In the dynamic and competitive world of talent, the key to success lies not only in identifying and cultivating leaders but also in harnessing the unique talents of individual team members. This blog post explores the critical role of individual strengths in building engaged and high-performing teams.
Sustaining Your Team Is Important
To achieve sustained growth and minimize turnover, it is essential to invest in both leaders and employees. According to Talent Plus President Makenzie Rath, a healthy turnover rate ranges from 5-15%, depending on the sector. However, the focus should not only be on preventing turnover but on forming talented teams that thrive under capable leadership. To do that, you have to spend time with each member and understand how their talents work together.
Retain Team Members with Talented Leaders
Building a great team requires a deep understanding of leaders and their individual strengths. Pairing a talented team with an equally talented leader is crucial — resulting in 36% higher engagement and a team that is 20% less likely to quit.
Empowering leaders to lead each team member individually and coaching them on team dynamics are necessary steps. Transparency, vulnerability and open communication foster trust within the team, creating a foundation for cohesive growth. And talented individuals seek to work with other high performers, leading to increased team engagement and overall fulfillment.
Discover Individual Strengths
To intentionally cultivate a positive work culture, leaders must know and understand their team members well. Talent assessments play a crucial role in this process, providing insights into the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of employees. Understanding these strengths allows leaders to maximize individual successes and contributions to the organization.
Coach to Individual Strengths
Once you know your team members’ individual strengths, you can coach and develop them over time. This includes one-on-one conversations, listening mindfully, affirming their talents, recognizing their victories, and being interested in who and what they care about.
Effective coaching involves understanding each team member’s unique talents and coaching them toward roles that align with their strengths. Talented employees in roles that leverage their strengths and are guided by capable managers experience only a 6% turnover rate, emphasizing the importance of investing in individual development.
Engage Your Team with Career Investment Discussions (CIDs)
A Career Investment Discussions (CID) is a conversation between a team member and manager about the team member’s job aspirations and long-term career goals. It is NOT about what the manager wants. CIDs align individual goals with the vision of the team and organization.
Managers should foster a collaborative approach by asking what team members want from their jobs and what they (the manager) can do to set them up for success. Doing this shows team members they have the power to shape their own work experiences. Follow up by helping each team member select a goal, create a measurable outcome and identify the key steps to reach that goal.
Identify and Develop Your Ideal Team
The journey to exceptional team performance begins with recognizing and investing in individual strengths. By empowering leaders, understanding team dynamics and fostering a culture of continuous development, organizations can create engaged teams that drive success.
