Harnessing the strength of your most efficient employees
THE STRENGTH OF CONSISTENCY
Once, when I was coaching a client who had the CliftonStrength of Consistency in her top 5, we were talking about patterns in her life. I asked her whether she tended to order the same thing in a restaurant every time she visited. “How do you know that about me?” she exclaimed.
I didn’t know for sure, of course, but I had a strong hunch because people with Consistency for a strength derive energy from things like balance, fairness, and equality. They also don’t like change—thus, they tend to stick with the entrée they know and love.
WHAT CONSISTENCY LOOKS LIKE AT WORK
Professionally, they also tend to prefer to do things the same way, every time. They like guidelines, structure, and pragmatism. People with Consistency for a strength want to follow policy (embrace it, even) and are compliant, efficient workers. Want to freak them out? Change something. They will particularly struggle if they see the change as whimsical or without clear purpose.
When change is essential, be sure these employees understand why it’s necessary and why it’s an improvement. Give them parameters and explain how things will work going forward. Order, direction, and understanding will help them adjust and eventually embrace the new system.
These team members also are incredibly attached to the idea of fairness. No bending of the rules or exceptions for them—they want everyone to be treated the same.
GREAT PARTNERSHIPS
Because people who have Consistency as a strength like structure and equality, they can be misperceived as a person who squashes creativity or prefers rules over results.
A contrasting strength is Individualization—people with this strength see each person for their unique qualities and prefer a customized approach.
While these two strengths seem at odds—and could be, if they don’t recognize what each brings to the table—they can also be great partners.
Here’s an example of how this might work in practice:
A team member with Consistency likes to create structure around equality and wants to have generalized rules and processes—no chaos. This strength is great for creating standard operating procedures and streamlining interactions with clients. How can you capitalize on this skill, while best serving each client?
When you pair someone with Consistency with someone who has Individualization for a strength, the latter can use those generalized rules and processes with clients but keep their unique needs in mind and suggest accommodations when appropriate. A little bit of customization can go a long way—and the person with Consistency is happy that there’s general protocol that’s followed except in very specific and warranted situations.
GETTING THE GET THE MOST OUT OF EMPLOYEES WITH CONSISTENCY FOR A STRENGTH
Task him with creating a customized, written protocol for dealing with specific client situations.
Ask her to create training manuals or standard operating procedures for use by your team.
Have her serve on your company’s compliance committee.
Ask her to provide suggestions about where standardization could boost productivity or profits.
Include him on projects where tasks are accomplished and decisions are made, rather than lofty “idea-type” meetings.
HOW MILLENNIAL GURU CAN HELP YOU MAXIMIZE YOUR TEAM’S STRENGTHS
At Millennial Guru, we love to empower clients to harness their employee’s strengths. Schedule an informational meeting today to learn more about how we can help you transform and motivate your team to deliver excellent results.