If I could guarantee it only takes a few minutes of your time and it would motivate and engage your people, would you do it?
In one of my team-building workshops, I have everyone write down two things (a skill, competency, natural talent) they see as personal strengths they believe that they bring to the team. Then we go around the room and each team member shares what he or she appreciates about that person. The results are consistent. More than half the time people say they were surprised with what they heard. Time after time I hear something like: “But I didn’t think that was important; it comes naturally for me.” A common belief is that if something is easy for me, it must not be very valuable. We value things that are difficult. The truth is that frequently the greatest gift that people bring to the team comes very easily to them (but not to others), so they overlook it.
Remember that half of all people will be pleasantly surprised by what they hear. One of the most valuable and motivating things a boss can do is to help people understand the skills and natural talents that are valued by you and the rest of the team. Then (maybe at a later time) you can have a productive discussion on how to leverage this talent to achieve even more success.
Try it. It only takes a few minutes.
Leave a Reply