Recommended Tools
There are numerous psycho-metric tools available to organizations for the purpose of choosing and developing perfect employees through a strengths-based approach and building a strengths-based culture. As a consultant and coach there are a number of tools which I am currently using with our clients.
Lumina Learning offers a systems approach to building a strengths-based culture in that it provides opportunities for recruitment, individual assessment, team and leadership development and talent management.
The Lumina 'Spark' Portrait allows individuals to see themselves through the lens of four colour energies, eight aspects of personality and the twenty-four qualities which define who they are. Of all the recommended tools, it is the most comprehensive as it is easily expanded into developing teams, valuing diversity, and developing leadership. The Lumina Spark Portrait can be used in identifying how to engage employees and finding the ideal place for them within the organization.
The Lumina 'Spark' Portrait allows individuals to see themselves through the lens of four colour energies, eight aspects of personality and the twenty-four qualities which define who they are. Of all the recommended tools, it is the most comprehensive as it is easily expanded into developing teams, valuing diversity, and developing leadership. The Lumina Spark Portrait can be used in identifying how to engage employees and finding the ideal place for them within the organization.
The Proof is in the Pudding
If your organization is committed to creating a more engaging workplace, using a strengths based approach is essential. It is an opportunity to not only engage employees; it provides a valid way for developing people, building self-esteem and confidence, and or course, improving productivity.
While psychometric instruments play an important role in creating a strengths-based culture, they provide, simply stated, a series of reports filled with descriptions and data. How individuals and organizations apply and coach the results determines whether or not the information contributes to employee engagement in the long term.
Case Example:
Greenfield Services Inc (GSI), a service based organization in Eastern Ontario, identified a desire to create a work culture where employees were engaged and thriving. To facilitate this imitative, the CEO Doreen Ashton Wagner established the company’s Personal and Professional Institute.
A series of four staff retreats were scheduled for the inaugural year of this program. Each retreat was supported by a leadership development session prior to each retreat.
Prior to kicking off the Personal and Professional Institute the management team participated in an exercise where they examined their various roles and responsibilities. All responsibilities performed by the participants were listed and posted. Each manager was then asked to place a check mark by what they loved to do and which, based on their Strengths Finder, they were actually good at. The result of this exercise was that the two junior managers on the team switched jobs. This was a first step in creating the Strengths based culture.
The next step was to work with the CEO and the Team Manager to identify the qualities and characteristics of the perfect employee. While they had been doing this for a number of years, the demands of their work environment had shifted and it was important to update the list and notice what was less than perfect.
Finally, coaching with the CEO and the Management team assisted them in re-examining and clarifying the essential ‘WHY’ of GSI. This is stated as ‘to help our clients, our staff and our community grow and prosper'. The company values had been clarified several years earlier.
The Staff Retreats introduced participants to a number of exercises and tools. The underlying theme of all retreats has been to build self-esteem and confidence, develop strategies for being personally resilient and to acknowledge the strengths each person has. Participants have also had the opportunity to assess their personal values and their ‘WHY’ and how these are aligned with the organization. The intention is to introduce Lumina Learning as a next step.
Work with the Management Team continued throughout this same time frame with the team completing the Strengths Based Leadership Evaluation. As the company grows and expands into new areas, the team is using their results to determine who is best suited to the new requirements of the emerging projects.
The CEO of GSI ( www.greenfield-services.ca) is a true visionary and leader. She has always held the quality of work place culture as an essential ingredient for success of her company. The results of The Professional and Personal Institute are evaluated regularly through Employee Engagement Surveys and Dialogue Cafes with the staff. The morale, dedication and productivity of her staff has however, noticeably improved.
Betty Healey is known as the roadSIGNS Coach, coaching people and teams back to life! An award winning author of three books; roadSIGNS: Travel Tips for Authentic Living, roadSIGNS 2: Travel Tips to Higher Ground, and ME FIRST - If I Should Wake Before I die. Betty has been sharing her learning with readers as an e-letter for the past eight years. Her latest book, ME FIRST, is now available at www.roadSIGNS.ca. Betty is also the creator of TEAM FIRST and Leading from Your Center, two programs designed to keep your employees engaged.
