I have a core belief about people. I believe each and every person on this earth was created and designed to be special. They have unique gifts and talents. I want to help people reach their full potential.
But even with that worldview — the strengths of a team member are not always evident to the leader. We need help to understand our people.
At Popeyes, we are using a tool called StandOut™ to discover the unique design and strengths of our team members. It is a short assessment tool, available for $15 on-line (www.tmbc.com). It identifies the two StandOut strengths of the person.
At the first workshop we ran using this tool, our facilitator said to the participants: “We are going to help you discover your Super Powers!” I fell in love with this term. Imagine if every person on your team walked around each day thinking about and sharing their super powers with your organization. Can you imagine the performance that is possible if everyone is putting forward their very best capabilities to advance the team’s performance?
How great could the results be? The sky is the limit.
Here is just one example of how knowing the strengths of a team member – helps them and helps you.
My daughter works at a newspaper. But this was not her life plan. In college, she majored in economics and politics. She thought she might work in a policy organization in Washington, D.C. Instead, today she is writing for a newspaper based in New York. She likes the work but she has also has been wondering if it is her “super power” to be a writer.
Monday night, I suggested she take the StandOut assessment. When she received the report she sent a picture of it to me by text. Turns out her top two “super powers” are Connector and Influencer. Here is a part of the description of her greatest strengths:
“Your greatest value to the team: you commit us to take action.
You are a bright light, a spark, always at the heart of what’s happening. You are engaged in fascinating, diverse conversations. You are drawn to intense situations with lots of buzz, mounting pressure, perhaps even chaos.”
After reading it, I called her and said, “that result is amazing. Sounds like the description of where you work.” You are perfectly designed for this. And she said, “I know. It’s true.”
At that moment, my daughter learned something about herself – her super powers. And in that moment, a lot of good things happened.
- She realized that she is well-suited to the work she is doing.
- She became more confident.
- She found language to help explain her strengths to others.
- She felt energy that will fuel her work in the days ahead.
Think about how it would help if her leader knew these strengths.
- They could put her in situations that draw out her best work.
- They could start thinking about how to develop her talent for the future
- They could encourage her when she is in that “sweet spot”
- They could suggest areas of writing that might advance her development
And wouldn’t they both be better off in the end? This tool is available to you too. You can better understand yourself and how to bring your best to work. And importantly, you can discover the super powers of your team members and apply them to the needs of your organization. And the whole team will be better off. . . Serve well!
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Thanks for posting Cheryl. The Stand Out Assessment sounds like a great tool to motivate teams and help them grow in the best possible direction for them, and the Company. I’d love to learn more about your Assessment.