.If you had a dream for 2015, would it include empowering yourself, your co-workers and your subordinates to experience more joy and job satisfaction? This is possible by focusing on and developing your strengths this year—yours and everyone around you.
Workplace research by Gallup shows that employees who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged in their job, perform better, are less liable to leave, and best of all, boost the company’s bottom line.
On a more personal note, in today’s turbulent disruptive business environment research confirms that knowing and applying the Via Character Strengths will aid you in gaining life satisfaction, well-being and increase your resilience.
At this point you might be wondering: Why should I focus on developing my strengths or those of my co-workers or employees? We need to concentrate on fixing our weaknesses. The answer is not black or white. While working on your weaknesses are important, your future career successes will be propelled primarily by your strengths and with far less effort and stress.
What’s more, Gallup research shows that if a manager focuses on an employee’s weaknesses, the likelihood that your employee becomes disengaged is 22%. Whereas, if you focus on your employee’s strengths, the likelihood that they will be disengaged is 1%! Clearly, investing time to identify and then utilize your employee’s strengths will take your company a lot further, and your team will achieve a ton more success.
How does this focus impact collaboration? The reality is that teams that focus on strengths every day have 12.5% greater productivity. Moreover, when your team receives feedback on their strength, you, and your company will experience 8.9% higher profitability.
Another study shows that when employees use four or more of their top character strengths at work, they are more likely to experience job satisfaction, pleasure, engagement, and meaning in their job. Wouldn’t you like to be realizing these results?
So, what are strengths? The simple answer is that your strengths are something you are good at and enjoy doing. Dr. Alex Linley, a leading researcher in the field, states the scientific definition for strengths is that they, “are pre-existing patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving that are authentic, and when exercised, will excite, engage, and energize you, and allow you to perform at your optimum level.” Dr. Robert Biswas Diener adds this insight to the conversation: you may be very effective in certain tasks at work or in your personal life, but if it’s something that doesn’t give you an emotional charge, or a little burst of energy, then it’s probably not a strength.
What are your strengths? If I were to ask you to take a piece of paper and write down your top five to seven strengths, what would you come up with? Would you find it easy or would you struggle to identify them? If you find it a challenge, you are not alone. The majority of people, when asked to identify their strengths, don’t have a clue regarding what they are, let alone how to use them at work.
Are you becoming curious? I bet you are. If you are interested in identifying your strengths as well as receive your free strength’s profile, click here to take the 15-minute VIA Survey.*
Over the next 12 months, I invite you to get to know your strengths and discover some of the ways you can develop them. Taking this action and sharing your insights with others, will empower you to be more engaged, energized and happy to go into work. Isn’t that a worthy goal for 2015?
To support this outcome, I will be sending you an email twice a month addressing one strength from the VIA Character Strengths Survey with practical tips on how to implement them into your daily work life.
Are you ready to get started? Take the free 15-minute VIA Character Strengths Survey now and receive your strengths profile: http://www.viacharacter.org/www/#nav
Are you interested in learning more? Do you think you might need a little extra help? Let’s connect! It would be my pleasure to support you in beginning to live a life that is engaging, exciting and rewarding for YOU.
Below is a short, entertaining and informative video to learn more about the science of character and the VIA Character Strengths Survey.
THE SCIENCE OF CHARACTER / VIA Institute:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdQRECe37K0
*The VIA Survey is available in several languages.
