All too often, we focus on the negative things that are happening around us. Given our current circumstances, it’s easy to dwell on weakness instead of recognising an opportunity. Rather than trying to fix what’s wrong, shift your mindset to building success and strategically leveraging the strengths of the workplace.
When we concentrate on failure, improvements become more difficult to achieve; we fail to identify what our strengths are, which means they aren’t adequately utilised. When we focus on what we are good at, however, and use these strengths to help manage and overcome our weaknesses, we can experience huge gains. Continue reading to learn how successful businesses exploit their strengths to increase profits and achieve long term success.
Recognising potential is half the battle
Take Mary, a dedicated customer service representative. Mary has an infectious positivity and thrives on the challenge of meeting new people. She communicates easily, loves to tell stories, and quickly figures out her client’s needs. Recently, Mary was put in charge of customer complaints and her productivity has declined. Mary does not like speaking to angry customers and becomes visibly shaken when dealing with people in distress. Mary sits next to Jane, who was recently tasked with new client acquisition.
Jane is quiet, reserved, and equally dedicated. When talking to customers, Jane asks probing questions, anticipates obstacles, and likes to stay focused on the task at hand. She enjoys working with many moving parts and organises systems for maximum results. However, she seems to find every problem and is often perceived as overly critical.
Neither person is happy in her new role, they are less motivated and take frequent sick leave.
Focus on the right skills
Rather than focusing on what is going wrong, focus on what is going right.
We know that change is not easy. Organisational change can be even harder, especially when it requires positioning staff in new roles, but it can pay dividends if people are doing a role that suits their skill set.
Returning to the Mary and Jane scenario, imagine helping them see where they are achieving success. Help them use their behavioural patterns to improve customer service objectives. You could encourage Mary and Jane to work collaboratively or perhaps switch roles. Remember, Jane thrives in situations where she can analyse a problem and offer a solution. She is likely to succeed in the very situations Mary finds challenging. In contrast, Mary likes to chat and build relationships with customers. She is willing to share a story and is likely to excel in situations wherein clients waiver and want reassurance before committing.
Backing up the facts
Leading American researcher Gallup found that teams who focus on their strengths have 12.5 percent greater productivity and strength-based development, leading to:
10–19% increased sales
14–29% increased profit
3–7% higher customer engagement
9–15% increase in engaged employees
There is a connection between strengths and engagement that is fundamental to the employee experience. However, for many of us, shifting beyond worrying about weakness to focusing on strengths requires a mind shift. However, small changes in thinking can lead to big changes in behaviour.
Find out what your staff are good at, encourage their development, and position them to reach their potential. By recognising the talents of your staff, they will become more engaged, more productive, and contribute to a more profitable business.
Reward your team for reaching their potential
Bartercard is a great tool to attract the right people for the job and can help incentivise and reward staff by paying them with trade dollars. Choose from incentives such as holidays, gift certificates, or restaurant vouchers—all available through the Bartercard mobile app or Bartercard Search —to make your team feel rewarded and appreciated.
For more business tips, visit the Bartercard blog.
