Strong Teams
Strong Teams
Leader’s guide in building strength-based teams
By Raymond White
Jacob Espinoza does a lot of work helping others discover their strengths. By using CliftonStrengths, he is able to walk me through my top 5 strengths and asked me specific questions that can help me live within them.
In case you were wondering, my five are individualization, woo, learner, arranger and connectedness. To put it concisely, I like to engage people, learn how we all connect systemically, and find a way to put people in position for success. Hence, the reason why I love coaching and building relationships with people!
How do we turn this thought of living in our strengths towards a team perspective?
Below I have listed out the importance of having a team working in their strengths and what leaders can do to gear their team members to develop their strengths.
Why its important for teams to work within their strengths?
Strength-based teams are in a better position to be successful. You have people operating in the areas where they can thrive in that covers the objectives of an organizational goal. Sure people can operate outside of their strengths, but you can run into some barriers of frustration as well as a loss in velocity when working.
There is a higher work satisfaction when the team is operating in their strengths. If our staff enjoy coming in to work because they are working on challenges that they excel in, there will be a degree of high quality and fulfillment being at work. Otherwise, we are back in frustration station when a team member is constantly working hard, not in their zone, and not seeing any progress towards getting better.
It increases the health of the team, and ultimately the organization. The results of point one and two lead to three, where there is a sense of a great culture and a highly functioning team. A great culture is a healthy culture, and when teams are humming in their strengths they take better care of themselves and others.
This is all great, but there are actions a leader need to do to cultivate this culture and develop their teams to thrive in their strengths. And, if you know me by now, you know I have three actions towards having those thriving teams.
What tactics can leaders do to understand their current state?
Clarify the goal and know your team: You have to know where you are going and who is on your team. This is where we need to get acquainted with strategic leaders that are carving the path of the organization and for us to identify how we are getting there.
Notice the gaps: Your leadership antenna needs to be on high alert! Mapping the goals and your team’s strengths will be able to highlight where there are areas that can be filled. It might not be as obvious at first, but with some intentional digging and coaching, voids will be visible to then decide how you want to address them.
Meet the teams basic needs first: For the team to thrive, their basic needs need to be met first. According to Rath and Conchie in Strength-Based Leadership, a team needs trust, compassion, hope and stability. For a team to soar, the need the foundation. Looking within yourself, strengths, and leadership, you need to define the type of culture that meets these needs and allows them to grow in their strengths.
Once this assessment of your team and your objectives is complete, it is now time to create opportunities for their strengths to be developed.
How can teams develop their strengths?
Create space for them to practice:
It is one thing to say you have a skill, it is another to work on that skill constantly for it to be your craft. But if there is no place to exercise it, how will anyone grow?
Leaders are the ones who have a heavy hand in crafting the team environment. We need to set up projects, delegate tasks, or straight up get out of the way if our team members have an idea. Their strengths practiced in their role builds their skills as well as the core of the team.
Find others who can mentor them:
Looking for others who have similar strengths helps us see what is possible. We need to create lanes and connect them to others in the organization who are modeling the way with their strengths. Again, seeing it can lead to practicing it within their current team position.
Partner them with peers of similar experiences:
Teamwork makes the dream work. Encouraging collaboration with others of similar and complementary strengths builds individual skill sets. The collaboration will also increase the velocity of projects completed and builds relationships as a team.
Trust can be built when we work together towards a common goal.
Encourage them to focus on what will make them stronger in their strengths:
Some team members are well aware that they have more strengths than they have fingers and toes. A versatile player like that is fantastic, but when it comes to developing a strength it could be limiting.
As a leader, find a way to keep their focus on to one or two strengths at a time that they want to be better in. Focusing compounds the growth quicker and leader setting limits will benefit the team member in the long run.
Help them be specific on how to live it out:
If we truly want the team to strengthen their strengths, then we need to encourage being intentional in their actions. That would mean setting up the environment to practice it, but also calling it out as a reminder that they can do it.
It might not be second nature to notice when and where a strength can be developed, but by putting intention on doing so opportunities can be made known. Especially if others are wanting to help carve the path for that development.
Your next steps
Leading in your strengths is the best thing we all can do for ourselves and our teams. We need to be aware of our strengths and the strengths of others so we know what we are bringing of value to the table.
The great thing about building a team full of specific strengths is that it encourages a well rounded team versus a well rounded person. The pressure is off of one person to be super woman/man, when they can be the best version of themselves. By them living in their best, they will be confident and the team will be strong as well.
Drive results by creating an environment where they can live in their strengths and create that space for it to be developed!
Let me know what you do to develop your teams strengths. What challenges do you face and what tactics work best for you?
Ray
