Successful group collaboration begins with each person having a strong understanding of their unique ... [+]
As an executive coach, Monique Betty is passionate about helping professionals become the best version of themselves in the workplace. A Gallup-Strength certified coach, Betty joined Negotiate Anything to share the importance of understanding strengths and talents in the workplace.
Why Talents & Strengths Matter at Work
According to Betty, poor management is one of the top contributors to disengaged employees in the workplace—with many leaving their jobs amidst the Great Resignation.
“It’s mission-critical that managers are better prepared in their roles,” she shares.
Leaders looking to level-up should be assessing their own competencies, while also evaluating their team’s strengths and opportunities for improvement.
Improving Self-Awareness as a Coach and Leader
It’s wise for all professionals to have a gauge on their strengths (and weaknesses) in business. That said, contrary to popular belief a person’s strengths do not necessarily equate to a specific job or career. When utilized correctly, strengths can be applied to almost any setting or project.
“Any job will call and draw from strengths that are already within you,” Betty explains.
Equally important is understanding one's talents, which refer to a person’s natural skills, interests and abilities. With time and practice, talents become strengths.
“Once a person understands their talents it’s up to them to determine how to apply them to make them strengths,” Betty elaborates. “Once you know it, develop it, learn it, and study your application of it.”
Understanding the Talents & Strengths of a Team
Investing in each team member’s unique talents and strengths is a smart strategy for any leader looking to enhance performance. Understanding and applying this approach can also improve employee collaboration and morale.
For example, the modern workforce currently consists of workers from various generations. This can create tension as newer employees seek to make changes while senior employees may prefer the status quo.
For example, let’s say a company has an intergenerational team. The current manager is a millennial looking to modernize operations and improve performance; however, she is consistently met with pushback from a senior employee (Generation X) who likes to remind her how things were done in the past.
To keep the conversations moving forward, it’s best to validate that person’s talents and strengths, and attempt to involve them in the transition. In the above example, this could sound like:
“Thank you. Your time and role at the company is deeply insightful and we appreciate the knowledge you can share on business operations over time. As we update operations, we have some new things to consider. How can you help us apply your knowledge so that we can continue to move forward?”
While it can be challenging, Betty discourages professionals from shutting down their colleagues' talents and ideas, even when they’re exhausting. The best way to prevent this is to identify each employee’s talents and strengths.
For example, perhaps there is a team where one worker in particular likes to ask a lot of questions. This can become frustrating for the group. Not only does it slow down momentum, but everybody suspects that this person is only asking questions to hear themselves talk. The truth is: this worker has “learning” as one of his top strengths; his questions come from genuine curiosity and interest.
In this scenario, it’s still important to validate the workers strengths and contributions to the team, while setting boundaries for productivity. This could look like:
“John, I appreciate your curiosity and genuine interest in this matter! For the sake of time we have to move forward in this meeting. If you have other important questions, do you mind sending me an email?”
Encouraging Collaboration
According to Betty, a successful collaboration begins with each person having a strong understanding of their own talents. After completing a talent/strengths assessment, she encourages small group problem-solving. Some groups should include pairs with contradicting talents and others should include pairs with similar talents.
From there, she advises managers to give them a common goal or problem to sort out. Set a timer and let them work the problem out themselves. This exercise should not only highlight dominant talents but also teach participants how to collaborate with colleagues who think or act differently.
“It starts with understanding what it is for you and being transparent in terms of what’s working, what’s not, and moving forward,” Betty says.
To learn more about Monique Betty, visit www.moniquebetty.com, or catch her podcast Tuesdays with CoachMo. To listen to the full episode, click here.
