As a people leader are you maximising your employees’ abilities to ensure they’re reaching their full potential? And can you honestly say your company is performing at its absolute best right now?
If you’re like most leaders, you probably struggle to overcome the typical business challenges like employee disengagement, turnover and retention. But then a global pandemic arrives – the accelerator for one of the greatest workplace transformations of our lifetime. Cue a massive spanner in the works around work practices but also an incredible opportunity to innovate.
One way to implement a successful workforce strategy is to consider a strengths-based approach – an approach that not only highlights your employees’ unique abilities but also helps you as a leader cultivate and develop their natural talents so they can perform at a higher level.
It’s a win from the employee’s perspective as well. It makes them feel like their employer is investing in them in meaningful ways.
Ultimately, the best way for people to grow and develop is to identify how they most naturally think, feel, and behave.
The strengths-based stats don’t lie
An extensive 2018 Gallup study of companies that implemented strengths-based management practices showed that these methods lead to more engaging and productive workplaces.
Gallup has studied thousands of work teams and millions of leaders, managers, and employees for over five decades. They’ve identified significant potential through focusing on an employee’s strengths versus trying to fix what’s wrong with them. For example, they uncovered that people who use their strengths every day are more than three times more likely to report having an excellent quality of life and six times more likely to be engaged at work. Imagine if you could realise just some of the benefits below and the impact that would have on your bottom line!
- 10% to 19% increased sales
- 14% to 29% increased profit
- 3% to 7% higher customer engagement
- 6% to 16% lower turnover (low-turnover organisations)
- 26% to 72% lower turnover (high-turnover organisations)
- 9% to 15% increase in engaged employees
- 22% to 59% fewer safety incidents
So how can you, as a people leader, help your company achieve these impressive numbers?
If you can truly understand who you have in your own backyard, how they feel and how you can optimise their natural talents, you’ll be able to achieve maximum results and significant business improvement. One of the best things you can do for your people is getting to know what’s important to them, both at work and personally, and then help them pave the way to realise their full potential.
Identifying strengths and using career development to increase employee engagement and productivity
Losing and replacing staff costs businesses a small fortune in time and money. So it’s crucial to increase engagement levels and loyalty in your organisation to retain top tier talent.
One way to achieve this is through career development.
Strengths focussed career development is a proactive process for establishing an individual’s strengths, gaps, their career goals, as well as uncovering any untapped potential.
Identifying your employees’ strengths creates opportunities to optimise them for the positive benefit of both the human and the organisation. This includes putting them into roles and teams where they can flourish and produce phenomenal results.
An effective career development plan is a great way to keep employees interested in the work they do. It also helps to motivate and retain them.
When a strengths-based approach is undertaken, both employees and the organisation come out as winners.
Overall, you’ll end up with more favourable work culture and increased employee satisfaction.
In summary
Organisations that utilise a strengths-based company culture produce employees who are more engaged and more eager to perform at their highest level. They’re also less likely to leave when their strengths are recognised and celebrated.
At Humanico, we’re here to help you understand your unique human map and the strengths within your organisation. Together, we’ll uncover the true potential of your humans and workplace to ensure a bright future for everyone involved.
Start the conversation today by contacting us.
