How to discover your team’s strengths (aka superpowers!)

Just yesterday a newly appointed CEO asked me about the best way to discover your team’s strengths. I recommended a strengths workshop as a way for her to quickly understand her new team. Here’s why:

“I’ve learnt more about you in the last two minutes than in four years of working with you.”

This is what a director said to one of his executive team at a strengths workshop I facilitated for them.

We’d spent an hour figuring out everyone’s strengths, motivations and values. In that short time people got to know their colleagues’ ‘superpowers’. The result?

1. Appreciation for what each other brings
2. An understanding of why some projects were stuck (the strengths needed were absent or under-represented by the team)
3. People feeling re-enthused by focusing on what they loved to do and were great at

There was the woman who always felt slightly guilty for pointing out what was wrong with a plan – she realised her strength in analysis was a positive.

The guy who took his ability to connect for granted – he saw what an asset it is and how he can use it more to build their network.

The boss who had worked with some of his team for years – he understood why he could clearly articulate and encourage what he intuitively knew about people.

Figuring out a team’s strengths is quick and it’s powerful. This is what the best football managers have always known. It releases the potential of people.

Pure magic.

If you’d be keen to understand the superpowers of your team let us know. We’d love to help.

The core resource for our team strengths sessions is The Strengths Book – click HERE to check it out!