PurpleLine Consulting

Two UK companies feature in the top 40 World's Most Democratic Workplaces 2009.

Think about something you really enjoyed doing at work recently.  How did that make you feel?  My guess is that you felt energised, the time passed very quickly and you had a real feeling of a job well done.  If so, the chances are that you were doing something that played to your natural strengths.

In a recent survey of UK employees, Gallup found that 61% are "not engaged".  And it gets worse.  20% are "actively disengaged" - showing a vocal and highly negative attitude toward their work and their employer.  What a waste of time and energy, especially considering the high proportion of our lives spent at work.

An increasing number of organisations such as Norwich Union, BAE Systems and Microsoft are recognising the value of using a strengths-based approach to change their organisational culture and/or get the best from people at work.  They recognise that harnessing their employees' strengths leads to an increased sense of involvement, greater job satisfaction and improved performance.

People often don't know what their strengths are because from childhood we have learned to focus on our weaknesses.  Whilst addressing our weaknesses is important, once people understand what their strengths are, they can use them to minimise their weaknesses and also gain insight into how their strengths can go into overdrive in some circumstances.  For example, someone who is extremely results-focused can ‘bulldoze' others into action or create stress for themselves by not delegating.

Using a psychometric tool, such as Strengthscope , can help individuals and teams understand where their strengths lie and how to put them to best use - which benefits both the individual and the organisation.

Strengthscope measures a person's strengths at work and can incorporate feedback from colleagues, enabling individuals to understand the extent to which they are using their strengths in their day to day work.  It can also help them identify the difference between things they are good at, but don't enjoy doing, and their natural strengths.  Combined with coaching it can lead to increased levels of self awareness, equipping current and future leaders with the skills they need to develop others and fulfil their roles effectively.

What are the benefits?

For individuals - they understand what their strengths are and seek to actively use them at work.

For managers - they know what the strengths of their people are, can actively seek to develop and use them in the workplace, and organisational performance improves as a result.

If you'd like to discuss how using a strengths-based approach could enhance performance in your organisation, give us a call.

OK, August's over and everyone is reinvigorated by their holidays.  Or are they?  Many people return from their hols wanting a change - for some it's plans for the next holiday, a new partner or a house move, for others it's a new job.  And if they aren't already, the journals, papers and websites will soon be crammed with new job opportunities.