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Why Performance Excellence Matters
What keeps organizations and individuals from leveraging their innate talents?
Most people are either unaware of or unable to describe their own strengths or the strengths of others.
Focusing on strengths development leads to excellence, where areas of lesser talent never develop into areas of strength. We need other people to know our talents and strengths so that we can become the best that is in us.
Gallup data suggests that the new workforce is most interested in opportunities to learn and grow, as well as a manager who cares them as people. They need their manager to know what they are working on and to coach them toward excellence – because talented, dedicated employees want to be held accountable for their performance.
About one in 10 people possess the unique combination of talents needed to effectively manage and engage employees. While the odds may seem stacked against you, identifying and building on your strengths can make you top-tier talent.
Gallup finds that great managers have the following talents:
disengaged managers created disengaged employees
Performance Excellence can make a difference in your organization.
The new workforce wants to be managed differently than employees have before, and when their needs are not met, they are not psychologically committed to their company. Instead, they function as free agents, always looking for fresh opportunities.
In fact, 60% of millennials in the U.S. workforce say they are currently looking for a new job opportunity.
Receiving feedback on all 34 Clifton Strengths® talent themes provides greater benefits to individuals or work units regardless of organization, industry and country. But knowing these strengths is not enough. Leaders must learn how to implement an ongoing performance development approach with managers who know their employees’ strengths and engagement needs. Managers must then use that information to more effectively establish expectations, continually coach and create accountability to ensure both individuals and organizations are well-positioned to reach their goals.
Sources:
Re-Engineering Performance Management by Ben Wigert, Ph.D. and Jim Harter, Ph.D.
State of the American Manager: Analytics and Advice for Leaders by Gallup
The Effect of CliftonStrengths® 34 Feedback on Employee Engagement and Sales by Jim Asplund, M.A. and Sangeeta Agrawal, M.S.