I'm passionate about Positive Psychology because I have witnessed its empowering impact on myself and my coaching clients. It has tangible, real-life benefits based on a significant and growing body of empirical evidence. Applying its wisdom can enrich and expand our lives. When learning about interventions like self-compassion, I often thought, why didn't I know this stuff before?! The lessons I have learned from Positive Psychology have helped me grow as a human and perform better as a coach, and I want to share them as widely as I can.
In this blog series, I will tackle some of the common misconceptions about Positive Psychology and bust these myths:
Myth #1 Focusing on strengths avoids facing facts
Myth #2 Well-being is an optional extra
Myth #3 My inner critic is simply being realistic
Myth #4 Self-compassion makes you lazy
Today, I will tackle myth #1: Focusing on strengths avoids facing facts.
Framing the debate around strengths-focused development as either strengths or a realistic focus is reductive. When I have seen it used best in organisations, a strengths focus doesn't mean ignoring weaknesses or risks; it means focusing on strengths and addressing any areas for development or poor performance. However, if we exclusively manage weaknesses, we can demoralise individuals and drive organisational outcomes in the wrong direction. I argue that a strengths-based approach to development is MORE realistic than only mitigating weaknesses when it acknowledges what we are less good at while focusing on building on strengths.
Recent research indicates that strengths use in the workplace is associated with job satisfaction, work engagement, well-being, and work performance[1]. These are critical organisational indicators that have come into sharp focus since the pandemic's start.
Global analytics and advice firm Gallup's meta-analysis of 1.2 million individuals and 49,495 work units in 45 countries shows how strengths affect outcomes. Teams that received strengths-based development have achieved:
19% increased sales
29% increased profits
59% fewer safety incidents
72% lower turnover in high-turnover organisations
Despite the proven benefits of a strengths-based approach to development, individuals and organisations can become preoccupied with managing risk and completely overlook strengths. Our human tendency to focus on the negative partly explains our preoccupation with risk[2]. Throw in a high-performance high-pressure environment such as law or consultancy firms, and you can see how we can be seduced into managing weaknesses rather than tapping into strengths to drive performance. This approach might avert disasters, but the unintended consequences include squashing potential, motivation and engagement and harming productivity. In a Knowledge Economy, organisations need to harness the latent potential of their talented people to survive and thrive, and a strengths-based approach can be a practical part of the strategy.
So how can we cultivate and leverage our strengths? First, we need to be able to articulate them. Suppose I invite clients to explore their strengths beyond CV skills like organisation or communication skills and go deeper into personal characteristics such as prudence or kindness. In that case, they often struggle to find the words. Indeed, research shows that most of us can't name our strengths as they seem self-evident to us – we assume because we find something easy, everyone else does too. But that is not the case – each of us has a unique blend of personal qualities that is our superpower.
To help my clients raise awareness of their strengths, I use VIA (Values in Action) Character Strengths[3] rather than a work strengths model such as Clifton Strengths, as I find working at a whole human level (not just work persona) leads to greater transformations in the leaders I work with. Character strengths are the positive parts of your personality that make you feel authentic and engaged. Research shows that understanding and applying your strengths can help:
• Boost Confidence
• Increase Happiness
• Reduce Stress
• Accomplish Goals
• Build Meaning and Purpose
• Improve Work Performance[4]
I encourage my clients to use their strengths consciously and at the right amount – the goldilocks zone. Using our strengths in habitual ways is common, leaving us open to overusing or underusing a strength. Strengths that are either over or underused quickly become weaknesses. The good news is, with self-awareness, we can start to notice the situations that prompt us to over or underuse a strength, and we can choose how to respond. Changing our behaviour patterns is not easy, but if we notice a pattern that no longer serves us, we can do it with focused support, such as coaching. Consciously using our strengths is energising, authentic and empowering, helping to create a virtuous circle of change.
The belief that focusing on strengths avoids facing facts is, in fact, a myth. I hope this blog has convinced you to adopt a strengths-based approach to development. Our natural tendency toward the negative is strong and has a place – but if we allow it to dominate the way we work, we miss out on so much. A strengths-based approach helps to create a system of balance – acknowledging and addressing weaknesses where appropriate AND leveraging the strengths and talents of the human beings around us. What is your experience of strengths use in the workplace?
[1] Strength Use in the Workplace: A Literature Review. Miglianico, Dubreuil, Miquelon, Bakker, Martin‐Krumm (2019)
[4] Using signature strengths to increase happiness at work. The Routledge companion to happiness at work (pp. 13–22). Schutte & Malouff (2021)