Strengths-Based Development

The Strengths to Confront Tough Times

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Almost daily, companies are cutting workers, and morale and productivity are suffering as a result. In this environment, a strengths-based approach is vital because it creates hope, opens the doors to untapped potential, and brings out the best in people and in companies.

How U.S. Bank Weathers the Crisis

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Since the financial crisis began last year, more than 30 banks have gone under in the United States alone. U.S. Bank’s financials, however, remain fundamentally sound, thanks to its conservative lending practices and an intense focus on people.

What Strong Teams Have in Common

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Gallup has been studying leadership teams for nearly four decades, and that research has uncovered five telltale signs of strong, high-performing groups of employees, report Tom Rath and Barry Conchie, authors of Strengths Based Leadership.

Strengths on the Factory Floor

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Does the strengths approach work with manufacturing employees? This is a question strengths experts hear often from senior executives, and the assumption is that blue-collar workers aren’t interested in sharing who they are. Sam’s story proves that wrong.

The Strengths of Leadership

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:00:00 GMT

We all have natural talents, but the greatest leaders are unusually aware of theirs. They know what they’re good at, and they don’t try to make themselves well-rounded or like some other leader, say the authors of Strengths Based Leadership.

What Makes a Great Leadership Team?

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:00:00 GMT

One of the core principles of strengths management is that people don’t need to be well-rounded to succeed. It helps, however, if teams are well-rounded, say the authors of Strengths Based Leadership.

What Followers Want From Leaders

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:00:00 GMT

Believe it or not, the "vision thing" pales in comparison to what followers really want and need: a sense of trust, stability, hope, and compassion. So say the authors of Strengths Based Leadership, which is out this month.

Finding Your Leadership Strengths

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT

Research shows that effective leaders must possess a high level of self-awareness. But too many leaders are blind to their own personalities -- they simply don’t know their own strengths and weaknesses, say the authors of Strengths Based Leadership.

Strengths Success Story: Using Focus and Maximizer

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT

A human resources executive employed these talent themes to keep engagement on his team high while cutting costs and headcount. Managers can learn a lot from him about leveraging their own strengths, particularly in a brutal economic environment.

Debunking Strengths Myth #4

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Many of us buy into the myth that talent and motivation are totally separate things. A strengths-based approach, however, debunks this. Simply put, your talents are your motivations; they’re usually inseparable. A strengths expert explains.

The Five Stages of Workplace “Tribes”

Thu, 08 May 2008 09:45:00 GMT

Two researchers say that your tribe is more important than anything else at work. Here’s how companies can harness the power of that insight to understand and influence team performance.

Debunking Strengths Myth #3

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

When it comes to first impressions about employees’ talents, you should trust -- but verify -- them. A good way for managers to do this is to ask probing questions of each individual member of their team.

Debunking Strengths Myth #2

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Building a strengths-based organization seems like it would be simple. The concept is so intuitive, the thinking goes, that embedding strengths in a company’s DNA should be almost effortless. But this is one of the biggest myths about strengths management -- and, for that matter, about managing transformational change.

Understanding the Nature of Talent

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

When evaluating and developing employees, managers must distinguish what’s innate in them (talent) from what can be changed or acquired (knowledge and skills). The authors of Human Sigma: Managing the Employee-Customer Encounter dig deeper into this crucial distinction.

Debunking Strengths Myth #1

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Does adopting a strengths-based approach mean you can ignore your weaknesses? No, says an expert in strengths management. He explains why in this, the first of several articles that will debunk commonly accepted myths about people's talents and strengths and how they are applied at work and in life.

A Positive Approach to Workplace Stress

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

World-renowned psychologist Shelley Taylor explores the problem of chronic anxiety at work, and how support systems can help companies to alleviate it.

Strengths: A Global Language

Thu, 10 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

As businesses compete in an increasingly globalized economy, their operations are expanding to the farthest reaches of the planet. Employees hail from numerous countries and bring to work the mores and values of vastly different cultures. How can an executive make sure everyone is figuratively "speaking the same language"? Creating a common vocabulary about employee talents and strengths is a vital first step.

The Innovation Equation

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT

A recent Gallup study of the U.S. workforce reveals this simple yet powerful formula: strengths development + engagement = innovation. Learn more about this national study and how its findings can be applied to your company.

Strengths: The Next Generation

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

In the six years since the release of Now, Discover Your Strengths, more than two million people have taken the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment. But Gallup has learned a tremendous amount about people's talents and strengths since the publication of that book. So much so, in fact, that bestselling author Tom Rath has written a new book on the subject, StrengthsFinder 2.0. Rath reveals, among other things, what more there is to discover about your talents, and why it's bad to focus on your employees' weaknesses, but simply cruel to ignore them completely.

Probing the Dark Side of Employees' Strengths

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Managers who introduce a strengths-based approach to their teams invariably ask this question: Is there a "dark side" to employees' strengths? Can a person with strong command become too pushy, or a person with strong analytical talents drive colleagues crazy with endless questions and hypothetical scenarios? In this article, a strengths expert probes these vexing questions and, using real-life examples, offers surprising (and reassuring) answers.

The Fallacy Behind the American Dream

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Try though they might, people can't be anything they want to be, and managers would do well to help dispel this myth, writes the author of StrengthsFinder 2.0. But don't despair, he says: Employees can become more productive and help their companies succeed if they make the greatest use of their talents and strengths.

Don't Mislabel Your Employees

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT

If you manage someone whom you think is too "bossy" or "opinionated," read this article. You'll find that those seemingly negative traits, among others, may actually provide clues to that employee's talents and strengths.

A Caterpillar Dealer Unearths Employee Engagement

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Fabick CAT invested $500,000 in its people, and the payoff was enormous. Here's how the company made employee engagement a part of its culture, largely by becoming less bureaucratic and a lot more open.

The Best Way to Influence Others

Thu, 09 Feb 2006 00:00:00 GMT

There's nothing more crucial to success in business than being able to influence other people. Salespeople must influence customers; executives need to influence their workforces. But rather than insincerely "laying on the charm" to influence people, try using your innate talents instead.

Mastering the Art of Office Politics

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

It's widely believed that those who get ahead in office politics must be dupes, stooges, or yes-people. But the reality is quite different. Gallup has found that among the most successful organizations, many people who get ahead are solid performers and highly effective in their roles. What's their secret? They use their innate talents to rise through the ranks -- and to master the politics of their workplaces.