Introducing a Strengths-Based Language at Work
People who know me from before I became a Coach, know that I spent the past two decades working in the IT industry. It is an exciting industry, the constant change and the thrive for better, higher, bigger can be addictive - the next promotion is always in sight, more stock is coming, the perks are getting juicier - monetary and culinary speaking...
But 20 years is a long time - and risking sounding like an old lady now - I have to say I witnessed the language changing over the years. Corporate life is now full of supercharged words: thrive for excellence, awesomize your personal brand, leverage your core competencies, maximise your impact, triple your ROI overnight, identify the gaps and close them fast!
Bigger, higher, better.
What does that do with us?
In my work as a leadership and team coach I hear more and more a feeling of being exhausted. This bigger, higher, better is not motivating anymore - for some it is even demotivating. Teams are languishing (have a look at this NYT article on what languishing means), lacking energy, motivation and excitement.
The thing is, science has already developed an answer for this! And it has been around for nearly 20 years!
The secret is called strengths-based communication.
Here is a real-life example for you:
Thanks to Positive Psychology research, we now have a set of 24 empirically-tested character strengths identified, which we all have. You have them, I have them, your team has them. Your boss too. Across all cultures, ages and genders. Everyone has them.
It's also pretty clear from research that when you work from your strengths - like Imma now does - you are excited about your work, you have a positive attitude towards tackling challenges, and you are happier - at work and at home.
So hidden under your nose is a toolkit of 24 superpowers, that you can use to make work more meaningful, engaging, creative and fun!
Here is how this magical toolkit can be applied in the workplace:
Strengths-based goal setting
Use individual strengths to lead performance review conversations. Promote goal setting based on what people do best and bring in middle strengths to help with development areas. Not only will your conversations change from what is not going well to what is possible, you will also see happier people around you at work, motivated and confident that they can do this.
Strengths-based teamwork
Have you ever tried to distribute teamwork by skills, rather than by role? When your team understands each others strengths, they have new ways of working together, assigning work tasks based on strength-fit. This will boost motivation, productivity and teamwork across every member of the team.
Strengths-based communication
Learning strengths-based communication is like learning a new language: you will need to practice, practice, practice. Start practicing with yourself and explore your top strengths here.
And then reflect on some of these questions:
How do you feel when you express one of your top strengths?
In what situations do you use this strength?
When do you not use it but it could be beneficial to do so?
What are your thoughts when you express this strength?
Teams I worked with have created a bunch of ideas how to keep practicing this new language with each other:
Review a strength together in your team meetings and exchange how each of you expresses them during work
Call out each others wins by spotting and naming the strength that helped to achieve this
Introduce a strength motto week, where you pick one of the 24 strengths for the week and try to apply it at work throughout the week.
So, after reading all this, what are your thoughts on strengths-based communication?
