ENGAGE: TALENT
Identify Talent: Engage it Strategically
One of the critical factors in engagement dynamics is the identification of talents and strengths.Great organisations know their people and ensure that they are able to consistently bring their greatest abilities to work.
In 1998, the Father of Strengths Psychology, Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D. (1924-2003), along with Tom Rath and a team of scientists at Gallup, created the online StrengthsFinder assessment. In 2004, the assessment's name was formally changed to "Clifton StrengthsFinder" in honor of its chief designer.
In 2007, building on the initial assessment and language from StrengthsFinder 1.0, Rath and Gallup scientists released a new edition of the assessment, program, and website, dubbed "StrengthsFinder 2.0." Rooted in more than 40 years of research, this assessment has helped millions discover and develop their natural talents.
In association with African Mosaic, Engagement Dynamics and our team of Gallup-trained coaches and consultants offer the following processes to enable individuals, teams and organisations to identify, understand, engage and develop their innate talents:
The Clifton Strengthsfinder tool was developed by Gallup International, the world-renowned market research organisation who conduct Gallup polls. The idea for the tool originated when Dr Donald Clifton and his associates posed the question, “What would happen if we focused on what is actually "right" with people, instead of trying to fix what is "wrong" with them?” Utilising results from over 4 000 000 respondents, this tool has been validated to identify the core talents of individuals through the completion of a simple online questionnaire. The online test identifies the top 5 talents for each participant (from a possible 34), providing a brief description of each of these in a report.
Taking the Strengthfinder test is very affirming and useful. However, the true value of this information really unfolds with coaching. Here we are able to help people to understand their unique combination of strengths and how they impact on their performance and their contributions to a team. I am particularly excited about the potential of this tool to enhance team and organizational effectiveness and cohesion, to assist management decisions and to engage employees in their work, thereby increasing productivity.
The calibre of people in South Africa who have had the Strengthsfinder coach training is very high and the team of associate coaches, which is forming, has a powerful mix of consulting experience. All of us have found that Strengthsfinder has been a very effective addition to our resources. As such we are able to offer Strengthsfinder resources and coaching as a stand-alone product or to work with you to develop a more comprehensive intervention to maximize the effectiveness of your work force. A common experience of our team is that many organisations invest heavily in human resource development but fail to integrate this training effectively or to align it with their strategic goals. Our association of consultants has much to offer in this regard. Each of us operates independently but, where we have the opportunity, we are able to combine our talents, knowledge and skills to add greater value to the bespoke interventions we can offer to our clients.
My own background includes master’s level studies in business and psychology and experience at executive managerial level in both small and medium business. I also have years of counselling, coaching and leadership experience in individual, business and volunteer settings. On a personal level, the Strengthsfinder tool with effective coaching has been the most useful psychological assessment which I have taken. I employ the insights which I gained on a daily basis. This personal experience was my motivation for gaining this qualification. It has been so helpful to me that I am passionate about its potential to impact individuals, leaders, organisations and communities.