Mark Cavendish makes the point about talents and strengths

I've facilitated dozens of workshops around the twin themes of appreciative inquiry and strengths-focused change. Particularly in the strengths-based workshops I have concentrated on positing the notion, which is counter-intuitive for many, that time spent on improving weaknesses is never as well spent as time on optimising your talents and turning them into true strengths.


Part of the joy of the work with groups is seeing how they deal with and challenge the counter I put to the predominant paradigm of failure and deficit search they are so used to working within, i.e. the model that demands we search out failure and weakness, (over) concentrate on it to achieve some personal or organisational improvement and then create programmes to eradicate those weaknesses. Nothing against sorting out obvious problems, but the balance in many places is all wrong - an over-concentration on deficit and little or no attention to what works well, what individuals are great at doing and how we can do more of these things.


I frequently use the HTC cycling team as an example of strengths-based management, sharing quotes from their team managers that show clearly they engage riders for their strengths and ask them to make the most use of their talents to create true strengths, as in the case of Mark Cavendish and his sprinting ability.  


In one event I was challenged by a participant who almost triumphantly announced that of course Mark was a great sprinter but "he would never win the Tour De France", and of course in a moment the full impact of his own insight created his deeper learning. Indeed, Cavendish never will win the Tour, and he neither wants to nor will ever attempt to - he can't climb the highest mountains fast enough. He will though become the greatest ever sprinter to have graced the world's finest single-sport event; he will win more stages than any other sprinter and might well win the highest number of stages by the time he ends his career. His is already only the second British rider to have won of the Tour's three leading jerseys and has 20 stage wins to his name in 5 years. 


And there it was - the realisation that optimising strengths is about recognising what you are good at, i.e. those things that really energise, motivate and give you that sense of achievement, and working to make the best of those. Sometimes too it's not only about what's within ourselves, what we also see with Cavendish is that he has a team around him who work tirelessly to place him in the best position to launch his sprint. (He has shown though he can win without his lead-out train as well). Teamwork is a feature of optimising the talents of each other.


Our public and commercial organisations really must get the message. Ignoring talents and strengths can cost you output, productivity, energy and commitment. Those organisations who build the engagement of their employees through recognising their talents and turning them into strengths can achieve productivity levels up to 2-3 times greater than those that don't. 


The research is there; the evidence before our eyes, the test is to believe in our talents and of those around us in our teams to release the energy and passion and go on to be the best we can.