Focusing on weakness takes performance from bad to not so bad.
Focusing on strengths takes performance from good to great
SBE in Organizational Culture
Like any ecosystem, your organization is comprised of elements (people) that are crucial to your bottom line. In an ecosystem that is truly sustainable, each element is utilizing its strengths to drive individual prosperity, which inherently improves the performance of the ecosystem itself. Put plain and simple, not only is the ecosystem surviving, it’s THRIVING! By utilizing strengths in your organization’s ecosystem, you too can have a sustainably thriving Strengths-Based Culture.
Productivity
In all ecosystems, there is a flow of energy. It can be the energy of an individual at work to the energy of a team collaborating; what’s crucial about this concept is that you understand the connection between this transfer of energy and your employees. When they say “Attitudes are contagious, be they good or bad”, this is the concept coming into play. Each and every employee directly contributes to the productivity (flow of energy) within your ecosystem.
Engagement
Rarely is an issue with engagement, productivity, or even punctuality isolated to one person or event. The constant flow of energy means that the engagement and attitude of one employee is not exclusive to the engagement of another. If you’ve ever lost a top performer, then you are well aware many will follow after them.
Team Diversity
Successful teams are composed of people with complementary strengths; the gaps in one set of strengths are enhanced by the contributions of another set. Remember, stars are pointy, teams are well rounded. When you are building teams or assigning people to special projects, be aware of the importance of strengths diversity to an overall balance.
Individual Contribution
The traditional sense of the term “food chain” refers to the linear link within a food web. Essentially, there are producers (plants) and consumers (animals) and each has a ranking on this chain. This is not so different from an organizations ecosystem; however, truly understanding this food chain is what’s important in an SBE. There are different levels of employees interacting on a daily basis within your ecosystem, each one playing a specific role. When you consider a traditional ecosystem, you understand that the grass is just as valuable and necessary to the sustainability of the ecosystem as the hawk. However, in the workplace, this is often overlooked. In an SBE, each member is vital to the functions of the others.
