...with the help of strengths orientation
A "difficult" employee Caught! Our employee Hans* is standing in the dark storage room, 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, muttering a hasty, incomprehensible apology. Hans is one of the most capable employees in our club - in his field. He can open bottles in a crate of beer in record time, wash glasses, and clean up 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 prohibitions, believing we wouldn't find out. However, his strength lies in being extremely skilled and dedicated in certain areas; he knows procedures, masters many tasks, and has thus become an important part of our gastronomic operation. Leadership needs to be learned This story is many years old, and back then, at a very young age, I was already the "boss" of a disco. 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 very individually (in this case, "closely"). Just like Hans. Admittedly, he is a very extreme example of strengths-oriented leadership. The principle, however, is clearly evident here and was applied successfully by us - albeit unconsciously at the time. The employee was placed where he had his strengths, he was thus extremely engaged, identified with the company, and knew he was an important part of the business. He was well paid, he was also a great help to us, he delivered his performance punctually and mostly without problems. I found it very difficult back then to lead an employee so closely, which in his case also meant that sometimes he had to be called to duty with harsh words. Additionally, we saw it as our responsibility to take appropriate measures to address a potential addiction issue. Of course, this is not a call for you to lead your employees solely in an authoritarian manner. On the contrary, it is about the individual leadership of each person. However, this also requires taking the time to find out where each individual's strengths and talents lie. What are our talents in the team? 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 leadership work really begins. It is useful to first know one's own talents in order to then work specifically with the employees. There are workshops available that are considered extremely insightful when conducted with the leader and the team, and are also seen as unifying. Not only in terms of leadership, but also as a team event that ensures a much better mutual understanding. The big realization: it's not a flaw, but a talent! I have had the opportunity to conduct a variety of these workshops and have repeatedly experienced how a strength in a colleague can seem like an "exaggerated passion" or even a "flaw." However, once this "passion" is recognized and valued as a potential strength, both dealing with it becomes more relaxed and confident, and the understanding of colleagues and the leader is present. This understanding clears 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 enjoy dealing with precise numbers, data, and facts, or are particularly goal-oriented. When this talent is recognized and Wolfgang is placed in the right position, this is the optimal strengths orientation. Wolfgang feels comfortable, is engaged, as in the case of Hans, and will also be successful in his task. If these talents are then openly communicated within the team, there is a much greater understanding, better cooperation, and as a result, a more meaningful distribution of work can also be achieved. Worthwhile investment - Employee engagement increases demonstrably Of course, a person cannot be reduced solely to their top 5 strengths/talent themes - we are far too complex beings for that. However, this classification and work with talents demonstrably leads to better engagement and thus success in the team and the company. According to a survey, the chances of professional engagement among employees are at 73% when the leader focuses on strengths; if there is no focus on strengths, engagement is only at 9% (1). The awareness of one's own strengths and the resulting higher self-esteem also lead to tremendous positive effects, as various other studies show (2). Therefore, it is worth examining the strengths and talents in the team to achieve more engagement, team understanding, and thus success. *all names changed (1) Gallup survey with 1009 working adults, 2002 (2) Judge, T.A. and Hurst, C. 2008, Journal of Applied Psychology, 93, pp. 849 - 863
