Organizations are increasingly distancing themselves from the view that the people working for them all think alike and are motivated by the same things. Organizations that leverage their employees’ strengths experience greater success when compared to those that focus solely on training to address employees’ shortcomings or that implement a one-size-fits-all approach to employee development. Here is why: The provision of corporate training with the intention of bolstering strengths as opposed to eliminating weaknesses takes into account that

1. The provision of training with the intention of bolstering strengths as opposed to eliminating weaknesses takes into account that people are different in their abilities, interests, and motivations.

2. This strategy acknowledges that traditional hiring practices typically focused, erroneously, on so-called well-rounded candidates, instead of candidates who show massive potential in certain areas that are possibly complementary to the strengths of existing employees as well as the business’ own goals, values, and strategies.

What happens when employees’ strengths determine their training (and role in the business)?

According to a study by Gallup covered by the Harvard Business Review in 2016, people who use their strengths more often than skills they are not as confident in, report feeling happy and well-rested with overall improved life- and work satisfaction, and were found to be almost six times more productive than their counterparts. The research attempted to understand the effects of strength-related employee interventions (such as strengths-based developmental coaching) on workgroup performance. The following are the most impressive results obtained by 90% of the workgroups who received strength-based interventions:

22-59% decrease in safety incidents;

14-29% increase in profit;

10-19% increase in sales;

9-15% increase in employee engagement.

Above and beyond the direct benefits experienced by businesses implementing strength-focused employee interventions, affected business teams generally experience greater cohesion through complimenting each other’s strengths, employees feel valued and like their contributions matter in the greater scheme of things, and this, in turn, contributes to a healthy work environment and employee loyalty.

Not convinced by the research? Test it out for yourself and visit the Coggno website for thousands of training modules that cater to differing interests and levels of competency. Our Training University even allows your business to select and purchase the online training courses appropriate to your employees’ individual needs, as and when you need them!