Strength-Based Development

Written on the 16 December 2007 by Sharon Hudson

Strengths-Based Development

The easiest, most beneficial and most economical way to develop people is to identify their innate talents, and use them as the foundation upon which to build skills and knowledge.

Extensive research indicates that people learn, change, and improve the most in the areas of their natural talents and strengths. It is all to do with strengthening the person’s pre-existing synaptic connections (in their brain). It is easier for our brains to work along existing connections, and strengthen those, than it is to make new synaptic connections that form from new ‘experiences’ or ‘develop new habits’.
There is a widespread belief that people can do anything well if they learn enough or try hard enough. At TalentTools we firmly believe that anyone can do anything. “But how well they do it, how long they can do it for, and how much effort and energy they use in doing it, are the variables”. The bottom line is that those with talent do easily, what others find difficult.

Many training and development dollars are wasted in addressing perceived weaknesses and trying to instill into people behaviours, responses, habits, processes and attitudes that have no innate foundation in the persons natural behaviour. The results are commonly less than impressive, and rarely, if ever, produce excellence.

In order to turn talent into performance TalentTools recommends identifying, emphasising and developing each individual’s natural strengths. The Gallup Organisation has researched and investigated the nature of human talents and strengths for more than 30 years, and has interviewed more than two million people in a wide range of roles and industries and have discovered what made those people successful.

The Clifton StrengthsFinder is a Revolutionary Tool for Developing Human Potential

The Clifton StrengthsFinder is the product of a 25-year, multimillion dollar effort to identify the most prevalent human talents -- the building blocks of a strong and productive life. Thirty-four themes of talent that are indicative of success were identified.

The Clifton StrengthsFinder measures a person's talent in each of these 34 themes, and identifies their top five. These are the person’s natural strengths, their areas of greatest talent – and the areas in which they have the best opportunity to strengthen synaptic connections, improve performance and become more successful.

Contact us to learn more about how The Clifton StrengthFinder and our other talent enhancement tools can help you and your turn talent into performance.

www.talenttools.com.au                                                     07 3103 0177