15) Focusing on Strengths, not Weaknesses
Growing up in Los Angeles, I was a devoted fan of the Lakers. Their 2000-2002 "three-peat" championship run, led by Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, and Robert Horry under coach Phil Jackson, exemplifies a key principle in team success.
I’m not saying this Lakers squad was unique. Like any championship team in any sport, they emphasized leveraging each member's unique strengths rather than focusing on weaknesses. Shaquille O'Neal dominated the paint, Derek Fisher provided a long-range threat, and Kobe Bryant was, simply put, Kobe. They didn't try to be universally excellent, nor did Phil Jackson primarily focus on addressing their individual "weaknesses" over amplifying their existing strengths. The collective strengths led to the championship run, not individual feats.
This approach aligns with a philosophy I observed managing an advertising agency. During performance reviews, a lot of team leaders often prioritized detailing areas for improvement over recognizing strengths. My initial reaction was to encourage managers to capitalize on an employee's strengths first, then address weaknesses, as enhancing strengths offered greater benefits than solely improving weaknesses. And much like a sports team, the collective strengths of our various advertising teams led to much better creative work, and improved team morale. Now, granted, if a team member just could not perform the basic functions satisfactorily, that was a different story.
A Gallup Research study of 1,874 individual employees, most of them in sales functions, found that productivity improved by 7.8% after a strength intervention. And in another study of 469 business units in organizations ranging from retail stores to large manufacturing facilities, units with managers who received strengths feedback showed 8.9% greater profitability.
Asplund, J., & Blacksmith, N. (2011). Strengthening your company’s performance. Gallup Business Journal. Rath, T. (2007). StrengthsFinder 2.0. New York: Gallup Press.
I've recently conducted several insightful Gallup StrengthFinders team assessment workshops. Teams often lacked clarity on roles, expectations, and felt detached. It was illuminating to witness open discussions, mutual understanding, and collaborative support. Communication significantly improved, and participants left feeling valued, heard, and clear on their unique contributions to a successful team.
If you have time, ask for team members’ theories on why a focus on strengths improves individual and team productivity and profitability.
There is a strong connection between who people are and what they do best.
There is a strong connection between what people do best and how they feel.
There is a strong connection between how people feel and how they perform.