Knowing what your signature strengths are, can boost your well-being – and it’s boosted even further when you regularly utilise those strengths. Leaders and managers are now regularly using character strengths exercises to help employees become more engaged, productive and happy.
In my last article Find your strengths, find inspiration for success, we discussed how to identify your signature strengths and how to work them into your day:
- Take a signature strengths assessment
- Use your strengths in new ways
- Record the positive results of using signature strengths
- Reconnect with your inner child
If you are an HR practitioner, you can use signature strengths to develop employee purpose, motivation and performance. Here are some simple steps you can take this week.
Add signature strengths assessments to development programs
Signature strengths questionnaires can be used in a range of ways. Add them to your management training programs. Include them in team building events. Give high-potential staff access to strengths-based coaching. These interventions increase employee engagement, help with team building, and assist with leadership development. Eleanor Shakiba can help you plan assessments and workshops to implement signature strengths evaluations. So don’t wait: start capitalising on the power of positive psychology today.
Train your managers and team leaders to spot signature strengths in employees
In addition to utilising signature strengths in more obvious areas, help managers coach employees in using these strengths. This is particularly helpful when your employees are working on projects that drain them of their energy. For example, if an individual who is more creative or ‘right-brained’ finds herself struggling with numerical data, her manager can help her tap into one of her strengths. Positive psychology trainers have a range of resources they can use to develop leaders’ strengths-spotting skills.
Give templates for success
Help management instill a culture of positive communication. Give them exposure to strengths theory. Then provide them with a toolkit for practical implementation. For example, design pro forms they can use to lead conversations focused on childhood strengths. Design feedback processes around strengths assessments. Create lists of coaching questions that managers and supervisors can use when leading strengths-based conversations.
Are you interested in learning more about signature strengths and how to identify yours? Would you like to help your team better utilise their signature strengths? Contact Eleanor Shakiba to set up an assessment or workshop.
About the author of this article
Eleanor is a specialist in positive psychology. Her passion is teaching talented people to use social and emotional intelligence to excel in business. She is the author and creator of the book and online training program Difficult People Made Easy. She has been running ‘people smarts’ training for highly experienced professionals since 1994. She also works with high-performing individuals as a leadership coach. Find out more about her online courses here.