What Is “Managing Up” and What Does it Have to Do With Strengths-Based Development?
When LinkedIn Learning shared their 2022 workplace learning report, which asked L&D pros, managers, and learners globally about their priorities, challenges, and what really inspires them to learn, one thing was clear that will remain the case in 2023…
One of the biggest opportunities organizations have to increase retention, build company culture, and reinforce values is to create and promote a culture of learning. In fact, 94% of employees said they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development.
While nearly all learners polled saw the benefits of carving out time to learn, unsurprisingly the top factor that prevented employees from getting the development they crave is not having enough time available to find and complete programs that will actually help them progress in their careers.
Why Discovering Your Strengths is Integral to “Managing Up”
"What would happen if we studied what is right with people instead of focusing on what is wrong with them?"
- Don Clifton
Think of a time when you’ve achieved success, however you might define it, when you were firing on all cylinders or you experienced a sense of flow. You were most likely using your talents. The above question was what sparked Don Clifton’s foray into positive psychology and the study of strengths, resulting in Gallup’s CliftonStrengths Assessment.
Gallup’s CliftonStrengths Assessment asks a series of questions to measure what Gallup calls talent. Talent is a natural way of thinking, feeling, or behaving. After completing the online assessment, you receive a report about your top five talents with insights specifically developed for you based on your responses.
And before you start thinking, “Not another personality test!” This is one that you want to make time for… the likelihood of you finding someone with the same top five as you is one in 33 million!
How to Find Strengths-Based Opportunities for Learning and Development for You and Your Team
Study your successes, track your wins, learn from positive feedback, pay attention to the tasks that energize you and get deliberate about how that informs your way forward. This Leadology article on leveraging your strengths is a great place to get started on learning more about tapping into the power of your unique strengths.
If I had to narrow down "managing up" to one skill, it would be the skill of influencing. This First Round Review article puts it best when it explains, “Managing up is not an event — it’s an ongoing process that, when done right, can be very rewarding. Treat it as an investment, not an overhead.”
First, given that time is of the essence, it’s more important than ever to:
Proactively provide development solutions for your employees instead of making them spend more time going out and searching for what they need. This means actively recommending programs that will help them progress in their careers.
Source learning solutions that will allow learners to both go at their own pace as well as provide high-touch personalized support in order to reinforce the skills they are learning on their own.
Add this article to your reading list: How HIVE Learning is Reshaping How We Train Today’s Leaders
Ensure the learning solution is comprehensive enough to include all the skills the learner might need in one place - this means employees won’t have to spend additional time digging for information elsewhere.
How You Can “Manage Up” and Increase Your Effectiveness Using Strengths in the Workplace
Interested in learning more about the power of Strengths-Based Development? Leadology has several options for you to choose from, no matter where you are at in your managerial journey!
An exercise we love to recommend at the start of any year (2023, looking at you!) is the 21-Day Strengths Challenge. Accessible to anyone with a CliftonStrengths Top 5 Report, this challenge delivers straight to your inbox every morning with advice, prompts, and skill-building exercises!
Leadology’s Strengths-Based Development Learning Journeys can be customized to suit your small business team with any number of team members. We recommend booking a free strategy call to assess your team and their unique needs.
Lastly, our premier communication program Activate saw a whopping 91 members complete the program in 2022, and we’re aiming to more than double that in 2023! Starting with Strengths-Based Development, Activate will take you and/or your team through a 12-week journey to discover their unique talents, boost your team’s performance, enhance productivity and retention, and learn to have those difficult conversations with ease, edge, and power. Get in touch with us today to learn more!
