HH 006 - Unlocking Team Potential: The Power of Focusing on Strengths Instead of Weaknesses
Imagine a workplace where individuals and teams are empowered to amplify their strengths and unlock their full potential, instead of being held back by a focus on their weaknesses. Last week, I facilitated a CliftonStrengths workshop for a team of leaders. When teams are new or change, I like to deliberately help them launch their relationships with each other, align on work goals, and determine how they want to manage their workflows. The relationship aspect is where this particular activity comes in. Talking about the results of the CliftonStrengths assessment helps teams appreciate their differences and find common ground.
Our session was an hour and a half and we met via Zoom. We did a mix of solo, pair, small group, and whole group activities using speaking and writing. I also shared some basics on the strengths-based philosophy and some statistics from Gallup. I like to vary the interaction patterns and encourage team members to be active during the experience.
Before our session, people received a personalized link to the online assessment. After taking it, they received two detailed reports and were instructed to read them, highlight what resonated with them, and indicate what captures "who they are" that they would be willing to share with others on the team. The idea is that if you become aware of your natural talents and aim them in a deliberate direction, you can develop them into strengths.
Some people dismiss CliftonStrengths as a horoscope-like activity, while others find it to be a useful tool for self-awareness. In my view, it's a conversation starter and a tool for self-reflection and thought about who we are and who we want to become through deliberate coaching. I recommend that people also discuss their results with their manager as it provides insights into potential assignments and opportunities. There’s a whole space on using CliftonStrengths in management as articulated in the book, It’s the Manager by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter.
What I like about CliftonStrengths is the focus on the positive. What if we started focusing on and amplifying people's natural talents instead of focusing on their deficiencies? What if we focused retrospectives as a team on what we're doing well and want to amplify? Focusing on strengths may feel counterintuitive for some, but it's useful to focus on the opportunities we unlock by focusing on team or individual talents.
When teams change or are new, there's a window of opportunity to calibrate them on the people aspect. It's a natural pause in the team system to do that. So, I offer this as something to consider.
If you're interested in digging into your own talents to direct them into strengths or in a team activity, please reach out. The investment per team member is just like 2 hours, and people find the activities engaging and useful for structured relationship building.
How I can help you:
Want to do the CliftonStrengths assessment for yourself or your teams? Email me and we can book a session.
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