Imagine your employee Erin strongly agrees with the statement “At work, I have the opportunity to what I do best every day.” Rob at another organization does not agree at all. What does this mean for Erin, Rob, their managers, and their organizations? According to Culture Shock, when Erin strongly agrees with this Gallup query, it predicts success for Erin and her organization. The opposite is true when Rob strongly disagrees. Why?
1. Fostering Passion and Enthusiasm:
When Erin’s work resonates with her strengths and passions, it ignites enthusiasm and joy. Joyful, passionate employees are more likely to excel and to enhance the workplace atmosphere for everyone on their team and beyond. Everyone wins: Erin’s manager, Erin, and her team!
2. Maximizing Productivity and Efficiency:
As Erin’s manager, when you align her work with her core competencies and future goals, you enable highly efficient, top-tier performance.
3. Building a Culture of Shared Respect, Not Daily Regrets:
Strength-based work environments stimulate excellence, collaboration, and innovation. Erin is much more likely to think creatively and collaborate on fresh perspectives to evolve optimal solutions than Rob. Everyone on Erin’s team can celebrate their success in a culture of shared respect. However, Rob and his team face daily regrets when their strengths are neglected.
4. Enhancing Job Satisfaction and Retention:
Job satisfaction is tied to doing meaningful work. Erin’s satisfaction boosts morale and contributes to higher retention rates team-wide –great news for Erin’s manager and team! In contrast, Rob’s low job satisfaction lowers morale team-wide leading to churn and the high costs of hiring and onboarding new workers.
5. Encouraging Continuous Development, Innovation, and Creativity:
Erin learns, grows, and builds on her existing competencies doing innovative and creative work that requires her strengths. By encouraging continuous development for your employees, you increase your organization’s ability to respond quickly to new opportunities.