When you judge

Strengths Based Career Conversations

How to have a Strengths Based Career Conversation

A #career conversation is simply a discussion between an employee and his or her manager that supports the employee in defining career goals within the organization and developing an action plan for achieving these goals.

Some organizations have incorporated this within their performance management process with a form of structure. This can lead to an engaged workforce (other things being equal - as an economist would say) with great prospects to retain the employees. As you may be aware, the performance management process in most organizations is used to identify areas of weakness, improvement or development. The term 'development' is sometimes understood and articulated as a deficiency or a lack of something (such as a Training / Development Need). This results in a marked tendency to treat 'development' as 'fixing' the employee's personality and performance, rather than enhancing it.

The term 'fixing' tends to create negativity; because it creates the perception and feeling that "I am less". This is not a pleasant experience. It can leave the employee feeling sad and frustrated. Sometimes employees even feel depressed and it spills over into their personal lives with more adverse effects. It's interesting to note that a negative discussion can be absorbing, but it is not very effective. The employee's performance doesn't improve very much. Neither is productivity is not enhanced, nor does this help retain employees within the organization. This can result in low employee development or low employee engagement.

A career conversation would be more effective if we were to approach the discussion with a #Strengths Mindset. It can definitely be combined with the Stay Interview or even as a standalone discussion, instead of the Exit Interview (which some organizations end up doing). In the Strengths Mindset Approach, the leader / manager of a team starts by asking the team members how he/she can support their team member's use of their strengths in their work. This means using tools like the Clifton Strengthsfinder to understand how these 34 strengths are manifesting in, and impacting their work.

A key outcome of using one's strengths as a basis for development is the strong sense of joy and satisfaction which one gets while one is on the job.

The employee now is doing something they like, using their areas of strengths, and this is going to make the employee more engaged at work, leading to a more positive and productive work environment.

I'm reminded of the time I worked at a startup where I was setting up the HR function, and was extremely happy because I got to plan and execute the strategy and policies of all aspects of HR, especially hiring strategy, talent management and training and development. Sure the hours were long, and there were difficulties and some failures too, but I was energized to be at the office. In other well established organizations too, my happiest moments were those where I was energized by what I was doing viz. creating a policy document, building reports, analyzing data, coaching /counseling an employee, or delivering an employee integration session; all with the full encouragement of my bosses. I've checked this during informal discussions with employees or during interviews of candidates by asking them what they like about what they do, followed by a few probing questions: the answer invariably has to do with them enjoying their work.

When you adopt a #Strengths-based #career conversation regularly, chances are, you and your team will:

•     Be looking forward to this discussion.
•     Come better prepared for the discussion.
•     Leave the conversation feeling happy and energized.
•     Have a more productive work environment.

When, as a Strengths Strategy Coach, I coach clients who desire to explore career options through the Clifton Strengthsfinder, After explaining how the 34 Strengths manifest, I move the conversation around the areas they have experienced great success. We discuss what worked well, and spend time identifying which of their strengths were in action during those instances. We repeat this to understand the areas where the strengths did not manifest sufficiently to bring them success. Why? To help them either:

• Manage around the weaknesses with the help of other strengths, or
• Choose projects which help them work for as much time as possible in areas of strength (every job / career has an area of work where we don't feel fulfilled e.g. planning, filing, follow-ups, setting up appointments), or
• Form strategic partnerships with other people to help them to use their strengths.

So if you want to know more about this, or if you want your teams to focus and work on their areas of strengths, have an engaged and productive team, write to me at ryanbbarretto@hotmail.com to schedule a meeting or a free 20 minute telephonic discussion.

Remember -

    You grow people from their #strengths, not their weaknesses.

This article was posted  on LinkedIn in August 2017.

Boss Vs Leader

Boss Vs Leader

Among all the literature that distinguishes between a #boss and a #leader, this is the most clearly articulated that I've come across.

Your thoughts?

https://www.bizcatalyst360.com/stop-trying-to-make-the-boss-look-good/

Book Review "Quiet_Leadership"

Book Review "Quiet_Leadership"

If there were more stars to give, I'd give them all to the author of this book.<br /><br />It is a simply brilliant, outstanding book which details the necessary skills for the leadership of the current times. To help your employees develop their thinking, the author shows the neuroscience of how our brain reacts to the perception of feedback and what we can do to actually put it into practice. 

IAF Learning Event - Making your Brand Go Viral

A few snapshots from my workshop "Making your Brand Go Viral" which I conducted for #IAF Mumbai on 13th April 2019.  It was a day full of deep discussion and learning for the participants through facilitation processes. 

Thanks to #IAF for the opportunity, the Mumbai Hub team for organizing the event, Sekhar Chandrasekhar, Yateen Gharat CPF and Varsha Chitnis for helping me iron out the knots in the design and Shashank Jani for putting this presentation together.

How to Create "Recall Value" during your interview

How to Create "Recall Value" during your Interview

Some candidates are worth remembering.

Some are worth forgetting.

You Choose!

This is based on my recruiting experience while I was in the corporate world. It didn't matter if the candidate was a fresher or someone with years of experience. There were people who approached the interview in a casual manner. They haven't researched the organization, haven't updated their resume, gave vague or disconnected responses to questions, and then wondered why they don't get hired.

Most folk will happily spend on the latest smartphone (or other gadget / material goods), but defer expenditure on areas which will impact their satisfaction and happiness over the long term, particularly their careers. They prefer to build their own path (not a bad idea if you can introspect and are also willing to receive feedback from others), but most times make a poor impact during the interview. They become forgettable, or remembered for the wrong reasons.

Hence I coined the term 'Recall Value' to describe the value you leave behind with the interviewer so that he 'positively' recalls you, days after the interview.

Because of the casual effort, their job search can best be described as a 'Someday' effort, rather than a planned approach. People skip or skimp on the planned approach because:

• It takes time to do - there's no quick fix unless you start your own organization.
• It takes time to see the results. - It's hard to ignore the world rushing by.
• Too much information on many career options - This makes a tough task more confusing.
• Lack of sufficient guidance - no clarity on whom to approach for this purpose.

So the seemingly quick route is chosen, till the time they realize that they don't enjoy what they do, and find they are trapped in the world of EMIs.

Added to this, is the huge amount of discrimination against candidates on a variety of areas like experience, relevant experience, institute of study, location, gender and age, not to mention interviewer's biases. While it is a tough situation, it doesn't mean that there's no hope. You can and should take the effort to plan your job search.

Here are 4 key things to keep in mind:

1) Know your self - This really means taking the time to understand who you are, which skills you possess, your strengths, the tasks that you prefer, which tasks energize you, what you find easy to learn and apply quickly. On this particular journey, you must be totally honest with yourself, if you want successful efforts. A tool like the Clifton Strengthsfinder or PRISM Brainmapping Inventory is essential and powerful for this purpose.

2) Know the industry you are applying for - This means understanding which industry is suitable for your skills and strengths, and to which other industries you can transfer your skills towards. Of course, add to this the prospects of your chosen industry viz. will it thrive, survive or die. This means extensive research and networking to get a realistic picture of the industry.

3) Prepare your resume accordingly - In addition to the numerous resume tips out there which I will not repeat, make sure that your achievements you mention are actually based on your strengths.

4) Prepare for your interview accordingly - This means keeping at least 5 examples of achievements (one for each interview round) where you were able to apply your strengths in a work context. It tremendously helps if the context is relevant and required to the organization who is interviewing you. Also, if you do have some achievements, where you found that you were drained and just happy that it was over, then DON'T dwell on them too long or mention them at all. You do not really want to do tasks that drain you since those particular tasks require you to work from an area of weakness. If you are a fresher, talk about projects and community / volunteer work that you may have been involved in, with the same guidelines mentioned in this point.

You might ask - Do I need to do all of this? Can't I simply prepare my resume, and read the newspaper for a few days as preparation, and attend the interview?

Yes you can - but you have no guarantee that the job will be yours. That aspect is never in your control.  The only thing that is in your control is your ability to stand out from other candidates and make a great impression during the interview. This will help create your 'Recall Value' and they will definitely remember you after the interview. All of what I have mentioned above will help you do that. Click here to view a quick reminder of this important aspect - Why you need a Strengths-based Resume

Your second career may be just around the corner.

Given the volatility in the market, mergers which are causing layoffs, new technologies like A.I. and A.R. (Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality), with some industries heading south, and new ones coming up, don't be afraid to plan a second career that is completely different from the one you started out.

Yes I understand that this looks scary, especially when you may have spent more than 10 years of your work-life in a particular job. It can definitely be done. Just make sure it's aligned with your strengths. If you are a fresher, please know that it is completely ok to start with a particular career, and then change to something completely different along the way. There are many who do this.

Look around you. In fact, look for opportunities to ensure that your life has at least two or three different careers which allow you the opportunity to build and use your strengths.

What's the point of spending time to align your strengths with your job?

You may be thinking "why is aligning your strengths with your job important?" or "why should I invest the time in both understanding my strengths and then finding a job which fits my strengths? That will take too long, and I need a job soon". So if you have financial constraints, please pick up a job that helps pay the bills, and simultaneously plan so that your next job is aligned with your strengths. Why? We know that we spend a great deal of time at work. Thanks to the smartphone, the lines between personal and professional life are increasingly getting blurred. The need to check work email when you're home is addictive. Work stress increases and spills over into the home, and vice versa. When we use the strengths that we are born with, in our daily work, our lives become happier and satisfied, because we are happy doing what we are meant to do.  It's no longer classified as "work" in our minds, and you will look forward to your job.

Now, if you take this beyond work, you can visualize the kind of positive and profound impact you will have on the people you meet, and the ones you live with. Wouldn't this be worth the effort?

Since the past 5 years, I've been coaching people to identify their strengths and align it with a career. It is exhilarating to watch them embark on a strengths-based career search. This is out of their comfort zone, and into their growth zone. And they love it.

If you want to learn about, apply and align your strengths in your next job search, write to me at ryanbbarretto@hotmail.com or leave a note here so that we can schedule a call.

#strengthsfinder #strengths #job #careertransition #careers #interviews #strengthsbasedcareers #resumewriting #recallvalue

Pics from Leadership workshop for a Telecommunications organization.

Glad to share that I recently delivered part one (day) of a Leadership workshop for a telecommunications organization. 

Participants learnt about themselves via the Johari Window in an innovative way, and also took away key insights on EQ, leadership & building trust through facilitation and other activities. 
Thanks to GlobalGyan Academy of Management Education, Srinivasa Addepalli & Sameer Kanse for the opportunity.