How to make the most of your strengths at work
According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2024 report1:
“On many wellbeing items (stress, anger, worry, loneliness), being actively disengaged at work is equivalent to or worse than being unemployed.”
Yet according to the same report, only 23% of employees worldwide are engaged at work (and only 13% in Europe and a staggering 10% in the UK).
As far back as 2009, Gallup research2 found that when employees have managers who focus on their strengths, active disengagement (actively opposing their employer’s goals) drops to only 1% compared to 22% whose managers focus on improving their weaknesses and 40% whose managers ignore them.
One of the key factors of low engagement is managers and HR systems that focus heavily on “improvement areas” and weaknesses in individuals that need to be “corrected” to better fit a person into the square boxes of a narrowly defined job role.
This standardised, machine-oriented factory model of operation is based on an outdated model of humans being extensions of machines in the workplace and the notion that there is an ideal set of narrowly defined competencies that each person should attain. The dreaded annual performance appraisal follows this model where, if we’re less than a 4 out of 5 for any competency on the matrix then we need to improve over the next year or risk being sent on a performance improvement programme (and that’s if we’re lucky!).
Of course we do need skills and competencies for the job. If you’re reading this then you probably learned your 3 R’s (Reading, Riting and Rithmetic!) and you’ve probably picked up a few more skills and competencies along the way. But what strengths are lying unexpressed? Competencies are things we can do but strengths are what come naturally to us. If we only develop competencies and suppress our strengths then we become exhausted, stressed and burned out. Imagine a fish being sent on a performance improvement programme for not being able to climb a tree!
A strengths-based approach recognises the value that each unique person brings to the table. In doing so, the person’s wellbeing is improved while clients and teams all benefit from each person bringing the best of themselves. Better to have a well-rounded team or organisation where everyone complements and maximises each other’s strengths and balances out each other’s limitations rather than “well-rounded” individuals who are a bit less crap at everything. And if you’re an entrepreneur or solopreneur, knowing your individual strengths helps you to know where to seek support from others or what strengths you need to bring in or develop yourself.