How to build on your team’s natural strengths and empower personal growth
Ensuring each person in your team can succeed in their goals is essential. At least it is to me, and the people I surround myself with. As explained in my latest article on company culture, investing time in the diversity of personalities on your team is key to stay in motion. So who are they as individuals? What drives them? And what kind of activities ab-so-lut-ely drain your team members? I’d love to share some of the things I’ve learned.
The joy of choosing a role that suits you
Within our startup studio Builders, we find it of utmost importance to stimulate people’s positive energy and to monitor the motivation this results in. People get stuck or go into deadlock when they work on tasks that drain energy: they start to avoid these tasks, procrastinate or end up unhappy or unfocused. They go home tired. They begin to get burnt up.
As I got to know myself better, I realised these draining tasks exist for me, too. The simple fact is this: there’s no joy in trying to be a jack-of-all-trades, or a homo universalis when some tasks leave you tired. I’m sure you’ve read this in job vacancies, but the truth is that no person should try to do best at all the roles. By nature or by trait, you excel at certain skills. The world exists of strategisers, organisers, creatives, analysts — you name it. I’d happily set out implementing structures in new ventures, but if you’d employ me to write ebooks daily, I’d quickly slump behind my desk, too.
I realised understanding my strengths and weaknesses, helped me manage the ventures I run. Showing my partners who I am and what empowers me, instead of handing out tasks at random. How could we better divide up the management? By having employees take responsibility for their micro tasks and present their expertise and non-matching tasks to me, I could shift my focus to filling in the blanks.
A personality test for great teamwork
Reaching out to my network, I found Fortify, an excellent match in starting to develop our custom personality test. I wanted to know who people were, firstly, to strengthen our way of working together. Secondly, I thought it would be a great way to push people to think about their own path of development and where they were headed. Instead of making choices for them as a manager, I’d rather my team know enough about their goals and desires to choose their own developments. What are their goals? How would they describe them?
Our personality and performance test is based on more than only questions, to see whether the answers our team filled in are in line with what can be found online. We use a LinkedIn scan, Google Search, and tools such as Google Data. It shows what kind of person they are in the workplace, which tasks empower them, and which thought processes leave them drained. It also indicates strengths and weaknesses. Mind you, the results of this test aren’t leading for us — rather, they present us with a source of conversation. We look at certain patterns together with our colleagues and talk about these behaviours. Do they really speak informally with colleagues, like they specified in the test, or is that a preference they’ve never expressed in the office?
What kind of person are you, by nature?
How do you bring the best out of a person? There are tactics to go about this. By telling marketing trainees to create a brand book without telling them how, for example, as their natural preferences will become visible quick enough. One person might start doing research and examine other books, while someone who is more visually oriented might ask for the InDesign license first, and start with the design. And analytical people probably first make a list of their todos.
In this way, these trainees already showcased what empowers them to start an assignment, naturally. So how do we ‘manage’ task empowerment? Along with the personality test, we sometimes see that this employee may not necessarily be bad at a task, but that certain activities cost them an awful lot of energy. These are then better outsourced to others. I want my team to shine in the qualities they are naturally great at. That’s why the next step is to create a personal ambition-driven plan, in line with the company goals.
Upgrading the workflow with a complementary match
With the personal plans of our employees drawn up, we are always on the lookout for teammates who will then form a complete ‘profile’ together. Within teams, some goals have to be achieved. Whether it’s writing a text or executing administrative tasks, you’re always dealing with a cycle. Everything has to become a loop, and all those cogwheels together make sure that something keeps growing. This is why complementary teams can make big waves.
When creating a new team based on the personality and performance test results, at Builders, we always start with the one person who embodies the venture we’re going to build. This profile type will show us certain things that need to be optimised. What does that person benefit from to be able to work better or faster? Would that person be inspired by a profile that has more knowledge about certain expertise? We look for low energy in a profile, then complement it with a matching profile. Increasing the skills of the duo and upgrading the workflow — a great start to any venture.
Personal development is a choice
I’d say people’s development is their own choice — but it’s part of my responsibility to show them the way, as a manager. Hopefully, people will be able to do things that they find extremely enjoyable. There’s always something you don’t like as much, but that shouldn’t take over your work life.
With the personality test results as an insight into someone’s energy highs and energy lows, weaknesses, and strengths we can create supportive teams in which people can help each other, outsource tasks and focus on their natural preferences. We make sure we chat about their desires and goals and push them to develop their own path. Setting the cogwheels in motion, collaborating on the company goals together.
We’re focusing on positive growth. Growth lies more in working together and helping with assignments that others do not enjoy, than in individuals doing month-long courses trying to learn a skill that doesn’t suit them. That’s empowering management.
