Lauren Scarlett - Strengths Profile Consultant
The latest episode of BBC Radio 4’s The Wrong Job focused on
how employers can rethink the concept of work and the workplace to motivate and
retain employees. An interesting quote during the show revealed that 75 per
cent of people in the UK believe they are in the wrong job, and that at any one
time, up to a third of the workforce are looking to change jobs.
So what’s gone wrong?
Whilst most employees aspire to do things they love and
excel at in their work, we know there are tasks that with the greatest will in
the world, feel tedious and take more effort to achieve. And for managers, this
raises the important question ‘is everyone, doing everything effectively?’.
During the show, guest speakers discussed the current endemic problem of
organisations not having the right middle managers, with this cohort being characterised
as being technically competent and perhaps overlooking the people side of
things. We know at Strengths Profile that many managers do get to where they
are because they are great at their jobs, and not necessarily through managing.
How can Strengths
help?
Discovering more about your own and others strengths
encourages strengthspotting opportunities to do more of what they are good at
and enjoy. When managers strengthspot in their people, and take time to
recognise and develop these strengths, their teams are more likely to go the
extra mile as they feel happier, more fulfilled and productive. That prior
feeling of being in ‘The Wrong Job’ no longer seems an option once a person
knows their strengths, as they can re-lens and find energy in even the smallest
of tasks. For instance, having insights into strengths like Planner and
Organiser could encourage an employee to be more intentional about structuring
their workday and maximising their energy across a spectrum of activities.
Authenticity is key
During the show one expert mentioned that for one reason or
another, organisations don’t seem to encourage employees to bring their ‘whole
self’ to work. The knock-on effect being that if we only show-up with a very
small percentage of ‘who we are’, then we only show up with only a small
percentage of our passion and energy.
How different could an organisation look if this resource of
underutilised energy could be tapped into? At Strengths Profile we know that when
organisations adopt a strengths-based approach to their culture, performance,
productivity and customer satisfaction increases. Through knowing our
strengths, the benefits are transformational, as we grow in confidence and
connect to our ‘authentic self’. For managers, this authenticity could become
their greatest asset to managing teams.
To discover more about Strengths Profile and find out more
about our resources to build high performing teams visit www.strengthsprofile.com
Comments
Post a Comment