Organise Around Strengths
When we think about our own roles, we like to do more of:
- What we are naturally good at and like doing
- What we can do well
- What energises us
In other words where we experience ‘flow’, where time passes quickly and work becomes a source of pleasure.
Let Performance Blossom
Often, however, we become constrained by job descriptions and the expectations of others. It becomes hard to even raise some of the issues we really want to talk about. Hard to think outside of the box created for us.
Imagine the difference it would make if in a team people were able to talk about what they were best at, what they wanted to do more of and the changes can be made because others find energising what they find draining. Even a move in that direction would make a real difference to the working climate and results.
More and more companies, both large and small are starting to re-organise based on this approach.
Talking about strengths and preferences starts the process of building jobs for people rather than people for jobs.
When you start to take this approach, you start to see the need to change other people management practices. What if, for example, we stopped feeling it was right to ‘appraise’ people but instead allowed them to say what they had achieved and wanted to do more of in the future?
If you feel the need to approach how you organise people in a different way, perhaps challenging long held assumptions of what good practice is, start the journey by arranging a conversation.
