How Managers Can Identify Team Strengths
Managers should not rely only on job titles. A job title tells you something about formal responsibility. It does not necessarily reveal the full capability of the person.
Review actual work
What problems does each person solve well?
Observe recurring contribution
Who naturally: organizes? teaches? analyzes? creates? persuades? connects? researches? improves processes?
Review evidence
Use: projects; performance outcomes; work samples; peer feedback; customer feedback; completed responsibilities.
Ask the employees
Useful questions include: “What type of work do you think you do particularly well?” “What problems do people usually come to you to solve?” “What work would you like to become better at?”
Map skills
Separate: current skill from: potential development area.
Explore natural gifts carefully
Natural Gifts can provide an additional development lens, but should not become a rigid assignment mechanism.
Understand values
A person's values can influence how they prefer to contribute and what kinds of work they find meaningful.
Look for team-level patterns
Ask: What are we collectively excellent at? What capability is missing? Where are we overly dependent on one person? Which strengths are underused?
Develop the team
The purpose of identifying strengths is not merely to label people. It is to improve: contribution; development; role alignment; collaboration; resilience; workplace impact.
Team contribution is more than just completing a task.
Discover how you and your team can work better together by understanding Natural Gifts, Skills, Values, and Workplace Fit.
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