Building an awareness of your employees’ natural strengths can help you effectively teach and manage them. A study by Gallup showed that people who leverage their strengths every day are three times more likely to report having an excellent quality of life and six times more likely to feel engaged at work. Taking advantage of your strengths also makes you 8% more productive and 15% less likely to leave your jobs.
Teaching employees about their strengths and helping them utilize their strengths more often can help improve your team's effectiveness and happiness in the long run.
Strong, assertive personalities
Confident, assertive personalities, like DISC D-types, tend to be natural leaders. They are usually able to stay calm under pressure and accomplish goals with confidence. Their strengths tend to lie in their ability to make firm decisions, effectively lead groups of people, and comfortably take on responsibility. Unlike many people, confident, assertive personalities are usually comfortable facing necessary conflict﹣a gift that they can use to benefit others.
Typical strengths of confident, assertive personalities include...
- Committing to decisions quickly
- Having a high tolerance for risk and bold decisions
- Comfortably assuming responsibility and ownership over results
- Persistently pursuing important goals
Confident, assertive personalities’ strengths can have a significant impact on the people around them. They can bring about meaningful change, help others work toward personal goals, and push people to be better versions of themselves.
While their strengths come naturally, certain work habits may prevent confident, assertive types from utilizing their full abilities.
You can help confident and assertive personalities utilize their strengths by...
- Allowing them to be upfront about their thoughts and intentions
- Granting them responsibility and ownership over results
- Being upfront and direct with them when offering feedback
- Providing them with opportunities that contribute to their larger goals
Enthusiastic, optimistic personalities
Enthusiastic, optimistic personalities, like DISC I-types, tend to be comfortable with risk and communicating openly. They tend to enjoy pursuing new ideas and trusting their gut when making decisions. Their strengths tend to lie in thinking outside the box, building personal connections with a diverse group of people, and motivating others toward a goal. Enthusiastic, optimistic personalities can inspire others to be more creative and open-minded, helping the people around them move toward growth.
Typical strengths of enthusiastic, optimistic personalities include...
- Presenting the big picture
- Rallying support for creative ideas
- Thinking of innovative ideas
- Being quick to spot new opportunities for advancement
Enthusiastic, optimistic personalities can motivate groups of people. Their natural strengths can make a difference in the lives of their friends, family, and coworkers. They are talented entertainers who can make quick connections with others and help them consider new possibilities.
While their strengths come naturally, certain work habits may prevent enthusiastic, optimistic types from utilizing their full abilities.
You can help enthusiastic, optimistic personalities utilize their strengths by...
- Inviting and listening to their creative ideas
- Giving them plenty of opportunities to branch out and try something new
- Allowing for flexibility within their schedule, where possible
- Offering social times for them to connect with others on the team
Attentive, patient personalities
Attentive, patient personalities, like DISC S-types, tend to be naturally people-oriented and thoughtful. They tend to prefer following set plans and investing in relationships over time. Their strengths tend to lie in their ability to build strong, lasting connections with other people, provide a stabilizing presence in challenging situations, and use low-risk or proven solutions to accomplish tasks.
Typical strengths of attentive, patient personalities include...
- Listening considerately to others
- Providing a stabilizing presence during challenging situations
- Considering the impact on people when making changes
- Offering support and guidance, when needed
Attentive, patient personalities have warm, welcoming spirits that can help others feel at ease. Their strengths help them build personal connections and relationships with people around them while creating an atmosphere of peace and calmness.
While their strengths come naturally, certain work habits may prevent attentive, patient types from utilizing their full abilities.
You can help attentive, patient personalities utilize their strengths by...
- Asking for their insights, especially when a decision may impact other people
- Providing them with the same predictability and loyalty that they give the team
- Giving them opportunities to connect with team members on a deeper level
- Encouraging them to be more open in sharing their unique, empathetic perspective
Detailed, thorough personalities
Detailed, thorough personalities, like DISC C-types, tend to be very organized, logical problem-solvers. They usually prefer to communicate infrequently, often opting to send updates in writing. Their strengths often lie in their ability to remain realistic, carefully consider the details of a decision, and identify specific issues or errors. Detailed, thorough personalities can spot critical issues, even small, detailed mistakes, which can help prevent problems from growing into something bigger.
Typical strengths of detailed, thorough personalities include...
- Maintaining focus on the problem at hand
- Identifying practical ways to help others improve
- Being straightforward, objective, and grounded in reality
- Effectively gathering information
Detailed, thorough personalities are trustworthy, honest people who are skilled at resolving problems. They can show consistency and caution in challenging situations. They are careful to think through their decisions, which is likely to help prevent significant errors.
While their strengths come naturally, certain work habits may prevent detailed, thorough types from utilizing their full abilities.
You can help detailed, thorough personalities utilize their strengths by...
- Asking for their perspective on the team’s current processes
- Allowing them to work independently
- Using facts and logical arguments to motivate them
- Precisely defining expectations and measuring performance objectively
Make the most of your team
By allowing and encouraging everyone on your team to work in a way that feels natural and makes the most of their skills, you’ll ensure that they’re happier and more fulfilled at work.
To learn more about your team’s personalities, get started with Crystal today.
Sources:
Employees Who Use Their Strengths Outperform Those Who Don't.
