How people think about work is changing. People are now looking for more purpose, development and wellbeing at work. Partly brought with younger generations as they enter the workplace, partly as older generations realise it’s OK, even desirable, to focus more on wellbeing at work, and sped up by our experiences of Covid, working-from-home, and wellbeing challenges. 

Strengths-based psychology comes from the use of positive psychology in social work. It is an approach that focuses on what works for each person by seeing people for who they are as individuals. Strengths-focused leadership is a style of leadership that primarily considers what people are good at and less on their perceived weaknesses. 

Factors making strengths-focused leadership more effective and in sync with the times

People expect their work to be more geared to growing them as people and to their career development. This is part of the evolving exchange of value between employees and employers, with employees wanting more overt, beneficial value besides good pay and working conditions. Positive development is the heart of strengths-focused leadership.

People want work that has purpose which aligns to their personal values or beliefs, not only the organisation’s. This is becoming an overt factor in many people’s decision-making around jobs they pursue or accept. Given that our beliefs and strengths typically align, strengths-focused leadership sits well with providing more purpose in employees work.

As with the above trends, wellbeing at work has been a thing for some time. The last 18 months have dramatically highlighted the need, and desire, for greater focus wellbeing and resilience at work. Since early 2020, in private and public organisations across industries and sectors, many leaders have taken unprecedented care of their people. 

Like working-from-home, we will never return to pre-Covid ways of seeing workplace wellbeing. Strengths-focused leadership integrates easily with wellbeing, coming from the same employee-centric perspective and leveraging the fact that when people are doing what they’re good at they usually feel fulfilled and happier.

The context that leaders are operating in is also contributing to a greater interest in strengths-oriented leadership. Many economies are experiencing unexpectedly low unemployment and skills shortages mean that attracting and retaining talent is particularly challenging. When employers commit to developing employee’s strengths they have a more attractive employment offer and retain staff for longer.

These factors – development, purpose, wellbeing and talent shortages - are a challenge to leaders to understand and act on. This that do by practicing strengths-focused leadership will build organisational cultures that help their staff survive and thrive. 

A strengths-focused leadership tool

The most evolved strengths-based leadership tool is CliftonStrengths. It provides a clear, evidence-based framework and proven methodologies for bringing strengths-based management and leadership into the workplace a clear process.

Leadership that engages and developed people is likely to keep becoming more right for the times.