Rethinking Development

Imagine a workplace where you could do what you do best everyday! Really? How would it make you feel? Energised, satisfied, calm. Why not? As leaders in our organisations, isn’t it time we adopted a new paradigm, one where we get the very best out of our primary asset – our people!

Vast psychological research and theory tells us that people are happiest when they play to their strengths. So why not leverage them? We are all unique – some of us thrive in chaos and uncertainty, some of us prefer to work alone with minimal interaction with others, some of us delight in innovation and generating ideas. And all of these are just great – IF we are in the right role that plays to our strengths. When we are it feels like all the stars are in alignment, we are more satisfied with work and life, and more likely to live free from stress.

So when you sit down to performance reviews this period, take pause. Do we really need a check box system where we must be a ‘5’ at everything? This is just not realistic and we often spend too much effort and energy trying to shift our natural behavioural preferences. Of course there are always some ways of operating, especially in leadership roles, that can sabotage us – derailers if you will. These are personally and professionally destructive. But not all behaviours are. How would you feel receiving a list of development areas to be fixed? Motivated . . . NO!

So this performance period, what will you focus on instead? What strengths do you really want repeated and leveraged in your team? Need insight into your leadership effectiveness? Talk to us about our development report options, individualised coaching or our specialised accelerated development program – Leading Women Coaching Series.

WIN Career Competition

If you want to learn more about your work preferences and career choices, Taylor Phillips is giving you the chance to win an online career assessment. Simply head over to our Facebook page, like us, then tell us what energises you at work. Good Luck!