers.
Wondering how to get started? Here are some best practices to begin moving into a strengths-based culture:
- It starts with leadership. When isolated departments implement strengths interventions, a limited impact can be achieved. When leaders make these interventions a strategic priority, change really happens. For example, when leaders push strengths through the entire organization, the potential for increased employee engagement and profitability multiples.
- Don’t assume your employees know their strengths. People often take their powerful talents for granted, may be unaware of them, or undervalue them because it comes so naturally. Spend time in conversations with employees to uncover their strengths and consider using standard assessments for a more detailed picture.
- Generate awareness and enthusiasm company-wide. Managers can communicate the company’s business strategy in terms of the company’s unique strengths. Employees use their strengths more when the strengths concepts are consistently communicated.
- Be mindful of strengths when creating project teams. Leaders need to create ways for all employees to increase their self-awareness; they should also employ tactics to ensure teams are assembled reflecting each individual’s innate talents.
- Use team meetings to help team members deepen their understanding of the strengths approach. Encourage them to be open with their fellow team members about their strengths and help them think strategically about how to complete a successful project using all of the members’ abilities and talents.
- Focus performance reviews on the recognition and development of employees’ strengths. A strengths-based approach is straightforward, appealing, and decisive. Conduct performance reviews that encourage and use each employee’s talents and offer development aligned with their strengths. Provide clear performance expectations and help employees set achievable but challenging goals based on their strengths.
Employees can’t completely avoid their weaknesses. However, instead of wasting too much time trying to improve in areas in which they are unlikely to succeed, form strategic partnerships and thoughtful processes that help them work around those weaknesses.
Higher employee engagement, increased profitability, lower turnover, and helping your employees make a difference based upon their talents to contribute to the organization’s goals and objectives will create greater success throughout each department and the company as a whole.
“The same production line’s data is late again,” someone said. “Are we just supposed to keep begging for it?” Maya looked up. Two employees had stopped their own work to help track down the data missing from the weekly report to headquarters. She knew there had been delays. She hadn’t paid attention to how often or what happened when the data came in late. Each Friday, John sent the report out, and Maya moved on. Her team hadn’t moved on. They were tired of disrupting their own work to address the same problem week after week. The Symptom Late work. Repeated mistakes. People asking why they should bother when others don’t do their part. When there is a pattern of leaders letting missed deadlines slide, employees notice. Silence can leave people thinking that missed commitments are acceptable, even when that isn’t what the leader intends. Monitoring performance gives leaders a clearer picture of what is happening—and something specific to discuss with those involved. The Tip Here are three steps to noticing problems and sharing your performance concerns. Track the data. Look at information tied to the work, such as deadlines and errors. Maya could track how often data for the weekly reports arrived late. Walk around. Spend time where the work happens. Notice what people are doing and how one person’s work affects another’s. Maya saw two employees put their work aside to finish someone else’s task. Share what you find. Bring the facts and your observations to the attention of the person involved. Maya could say: “Your weekly production data was submitted late three of the last four weeks. Today, I saw Lee and Sam stop their work to get the raw data and do the analysis.” That makes it clear to the employee that submitting data late is not acceptable. Conversation is Where Leadership Happens™ Is there a pattern at your workplace that you’ve noticed but haven’t addressed? Join our Workplace Conversations Clinic on November 16 to discuss addressing performance concerns. Bring a situation you’ve been letting slide. Reserve your place HERE
"When you get a chance." Kelly meant Wednesday. Alex heard next week. The report needed fixing. Alex had said he'd take care of it. So, when she opened the file before Thursday's meeting, she expected to see the changes. They weren't there. "I thought you meant next week," Alex said. "And I wasn't sure which sections you wanted changed." Kelly was frustrated. This wasn't the first time something had slipped. But as she replayed their conversation, she remembered what she'd actually said: "Can you tidy this up when you get a chance?" She had a deadline in mind. She knew exactly what needed changing. She hadn't told Alex either one. The Symptom Missed deadlines. Quiet resentment. The thought, "This isn't the first time." It's hard to hold someone accountable for an expectation that was never stated. Too often, when a leader’s expectation isn’t met, they think, "my team members just don't follow through" or "I shouldn't have to chase people." Yet, the problem is often that the leader didn’t communicate clearly. Requests like "Keep me updated," "Make this a priority", and "Be more proactive" may feel clear in your mind when you say it. But others may leave the conversation with a very different picture in their mind. Then, leaders are frustrated when the result doesn't match their intention. The Tip Healthy accountability starts with a shared understanding of what needs to happen. It continues when you follow up on what was agreed to. Before you finish your next conversation about a task, make sure you've settled four things: What needs doing What the desired result includes Who will do it When it is to be done by After you have clearly stated your expectations, ask the other person to state the specifics of the assignment. Give them an opportunity to raise questions or discuss competing demands. Kelly could have said: "Alex, please update the sales figures and add a short summary of what's changed since last month. I need it by Wednesday, October 28, at 3:00 pm so I can review it before Thursday's meeting. To be sure I explained the task well enough, please state what I asked you to do.” “What challenges might get in the way?" Then agree on what happens if a problem comes up: "If that timing looks too tight, let me know by Tuesday so we can work out the next step." Now there's a commitment you can both refer to. If Wednesday comes and the report isn't ready, Kelly can address it directly: "We agreed it would be ready by 3:00 today, and I haven't received it. What happened?" Clarity won't prevent every missed deadline. But it increases the chances that everyone is on the same page – and that your expectations will be met. When leaders make expectations clear and are open to employee questions and concerns, accountability becomes part of how the team works. Quality results become the norm. Conversation is Where Leadership Happens™ Do you wonder how to make your expectations clearer or how to avoid frustration when holding others accountable? Join Us on November 16 Join our Workplace Conversations Clinic on November 16 to practice setting clear expectations and following up when things slip. You could also have a chance to practice difficult conversations within your team. Reserve your place → HERE
