Too many people have told me they will be glad to see the back of 2016.
As individuals, we might feel we can influence little, and I admit I have repeatedly felt powerless in the face of the scale of the world’s problems and the human tragedies I’ve seen unfolding this year. So, I have to bring myself back to the difference I can make and am making.
My team and the Strengths Champions in our clients’ organisations are making such a positive difference to people’s lives with our strengths approaches. People are flourishing in jobs they love because of strengths-based recruitment and strengths-based development.
Our work has touched thousands of people in organisations, as well as hundreds of young people in schools[1]. And it succeeds in any setting – we’ve profiled carers, baristas, nurses, managers, receptionists, delivery drivers, sales people… from old to young, blue collar to professional, high earners to people on minimum wage, and people from different cultures and countries.
EVERYONE wants to do work they love and be valued for who they are and what they bring. That’s why our work is so important to me, because it means that EVERYONE CAN.
It’s why the best reward comes in moments like when a matron recently approached me at University College London Hospitals and asked if she could give me a hug because of the difference our work has made to her nurses and patients!
So, my message to you, as this challenging year draws to a close, is to think about what you are doing that is making a difference, even if just to one person. It’s important.
A few weeks ago, we filmed HR Director, Lynda Greenshields, talking about the difference working with us made to people in the organisations she has worked in, and why strengths work matters personally to her. Have a look. I think you’ll be inspired.
And whatever positive difference you have made in 2016, however small or however great, celebrate it and be proud of it. Because it counts and it matters.
[1] Update 2017. Tell a young person about The Strengths Book today, and help them to a career they will love.
Sally Bibb’s book Strengths-based Recruitment and Development: A Practical Guide to Transforming Talent Management Strategy for Business Results (the first on the subject) is published by Kogan Page.
