Leveraging Individual Strengths for Team Success

Cathie Leimbach • November 13, 2021

Win/Win/Win situations are the reality in healthy workplaces. Individuals, teams, and the organization are all successful. Individuals are engaged and morale is high. Trust within the team is strong and team goals are achieved. The organization is serving its mission and reaching its targets.


However, such success isn’t magic. It requires clarity and collaboration on everyone’s part. The organization needs to set growth-oriented yet realistic goals and allocate adequate resources. Each team requires clear goals that support the organization’s success and appropriate resources.  Then, team leaders have the task of determining how to engage their people and apply their resources to achieve the expected results.  Also, individual employees have the responsibility to fulfill their role. To achieve individual, team, and organizational success, good communication and strong collaboration are essential at all levels.


First, let’s look at the benefits of leveraging employee strengths to achieve team and organizational goals. Recent global research by Gallup found that when employees are regularly using their strengths at work, the organization experiences:

  • an increase in engaged employees by 9%-15%
  • a decrease in turnover by 6% to 16% in low-turnover organizations and 26% to 72% in high-turnover organizations
  • an increase in profit by 14% to 29%

 

Second, let’s look at the challenges of leveraging employee strengths:

  • Some employees may not be particularly strong in the skills required to complete the work of their current team or the organization as a whole. Or, their strengths may only add value a few hours per day or week.
  • The organization or team leader may not be interested in knowing and considering the strengths of each employee.
  • Most jobs include essential tasks that everyone must do, regardless of their strengths or interests. Seldom is it practical for employees to be using their strengths every hour of the day. 
  • When an employee’s strengths don’t contribute to achieving their employer’s long-term results or current priorities, it is necessary for them to complete whatever tasks are assigned to them.
  • If the employee’s strengths and preferences don’t match the needs of their current team, they are likely in a wrong-fit position. It’s time to explore if there are right-fit opportunities elsewhere within the organization. If not, then leveraging their strengths likely requires a job search to find a better-fit position.


Third, when the team leader wishes to leverage the strengths and preferences within his team, effectively redistributing the work requires a focus on achieving team results as well as buy-in from all team members. During a collaborative team meeting, discuss the team’s tasks, understand each member’s strengths and preferences, and match strengths to tasks as much as possible. This usually results in everyone’s strengths being better utilized, increased morale, greater job satisfaction. 


Leveraging individual strengths for team success is both desirable and achievable. How strong is your organization in this area? What step could you take this week towards leveraging workplace strengths? 

Age and Gender Shape How Employees Want to Be Appreciated

By Cathie Leimbach • June 10, 2025
In today’s evolving workplace, one constant remains: employees want to feel valued. Interestingly, research comparing data from before and after COVID-19 shows that employees' preferred languages of appreciation have remained remarkably consistent over time. However, age and gender differences reveal important nuances leaders shouldn’t ignore. Gender differences are clear. Men more frequently chose Acts of Service as their preferred form of appreciation (26%), while women gravitated toward Words of Affirmation (46%). When asked about their least preferred language, women were more likely to rank Acts of Service at the bottom, while men showed a strong dislike for Tangible Gifts. Age also matters. Employees over 60 overwhelmingly preferred Words of Affirmation (48%), while the youngest generation (under 20) leaned toward Quality Time (33%). These trends suggest that life stage and workplace experience shape what appreciation feels most meaningful.  The takeaway? While core preferences haven't shifted dramatically post-COVID, effective leaders need to understand and respond to individual differences. Avoid blanket strategies and invest in knowing how each team member feels most valued. Personalized appreciation builds stronger teams—across every generation and gender. For further details, see Dr. Paul White’s article on gender differences in appreciation preference.

Why Better Leaders Mean Better Bottom Lines

By Cathie Leimbach • June 3, 2025
Let’s talk straight—leadership development isn’t just a “nice to have.” It’s the engine behind real economic progress. John Kotter, a world-renowned voice in leadership and change, made it clear: organizations don’t rise or fall on products alone—they succeed because of how well they lead through change. When leaders know how to cast vision, inspire action, and adapt quickly, the ripple effect is huge. Teams become more engaged. Strategy gets implemented faster. Resistance turns into momentum. And yes—revenue and results improve.  Kotter’s work shows that companies with strong leadership navigate uncertainty better and capture more market share during tough times. Why? Because effective leaders create clarity in the chaos. They don’t just manage—they lead change with purpose. If we want to strengthen our teams, our organizations, and even our communities, we have to prioritize leadership development. Not later—now. Because when leadership improves, so does everything else. That’s not just theory. That’s proven strategy. Click here to view the document: Better Leader = Better Bottom Lines and see why investing in leadership pays off. Let’s build leaders who build better futures.
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