With the CIPD’s latest research finding that only 20% of HR professionals believe performance management has a positive effect on results and 21% believing it doesn’t, common performance management methodologies are clearly broken.

This is a critical problem for the economy, the government and the taxpayer, because we all rely on effective business performance.

The most common reason these systems go awry is that a skewed focus on collecting faulty data leads to systems and approaches that oppose the agile, responsible, learning cultures they are supposed to be driving.

These systems have managers being led down the garden path of paperwork, completing review documentation once or twice a year – leaving a wake of unimpressed employees in their trail.

But there is hope. With Google’s People Operations reinventing the way in which data is used to make people decisions – from retention algorithms to results-focused workplace design – faulty performance data may hopefully soon be something from the past.

Being led by the data, we know that past performance isn’t always a good indicator of future performance, and also that the quality and warmth of the supervisor is more predictive of results than the attributes and experience of the employee.

Future performance is dependent on manager ability to provide clear expectations, focus on strengths development and provide quality fortnightly feedback.

For performance management to be fit for the future – motivating Generations Y and Z to rise up the ranks – managers need to re-engage with their role as team performance coach and start:

-        Collecting the right data (sales, customer satisfaction, quality) to track outcomes – you can’t easily argue with objective evidence

-        Taking responsibility for building trusting, supportive relationships and providing direction and feedback

-        Giving employees responsibility for driving their own performance and collecting ongoing performance evidence

-        Using technology to track feedback and evidence all year round, not waiting for ‘the review’

-        Enabling employees to use their strengths every day to reach their objectives and overcome performance challenges.

Over our next blogs, we will be talking more about our vision for performance management and how managers hold the key to unlocking strengths in their teams.

We hope you will join in the conversation!

Share and Enjoy

In her latest blog below, Avirupa shares with us her experiences of teaching strengths approaches to future managers, and contrasts this with her further work in developing strengths in underprivileged communities, through the Action Aid-sponsored workshops that she has been delivering in the remote Bankuria and Purulia districts of West Bengal…

“March is quite pleasant this year, the mercury hasn’t been cruel. Spring is in the air, and I feel fortunate to wake up every morning to a cuckoo’s call living in a city. By now I’ve settled down to the changes and have begun to enjoy my new life. However, I wanted to push my role as a strengths practitioner further.

With that positive note I sought counsel from Alex. We spoke after quite a long time, for over an hour, during which a number of significant pointers came up. That conversation helped me immensely to set my direction ahead with clarity and constructive plans. We decided to pursue the options available to generate work, however small, for Shiriti group.

But alongside I wanted to integrate my other assignments to strengths. I teach Human Resource Management in a college, as a part time lecturer. My students are young graduates studying to be future managers. I go to class the next week armed with “The Strengths Book”. We were to cover chapters on motivation and leadership. As I speak on different theories of leadership and motivation, I notice the usual loss of interest.

This time though I start speaking about the strengths theory. I explain how each one of us is in possession of unique strengths, which if realized and applied intelligently can unlock latenpotential. It piques their interest and they start asking questions, like if this is just a theory or is it functional. I talk about Capp, Aviva, Ernst & Young and show them The Strengths Book. I read excerpts and stories of some of the most common strength they can relate to. It always works.

After class I gave them the assignment to think about their own strengths and at least one perceptible strength of their best friend. After class 3 to 4 students came up to ask where they can find the book. I advised them to use the internet.

Next week more good news followed. The Action Aid supported workshops in marginalized communities have started again, and they once again invited me to take a workshop in Bankura district of West Bengal. I gladly agreed. By now the weather has worsened. Bankura and Purulia are the hottest districts of Bengal. The day we board the train it’s sultry and uncomfortably hot. I was worried whether the participants will attend the workshop braving the heat.

We reached Chhatna around noon and from there it took 20 min on a motorbike to reach the venue, which is a Govt. sponsored primary school. As I was getting down, I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by the delegates, many of whom I realized had participated in my previous workshop in Baghmundi. They seemed happy to see me again!

The first class was on rights. Surprisingly the group showed their awareness of rights quite well. It definitely proves the success of this project, and I feel proud to have contributed to it. I began my session by asking those who had attended the previous workshop to identify themselves. There were quite a few members, I then asked them to relate to the others what they felt were the take aways of that seminar.

I was amazed to find a lot of the women articulating about positive attributes about themselves, albeit mostly related to their performance as a homemaker. Then I asked what strengths have they used this time, if at all. The group answered that since for most of them cooking is a great strength area, they told the organizers not to hire a professional cook, instead they themselves took the collective initiative to cook for all 50 of us. It was wonderful!! I cheered!! Lunch indeed was delicious!!

However, I observered that although they are conscious of their rights, they lack confidence to talk about it, let alone exercise them. So I decided to design this workshop around one of strength area, i.e., Spotlight. In my experience, theatre is a wonderful medium that brings alive people’s strength.

So this time again I let the pilot group do most of the briefing about strengths back to the 1^st timers. Then like before I divided the group into 5 teams, to compete about the best approach to solve a crucial topical problem, boring deep tubewells for water.

Bankura and Purulia are worst hit during summer as rain-fed rivers dry up and ground water supply drops drastically. The only relief is boring deep tube wells by the Govt. agencies. But the contractors often dupe villagers by setting up tube wells without adequate depth, so that water is not available.

We try to find a way through role play where I pose as Govt. officer, a colleague as contractor etc. The participants come in groups and try to use their collective strengths in order to force the officer to inspect the faulty tube well, and thereafter sanction another. The members of pilot group are distributed evenly among the teams. The teams come one after another and try to overcome the intimidation and poor self-esteem to fulfill their target in 15 mins.

The performance as expected was much better this time thanks to the pilot group, who acted as catalyst, and energized the teams. I felt it is easier for people coming from marginalized communities to open up to the idea of strength if it came from one of their own. I resolved then and there to develop as many pilot groups as possible to take the torch of strength based living ahead.”

Share and Enjoy

Exciting times at Capp – we’ve changed our company name!

We’re sure you’ll agree that ‘Centre of Applied Positive Psychology Ltd’ is a bit of a mouthful, and while it speaks well of our heritage, it doesn’t accurately portray who we are now and where we’re going.

So we’ve changed our name to a much simpler ‘Capp & Co Ltd’. We will continue to use our trading name of ‘Capp’, as we have done since we began back in 2005.

Be assured, The Capp Blog will continue to function as normal, so you don’t need to do anything - but you might notice some small changes as we roll out our new name over the next few weeks.

Share and Enjoy

In this final blog for our dedicated Realise2 Blog Month throughout April, I turn my attention to strengths overplayed…

Using our strengths enables us to enjoy endless benefits such as increasing our performance, goal achievement, happiness and confidence – and the list goes on. Be honest though: have you ever overplayed one of your strengths?

I am sure it was with good intentions, but sometimes, we may find ourselves not knowing when to dial back on our view, ethical conduct, or the quest for something new.

Some of our strengths may stem from our background; it may be hard to even contemplate taking a step back as we feel we may dishonour who we are or those whom we have role-modelled. However, I know that you know it doesn’t always serve you well!

If we don’t take our foot off the automatic pedal sometimes, we may find our strengths lose their energy. Let me overplay my Narrator strength and give you some examples, based on the Realise2 families:-

Relating – My extensive experience with Realise2 tells me that we are often caught out here.  The words: “But I love reaching out and connecting with people” echo in my ear. Working with people all day can be exhausting and time out may not be easy, especially if you have a family too.

Why not try using your relating strengths in parallel with other strengths? So, for example, think about the power of Esteem Builder and Creativity, or Empathic Connection with Resolver. This will help you move people towards their goals rather than simply ‘relate’.

Being – Ummm, how can you overplay the strengths that define how you like to be? Think about what it might look like when your Moral Compass is guided so strongly; that your way is the only way, or when your Humility leaves no room to showcase your own worth?

My other favourite is Unconditionality. Everyone wants to obtain advice from someone who doesn’t judge them and their queue of supporters can extend long into the evening!

Motivating – All action and no motive? What are you driving, changing and growing towards, and whom are you going to inspire?

Make sure you are clear about your purpose before turning up the volume dial on your motivating strengths, as they will be focused towards something meaningful and the energy will be sustainable.

Communicating – It is so crucial to be able to communicate effectively with others, but often we get stuck using one style. This then becomes a little tiresome for you and others on the receiving end.

Have you had one too many emails from the Scribe, too many stories from the Narrator, or been a tad bored of the opinions of that person blessed with Counterpoint? Try to find a variety of ways of communicating so you can connect with others’ preferences.

Thinking – If you have organising strengths – for example, Planful, Order, Detail - then I am sure you deliver your work with enviable Excel spreadsheets, and on time.

It is worth just checking though whether occasionally the 80/20 rule or even 90/10 rule will suffice.

Overusing these strengths can lead you to be stifled in your career as you are too focused on the smaller things.

Above all, think of your strengths like an orchestra, rather than a soloist.

On their own they certainly deliver; but using them together creates a beautiful harmony of movement that varies in pitch and performance, allowing both the conductor and audience a more fruitful and engaging experience.

Share and Enjoy

I posted a recent blog saying that unrealised strengths were like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I am feeling a little like that about the arrival of Spring in the UK this week – it is simply gold!

For those that haven’t taken Realise2 yet, and who don’t know your unrealised strengths, think about what strengths have served you well in the past but are a little dusty now. Or identify the areas for which you have energy in growing and developing.

As the name suggests, we are not currently using these strengths – that’s what makes them unrealised – so they may be a little harder to uncover. As such, ask others where they have seen you perform well before, or keep a diary of the things you would love to do. All of these provide clues for where your unrealised strengths might lay.

So, let us take a moment as we enjoy the growth of our gardens, to think also about our own growth and how best to polish the pot of gold that is our unrealised strengths.

• The best place to start is by looking at the unrealised strengths in your Realise2 profile and recognising where you get an instant buzz. Which ones could you happily keep where they are (for now!) and which are you thinking, ‘Ummm, I have always wanted to…’ I confess to not getting excited about my own unrealised strength of Order, but where there is a need, it is a good friend. However, I could easily bore you all when I talk about my love of my Creativity or Optimism.

• Next, think about any opportunities coming up at work where there may be a perfect opportunity to put yourself forward.  What tasks or projects could you become involved in and add a touch of inspiration for the benefit of others? Take a risk and don’t worry if your strengths are different to the others on the project team; you will be able to make a valuable difference as you introduce new qualities to the team mix.

• Don’t forget about home life too. Which unrealised strengths are waiting for your hobby to begin at last? Can you use these unrealised strengths to teach the kids something new?

• Do any of these unrealised strengths need a helping hand? Sometimes they can be unrealised due to a need to up-skill ourselves, or maybe more practice is required. Learn from role models and start being curious about their successes (see Jonathan and Alex’s blog on social learning). Practise their advice / what they did. Ask for feedback. It all helps in building your own experience and momentum.

Above all, be confident in your abilities. By using your strengths, you’re far more likely to be performing well and also from a place of happiness and passion; you just need to find the purpose and put your unrealised strengths to work.

Share and Enjoy

Last week saw the funeral of Lady Margaret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister and the first woman to be elected to the position. It’s fair to say that Lady Thatcher divided opinion, in death as in life, and also fair to say that she changed the face of Britain irrevocably through her leadership and politics.

What might have been the strengths profile of this ‘grocer’s daughter from Grantham’, who was born in the same town I spent my formative years, and hence always loomed as a presence that was larger than life as I grew up? (Not just the serving Prime Minister, she also happened to have been born in the shop I went past every day on the way to school…)

In this blog as part of Realise2 month on The Capp Blog, I offer my informed speculation as to what Lady Thatcher’s Realise2 profile might have been.

Lady Thatcher’s realised strengths are probably headed by her Drive (for which we included her as an exemplar in The Strengths Book), and complemented by her Work Ethic, Persistence, Detail, Courage, Personal Responsibility and Moral Compass.

She had a ferocious capacity for work that allowed her to master the details of every brief, coupled with the courage and determination to do what she believed was right. Others may not have agreed, but as well as know, she was not for turning!

For learned behaviours, I would speculate that Lady Thatcher may have profiled for Centred, Judgement, Order and Strategic Awareness. These are all things she clearly demonstrated, but which one might consider were not the same integral part of her psychological make-up as her realised strengths.

For example, consider her address to the Conservative Party conference just hours after the bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton, and you can see how Centred would shine through when she needed to call on it.

Lady Thatcher’s weaknesses are perhaps easily recognised, and in many ways, the counterpart to the intensity of her strengths: Empathic Connection, Humility and Service. As speculative as this profile may be, it’s nonetheless noteworthy how these weaknesses are the antithesis of the feminine stereotype that – as the first female Prime Minister, and indeed, one of the first female MPs – she needed to overcome.

Yes, reputedly she did serve tea to the Cabinet when meetings went on too long, but contemporaneous reports suggest that even this was a subtle power-play manouvre rather than a reversion to feminine type.

For unrealised strengths, my speculative profile becomes even more speculative – primarily because unrealised strengths are, by definition, not fully in view. As such, I have drawn from the strengths that I consider Lady Thatcher demonstrated when she needed to, although perhaps not as frequently over time.

These include Resilience, Counterpoint, Action, Resolver, Prevention, Efficacy and Narrator – all of which we can identify in her character, but which are perhaps less consistently on display than her realised strengths that I identified above.

Taking the picture of this Realise2 profile overall, we see someone with a remarkable drive and desire to get things done, zealous in her beliefs, and unforgiving of dissent or disagreement in her pursuit of what she believed was right.

These were the characteristic strengths that allowed Margaret Thatcher to achieve what she did; ultimately, they were probably also the strengths that, overplayed, led to her downfall. The optimal balance of strengths for strategy and situation is exceptionally difficult to maintain, with the result that rarely do leaders last any length of time through changing epochs.

Lady Thatcher was one of the exceptions who proved the rule.

Share and Enjoy

Depending upon the season, there can be as many as 58 distinct species of birds inhabiting the Galapagos Islands. During his voyage on the Beagle, Charles Darwin puzzled over how so many different types of finches could not only survive together, but thrive on the island food chain. The conclusion he described years later was ‘variation and differentiation’.

In essence, variation and differentiation are at the heart of adaptability. For the Galapagos finches, they are the means by which so many different birds make a place for themselves and survive.

As we seek to carve out the niches of our own careers, we are more adaptable to changing environments when we are able to do the same. As we present ourselves in ways that differentiate us from others, we are more likely to adapt and find a unique space within our ever changing environments.

One of the most effective ways to do this is through showcasing and harnessing the unique combination and profile of our strengths.

As Greater London Authority (GLA) employees come out the other side of the Olympic Games, many have been educating themselves to identify the skills and strengths that they have gained through this life changing experience. Most importantly, they have been articulating how their strengths differentiate them, enabling them to make their greatest contribution at GLA.

Organisations that enable employees to develop their careers by identifying their strengths help them in turn to recognise where they can make their greatest contributions. As a result, they prevent the most talented from being attracted by bright and shiny opportunities elsewhere, because they have found their niche in the food chain of their existing organisation. They also build a culture which allows growth and adaptability to blossom – like the Galapagos Islands.

Through celebrating then harnessing the different strengths profiles of your employees, enabling them to deliver their best performances through using their strengths, you create a fertile organisational ecology that allows everyone to flourish. Just as Darwin found 180 years ago, differentiation leads to maximization.

Explore what your own unique strengths profile through the 60 strengths of Realise2, and see what you can do to differentiate yourself with your strengths.

Share and Enjoy

I am delighted to post a guest blog from Dr. Jonathan Hill, who knows more about strengths than almost every person alive today. We at Capp are humbled to have Jonathan as part of our team, guiding and supporting us on a continual basis. In his first guest blog post for us, Jonathan discusses what you can do yourself to develop your own strengths…

What if you had £600 to spend on your own development?

Consider some options. You might wish to improve your IT skills, invest in some developmental coaching or take part in an outdoor leadership programme? Whatever you chose, enter the costs in your tax return. Spending on your own job-related or professional training is tax deductible and therefore inexpensive for most taxpayers.

But suppose you had no spare funds to pay for development? Which learning activity would give you the best return for the smallest investment? How could you go about cultivating your own strengths without even spending a bean? This is where I will focus today’s blog…

There are many options when it comes to working on strengths development. One of the most effective ways to learn is by imitation or modelling. Much of what we know has been learned in this way for better or worse from childhood onwards.

As such, it makes good sense in adulthood to emulate those whom we admire.  There is one important proviso – ideally their strengths should be similar in some ways to our own. Emulation works best through inspiration, rather than envy. A further driver is the aim to surpass your role model in due course.

Having discovered your own strengths, the next step is to find a friend or colleague whose strengths you have already spotted with reasonable accuracy. In other words, a realistic role model. Start by observing their successes and then set about discovering how their strengths connect to that success.

If possible, get them to talk about their approach. Encourage them to share their thought processes.  The links between strengths and performance are not always highly visible, but tracing the connections is a worthwhile, though life long, developmental task.

Ask questions to uncover the links. For example, if you admire the way someone comes up with innovative solutions, ask them what sort of steps they take…how they get started, how they incubate ideas, how they choose options and what they do to implement solutions. Copy their approach and reflect on your own results.

People never get bored of talking about their strengths and how they lead them to success. As such, don’t ever be afraid to ask.

After all, your strengths role model will most likely be delighted to have a willing audience with whom to share their passions and their performance.

Share and Enjoy

As one of the lead trainers on Realise2, Capp’s online strengths identification tool, I am often asked “How do strengths change over time?” I love this question because it asks me to justify how strengths are not only dynamic, but also stable over time, and I am able to demonstrate my strength of Counterpoint!

I thought sharing how my journey has shaped my strengths over the years might, in turn, help you think about your own strengths and their past and future path.

I have completed Realise2 every six months since the launch, nearly 4 years ago.  Realise2 measures not only your performance (things you do well), but also your energy (things you love to do) and your use (how often you get a chance to use them). With this in mind, the profile collates this to show you your realised strengths, unrealised strengths, learned behaviours and weaknesses.

I am lucky enough to have enjoyed several different roles in this time at Capp (one of the benefits of a strengths-based organisation) which has seen some exciting changes as I develop in new areas and find ways to use my strengths further.

Here are a few examples from my Realise2 profile:

Humour, Counterpoint and Persuasion – My manager reflected that no matter where my journey took me, I have always been able to see the funny side of things!  These three strengths have remained with me in my realised strengths in every profile. They are a good dynamic, as I often bring a different viewpoint to situations, and will then use humour to be persuasive.  These feel part of who I am and I would feel naked without them.

Service – This started out as one of my realised strengths. I simply love to do things for other people; it gives me such a buzz. Unfortunately, over time, I have used this too much as in my role I am responsible for providing a service to lots of people. So, Service has now become a learned behaviour: something I do well but I find a bit draining.  That can happen to our strengths if we overplay them.

Growth and Drive – Both of these were once unrealised strengths, and are proudly sitting now within my realised strengths as I get to use them more often. I am on a progressive path at Capp and love what I do, so I am able to draw on my strengths to achieve my career goals, whilst supporting others to achieve their goals.

Order – This was once a realised strength and has been an unrealised strength for a couple of years. This works well for me, as I prefer to work more interactively with people, but I also know that when I am managing large scale projects, it is something I know I can draw on when required.

Planful – A weakness for me, and showed up as one on every profile! My preference is to use something I am good at: putting things into action as soon as possible is one of these, so it can leave my planful requiring some support sometimes!

So, we’ve seen that strengths can change in your profile, as well as how and why. How have your strengths evolved and where could they take you?

Share and Enjoy

Throughout April, we will be running a series of blogs about Realise2, our strengths identification and development tool that has now been taken by over 60,000 people around the world. Giving us a great jump start to this series, Trudy Bailey starts us off with “Four Quadrants, Four Ways with Realise2“.

We hope you enjoy the Realise2 blog themes throughout April.

Yours,

Alex Linley

Posted by: Trudy Bailey, Development Consultant, Capp

So, you have your Realise2 profile. It looks pretty and the strengths icons are cool, but now what?

Here is a tip for each of the four quadrants to help you identify some actions, based on the 4Ms of Capp’s Realise2 Model:

1. Marshal your realised strengths – We want to use our realised strengths in a way that keeps the energy alive, rather than consistently using them until we burn out or annoy others! Do you have any that you could dial up to achieve a task, or dial down? You may have other strengths you can use instead of your natural default realised strengths. What would others like to see you use more? Ask for some honest feedback from someone who knows you well!

2. Moderate your learned behaviours – So, you perform well here but the energy is lacking. Which of these learned behaviours drains you the most? Can you delegate it to someone else or rely on it less? What about sandwiching it in between something more enjoyable? I sandwich my work using my learned behaviour of Detail between a couple of realised strengths or I know I will drink too much coffee!

3. Minimise your weaknesses – Yep, the dreaded W word; we all have them, so time to face them so we can focus on our strengths instead. How might you use a strength to compensate for your weakness. For example, I use my Judgement strength to support my weakness of Adherence (so I know which rules are ok to break!) Alternatively, try swapping tasks with someone else or tweaking your role slightly.

4. Maximise your unrealised strengths – This is the best bit. Often described as a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow or a present! You have energy here which is not getting a chance to be set free.  Which of your unrealised strengths can you most proftiably maximise? Do you have any goals or tasks you can specifically align them to? You may need to work on these gradually as you gain experience and build your confidence.

Use the the Realise2 4M Model to work through your profile and take some actions around each quadrant. That’s one of the best ways to deliver performance through strengths.

Good luck!

Share and Enjoy