Dealing With Uncertainty and Change at work – how StrengthsFinder can help

Change is all around us. With more people working remotely and uncertain economic times, organisations are facing new challenges. Are your employees ready? 

Chances are, they're not. Research shows that most employees don't feel excited about the future at work. Companies want their staff to be able to adapt to changes, but many employees feel unprepared and stressed. 

One solution? Using employees' strengths to help them handle change. 

 Why Change Is Tough and How Clifton Strengths Helps 

Change can be tough – experts agree. But why? It's because change brings a loss of control and more uncertainty, which can make people uncomfortable. Employees might even question their own worth and abilities. 

Dealing with change can lead to burnout. Studies show that 73% of full-time employees feel burned out at work sometimes, and these employees are 13% less sure about their performance. 

When employees don’t have good ways to handle these changes, they can feel overwhelmed and unprepared. 

Burnout also leads to more visits to the GPs and hospitals and more sick days – 23% and 63% more, respectively. Stress from change can hurt employees' well-being. When people aren't feeling their best, they might not be ready to take on new tasks. 

That's why it's important for organisations to help employees understand and use their strengths. Employees who know and use their strengths are nearly six times more engaged, perform better, and are less likely to leave their jobs. They're better equipped to deal with uncertainty using reliable strategies based on their talents, which boosts their confidence. For more information about Clifton Strengths* see here.

By starting with identifying talents and then building on them, you give your employees the tools they need to succeed. 

* Clifton Strengths and StrengthsFinder are the same word using for the tool developed and registered with the Gallup Foundation.

Using our Strengths to build resilience

Using Clifton Strengths can help employees stay resilient during uncertain times. If your team has taken the Clifton Strengths assessment, here's how you can put it into practice when managing change: 

1. Understand your own strengths and how you use them to lead change and uncertainty. 
   

2. Understand your team’s strengths fully: Make sure employees see their Clifton Strengths as more than just one trait. Each strength consists of multiple characteristics that employees can use in different situations.  Ensure you understand your own strengths too 
   

3. Encourage reflection on how talents contribute to success. 
   Explore with them:

   • Where do they see their themes in action in their lives? 

   • How are their successes connected to talents? 

   • Which strengths help them cope during change? 

   Increasing awareness helps handle change and life variability, providing stability overall. 
   

4. Turn talents into strengths: Help employees identify how they can use their Clifton Strengths effectively every day to achieve excellent results. “Talents” and “strengths” may sound interchangeable, but they’re distinct. Talent is a potential for excellence: someone on your team may have great execution or relationship talents, for instance. But strengths are about application: Have they applied those execution or relationship talents in a way that delivers nearly perfect performance consistently? 
   
   An employee is using their strengths when they produce consistent, repeatable results. At this stage, your team can explore what their strengths look like when they rely on them every day. 

   Employees’ awareness of what it feels like to use their strengths daily shows them how they can lean into their areas of strength to excel in times of pressure. 
   

5. Use a knowledge of strengths to adjust how they work: Consider a scenario where you ask an employee to lead the organisation in a new initiative. Before knowing and using their strengths, this employee might not have recognised their need to relate to others or how their lack of organisation creates challenges for others. And without this knowledge, the project could encounter early setbacks as this employee and the team figures out the best way to interact with each other. 
   
   But because you enabled your team to understand their Clifton Strengths, this employee knows that they lead with relationship building themes and lack strong execution (ie ‘getting things done’) themes. They recognize that if they invest in relationships and delegate tasks related to arranging and implementing to others, they feel more confident managing the project. They’re no longer afraid to ask questions or lean on others’ expertise -- it’s how they do their best work. 

   By using these strategies, this employee can successfully lead the project -- and awareness of strengths from the outset allows the team to confidently take the first step. 
   

6. Manage the ‘shadow sides’ of strengths by balancing expression and emotional control: Strengths are a bit like coffee, the right amount is great, too much isn’t! Most strengths have what we call ‘shadow-sides’ – ways that this strength shows up under pressure. These can either trip us up or cause difficulties for others. Understanding and managing our strengths reduces stress and conflict for ourselves and within the team. For example, someone with a strong Activator theme can use their enthusiasm to motivate others but should also consider others' strengths and work styles before jumping straight into action.  
   
   By following these simple steps, you can harness the power of Clifton Strengths to build resilience in your team during times of change.

Leading with communication and transparency is key.  

Managers play a crucial role in guiding their teams through tough times. Even employees who seem disconnected often rely on their managers for support during uncertain periods. Managers can get ready for change by having regular, meaningful chats with their team members and helping them apply their strengths at work. Showing empathy at what they’re struggling with can help reduce barriers and resistance (we don’t have to agree with them). 

How managers talk about change is important too. When managers understand their team's strengths, they can explain changes in a way that makes sense and feels reassuring. 

A strengths-based approach to change means there's no single way to react, but managers can make it a collaborative process that boosts confidence and allows employees to shine using their strengths. 

If you’re interested in finding out how Clifton Strengths Finder can help your team/s respond to change more proactively please contact me for a chat. 

Kate Jennings