When you observe those around you, what do you see? Do you see potential or flaws? Do you see strengths or weaknesses? From an organizational standpoint, each employee in an organization has, (or had at one time) a strength or some redeeming quality that caused him/her to be hired in the first place. Unfortunately, over time employers discover employees weaknesses and spend valuable time and resources attempting to "fix the problem."
While some weaknesses cannot be overlooked, a far more effective strategy is to focus on an employee's strengths. What are the employee's unique talents or skills and how can those talents or skills be used to help advance the organization? In the book, "First Break All The Rules" authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman suggest, "One of the signs of a great manager is the ability to describe, in detail the unique talents of each of his or her people - what drives each one, how each one thinks, how each builds relationships."
Parents, teachers, administrators and other leaders - when it comes time to decide where to dedicate your time and resources, take a minute to focus on the strengths of those around you. As I used to say when I was coaching, "put people in a position to be successful."
