ISIDIMA | Blog

This week, we're exploring the topic of 'Signature Strengths' in an Infographic.

Let me ask you a question: How do you wake up each weekday morning?

Is it with immense verve and excitement to start your day – or do you instead feel a sense of dread, avoidance or even apathy?  Do you find life exhausting and frustrating? Or is it easy and exhilarating?

For many of us, these reactions are merely categorized as fixed personality types such as “I'm just not a morning person” or “I just need a break... a lot”, however this is incorrect. 

What is in fact in play with these emotions you experience are often a function of whether you either spend your days using what are called your ‘Signature Strengths’, or frantically attempting to swim upstream in life by correcting your weaknesses.

So what are these signature strengths? Simply put, they are the things we like doing most, are good at and give us the kind of energy that could keep us engaged and going long after “closing time”.

Studies have shown that people whose jobs allowed them to use their signature strengths — those qualities they were uniquely best at, the talents that set them apart from others — were consistently happier.

Overall, we all find more happiness and satisfaction in our life if it is aligned with our signature strengths. Which in turn, positively effects those around us too!

So take a look at the list of 24 categories below, to see if you relate to any of them - and start your journey to a more fulfilled existence.

(If you’d like to explore this even further,  the you can take the signature strengths test here. It’s a free online test and takes some time to do, but is worth it)

“In 2015 Uber, the world’s largest Taxi Company owns no vehicles, Facebook the world’s most popular media owner creates no content, Alibaba, the most valuable retailer has no inventory and Airbnb the world’s largest accommodation provider owns no real estate.”

Ever heard the saying that education is the most valuable asset as no one can take it from you? Well it turns out its true –not only in the philosophical, pensive sense but in the hard-hitting, tangible financial sense. Although human capital is hard to measure in actual monetary terms, it has recently proven to be the backbone behind wealth and prosperity just by looking at the shift in the balance sheet asset distribution of leading companies in their respective fields such as Uber, Alibaba, Facebook and Airbnb.

It makes rational sense really, until we have simulated intelligence we need people to make decisive calls and commands that ultimately allow anything to be accomplished in the world. It takes human capital to actually develop any other form of capital from finance to factories –whilst a computer may perform statistical analyses and determine the most optimal course of action, it still took a human being to program the computer.

Under intangible assets, Facebook had an amount of $80m at their 2011 financial year end while their PPE was valued at $1475m. At the 2014 year end, the value of their intangibles was $3929m whilst their PPE was $3967m –thus indicating a massive growth in the value of human capital which is predicted to rapidly surpass the tangible assets in the near future according to the current growth rate. This is just one example of many fortune 500 companies (Facebook Inc., 2014).

So, we’ve established the importance of human capital, one is left wondering how to optimize it and gain the most out of our intangible assets. If we have maintenance, evaluators and developers for our tangible assets then surely we should have the same for intangible assets –if not more so seeing as their increasing value has been recognised. This is where learning and developmental trainers or consultants come into play.

The great thing about being a business in South Africa (and there aren’t too many pros at the moment so listen carefully) is that you can develop a staff sector with accreditations and it is indirectly free. Yes, it does sound like there is a catch and you probably have that one frugal grandpa’s voice in your head saying “nothing in this world is free”, but hear me out… Firstly, if you appoint an accredited Human Resources Development training provider to upskill your employees in anything from corporate executive coaching to a call centre Learnership, you can claim a portion of the relevant training costs back from the SETA your company is a stakeholder of.  Secondly, you receive a tax rebate of R30 000 per person on initiation of a learnership and another R30 000 upon the completion. Thirdly, you boost your BEE scorecard rating. Voila! You’ve saved on your costs and maybe made a bit extra –sorry grandpa but times have changed.

We are catapulting this current economy into a knowledge-based framework -reliant on information, high-level skills and technology growth on a global scale. If you still doubt the importance of developing your company’s human capital like the rest of the world, I shall leave you with some wise words from the great Madiba: “education is the most powerful weapon which you use to change the world". Time to revalue those assets!

Written by: Nicola Morkel  

Bibliography  

Facebook Inc.  (2014, December 31). Facebook Annual Reports. Retrieved from Stock  analysis on Net:  https://www.stock-analysis-on.net/NASDAQ/Company/Facebook-Inc/Financial-Statement/Liabilities-and-Stockholders-Equity

Feldman, J.  (2013, March 11). Six Steps for Developing Human Capital. Retrieved  from The North Bay Business Journal:  http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/63232/six-steps-for-developing-human-capital/

Grimsley, S.  (n.d.). What is Human Capital? Importance to An Organization.  Retrieved from Business 106: Human Resource Management:  http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-human-capital-importance-to-an-organization.html

Kaplan, R., &  Norton, D. (2004, February 1). Measuring the Strategic Readiness of  Intangible Assets. Retrieved from Harvard Business Review:  https://hbr.org/2004/02/measuring-the-strategic-readiness-of-intangible-assets

Companies are now asking “can we afford not to use executive coaching?”

How the tables have turned. Just over 50 years ago, the first executive coaches were reportedly introduced to some experimental businesses and were then called “developmental consultants” (Auerbach, 2014). Today however, 79% of medium and large businesses in the UK report that they use executive coaching (Auerbach, 2014). It has in fact become a necessity, much like having a secretary, in that you can do without it but it just means a lot more organizing and headaches on your part.

Executive coaching is definitely not a fad. In fact, it is a movement that is clearly increasing each year, as it is a cost effective method for attaining remarkable results in businesses and teams. Some leaders are still uncertain about the use of executive coaches because they believe that it doesn’t generate immediate bottom line results. However, this is both shortsighted and in no way an indication that it has not increased the business return-on-investment. A study by the International Personal Management Association showed that when executive coaching was added to their training program, day-to-day work performance increased by 88% (Auerbach, 2014). So ultimately, without any increased costs on new technology or resources (besides the coaching fee), the business actually generated a phenomenal increase in productivity.

Thus far we’ve established that executive coaching is ultimately a good thing for businesses. That’s great, but you’re probably asking how much of a good thing it is - So lets get down to the nitty-gritty: what do executive coaches do and what are the actual benefits of utilizing them?

Firstly, the breach between a company’s expectations and the     leader’s performance is examined by the executive coach.

Secondly, the effectiveness and efficiency is analyzed from several points of view.

Finally the coach will develop a customized coaching plan to optimize the leader’s performance and then the implementation takes place (Fiorenza, 2012).

Executive coaches will assist leaders with time, talent and team management and most importantly improve their interpersonal skills so that they can go about implementing these changes in a productive and encouraging manner. They can also foster new ideas with an objective stance and give informed advice from their previous coaching experiences with other businesses –though not breaching confidentiality, of course!

With regards to team management, often employees bring certain undesirable cultures and attitudes to a team that after a certain amount of time become ‘the norm’.  In this arena executive coaches can provide a well-informed, fresh outlook on cultural problems and processes. They provide honest feedback as well as tactical solutions on how to improve the business through targeting common behaviors, traits or policies that enable inefficiency (Fiorenza, 2012).

Once an unruly employee or weak link in the chain is identified, executive coaches also provide insight on how to deal with certain forms of bad behavior and how to go about appropriate dismissals. This is crucial in businesses because if the situation isn’t dealt with sensitively, it can result in legal suits or bad press, which may tarnish the company brand.

On the other side of the spectrum, executive coaches can also strengthen the relationships between leaders, employees and clients. They create a neutral bridge of understanding between them so that they are more relatable to one another. Once this is done the leaders will be perceived as being more committed to their employees’ growth and success, which in effect increases employee morale and productivity (Quantum Leap Success Coaching, 2015). The respect and loyalty from clients is also solidified when the steps are in place to provide them better, more efficient products and services from the business via the methods stipulated by the executive coach. All in all this creates better communication and a positive work environment. 

So in the words of Lord Byron, “when we think we lead, we are most led" -get yourself an executive coach to train you to be the best leader that you can be.

Written by : Nicola Morkel 

Bibliography : 

Auerbach,  J. E. (2014). The benefits of Business Coaching. Retrieved 02 27,  2015, from College of Executive Coaching: http://www.executivecoachcollege.com/research-and-publications/benefits-of-business-coaching.php

Fiorenza, P. (2012, 07 17). 10 Benefits of Executive  Coaching. Retrieved 02 27, 2015, from GovLoop: https://www.govloop.com/10-benefits-of-executive-coaching/