CEO Leadership Best Practices Journal™

Strength-Based Leadership, Team & Organization Development

A successful leadership development program, particularly at the executive and executive team level, requires an integrated learning process versus a series of non-integrated training events. All leadership development programs are initiated with the best of intentions; unfortunately, far too few achieve or, more importantly, sustain the long-term desired results.

As a C-level executive, you have likely been hearing and perhaps reading about strength-based development. Playing more to strengths is becoming a hot topic, with numerous opinions on the "why to" in terms of leveraging the strengths concept to improve human resource performance and business results. The "how to," however, is more complex.

No executive leader challenges the merits of wanting employees, teams and organizations to play more to their strengths. Unless a strength-based program is a carefully planned and integrated change process, however, the odds of any significant improvement in human resource performance or business results are slim to none. Instead, a well-intentioned initiative becomes the latest flavor of the month, as well as a waste of time, money and other precious resources. Flavors of the month diminish leadership effectiveness and erode morale, and they can be damaging to organizational culture and long-term business results.

To complicate matters, a focus on strengths is somewhat counter-intuitive, as most of us have been long programmed to focus on our weaknesses instead. This programming began in childhood, and one simple example involves that of our educational grading system. For the straight-A student, this example may not apply; however, if your report card looked anything like mine, it contained a few other letters as well. When I arrived home with my report card, I was quick to point out my As; however, my mom was equally quick to point out the Bs and Cs. What do you think got the most attention, the As or the Bs and Cs? What got the most attention on your report card? Was there a celebration of the As with encouragement to focus more on those subjects (strengths) or on those B, C, etc. subjects (weaknesses)? The message may have been something like, "If you want to succeed you have to improve in those B and C subjects" or, said another way, weaknesses.

Fast-forward many years and consider the workplace performance appraisal. Most performance reviews recognize both strengths and weaknesses, the latter cleverly disguised as performance improvement opportunities. These same performance appraisal forms also include sections for development plans. I am not suggesting that we ignore weaknesses or avoid discussing performance improvement opportunities. I am suggesting that the messaging has not changed all that much over the years; i.e. if you want to get promoted or get a bigger raise, year-end bonus, stock-option grant, etc., you must improve your weaknesses.

Here's where things get really interesting. Research confirms that we can only improve our weaknesses to a certain level no matter how much time, effort, and resources we commit. The research also confirms that if we want to improve our performance—as well the performance of our leaders, teams and organizations—we must learn how to play more to our strengths.

If you are reading this and wondering why you and your leaders, teams, and organizations are not playing more to your strengths, you are probably not alone. In 2006, researchers polled thousands of working professionals in the US and UK. One of the questions on the survey was, "At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?" The aggregate survey data suggested that only 15% of respondents were playing to their strengths most of the time. The identical survey was conducted again in 2007 and 2008. Sadly, the percentages declined even further.

Good leadership and business results are simply no longer good enough. CEOs, other senior executives and young professionals aspiring to be tomorrow's top leaders must learn how to distinguish and elevate themselves to great by performing at their best and inspiring the best from their people. Part of the "great" equation involves implementing a successful strength-based leadership, team and organizational development program.

To learn more about how we can help you develop and implement a successful strength-based development program in your organization, visit www.hp-strategies.com

Kindest regards,
Larry & Melinda

HUMAN PERFORMANCE STRATEGIES, LLC
Executive Offices, Austin, Texas USA
www.hp-strategies.com

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