As we prepare to participate in the upcoming Employee Engagement survey, perhaps it’s a good time to be reminded of opportunities for magic.
Gallup research indicates that people who focus on their strengths at work are three times more likely to report having an excellent quality of life and are six times more likely to be engaged in their work. Additionally, when teams share a common strengths language and know about each other’s natural talents and non-patterns, they are more likely to be collaborative and have sustained high performance. Resonant of the African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Sounds like some individual and team magic to me! Let’s discuss an idea of how we can get there: adjusting the balance and content of conversations. Embedding Strengths in Your Company’s DNA (2) reminds us that all too often our conversations with teams and employees focus entirely on the task or an immediate short term issue. In other words, we’re attentive to the tactical work; hands on, single outcome.
While we admittedly need to discuss these, perhaps we should consider the longer term benefits of changing the balance of the conversation to more talent and behavior based. Maybe we move the dial and increase the percentage of time spent identifying and recognizing recurring behaviors that are contributing to desired outcomes and identifying and isolating habitual behaviors that aren’t. Then, we spend part of our ongoing dialog in growing the behaviors that are contributing and addressing those that aren’t in balance with the tactical topics.
By changing the structure of our conversations, we are providing clear behavioral support and corrections that go beyond the task. Thus, we’re better prepared for growth, long-term sustained, and predictable outcomes.
“A strengths-based approach encourages managers to reframe these conversations to focus on how employees can use their talents to consistently perform their tasks at excellence.” (2) Tom Rath, author of Wellbeing, suggests that 75% of a manager’s time should be spent building on people’s strengths. (3) How much time do you spend doing so? Should you begin to adjust the balance?
There is a connection between individual talents and deliberate behaviors and performance towards expected outcomes. Strengthening Your Company’s Performance (4) explains, “To maximize performance, you need both engagement and ability. Ability -- an innate talent for the job or task at hand -- is one key component.” The article continues, “when they also ensure that people have the opportunity to use their strengths and do what they do best every day -- a kind of organizational MAGIC happens.”
When we start to move the dial and change the balance of our conversations from tactical to behavioral and learning from immediate issues in order to creating long term predictability and sustained outcomes, we get some of that magic to happen. We still address the tactical and topics for today and we begin to spend a greater percentage of the discussion towards more advanced and abstract concepts like communication and conflict resolution. Considering the phrase, “You can’t force a flower to grow on the sidewalk,” strengths-based focus can be nutrients and soil for growth.
When we are able to discuss our work in terms of behaviors, talents, and strengths we are better at recognizing and growing our skills, we understand our gaps and are equipped to deal with them. We have a clear understanding of ourselves and our team members and we have more positive interactions. We look forward to going to work and we achieve more daily. We are more satisfied personally and as a team. We bring the best of ourselves to work each day and the most satisfied of ourselves home to our family.
That’s a magic that all of our teams deserve and that we can reflect to those we serve.
Reposted from the Developing Your Strengths Newsletter March 2014 Issue. Read more from the Developing Your Strengths newsletter here.
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References
1: Winseman, Albert, Clifton, Donald, and Liesveld, Curt. Living Your Strengths. Gallup Press. Third Edition 2008.
2: http://businessjournal.gallup.com/content/155036/Embedding_Strengths_Company_DNA.aspx?utm_source=twitterbutton&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=sharing#1. Embedding Strengths in Your Company’s DNA. Gallup Business Journal. June 12.2012.
3: Rath, Tom C. [@TomCRath]. (2014 February 3). Managers should spend at least 75% of their time building on people’s strengths. [Tweet]
4: http://businessjournal.gallup.com/content/146351/Strengthening_Company_Performance.aspx#1. Strengthening Your Company’s Performance. Gallup Business Journal. March 1, 2011.