The Power of Strength Based Workplaces

At True Recruitment we are advocates for strength based workplaces. In a nutshell, we believe that if your employees are truly working with their greatest talents then they will be far more engaged, happy and productive.

Many organisations focus on an employee’s weakness and try to improve that ‘fault’. We don’t believe it is a fault, it just isn’t their strength. Take me, for example, I am an entrepreneur, implement things fast, quick to act, optimistic, usually happy and great in a crisis. So I am really suited to sales and especially suited to Recruitment. Now let me give you an example of a candidate I placed in a job today. She is she is very organised, a perfectionist, structured and likes rules and procedures. I hate rules by the way and break them all the time….I am not talking about the law, it's just that I don’t see the point in some things and especially get annoyed with bureaucracy and pettiness....it does my head in!

So my strengths would not be suited to the type of role I put my candidate in today, which by the way is an Accounts Assistant. If you put me in that role I would be totally de-motivated and frustrated and would not perform very well. On the other hand if you put my candidate into my job, she would be terrified and fall apart very quickly, I doubt if she could be trained to do what I do, and I know I couldn’t cope with what she does.

Do you see that if you put these two people in jobs that they are not suited to how you set them, and your business up to fail?

When someone is in a job where they are not operating to their strengths, chances are they will :

• Be stressed
• Be de-motivated
• Take sick days
• Bag out the company
• Will not give the best customer service
• Tell the world what a horrible company she/he works for

On the other hand if you put people in roles that suit their strengths they are more likely to:

• Turn up every day – and early!
• Be happy and motivated
• Be more productive
• Tell the world what a great company they work for
• Give great customer service
• Motivate other employees

Real leaders nurture the strengths of their people because they can see that they will be more productive and engaged. Real leaders do not focus on someone’s weakness and try to change that into a strength.

Loyalty Effect of Focus on Strengths

Employees who felt they were able to focus on their strengths in their jobs were found more likely to:

• recommend the organization’s products and services
• intend to stay with the organization or a long period of time

^{Source: Gallup Poll data of U.S. working population aged 18 and older, April 2004}

Strength Based Parenting

The same principles apply to parenting. We are all born with certain qualities, yet as we grow we are deeply influenced by our parents and educators. Many children are forced into activities and studies that are not suited to their natural strengths and abilities. They grow up pleasing their parents and teachers, however they are not really fulfilled.

It is not uncommon for people to have a complete career change in their 30’s or 40’s. This certainly was the case in my instance. I had roles in office management until I decided I didn’t really suit this type of employment. I was good at it but boy was I bored.

My natural instincts are quite entrepreneurial, I can always see an opportunity and go for it, even if it means taking risks. So now I have come from being an office manager to a Director of a Recruitment and Training company. I spent my 20’s and 30’s working a which I was really not suited to when I should have been doing what I do today which is placing people in jobs, people interaction, pressure, demands and always a crisis....and I love what I do. I love the challenge, the risk and the constant deadlines I have to pull off. Yes, I can wake up in the morning and look forward to going to work.

Debbie Carr, is Director of of True Colours Recruitment and an agent for motivational speakers.