Strengths-based training allows professionals to shine

‘Play to your strengths’ they say, it’s an adage as old as time - strengths based training is a strategy that offers an antidote to the deficit approach. A SWOT analysis would even out that with lifting our weaknesses but for many professionals enhancing their natural talents makes sense.

What are strengths?

Scott Christie, Head of Training, and Integration at Strengthscope, recently spoke at the CIPD’s Festival of Work and says they are the ‘underlying qualities that energise us’, adding they are most naturally what ‘we are great at or have the potential to be great at.’ He notes that it’s as ‘simple as that.’ It’s a ‘does what it says on the tin’ moment.

Strengths may pivot along a carousel of anything from: compassion, relationship building, critical thinking, efficiency, emotional control, enthusiasm, initiative, courage, collaboration, and optimism to name but a few. Indeed, it’s fair to recognise that we also may harbour some individual strengths that have not as yet been realised.

‘Shouting out and loud’

It’s a character trait of many a British professional to underplay their key talents, while bemoaning the host of lesser praised fault lines. Christie says, “From birth, we are wading through a sea of negativity. Straight out of the womb, we are surrounded by guidance and diktats on how we should and shouldn’t behave, based on others’ strongly held beliefs about what is wrong and what is right.” It’s a truism particularly within British culture where we are often raised to hide our talents rather than showcase them.

He adds, “Strengths-based learning and development is an opportunity to reset the balance away from deficits and weaknesses and towards stretching areas that naturally bring you energy, confidence, and enjoyment. It can take you from mediocre or ‘okay’ into areas where you’re pretty much untouchable.” It sounds like a place many a professional would like to be.

Talking at the conference, Christie highlighted IBM research which shows that 40% of the workforce will need to reskill as a result of implementing AI and automation over the next three years. For businesses this means they need to work out what the skills of the future are going to be.