What I have Learned by Working in a Strengths Based Culture
I have had the privilege of being a part of the strengths based culture of the LVC team for nearly three months now. I get to not only work on the client relation side of the business, but help manage our day to day business processes. I love it! It taps into a core part of who I am, and activates my strengths to bring life not only to me, but to our team as well.
It hasn’t always been this way for me in my professional career, but since there are “Strengths, Strengths EVERYWHERE!” in my new role, it’s exciting to see how that concept actually plays out.
When I was Introduced to Strengths
The concept of Strengths was introduced to me back in 2007. At the time I remember thinking,
This is genius! Why doesn’t every company utilize this type of management style?
The idea to allow people to work in their sweet spot or “area of strength” making for strong individuals, which leads to strong teams, and then contributes to a strong culture, the ultimate goal for most companies, is brilliant.
But not every company sees the value in this style of management. I have worked in a variety of work environments over the years. Some that utilized the Strengths leadership style and others that did not. In the settings that did not engage with Strengths, I watched people around me have both low engagement and enjoyment in their roles. These individuals simply showed up at work to collect a paycheck instead of being excited about what they were contributing to the overall organization.
I like the change!
After being introduced to Strengths, I changed work environments because the one I was in, did not utilize a Strengths-based management style. I watched people around me have low engagement and enjoyment in their positions. These individuals simply showed up at work to collect a paycheck instead of being excited about what they were doing and contributing to the overall health of the organization.
After some time, I realized I had become part of that group. I did not feel like my Strengths were being utilized, causing me to disengage. I stopped caring about any contribution to the greater good of the organization. For the sake of everyone, I needed a change.
How I know I’m in a Strengths Sweet Spot
I am once again back in an professional strengths based culture. You could say our work environment has “Strengths, Strengths Everywhere!”
I work with a team of people who not only encourage me to tap into my Strengths (Arranger, Input, Learner, Communication and Responsibility), but applaud me when they see me contributing to the overall good of the company from these Strengths areas.
My fellow team members look to me for suggestions as to how best to articulate their thoughts (Nathan recently wrote about this) by tapping into my Communication strength. Or seek strategic thinking on a new course of action that will streamline how we work with our clients, drawing on my Arranger strength.
They smile, and perhaps sometimes cringe, as I ask a multitude of clarifying questions before I offer an answer in a discussion, highlighting my Learner strength. My team members know once I have been looped into pieces of information, I will be able to recall it forever, emphasizing my Input strength. And, they are comforted knowing when I have put my name to a project, task, or assignment, I will come through no matter what, showcasing the beauty of Responsibility.
I feel empowered to contribute my portion to the overall success of the LVC team because of the ability to seamlessly tap into my Strengths area.
Why Being in Our Strengths Sweet Spot Matters
And with this environment comes a space for each of us on the LVC team to function in the sweet spot of our Strengths. Contributing our best to the overall team and culture. This setting allows space for each other to wrestle with the dark side of our strengths, and grow from that struggle.
Not only do we get to witness and reap the benefit of being surrounded by Strengths on our team, we also get to transfer our first-hand experience with every individual, team, and company we engage. Our desire is that other individuals, teams, and companies create strengths based culture and find the same level of gratification having Strengths, Strengths EVERYWHERE!
