How millennial guru can help you strengthen your team
You hired great people.
You expect great results.
You’re not getting them. What gives?
If you’ve ever contemplated this dilemma and wondered how to get the most of the awesome team you’ve assembled, I’ve got great news for you: This. Is. Possible!
I believe there are three key ingredients to helping your team maximize their efforts:
Identifying and tapping into their natural talents and strengths.
Clear communication with the members of your team, based on their CliftonStrengths.
Setting proper expectations.
When these 3 things are in place, employees tend to be happier at work, more productive, and work together with more synergy, helping them produce the results you want.
KNOWING THEIR STRENGTHS
The CliftonStrengths assessment helps employees understand not only WHAT they’re good at but WHY they’re good at it. When they recognize their individual strengths, they can help others overcome misconceptions about those strengths, appreciate other’s strengths, and create partnerships based on those strengths.
For example, an employee who has Restorative as a CliftonStrength loves to solve problems. If you ask her to help launch a new product, she’ll excel at examining bugs and potential glitches, and using her creative problem-solving skills to fix those issues before launch.
By contrast, if an employee has Maximizer as a CliftonStrength, he wants to roll out the new product, capitalize on the opportunities it presents, and help make it even better as he goes. Asking him to fix the problems before launch is a buzz kill that will dim his enthusiasm faster than you can blink.
These two employees, with very different CliftonStrengths, would make a great team! (Their differences could also cause conflict. Read my post about handling that possibility, here.) The Restorative employee can tackle pre-launch issues, and will be great at helping with issues that arise after the launch, too. The Maximizer employee will take the reigns to launch the product with excitement and enthusiasm.
COMMUNICATION, WITH RESPECT TO STRENGTHS
As you think about your employees’ strengths, can you see how communications are critical? It’s important to recognize that people communicate, and receive communications, differently based on their talents.
If your employee is a Maximizer, using language that encourages him to make something better will get him excited to do their best. But if you repeatedly ask that same employee to focus on fixing problems, you’ll eventually end up with an employee problem on your hands!
When Millennial Guru facilitates a team-strengthening workshop, we take a hard look at how you’re currently communicating with your team. Then, after analyzing your team’s skill set, we help you devise a tailored communication plan.
EXPECTATIONS: HOW TO GET THE BEST OF ME
One of my clients used to work for a company who had managers conduct “Expectations Meetings” with their direct reports each year. During the meeting, both parties outlined what they expected from one another, so there were no surprises about what was expected. Brilliant!
What’s even better? Setting expectations with respect to your employees’ CliftonStrengths. When we recognize what our employees are good at, what drives them, and what gives them energy, we can capitalize on those skills by outlining straightforward and understandable expectations to tap those strengths.
One way to kick start this process is by using Millennial Guru’s “Best of Me” analysis, which we use during workshops to help employees articulate:
Work situations that invigorate them, energize them, and make them feel productive. (We call this, “You get the best of me when…”)
Work situations that suck the life out of them, frustrate them, or make them anxious. (We call this, “You get the worst of me when…”)
Ways you can appreciate and support them at work. (We call this, “This is what I need from you…”)
Sticking with the employee who has Maximizer as a top CliftonStrength, here’s an example of what his Best of Me worksheet might look like:
YOU GET THE BEST OF ME WHEN…
You allow me to focus on what works and deliver high-quality excellent products. I love taking things from “good to great!”
YOU GET THE WORST FROM ME WHEN…
You’re focused on what’s broken instead of how we can make things exceptional. I don’t want to deliver “good enough,” I want to pursue excellence.
THIS IS WHAT I NEED FROM YOU…
Allow me to use my strengths to help our organization shine. I love to implement best practices. Value my strengths and put them to use –focus on my weaknesses is a waste of time.
GREAT RESULTS FOR YOUR TEAM
Millennial Guru specializes in helping teams discover and capitalize on their strengths.
Contact us today to schedule an informational meeting and learn more about how Millennial Guru can help you transform your team, boost productivity, and reach for excellence.