PDF Summary:Strengths Based Leadership, by Gallup, Tom Rath, and Barry Conchie

Good leaders should be well-rounded, right? In Strengths Based Leadership, Tom Rath and Barry Conchie argue instead that the best leaders invest in their personal strengths while building a diverse team to fill in for their weaknesses. This way, each individual contributes unique strengths to create a well-rounded team.

Rath is a workplace researcher who spent more than a decade in charge of leadership consulting at Gallup, a business research and consulting company. Conchie is a business consultant and the former Senior Scientist for Gallup’s leadership consulting program. Together, they examine research on successful leaders and their teams from around the world and conclude that the best teams are those that maximize individual strengths. In this guide, we’ll compare Conchie and Rath’s strengths-based leadership approach to other leadership books, such as Jocko Willink’s Leadership Strategy and Tactics. We’ll also explore the nuances of Gallup’s strengths-focused philosophy and suggest actionables to help you maximize your strengths.

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Despite these critiques and the research supporting different leadership approaches, Gallup Advisors may point to the practical success of its strengths-based program. According to Gallup, its methodologies have significantly improved employee satisfaction and company profits (as we’ll mention later). So, though Gallups’s research may have room for improvement, the data suggest that its program works.

To unpack Gallup’s leadership philosophy, we’ll discuss why committing to your strengths and the strengths of others leads teams to success. Then we’ll explore the four strengths your team should have and how to make the most of each type.

Know Your Strengths and Stick to Them

Gallup research concludes that all good leaders know their strengths and apply them well. By doing this, you’ll be able to proficiently execute the tasks you’re skilled at without causing trouble in areas you aren’t well-suited for. In contrast, if you don’t know your strengths and weaknesses, your team may suffer for it. For example, something you think you do well you might actually do poorly, which can create more problems than help for your team. Thus, a lack of self-awareness can cause your employees and customers to be unhappy and stressed.

(Shortform note: It’s especially important to know your strengths and weaknesses when you’re a leader in a hierarchical organization. In Leadership Strategy and Tactics, Jocko Willink explains that one of his superiors in the military occupied a leadership position he wasn’t effective in. Because of the military’s strict hierarchy—and because the leader wasn’t open to other people’s advice—other team members weren’t able to compensate for the leader’s weaknesses. So although Willink argues that people with good leadership qualities naturally tend to rise to leadership positions, he acknowledges that institutional chains of command often prevent this from happening.)

How Gallup Defines Strengths and Why Strengths Matter

Conchie and Rath explain that leaders commonly mistake strengths in the workplace as lengthy experience or trained competence in a certain area. As a result, leaders often overlook the potential impact of individuals’ positive personality traits and natural talents, which are more critical when crafting a successful team. For example, if you’re hiring someone for your sales team based solely on their sales experience, you might neglect that another candidate with less experience also has great relationship skills that could get your sales team to work better together.

Moreover, Gallup research shows that when a leader fails to invest in an employee’s strengths, that employee has only a 9% chance of being engaged with their work. On the other hand, when a leader recognizes their employee’s strengths and encourages these, the employee has a 73% chance of being engaged. The authors say encouraging strengths is critical because high employee engagement has been shown to increase the likelihood of their respective company’s success and improve team members’ individual well-being. That’s in part because being aware of your strengths increases your confidence, which leads to better job satisfaction, income, and health. On the other hand, focusing on weaknesses will lower your team’s confidence and performance.

Work in Accordance With Your Life Purpose

Conchie and Rath aren’t the first people to discover that investing in your natural talents is beneficial. In Okinawa, Japan, discovering and living in accordance with your ikigai, or “life purpose,” is a central focus. In their book Ikigai, Héctor García and Francesc Miralles say Okinawa’s focus on life purpose, and subsequent happiness, is a significant reason why this island in Japan has the world’s longest-living people.

To Okinawans, finding your life purpose isn’t something you force, but García and Miralles offer strategies you can use to help the process along (which you could use in conjunction with or as an alternative to Gallup’s CliftonStrengths assessment):

1. Logotherapy. Created by psychologist and Auschwitz survivor Viktor Frankl, this is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on helping people find meaning by realizing their negative feelings about life are actually a desire for meaning.

2. Morita Therapy. This is a Japanese therapy that involves spending a week resting in silence and observing your emotions. Once you’ve done this, your true feelings, and perhaps your life purpose, will become more clear to you.

3. Following your flow. Flow is an intense state of focus where you become deeply immersed in something you enjoy doing and forget about everything else. By paying attention to activities that seem to activate your flow state, you can find your ikigai.

The authors categorize people’s natural strengths into four themes: executing, relationship-building, influencing, and strategic thinking.

Strength #1: Executing

People who execute can bring ideas to fruition, doing whatever it takes to get something done. There are a variety of qualities someone may have that help them excel in this category. For example, they may possess discipline to help them stay on track toward a goal, a sense of personal pride in working hard and achieving things, or a sense of responsibility for their team’s success.

To demonstrate what an executor looks like in action, the authors share the success story of Wendy Kopp, founder of an education-focused nonprofit called Teach For America. Kopp exemplifies the executing theme with her dominant characteristics of achievement and responsibility. After realizing the lack of quality education available to underprivileged children in the US, Kopp felt a personal sense of responsibility to create education opportunities. She worked persistently to organize a team of talented people and has now gathered hundreds of millions of dollars in funding.

(Shortform note: In an interview since the publication of Strengths Based Leadership, Kopp discusses additional keys to her success that align with other strengths mentioned in this book. For instance, she discusses the importance of strategic thinking—analyzing what actions are working best toward achieving your goals and adjusting your approach to incorporate more of whatever those things might be (we’ll discuss this strength in more detail later). For Kopp, she realized that the most efficient and effective type of education she could deliver was that which developed leadership skills in children—confidence, self-awareness, and critical thinking.)

Actionable: Let Your Team Know You’re Willing to Help

If you’re a leader who executes, you likely feel a strong sense of responsibility for your company’s success. So, Conchie and Rath say to make sure your team knows you’re not just willing to fulfill the needs of your customers—you’re also willing to help your team members succeed.

If you have a team member who executes, give them the freedom to assume more responsibility on the team. People who execute are typically motivated by new opportunities to contribute to their team.

How to Execute Like a Navy SEAL

In Leadership Strategy and Tactics, US Navy SEAL Jocko Willink outlines several qualities that align with Conchie and Rath’s executing theme. For instance, Willink promotes discipline as foundational for executing tasks that need to be accomplished (he has an entire book dedicated to this subject). He also regards discipline as a stepping stone toward taking pride in your work. That is, when you remain disciplined long enough to execute your job well, you develop pride in what you do.

Willink’s view on responsibility is that it’s beneficial to take ownership of any problems that occur on your team. This avoids any time wasted on casting blame and inspires your team members to take responsibility for future problems. For instance, if someone on your team makes a mistake because they didn’t properly follow a company policy, instead of blaming them for not understanding it, you would accept the responsibility for not effectively educating them about it.

When it comes to delegating duties to others, Willink agrees with Conchie and Rath that giving team members as much responsibility as they’re willing and capable to bear (letting people act on their strengths) is not only empowering, but it also builds trust and helps them grow into more competent individuals.

Strength #2: Influencing

A person who influences can get others on board with their ideas. They possess qualities such as confidence, persuasion, and the ability to impress others. For example, you may exude so much confidence when you step up to take control of a project that your team feels convinced you’re capable of succeeding, so they support you. To convince people who aren’t as easily swayed, you may have an instinct for knowing what team members or clients want to hear or see to help you get through to them.

For example, the president of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Simon Cooper, knew his company’s strength was customer service and he capitalized on this to expand its influence. He confidently showed off his team to guests, which won him loyal clients. In one case, he invited the musician, Bono, to accompany him to a meeting with the hotel’s housekeeping staff. Cooper believed so strongly in his team’s excellent service that he broadened the company’s offerings to include private, luxury residences. Although many people questioned this risky expansion of the brand, Cooper’s confidence in his company won him many buyers, and the venture was successful.

(Shortform note: In Just Listen, Mark Goulston says confidence plays a major role in influencing people, but whereas Cooper succeeded through the force of his own confidence, Goulston emphasizes the importance of instilling confidence in the person you’re trying to influence. Goulston explains that building confidence is a key final step to help people in an emotional state overcome the stress that distracts them from giving you their full attention. The other steps in Goulston’s approach to influencing a listener include asking what’s troubling them, encouraging them to vent to you, listening to them thoroughly, and giving them confidence to overcome their stress by empowering them and offering your help.)

Actionable: Influence for the Long Run

If you’re a leader who influences, you probably have many admirers and surface-level friendships. These can dilute your attention and prevent you from investing the time necessary to form long-lasting connections with people on your team. We all need long-term teammates we can trust, so Conchie and Rath say to take the time to develop deeper relationships.

If you have a team member who influences, place them at the face of your company. Because influencers have a natural ability to connect with and convince people, they’re well-suited for opportunities where they can advertise your company’s interests. For example, let them represent you at public events.

Influence by Listening

Although Conchie and Rath say qualities like confidence and persuasion can help you influence others, in Just Listen, Goulston argues that a more passive approach to influencing is most effective. By effectively listening to the person you’re trying to persuade instead of proposing your ideas right away, Goulston explains that you’ll help the other person feel heard and understood. This will motivate them to listen to you in return. Once you have their attention, you can begin to introduce your ideas to the conversation.

Goulston explains that attentive listening is a necessary first step to influencing others because people are generally preoccupied with their own needs, emotions, and goals. Because of this, they’re typically closed off to any new ideas you introduce to them. However, once we acknowledge their circumstances and help them feel understood, they'll be willing to reciprocate your attention. When this happens, you’ll have an opportunity to connect and communicate effectively.

Strength #3: Relationship-Building

Relationship-building is what helps your team perform as a cohesive whole. Conchie and Rath characterize this strength with sub-qualities such as optimism and compassion. For example, if you’re a relationship builder, you may be able to keep your team's spirits up during a difficult day, which ultimately helps them perform better and complete the necessary objective. You’re also able to relate to individuals and mentor them to help them feel included and valuable to the team, which will help them work better together.

We’ll explore what relationship-building looks like by examining the success of Mervin Davies, a former CEO of Standard Chartered. He credits his success to his investment in relationships. In particular, he emphasizes a few relationship-building habits:

1. By communicating honestly and openly with his employees about the decisions he made for his company, he earned their trust, which is essential for good relationships.

2. Davies also trusted his employees by empowering them with responsibility and freedom. By knowing his own capabilities and the capabilities of people around him, he was able to assign people to tasks they’re suited to handle and free himself to do what he does best as an executive, coaching people.

3. By listening to his team, he got to know their strengths and deepened his relationships with them. This way, he knew how to empower individuals on his team more effectively.

(Shortform note: In Leadership Strategy and Tactics, Jocko Willink similarly emphasizes the importance of communication and relationship-building on your team. Willink suggests spending time with your team by getting to know their role and how they feel about it. This could look like a casual conversation with your teammate, or you might even ask them to physically teach you what they do. By doing this, you and your teammates will better understand each other's perspectives, which will in turn build trust and strengthen your relationships, as Gallup and Davies recommend. Similarly, learning more about your teammates’ roles may also help you better understand their strengths so that you can offer them more responsibility.)

Actionable: Respect Your Relationships and Help People Feel Valued

If you’re a leader who builds relationships, you’re likely someone whom people trust and confide in. Thus, you’re a vessel for sensitive information about others. The authors emphasize that you should respect this privilege and honor the people who trust you by keeping their conversations between the two of you. When people know they can trust you, your relationships will deepen.

If you have a relationship builder on your team, take advantage of their ability to make others feel valued. Connect them with other key people that you’d like to keep in your organization.

Build Relationships on Common Ground

One meaningful way to connect with others is to be open about the stress you’re going through. In The Upside of Stress, Kelly McGonigal explains that people are often hesitant to be open about their stress because they feel like what they’re experiencing is uncommon and that they’ll be judged for it. However, if you normalize stress by discussing it openly and being honest with others about your personal stress, you’ll make your team feel comfortable opening up to you in return. By cultivating an open environment for honest conversations, you can make your team feel comfortable enough to tell you whether the responsibilities you’ve delegated to them are overwhelming.

Additionally, you can deepen relationships by effectively listening to your team. Conchie and Rath mention that understanding your team will help you determine what role is best fit for them, which can help you mentor and coach them more effectively. To understand your team members more fully, you can also do some research on their backgrounds and interests. For example, you could read their LinkedIn profile, ask them how they enjoy spending their time, or ask them about their goals and how you can help them achieve them.

Strength #4: Strategic Thinking

Strategic thinkers help their teams grow by analyzing performances and suggesting possibilities for improvement. Conchie and Rath explain that this strength involves being analytical and effective at consultation. For example, if you’re a strategic thinker, you may have an eye for noticing inefficiencies in your team’s performance and formulating an alternative game plan that saves time and increases productivity.

To show what strategic thinking looks like in practice, the authors point to Best Buy’s CEO, Brad Anderson. Anderson started as a sales associate at the Minneapolis-based electronics retailer that would eventually become Best Buy, and as the company grew, he ascended the ranks to CEO. His keys to success are his enthusiasm for learning and ability to ask great questions to uncover critical information. For example, he questioned whether a commission-based sales model was best for their stores, and after surveying customers, he realized this model made customers feel pressured by sales associates. So, he adopted a more relaxed model of browse shopping, where customers could shop fully stocked items at their leisure. This model was widely successful and was adopted by many other retailers soon after.

(Shortform note: Asking good questions isn’t just a great way to gather information on how to improve your company, but it also helps you build relationships (which can, in turn, improve your business, as Anderson’s Best Buy demonstrated in the early 2000s when they redesigned stores to cater to their most lucrative customer types). In Just Listen, Goulston argues that asking thoughtful questions helps people feel interesting and valuable, which makes them appreciative of you. In return, they will typically offer interest in your ideas, which creates an opportunity to influence them. Goulston suggests asking for the other person’s advice about something they might have expertise in or asking about their big-picture goals.)

Actionable: Learn From Everyone

The authors say that if you’re a leader who thinks strategically, you should optimize your innate instinct to learn by recognizing that everyone on your team has something to teach you. Don’t let your pride convince you that your subordinates don’t know as much as you do. Respect peoples’ knowledge by encouraging them to teach you what they know and giving them your full attention when they do.

If you have a strategic thinker on your team, encourage them to satisfy their instinct to learn by giving them opportunities to learn on the job. For example, provide them with resources to study and become an expert on your company’s products and services. Additionally, allow them to teach what they’re learning on the job to other team members.

Improve Your Meetings to Encourage Strategic Thinking

One way you can encourage strategic thinking on your team is through effective meetings. Meetings can be an opportunity for the strategic thinkers on your team to ask critical questions and propose innovative ideas. However, meetings can also be a drain on creativity and productivity if they aren’t held properly. One survey found that most executives thought meetings interrupt deep, productive work that they accomplish on their own and with groups. Participants also considered most meetings unproductive.

To avoid messy meetings and encourage innovation, follow these steps:

1. Gather your team’s thoughts on previous meetings. By putting this data together through a brief survey or interview process, you’ll know what has worked and what hasn’t in the past.

2. Hold a meeting about—yes, meetings. With the data collected from your team, you can now hold a discussion to interpret it and come up with a future meeting structure and schedule that works better for everyone.

3. Set goals and stick to them. Once decisions are made about how your meetings can improve, keep yourself and others accountable with friendly reminders. For example, if you decide that it’s best to keep meetings under two hours long, give notice to your team as you approach that time mark.

4. Regularly collect feedback. To keep meetings productive and continue to improve them for everyone on your team, send out brief surveys to stay in tune with everyone’s thoughts.