When the Tide Changes – Leading During the Pandemic

An Interview with Cyrus Afshin, General Manager

The University Club of Pasadena

In August 2021, hurricane Ida, a category 4 storm, slammed into the Louisiana coast with winds over 125 mph directly into the mouth of the Mississippi River.  Hurricane Ida was so powerful that it temporarily reversed the flow of the Mighty Mississippi.  When the pandemic shut down the world, businesses and other organizations scrambled to adjust.  Working remotely became the norm, restaurants converted to take-out only operations, sporting events were played in “bubbles”, and the list goes on and on. 

There are literally thousands of stories, triumphs and defeats, that emerged during this extraordinary event.  In each case, there are accounts of leadership stories that portrayed valiant efforts to adapt to the state of affairs in order to survive during the crisis.

To illustrate such a story, I chose to interview Cyrus Afshin the General Manager of the University Club in Pasadena California.  The University Club is a historic membership organization and event venue.  The club was established in 1922 and just celebrated its centennial anniversary. I wanted to see how the club had weathered the pandemic storm and how Cyrus used his leadership acumen to steer the organization through this catastrophic event.

The University Club’s primary role is to encourage networking and host social events.  Its whole purpose is to bring people together for meetings, weddings, and other communal activities.  The pandemic impacted literally every aspect of the club’s purpose.  For the University Club, as with so many other institutions, this was a crucible occurrence.  The pandemic was an intense, unplanned, and transformative experience.  It required exceptional leadership skills to overcome its repercussions.

Cyrus is a skilled administrator in the club membership and hospitality arenas.  He has over 30 years of experience in this unique business enterprise.  I started our conversation with Cyrus by asking how he reacted when he first realized what was happening as the awful and ever deteriorating news about COVID -19 became more apparent.  “I was in shock, this can’t be happening”, he said.  His surprise was driven by the fact that he had never even heard of a pandemic before COVID-19.  He, like many others, was holding out hope that it would all be over soon – but, as we know, that was not the case.

Cyrus reflected on when he started as the club’s GM and how he had to face many challenges upon his arrival.  He started working at the club in the midst of the great recession.  With his vast experience, he knew that he had to hit the ground running to make decisions that would get the club back on a sound footing.  He adopted the philosophy that he was just going to say “yes” to every possible revenue source and make it work.   He convinced the club members to open for more events and he reached out to large organizations, like Kaiser Permanente, to show them the benefits of utilizing the club facilities to hold meetings and retreats.  His actions proved to be fruitful, and the club was “riding high”, pre-pandemic.  This all came crumbling down in 2020.  Cyrus likened it to flowing down a river, comfortably moving forward, and then, all of a sudden, in a flash, the river violently changes course and is now taking you the other way.  It was devastating, and no matter how hard you paddled, you were being pushed in the wrong direction.  Like hurricane Ida reversed the flow of the Mississippi River, the pandemic of 2020 changed the tide for us all.

The Club was forced to close, per COVID requirements, on March 16, 2020.  Cyrus knew, this was bad - really bad.  He had no plan for this, no immediate options and no idea how he would meet this challenge.  Still not knowing the duration of the lock-down, Cyrus watched as cancellations mounted for scheduled events and things just kept getting worse. How was the club going to survive? What was he going to do?

The world began to view businesses in primarily two categories: essential and non-essential. Certainly, the University Club was not a “necessary entity”.  On the scope of importance, especially during a pandemic, it probably didn’t rank all that high in most people’s eyes as essential in any way form or fashion.  So, I asked, what makes the University Club valuable?  Why should people care?  In a pandemic, you are essentially the leader of a relatively inconsequential institution.  How did you lead through this paradox?  Boldly and confidently, Cyrus recoiled at this assertion and declared that “it was the members that made the club valuable.  It was there for them, and, to some, it served as an extension of their home” And, then he asked me, “is your home important to you?”  He said that “this pandemic, if it has taught us nothing else, it has shown us how important engaging with each other is and that the club offered the opportunity for people to come together and share what they do and a part of themselves with others. People can learn from and about each other.  The club provides a place to network in a way that you can’t in most other meeting locations.  People can get information about just about everything here and that’s valuable!”

When asked how the staff responded.  He mused that he would tell the staff that, “every day is not going to be a glory day. Some days will be dark and when the glory days do come then you need to ride that wave of triumph through the challenges that will certainly come.  And, while it seemed dismal now, this too shall pass.” The staff was very supportive.  They wanted to stay with the club and wanted to ride out the storm – and most of them did. When asked what the toughest challenges were that he had to make during the pandemic and what kept him up at night, he said that he would ponder the questions, “what was he going to do and where would the money come from?”  But the one thing he did know was that the University Club would need to stay a club.  The notion that having to sell this historic venue at the pinnacle of its almost 100-year existence was untenable.  The idea of repurposing the club to a restaurant or something else was, also, just not in the cards.  He had to find another way to keep the club afloat.  He had to be resourceful, he had to use the assets available to him to try to survive. 
The University Club is adorned with a large parking lot and, of course, the benefits that come from the legendary Southern California weather. When food establishments were given the green light to have outdoor dining, Cyrus turned the parking lot into a barbeque extravaganza.  The idea came, after a visit to Texas, where he modeled the BBQ event after a neighborhood BBQ he had attended in the Longhorn state.   He garnered the assistance of a popular local well-known restaurateur, who had closed his barbeque restaurant prior to COVID.  This partnership turned out to be a huge success.  The outdoor venue had music and served a multitude of BBQ favorites.  The BBQ served as a welcome respite for COVID-weary patrons looking for welcomed relief from their pandemic induced isolation.

“A foundational element of leadership is the ability to be resourceful. The capability to adapt to fluctuating circumstances is the cornerstone to adjusting to changing tides.”

I asked him, what kept him going through it all?  He said that like other people, he had his down times, but he was able to keep motivated by talking to other people, relying on people that he trusted for their opinions and he got input from many as to how he should proceed.  It was through this council that gave him the confidence and conviction to move forward and to advance his ideas.  Through this ordeal, he indicated that the Board of Directors for the club gave him their full support as did the club members.  Steeped in the rich tradition of the University Club, its members were and continue to be deeply committed to building the membership and diversifying activities to make sure that the club continues to thrive.  This dedication was apparent during the pandemic.

I had not been inside of the club for over 2 years.  During this time, I wanted to know what Cyrus thought was the most important decision that he had to make during the pandemic.  As we toured the club, he showed me all for the upgrades and changes that had been made.  He said that completing these major renovations was his most important decision.  He asserts that it was definitely the right decision even though it was being Implemented during such a time of uncertainty.  With the club essentially closed, he said, “what better time to engage in construction.  With the disruptions that construction inevitably causes, it was the perfect time to do it.”

“Making decisions is one of the most important obligations for all leaders. The choices that a leader makes can have far reaching implications and consequences for people and institutions. How a leader carries out this important duty is paramount to an organization’s success. ”

In regard to setting priorities, Cyrus works to always focus on the person that he is engaging with at the moment. This was clearly evident during our interview. He was not distracted by his phone or other people during our time together. He gave his total focus to me and what we were doing now. He says that in his business, he centers on doing what needs to be done immediately to ensure that events get done right and on time. He assesses the impacts of his actions on the here and-now, as well as, on the future to determine the importance of his decisions

“One of the most important responsibilities that effective leaders possess is to determine and set priorities. Deciding what is important is crucial to successfully leading any organization. ”

It is important to keep staff motivated.  Cyrus’s philosophy is that most people are motivated to do well.  Some are moving at 100 mph, and some are moving at 50.  As a motivator, his job is to push those that are at 50 to their fullest potential.  He says that it is also important that employees know everything about what is going on at the club at all times to do their best.  He has regular meetings and makes sure that staff has digital access to scheduling and other information relative to club activities so that they can make the right decisions related to club activities.

I had the opportunity to work with Cyrus and his staff to talk about their strengths.  After taking the Gallup StrengthsFinder assessment, Cyrus’ top five strengths were revealed to be: Communication, Restorative, Ideation, Harmony and Relator.  Cyrus is the poster child for actively working in his strengths.  All of his top five strengths perfectly align with what he does on a day-to-day basis at the University Club.  Obviously, with communication being his number one talent theme, he exemplifies this talent in his work as the club’s chief ambassador.  All of his talents have played a major role in successfully navigating the University Club through the pandemic.  While I won’t go through all of them, I will focus on Cyrus’ restorative talent.

“Leaders that are transparent in their operations with their staffs, will find that their operations will run more efficiently and that employees armore empowered to effectively carry out their daily task. Staff will be more motivated when they are included in the decision-making process. ”

According to Gallup, people that are exceptionally talented in the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems.  They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it.  Cyrus demonstrated a tenacity in tackling the problems created by the lock-down and has shown how using your top talents and strengths can help you to overcome problems and help you succeed in a crisis. 

Along with his other strengths, Cyrus was able to communicate effectively through the crisis; he came up with creative ideas that help move the club forward; he brought harmony among staff and members during the storm; and he used his collaborative skills to bring people together around a common cause.

It was by using his strengths that Cyrus was able to alter the course of his pandemic river and stem the changing tide not just for the club or his staff but for the community at large and the businesses that have depended on the institution over the past 100 years.

  I invite you to help others by sharing in the comments how you saw your leadership and talents activate to keep your business during the difficult time we collectively lived through. We also invite you to visit the University Club of Pasadena for more information on how to become a member and take advantage of all the benefits.

Larry Hammond Sr.

Certified StrengthsFinder Coach

Communicating Through Strengths – The Road to Success

Why is actualizing excellent communication systems such a challenging issue for most organizations?

All organizations generate, receive and use data- accounts about information which become accomplishments when arranged in meaningful patterns.  Members of organizations communicate because they must receive and transmit information to coordinate their activities and to carry out their respective missions. All messages that pass through a system must be comprehensible to intended recipients.

 The original meaning intended by the sender may also become distorted when intermediaries at various levels of hierarchies reframe the information in line with their prejudices and preferences or when new information is combined with what is stored in organizational memory.  No matter what systems are used, communication content must be defused through the organization effectively.  Even with technology enhancing communication, people find understanding and consensus is often lacking.  With the wide array of communication methods – email, telephonic systems, instant messaging, etc., the ability to send and receive messages has never been easier or faster. However, method and messages are not necessarily communication. This is especially true when the essential success of communication is imperative such as in a hospital.  
Recently, at the conclusion of a successful surgery for my daughter, I found myself sitting in the recovery area of a major hospital. With the stress of the surgery gone, I began observing the activities going on around me.  As I watched, it became apparent that hospitals are a hotbed of communicative activity.  It occurred to me that, by necessity, hospitals have almost mastered the art of organizational communication. There are large screen monitors chocked with data, computers at every station and patient monitors beeping as physiological data is being recorded.  Then there are the less technological devices like white boards to write notes which, by the way, include magnetic tokens that say “Stop” and “Go”.  And, of course there is the all-important face-to-face dialogue that takes place between the patients and medical staff.  Even the physical layout of the hospital setting is designed to facilitate productive communique; nurses’ stations are usually centrally positioned, and open for all to observe. In addition, there are a cadre of directional signs to keep you on the right path.  Successful communication in hospitals is literally the life blood of the organization.  A misguided or inaccurate message can mean life or death in a hospital setting. 
The flow of communication is essential to success and the decision making process in any organization if they are seeking to excel at performing their missions, serving their customers and being the best in their industry. As demonstrated in the hospital environment, communication is an essential element in organizational culture.  Organizational culture, according to Professor of Communication at the University of Illinois, Marshall Scott Poole, “represents the linkages between the organizational situation and members’ cognitions, feelings and behaviors.”  Most important to organizational life, it affects job satisfaction and performance.  Political Scientist, James Q. Wilson defines it as a “persistent way of thinking about the central task of and human relationships within an organization.”  Hospitals have a
distinctive organizational climate that tends to uniquely provide opportunities for people to work in their strength.  It’s mission, to provide excellent care to patients is clear-cut; policies and procedures are meticulously documented; and personnel is afforded the opportunity to use their communication strengths at a high performing level.   

How does knowing and working in your strengths help enhance communications in an organization?  

In a previous article, “A Language to Excel”, I highlighted how the faculty at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) used StrengthsFinder® in their leadership programs to help students find a common language that enhances their leadership skills. It is one example of how StrengthsFinder® teaches that each of us has talents that are meant to be used and that we use these collective talents to meet life’s challenges. 
Achieving excellence in any area isn’t easy; especially in the area of communication.  Organizations which establish a foundation to maximize team performance have a distinct competitive advantage.  In my personal experience managing and working with teams, I have seen that the best way to succeed is to encourage all staff levels to identify and work in their talents. When one plays to these talents they become confident in their strengths and create an environment of focus and engagement. Individuals feel better because they are growing and developing and teams collectively elevate higher levels of innovation and creativity.  Organizations who promote and allow their teams to work in their talents and strengths are using this important key to success. 
Based on over 40 years studying human strengths, the Gallup organization created a language that identified 34 themes derived from multiple natural talents that naturally exist in individuals.  The development of these talents manifest strengths.  Most strengths are not rooted in just one talent, but two, three or more.  Using themes that overlap, helps you to contribute your best role in a variety of circumstances.  The interaction of themes is called, “theme dynamics”.  It is through these interactions that we draw from our talents to maximize our efforts in areas like communication.  For example, in the hospital scenario, let’s say that nurse Emily’s strongest talent is “Achiever” which naturally pushes her to get things done and to do more.   She also has “Learner” talents which drive her to master new skills that make her more effective in her work.  And, if she has “Strategic” talents included in her top themes, then she is always interested in knowing the options that the she can use to best communicate her messages.  While the “Communication” theme may not have been identified to be one of Emily’s top talents, she is using her primary talents to execute effectively in the area of communication which is key to being successful in her job.

       
Is communication in your organization consistent and effective?  

Using a strengths-based approach uniquely positions managers to build a strong communication network within their organizations.  There are multiple advantages to this method.   The first includes the formation of a common language that provides all team members with a consistent way to communicate among themselves.  This brings clarity and continuity in sharing information.  Also, teams that consistently work in their strengths are more confident and self-assured in their informational exchanges.  And finally, organizations that are operating in a strengths culture espouse their values to the constituents that they serve.  Communication is vastly enhanced when stakeholders clearly hear and understand the missions and goals of an organization when they are articulated definitively and confidently from members of the organization. When in the hospital, one takes great solace that any communication related to their specific case or that of a loved one is being executed accurately, effectively and timely.  It is imperative that the right information be communicated so that the best possible outcome is achieved.  In this setting, it is extremely important that those responsible for the medical care are working at maximum aptitude and efficiency.  When organizations communicate effectively, progress is made, employees stay engaged and service delivery is optimal.  Those that master communication systems by developing strengths-based, interdependent teams, where communication throughout the organization is at the forefront, consistent and effective, will succeed and prosper. 
Larry Hammond, Sr. – Certified StrengthsFinder Coach and Principal with V1H Consulting.  Find out more about strengths based workshops and training at wwwv1hconsulting.com 

The Strength to Lead!

Traits that define a good leader are numerous.  Even the definition of leadership has been debated for decades.  Successful leaders have been described as people that show confidence, that have a positive attitude, that are good listeners and insist on excellence.  Good leaders realize that accountability and responsibility are essential to success and developing others is as important as developing yourself. Making decisions is one of the most important functions performed by leaders.  Many of the activities of managers and administrators involve making and implementing decisions, including planning the work, solving technical and operational problems and creating job assignments. 

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Over the years and through my experience I have come to believe that at its core, true leadership is doing the right thing and making the right decision at the right time.  Earlier this year, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history occurred at an Orlando nightclub.  During this catastrophic event, Chief Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany had been filling in as medical examiner for Orange and Osceola counties in Florida for about a year, when he was faced with addressing the aftermath.  Dr. Stephany made the decision to separate the bodies of the 49 victims from the body of their executioner.  “There was no legal reason, no protocol” for separating the gunman, Stephany said in an interview.  “It’s just what I felt was right”. 

While everyone may not desire to take on a leadership role in an organization, it is now becoming more imperative that people within organizations be able to step up and adopt a more hands on approach to problem solving.  Twentyfirst century organizations need to be nimble and respond to challenges quickly and effectively to be successful.  In order to do so, they will need their team members to take on leadership roles to be responsive to the challenges presented. 

 In today’s work world, it is more important than ever to develop leaders within your organizations.  The increasing rate of change in the external environment of organizations and the many challenges facing leaders suggest that successful leaders will require a higher level of skill and some new competencies as well. As the need for leadership competencies increases, new techniques for developing them are being invented and old techniques are being refined.  A systems approach to leadership development will become more common as more organizations realized that this activity is strategically important for longterm organizational effectiveness. 

There has been extensive research on the effects of professional development training in organizations.  The research suggest that this usually increases job satisfaction and performance.   After decades of studying some of the most successful employees, leaders and enterprises in the world, Gallup Inc. has found that organizations achieve the highest levels of success by investing in their strongest asset – their people. 

Developing leaders in an organization offers a variety of potential benefits for the manager, the subordinate and the organization.  One benefit is to foster mutually cooperative relationships.  Potential benefits for subordinates include better job adjustment, more skill learning, greater self-confidence and faster career advancement.  The leader can gain a sense of satisfaction from helping others grow and develop.  Potential benefits for the organization include higher employee commitment, higher performance employees who are better prepared to fill positions of greater responsibility in the organization as openings occur. 

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Successful organizations beyond the 21st century will be defined by how well they develop leaders within their ranks.  Employees need to collaborate across the organization to achieve organizational goals and objectives.  This often requires people to step into leadership positions to head teams and coordinate projects.  Developing leaders provides for successful succession planning, highly performing teams and successful project implementation. Organizations that develop internal leaders are better able to adapt and implement changes in the organization. 

When developing leaders, in any organization I have worked with, my successes and most effective outcomes have been when the focus is placed on employee’s strengths.  Using a strengths based approach to leadership development is the best way to instill confidence, develop leadership skills and to build a collaborative culture that supports emerging leaders in an organization. Many organizations are under using the strengths of their employees partially because they have not identified what strengths they have individually or collectively. Bringing these out in your team will be a tremendous benefit to the organization. 

Gallup’s research has shown that organizations that develop their teams around strengths see increases in employee engagement and results including 14.9% lower turnover and 12.5% greater productivity.  A strengths-based approach incorporates identifying the ways in which employees most naturally think, feel and behave and building on those talents to create strengths – the ability to consistently provide near perfect performance in a specific task. A strengths-based approach combines the requirements of the job and performance capabilities (or competencies) demanded by the organization with individuals’ strengths to optimize performance. 

Using a strengths-based approach to develop leaders in the organization is key to maximizing the potential for successful integration and the embodiment of a leadership culture.  It capitalizes on the positive outcomes that a strengths-based approach provides, such as, making progress, employees enjoying what they do and them having a high interest in their work.  By positioning employees in ways that allow them to use their strengths every day and integrating strengths into key processes and systems organizationwide will yield a multitude of benefits for the organization, including increased engagement and retention.  A strengths-based approach aligns an organizations’ policies and practices and anchors them in a common philosophy. 

As we talk about developing leaders, what it really comes down to is outcomes.  When the circumstances arise or as in the crisis in Orlando, will the people in your organization stand up in leadership roles to do the right thing and make a positive difference?  Will they use their strengths to act with confidence and resolve to advance the organization’s goals and vision?  When Dr. Stephany made the decision that he did he didn’t do it for notoriety; he didn’t do it because he had to; he did it because it was the right thing to do and he was truly serving the people that he was hired to serve.  Dr. Stephany used his strengths to lead with dignity and conviction.  

Larry Hammond, Sr. – Certified StrengthsFinder Coach and Principal with V1H Consulting. 

The Simple Engagement Tool You Can’t Ignore!

 

An overall look at employee engagement:

A new 2016 Gallup Report, “State of Local and State Government Workers’ Engagement” http://bit.ly/29TaPj0 shows current employee engagement and disengagement figures in 43 states. The findings illustrate the need for these governments to find strategies to help curb disengagement.

Engagement is one of the key areas that local and state government leaders can invest in and according to Gallup can’t afford not to. They found that employee disengagement costs the U.S. economy roughly half a trillion dollars a year.

Although these numbers are overwhelming on one level, let us take a look at one organization that I can personally attest to in my previous work. As a manager in local government, my personal goal was the importance of dispelling the notion that public employees are less productive. Striving to change the way people view service delivery in the public sector.  One of the most effective ways that I found to accomplish this was by working to find the best in people by accentuating their unique qualities. 

Engagement in government is critical

It’s no secret that managing in the public sector is different from managing in the world of business.  When determining the best approach to improve staff engagement and motivation, the culture in the organization is a critical element in how improvements are made.  This is especially important in the public sector environment.  State, county and local government organizations have the special responsibilities of providing unique services to their respective communities. Governmental entities tend to have a monopoly on the services they provide, such as, police, fire and transportation, which often negates the competitive element and serves as a disincentive to innovate and to be creative. According to Gallup’s report 29% of full-time state and local government employees are engaged at work and this includes police, firefighters, teachers and city and state officials, but 71% of all employees are not in these kinds of jobs. 

When compared to the private sector, public sector entities often lack the kinds of incentives and opportunities that would allow for potential monetary impetus to motivate employees, as well as, other potential benefits.  Many join the private sector with the expectation of earning significant amounts of money while many enter public service to serve others – managing the two are quite different.  It is certainly true that many public sector employees are driven by the desire to serve their communities or that they are inspired by a yearning to help others.

This begs the question as to how public employees stay engaged and stay motivated.  Realizing that monetary incentives are not always the answer, they can be somewhat limited in the public arena.  With these financial constraints – pay raises, stock options, bonuses and other perks, government managers have fewer options to motivate and keep employees engaged.  Faced with this reality, government managers need to focus on agency missions and impact while finding other nonfinancial means to reward employees.  Managers must motivate staff by involving them in the decision making process and helping them to see and appreciate their individual contributions within the organization.

Great management always begins with understanding the unique characteristics of the workforce, figuring out what makes employees tick and creating an environment in which they can and want to do their best work.  Despite prevailing negative attitudes about government workers – that they are overpaid and underworked - many public sector employees find their careers rewarding.  A Harvard Business Review study reported that public sector employees are more motivated by job content, self-development, recognition, autonomy, interesting work, and the chance to learn new things.  Research has shown that public servants find meaning in their work by making a positive difference in the lives of the citizens that they serve.

That being said, government tends to have fewer ways to measure progress and success.  Since there are no profits to count and measuring spending does not necessarily equal success, progress is calibrated by using various performance measures. While, at times, in the public sector it is hard to measure achievement, seeing that progress is made is crucial to operational efficiency.  There are few things that are more engaging than making important progress towards stated goals and objectives.  I would argue that, in the public sector, it is the most important thing.

In many cases, in the public sector, there is an effort to make employees well rounded to give them the ability to work in multiple areas.  These employees are also subjected to managers that focus on fixing weaknesses as opposed to developing their strengths.  This is self-evident in the performance appraisal process were employees are told that in order to advance their career that they must broaden their skill set.  Many appraisals include words of congratulation for a year of excellent performance, but later, the conversation changes to how to improve in areas where the employee struggles. 

A case for making a change:

Focusing on Strengths equals more engagement. 

In the work that I do now, I help people find their strengths.  I have learned that individuals, teams and organizations function better when each person is working in their strength zones while avoiding areas of weakness.  Doing this also plays a major role in the success or failure of an individual, team or organization.  According to a previous Gallup report, employees who receive strengths feedback have turnover rates that are 14.9% less than employees that receive no feedback or negative feedback.  I believe that it is a leader’s responsibility to facilitate a strengths based approach to management.  Using this approach, people are more fulfilled, confident, productive, focused and engaged.  The most effective managers invest in their employees’ strengths.

When managers focus on strengths:

1. They increase awareness of the collective and individual strengths of members of their staff

2. They increase the application of strengths and track performance through this application

3. They create partnerships that allow for gaps in strengths by paring staff with varying talents

In order to be effective in the public sector teams need to be highly collaborative and have a number of complementary partnerships.  Having effective collaborative teams is imperative to ensuring that these organizations are successful.

Strengths-based teams:

1. Are able to collaborate more effectively while achieving greater performance

2. Have clear and compelling goals and outcomes and are more productive, creative and adaptive

3. Create sustained growth and success by continuously investing in each other’s strengths

Using a strengths-based approach in the public sector is the best solution because, as mentioned, the reasons that people work in public service can be quite different than the reasons they work in private industry.  In Simon Sinek’s book, “Start with Why”, Sinek asserts that understanding the purpose of what you do (“the why”) is key to achieving excellence in any organization.  He points out that making money is a result and is not “the why”.   The public sector can often have a hard time identifying its “why” or how to sustain its purpose.  Public servants need to be clear as to who they serve, why they do what they do and why people should care.  This means that public servants need to clearly understand that what they bring to the organization matters and that they are empowered to make appropriate decisions.  They need to be emotionally and psychologically engaged at work to be truly successful and effective.

A cost effective, viable solution:

In government, there is not much room for error.  The things that you do are often viewed through the lenses of an inquiring public that wants to know how their hard earned tax dollars are being spent.  Leaders who run these programs must use whatever is at their disposal to be successful.  Then I pose the question, what if they could leverage more of who they already are in order to accomplish their missions?  In a recent research study, the Gallup organization found that employees and leaders were 6 times more likely to be engaged and productive by understanding their strengths, applying their strengths and being provided opportunities to practice their strengths.  Also, teams that are actively engaged in intentional strengths based experiences see overall performance improve up to 30% (Wagner & Harter, 2006).

In today’s demanding workplace, people not only need to work hard but they need to bring creativity and insight into their efforts. (Peter Drucker says that is what a knowledge economy is all about).  Creativity and insight requires hearts and minds commitment.  Therefore, innovative solutions to problems calls for people to be fully engaged and to care about their purpose.  This requires a spur beyond the merely monetary.

Using a Strength based approach is making the potential a reality.

Real engagement, doesn’t flow from trying to convince yourself that what you are doing will change the world for the better.  True empowerment must be sought in how the scope of your work allows you to reach your highest potential.  Meaning in work isn’t vested in the product or outcome, but rather in how the daily experience of doing your work helps you to develop as a human being.  By exercising autonomy and allowing people to work in their strengths, is the key to topnotch engagement and employee motivation.  Having the confidence that is garnered by working in your strengths is paramount to successful execution.  Honing and developing what is best in employees is the right formula for sustained excellence.  In as much as people need to see value in what they do, they also need to see themselves as better people for having done the work that they do.  Incorporating a strengths based approach into employee development programs in the public sector gets at the heart of creating engaged teams and workers that are committed to organizational excellence and achieving progress.

Larry Hammond, Sr. – Certified StrengthsFinder Coach and Principal with V1H Consulting.

Find out more about strengths based workshops and training in our services area.

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StrengthsFinder® - A Language to Excel

In a time when technology, through Twitter™, Snapchat™ and Facebook™, has broadened channels of communication, it seems that direct communication between individuals has been stifled.  Not too long ago, my daughter, who is a student at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), in Los Angeles, California, came into my home office, saw the StrengthsFinder 2.0 book, by Tom Rath, on my desk and she said, “we are using that same book at school”.  To my surprise, this began a long discussion about the book, how she was using it in class and her strengths.  We laughed and joked about how her strengths had manifested over the years and how her top strengths are instrumental in helping her thrive at the film school at LMU.  This encounter raised my curiosity about what they were doing at the university as it relates to StrengthsFinder®.  To learn more, I contacted Mr. Anthony J. Garrison-Engbrecht, the Director of Leadership Programs & LGBT Student Services to set up an interview.  Mr. Garrison-Engbrecht and his team administer the Ignatian Leadership Institute within the department of Student Leadership & Development at the university.  The students enrolled in the leadership program are all young leaders (about 300 in total each semester).  They are members of a variety of student organizations including the student government associations (ASLMU), greek life and other campus affiliations.

Mr. Garrison-Engbrecht begins the interview by explaining that the StrengthsFinder® methodology came highly recommended by the university’s business department.  He says that their team looked at several personality assessment programs, such as, Myers Briggs®, DISC® and others and after an extensive review they determined that StrengthsFinder® was the best tool to augment their leadership curriculum.  At the beginning of the semester, each student in the program takes the Gallup StrengthsFinder® assessment.  After identifying their strength talents, he says that the students’ conversations opened up dramatically, especially when they discuss how their strengths relate to their particular life circumstances. The leadership team recognizes the importance of each student’s participation in the development of his or her own leadership skills.  Mr. Garrison-Engbrecht tells his students, “these classes are about you; you should all get A’s because you are an expert on you”.  Students come to LMU with unlimited possibilities and abound in gifts and tools which will allow them to grow into the leaders of tomorrow.  The Ignatian Leadership Institute helps these young people unwrap their gifts and sharpen their tools so that they will succeed in their endeavors and that StrengthsFinder® has been a key ingredient in this formula.

With a desired goal of helping students live with a positive purpose, Mr. Garrison-Engbrecht and his team see their role as guiding students on their respective paths in life - “like bumpers in a bowling alley”.  Mr. Garrison-Engbrecht, is inspired by a passion for cultivating and grounding his students in a philosophy that their “lived experiences” are just as important as their formal educational.  He believes that by linking the two will help students to become effective leaders in the community and find their respective callings to effect positive social change.

Mr. Garrison-Engbrecht asserts that we often hear about how “Jane” is a great soccer player or that “John” is a fantastic office worker but that these interpretations don’t give you a deeper knowledge about the person.  StrengthsFinder® helps students to get past these nonspecific descriptions and move to definitions that talk about how “Jane”, who has a strength of “maximizer”, helps bring out the best in her teammates and how “John”, who has a strength of “harmony”, helps to bring consensus within group settings.  Conversations that emphasize strengths help the students to see the possibilities that they bring within themselves.  By using their strengths and the strengths of others, they can find new and creative ways to solve problems and to tackle adversities.

In this age of computers and cell phones, it’s gratifying to have opportunities to engage in real conversations.  A discussion with my daughter about our strengths and what makes us the best of who we are turned out to be an inspiring engagement.  At LMU, Mr. Garrison-Engbrecht says that StrengthsFinder® gives students a language to better describe what makes them special.  He talks about how the leadership program helps these future leaders, through StrengthsFinder®, discover a “language” that allows them to express their “best selves” in their conversations.  He believes that by emphasizing their strengths and then by linking them to solid positive core values and beliefs, that he is truly giving them “A Language to Excel”.

By Larry Hammond Sr...2016 V1H Consulting®