Are you getting the results and performance you desire in business and life?
How about your employees/co-workers? Is there a bigger “purpose” or mission that you connect on? Are you having fun at work, and do you get acknowledged for your achievements and contributions? How often?
In the most recent update of the Global State of the Global Workplace by Gallup®, 85% of the workforce are performing below their potential with only 15% actively engaged! That number alone illustrates to me that the current systems are not working, and that is a high price to pay for any individual or company.
Empowerment vs. disempowerment
Having spent most of the last 30 years in fast-growing entrepreneurial companies, I’ve worked in workplaces with a higher engagement percentage. Yet even there, I’ve noticed people that were not engaged, which impacted the company culture, and not in a good way.
I’ve also experienced what happens when you disrespect people that have poured their hearts into a company that stops caring for or about them, and I’m talking about the engaged people.
So I wonder, why wouldn’t you acknowledge the people that perform at work?
Why focus on what’s wrong with the non-performers? Why not look at the people that perform and add value consistently, and inquire why that is and what they need to perform even better?
Strengths
Shifting into a strengths-based culture doesn’t mean that you don’t need to look at weaknesses, especially if these are part of your role. When you focus on what you have a natural talent for and invest your time there, engagement tends to happen automatically, and with that confidence and increased performance.
Once you really get the value of what you uniquely bring everywhere (life & business), delegating what you suck at becomes easy, especially if it goes to someone that rocks it. You learn to appreciate the people who are great at what you’re not, creating a win-win connection that benefits both parties.
Where do you start?
If you own the company or are in management, it starts with you.
Take the CliftonStrengths® Assessment (how you approach anything), add the BP10™ (how you’re successful in business), and hire a coach that you click with to walk you through what it all means for you.
To date, I’ve not met anyone who has resisted their results; rather, they all say, “yep, that’s me.”
Why not start with your talents and see how you’re using them, how you can monetize them, and then roll it out to your team? As with anything, it’s not a one-time fix, as life is constantly in motion with new possibilities being presented.
Imagine having a team that not only has fun together but also performs and is engaged. What value would that create?
I can tell you from personal experience that being on a team and in a company where you connect, have fun, and trust each other that it builds loyalty and strong bonds and generates both money for the business and individuals, plus a work environment of self-expression and well-being for all involved. Priceless!
Here is ONE action that you can take this week without even taking the assessment:
- Carve out time for a weekly performance pow-wow, 5 minutes, where you share your appreciation for what your team has achieved in the past week.
- Find something positive to say about everyone.
- Keep it short and sweet, like “thank you for being on time every day,” “thank you for embracing mid-course changes with project X so quickly,” and “great job with that account” you get the point.
- Repeat weekly and see what this simple effort creates.
- If time is tight, leave a voicemail or text a voice message!
Try it, and let me know how it goes!
