Bring strengths to life in everyday work conversations

When learning anything new, the greatest understanding comes when new insight is applied.  One learning model says 10% will come from structured course and programmes, 20% through interactions with others, 70% through experience.  The list of suggestions below aims to focus on the 70%, through the lens of 

  • Name It Discovery: Identifying the strength themes and the language behind them

  • Claim It Development: Show how their strength themes are used/leveraged

  • Aim It Application: Setting objectives; use strengths to meet role specific objectives which can also be fed into an individual’s development

A few things to think about

You don’t have do everything yourself.  How can you get members in your team to coordinate, organise, implement an activity each?  This will accelerate the process of imbedding Strengths.  Even better how could you leverage each other’s strengths to match a task back to what each person is good at?

 
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Name It

  1. Get everyone to create a desktop name plate and/or a poster on their desk which in PowerPoint that displays their strengths. Feel free to change the logo and font format to match your organisations.

  2. For online meetings you can use a free tool called Warmly to display everyone’s strengths. Download the PDF guide for Zoom or follow this link for MS Teams and Google Meet.

  3. Ensure all meeting rooms have a laminated version of the strengths definitions quick reference guide for easy reference.

  4.  On everyone’s WIP sheet (whichever format they choose) have their top 5 strengths at the top for both them and their team leader to refer to

  5. For team meetings, when the agenda and follow up minutes lists the attendees, have their Strengths listed next to them.

  6. Set up for internal e-mails that an individual’s strengths are listed in their signature.  To set up more than one signature in Outlook click on the file tab, go to Options to the Mail Format Tab and click Signatures. When you want to change your signature, go to the INSERT tab in the ribbon and click on signature.  The options will drop down.

  7. Get everyone to nominate a favourite strength, then set their desktop wallpaper to the image.

  8. Get everyone to nominate a favourite strength and then visit my Pinterest Page.  There are boards for each strength.  Get them to find a quote or image within these boards and share back at the next team meeting.

  9. Ensure everyone has access to each other’s strengths. This could be in the team strengths grid. To get access to this tool get in touch at jason@jasonbiggs.nz.

 
 
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Claim It

  1. In your WIP sheet have a highlights/lowlights section or ask the following two questions “What Worked This Week?” “Where Did I Get Stuck This Week?”  Next to each example identify “Which Strengths Do You Think Influenced This?”

  2. At team meeting (1) before the meeting review their Strengths Insight Guide sourced from Gallup Access Menu > CliftonStrengths > Reports (once you have logged in) (2) find an image online that represents their Strengths.  Print this out and share with the team.  You potentially could create a wall with these images on for a short period of time.  If you do this ensure they include their name on their image.

  3. At a team meeting, get people to describe the strengths that they Love, Crazy, Admire.  Get the team to pair off (1) the first conversation is that they have to describe a strength from their 5 strengths that they admire and why.  Then get the buddy to reflect back what they have heard.  The original person will clarify.  Then the other person gets to share their love strength (2) then get the pairs to swap to someone new and repeat the exercise, but this time focusing on a strength that drives them crazy (3) finally get the pairs to swap again to someone new and repeat the exercise for a strength they admire in someone else.  If they struggle with this, get their buddy to describe their “love strength.”

  4. Have the team arrange 1-1 coffee’s to talk about each other’s strengths using this conversation guide.  The person conducting the interview will note down the answers.  Then swap.  The aim is to build a set of notes for their team to reference in the future.

 
 
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Aim It

  1. Get everyone to print out their Strengths Insight Guide sourced from Gallup Access Menu > CliftonStrengths > Reports (once you have logged in).  Highlight any statements that resonate with you, cross out what doesn’t matter and circle any meaningful words. Share this with your team leader, with the aim to take away one action which can be fed into your development plan.

  2. Nominate someone to be the internal and everyday Strengths champion that the team can go to for information about all things Strengths including (1) information/guides (2) access to coaching/training.  They can then reach out to me for more information or conversation options.