The Power of Strengths-Based Feedback

Ask yourself,

  • Why do some people flourish despite difficult circumstances?

  • How do some employees avoid burnout symptoms?

  • Why do some employees show a high level of work engagement?

  • What are the characteristics of resilient and flourishing individuals, and what can we learn from them?

  • How can we use this knowledge to design programs that help people become resilient so that they are capable of bouncing back when the going gets tough?

Let's abandon a "weakness focus."

Focusing on what is wrong with an individual is called a weakness focus, as we place direct attention on negative aspects of the individual. In the context of work and performance, a weakness focus means that we are primarily concerned with behavior that is causing suboptimal or low performance.

For example, during a performance evaluation, the employer is only focused on why an employee is not reaching his sales targets, or why he is not able to communicate well with customers. According to Clifton and Nelson (1996), fixing or correcting weakness will not result in an optimally functioning person or organization. In their view, fixing weakness will at best help the individual or organization to become normal or average. 

Normal or Average is not the goal.

By focusing on identifying and developing strengths, rather than focusing on weaknesses, we fully engage and enhance the core abilities of people.

In fact, organizational psychologist Dr. Marcial Losada performed some very interesting research and discovered that in high performing teams the ratio of positive and negative feedback was around 6 to 1. 

Without a doubt, feedback is a critical element of best-practice performance management. Like Ken Blanchard said, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.”

Seeing ourselves through another’s objective lens usually gives us a far better view of our true behaviors and strengths, those same behaviors and strengths we will need to display and communicate to realize a successful career. - Michael R. Frazier, Mindfulness, Mindset Moxie and Mojo

The Power of Strengths Based Feedback

Most leaders/managers tend to take their employees’ good performance or strengths for granted or praise it only in the context of constructive, or corrective feedback -- focusing on weaknesses that must be improved rather than the strengths that can be honed. 

Here are a few reasons why many managers don’t offer strengths based (or positive) feedback:

  • They simply don't know how to, aren’t use to it, or don’t do it at all because they didn’t receive much praise or focus on their own strengths as they climbed the ladder.

  • They think that their employees’ performance would suffer if they tell them that they’re doing a good job. "Keeps 'em on their toes!"

  • They don’t believe in commending good work or highlighting strengths. "They’re just doing what they're paid to do."

  • They believe only corrective feedback can help employees improve or grow in their roles.

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Here are some groovy numbers:

A Gallup survey found that 67% of employees whose managers focused on their strengths were fully engaged in their work, as compared to only 31% of employees whose managers focused mainly on their weaknesses.

In one study of 65,672 employees, Gallup found that those who received strengths feedback had turnover rates that were 14.9% lower than for employees who received no feedback (controlling for job type and tenure). 

A Gallup study of 530 work units with productivity data found that teams with managers who received strengths feedback showed 12.5% greater productivity post-intervention than teams with managers who received no feedback. 

In a study of 469 business units ranging from retail stores to large manufacturing facilities, Gallup found that units with managers who received strengths feedback showed 8.9% greater profitability post-intervention relative to units in which the manager received no feedback.

Being that less than one-third of Americans are engaged in their jobs in any given year, it makes perfect sense to encourage workers to become more involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work and workplace. It's time to get strengths-based in our approach.


Michael R. Frazier is the author of Mindfulness, Mindset, Moxie, and Mojo , creator/ founder of Work + Brain, Peak Employment Solutions LLC., Successorized, Inc., Tee It Up For Kids, and The 4M's.

Resources:

Strengths, Leadership, Core SkillsX-Factor Leadership