Managing change in today’s world is like trying to dance with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you get tired. You stop when the gorilla gets tired.
Sounds exhausting. And it can be … if you don’t know how to lead change. One tool that will make it easier for you and your co-workers is to shift the spotlight to their strengths. You will have whiners and naysayers when you are leading change. And you will have some frightened people who aren’t sure the change will work or they can handle it. That’s all quite normal.
But you’ve also got a staff filled with a multitude of talent, or they wouldn’t be there, and you wouldn’t be in business. So what are you focusing on as you lead the change? Are you focusing on the negativity of the few? Or are you focusing on the abilities of the many?
Let me tell you from experience that the second focus works a great deal better. When you spotlight your employee’s strengths, they start to focus on what they can do instead of what they can’t do.
Don’t be misled by the myth that says you can’t motivate anybody else. Of course you can. Every one of us can think of a teacher, coach, or boss who believed in us and continued to point out our strengths … and in so doing, helped us perform better than ever.
You can be that kind of leader. Spotlight your co-workers strengths and watch them transform into more productive employees.