Lead successfully with the help of a strengths-based approach.

Leading Successfully with Strengths Orientation

A "Difficult" Employee

Caught red-handed! Our employee Hans* is standing in the dark warehouse, taking a big sip from one of the many cognac bottles stored there for our guests. "Hans! Stop immediately!" I command in a loud tone. Hans startles, tries to hide the bottle and the obvious situation. But it's no use, he has been caught. He realizes his predicament and guiltily shuffles towards me with his head hanging low, mumbling a hasty, incomprehensible apology. Hans is one of the most capable employees in our club - in his field. He can open bottles in record time, wash and clean glasses so efficiently that any cleaning crew would be envious. But Hans also has his weaknesses. He has underdeveloped mental abilities that tempt him to bypass rules, believing we wouldn't find out. However, his strength lies in being extremely skilled and dedicated in certain tasks; he knows procedures, masters many tasks, and has thus become an important part of our gastronomic operation. Leadership Skills Must Be Learned This story is from many years ago when I was already a "boss" of a disco at a very young age. I had no idea about leadership, and neither did my then partner. However, one thing we inevitably realized: there are employees who are capable in one area but need to be led in a very individual (in this case, "close") manner. Just like Hans. Admittedly, he is a very extreme example of strengths-oriented leadership. The principle, however, is vividly clear here and was successfully applied by us - albeit unconsciously - back then. The employee was placed where he had his strengths, he was extremely committed, identified with the company, and knew he was an important part of the business. He was well paid, and he was also a great help to us, delivering his work on time and mostly without issues. I found it very challenging back then to lead an employee so closely, which in his case also meant sometimes calling him to duty with strict words. Additionally, we saw it as our responsibility to address a possible addiction issue with appropriate measures. Of course, this is not an appeal for you to lead your employees solely in an authoritarian manner. On the contrary, it's about individually leading each person. However, this also requires taking the time to discover where each individual's strengths and talents lie. Recognizing Strengths and Talents A good and valid method for identifying talents has been provided for many years by the so-called "Gallup Strengths Finder". Through an online test, one can determine their top 5 out of a total of 34 strength or talent themes. But that's not all. Now the real work of leadership begins. It is useful to first know one's own talents in order to work specifically with employees. There are workshops that are considered extremely insightful and, moreover, unifying when conducted together with the leader and the team. Not only in terms of leadership but also as a team event that ensures mutual understanding. Exaggerated Talent? I have had the opportunity to conduct numerous of these workshops and have repeatedly witnessed how a strength can come across to colleagues as an "exaggerated passion" or even a "quirk". However, once this "passion" is recognized and valued as a potential strength, both the handling of it becomes more relaxed and self-assured, and the understanding of colleagues and the leader is present. This understanding eliminates potential conflict areas: for example, a participant in a strengths workshop once exclaimed, "Now I understand why Wolfgang* always demands precise results, he doesn't want to annoy me, it's important to HIM!" Wolfgang may have the talent of "Analysis" or "Focus", and people with these talents tend to deal with precise numbers, data, and facts, or are particularly goal-oriented. If this talent is recognized and Wolfgang is placed in the right position, then that is optimal strengths orientation. Wolfgang feels comfortable, is engaged, as in the case of Hans, and will also be successful in his role. If these talents are openly communicated within the team, there is a much greater understanding, better collaboration, and as a result, a more meaningful distribution of work can be achieved. It Takes Time, but Employee Engagement Increases Of course, one cannot reduce a person solely to their top 5 strengths/talent themes - we are far too complex beings for that. However, this categorization and work with talents demonstrably leads to better engagement and thus success within the team and the company. According to a survey, the chances of employee engagement are at 73% when the leader focuses on strengths, but if there is no focus on strengths, engagement is only at 9% (1). Furthermore, the awareness of one's own strengths and the resulting higher self-esteem lead to tremendous positive effects, even in the long run, as various other studies show (2). Therefore, it is worthwhile to focus on the strengths and talents within the team. *all names changed (1) Gallup Survey of 1009 working adults, 2002 (2) Judge, T.A. and Hurst, C. 2008, Journal of Applied Psychology, 93, pp. 849-863 For more information about our Top 100 Trainer Silvia B. Pitz, click HERE Podcast for the Blog:https://soundcloud.com/user-3291865/erfolgreich-fuhren-mit-hilfe-der-starkenorientierung