Strengths-based coaching

- If you look at the careers of Steve Jobs, Serena Williams, Sir Elton John, what do they all have in common? Performing at the peak of their abilities? Yes, absolutely. But more than that, when it comes to performing at work, they play to their strengths first and foremost. Now that isn't to say that people we'd class as high performers never focus on their development areas because that's important too. But if you want to join the high-performance club, the first area you should be focusing on is identifying, nurturing, and growing your signature strengths. So what does this mean for you as a manager? If you want to create a high-performing productive and motivated team, one of the best tools at your disposal is strengths-based coaching. Here's how to do it. First, get buy-in. You want to kick off this approach by having open conversations with each member of your team. Detail why focusing on strengths is such an important way to enhance performance, productivity, and motivation. Second, discuss signature strengths. These are the skills, abilities, and behaviors that your team member is naturally good at. Agree on the top three strengths together and start to focus on how they're being nurtured and developed in regular coaching conversations. Third, make time to focus on new strengths and development areas. In performance coaching conversations, I recommend spending 70% of time focusing on signature strengths, 20% of time building new potential strengths, and 10% of time working on enhancing developments areas. Fourth, track progress during coaching conversations. Yes, it's great to focus on strengths, but you also need to track how using strengths is creating an impact such as performance, productivity, motivation, and relationship building. Keep a focus on achievements and tangible outcomes during coaching sessions and help your team member to continue to link their actions and behaviors with positive outcomes. Remember, with strengths-based coaching, you're encouraging your team member to authentically be themselves and find their own ways of meeting targets and dealing with challenges that suit their personality and strengths. Agree on a destination, but let your team member choose their journey.