5 Ways To Leverage Your Team’s Superpowers

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There are no two snowflakes alike as they say. Watching snow fall in a recent winter storm in Western South Dakota brought to mind that organizations are made up of a variety people. If you look at those people closely you’ll find superpowers, or strengths that are hardwired to their core. There are many, many superpowers -- much like that of flakes of snow in a winter storm. If you look at those strengths as they begin to cover the ground, you begin to see a whole different world.

While it’s easy to get hung up on weaknesses, research finds that building upon strengths is much more effective in raising performance than focused on weaknesses. Gallup Organization’s State of the American Workplace study found that when employees become aware of their strengths, they become nearly 8% more productive. Individuals who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged on the job and less likely to quit.

If increased productivity isn’t enough to move you, how about improved competitive advantage, revenues, customer service, and quality? There is a golden opportunity to achieving these ideal business results through maximizing team performance. After all no one person can be or do all things. If you could pull the best out of each team member and maximize their strength…just think of the super human possibilities.

Here are 5 steps to leveraging a team’s superpowers for the good of the order:

1) Discover your team strengths

Don’t assume your team members know their strengths. Team members may take them for granted or if they lack confidence may not even believe it. Gallup offers a Strength Finder assessment tool. Or read the book StrengthsFinder 2.0 to learn more.

If you don’t have the luxury of administering an assessment you can also spot strengths. Observe what people do really well consistently and with ease. Pay attention to what excites them, what others ask them to do that may even go outside of their job description. Name those strengths. Write them down.

2) Connect with team members

Have an informal conversation with team members. Ask them what they like the most or even love about their job. What they like lease. As they answer look for excitement as they describe what they like. Their may light up, they may lean in or become more animated as they describe what they really like to do.

Find out what their career passions are outside of work…is it reading, writing, or building things? Is there ways to have these passions intersect with objectives at work?

3) Apply individual superpowers to achieve overall goals

Speak to the strengths of individual team members publically, in team meetings. Particularly when deciding on projects that must be complete. Suggest how the team might take advantage of each other’s strengths. If there is an area in business that is neglected tap into an individual who has demonstrated a superpower that would help bring order to chaos.

4) Create special assignments or projects for those with initiative to develop superpowers

It can be very rewarding to watch team members grow and develop. Developing superpowers are for those who have the initiative to learn more things. Creating special assignments or projects to develop those superpowers will help keep them engaged.

5) Encourage your team to become superpower advocates

Encourage team members to reach out to one another to enlist superpower help. Morale is sure to increase when team members learn to rely and trust in each other and their respective superpowers.

Don’t forget to tap into your own superpower. Part of taking care of your team is to also take care of yourself. You also have superpowers. Is it flight, futuristic thinking, or creativity? Tap into those superpowers to bring your team closer to together, growing and developing. You won’t regret it particularly as you conquer foes and fly into new heights.

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Tresha Moreland

Tresha Moreland is a 30-year organizational effectiveness and strategic workforce planning expert. She partners with business leaders to develop workplace strategies that achieve best-in-class results. She has held key organizational leadership roles in multiple industries such as manufacturing, distribution, retail, hospitality, and healthcare. Tresha is the founder and principal consultant of HR C-Suite, LLC (www.hrcsuite.com). HR C-Suite is a results-based HR strategy resource dedicated to connecting HR with business results. She has received a master’s degree in human resource management (MS) and a master’s degree in business administration (MBA). She has also earned a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Six Sigma Black Belt Professional (SSBBP) Certification. She is also recognized as a Fellow with the American College Healthcare Executives with a FACHE designation.