Strengths-First Leadership: The Performance Game-Changer
Empowering your team to tap into their strengths is a key aspect of being an inspirational leader that can transform how team members engage with their work and drive performance across the organisation.
What does it really mean to be a strengths-based leader?
It’s not just about noticing what your team members are good at and encouraging them to do more of that.
It’s about finding out what energises them and spotting opportunities to draw upon these strengths. Equally important is to understand the unique scenarios that drain them.
Strengths-based leadership also means helping team members to manage these performance risks by identifying their complementary strengths or bringing other team members’ strengths into play.
My POV: You need to first understand your own energisers and drainers as a leader and be mindful how these play out in your week. That fosters natural curiosity and understanding about the strengths and drainers of the people you work with.
What we know from research: As team members connect with their natural strengths and feel empowered to take personal initiative, they become more focused and channel their energy and enthusiasm toward meaningful outcomes that drive performance.
As a Leader, what can you do?
- Take time out today to think what has been energising and exhausting over the last month. What were you doing? What does that tell you about your own strengths and drainers?
- Discuss the last month individually with the people you lead. Ask, “When did you feel energised? What were you doing that gave you energy? What did you find draining? It’s an easy, natural conversation, and people appreciate your interest. You may find the answers surprising.
- Recognise and celebrate when team members successfully leverage their strengths to achieve goals. This can encourage them to look for more ways to leverage their strengths in future work.
Why it matters: By empowering our teams to leverage their strengths, we create a more engaged, motivated, and productive workforce. When employees feel that their unique strengths are recognised and valued, they are more likely to go above and beyond in their work and contribute to the organisation’s success.
Why it matters: By empowering our teams to leverage their strengths, we create a more engaged, motivated, and productive workforce. When employees feel that their unique strengths are recognised and valued, they are more likely to go above and beyond in their work and contribute to the organisation’s success.
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