How Do We Truly Identify Employee Strengths and Weaknesses When They Can Be Misleading?

Dear All,

All the time we say that strengths and weaknesses must be identified in our employees to make various HR decisions. But how can we differentiate between strength and weakness? Sometimes, a perceived strength is actually a weakness, and a weakness may be an overlooked strength. For example, a person who remains calm and composed in tense situations may be perceived as resilient. However, if that person is actually bottling up and suppressing all the negative emotions arising from the tense situation, these emotions can later burst out. In such cases, we might realize that we misunderstood the person.

Now, the question arises: can we truly identify a person's strengths and weaknesses, or are they contextual and subject to change based on the situation?

Thanks,
Manish

Dear Manish,

Strength or weakness is not contextual. These are seen over a period of time. Anything that changes with the situation is not a strength at all. Exceptions are always there. Consistency in responding to a situation determines whether a person has a strength or weakness.

Suppose you have a requirement to draft a long agreement. Why would you like to approach some person? Because you perceive the drafting skills of that person as a strength. Why do you not approach any other person? Because you perceive it as his/her weakness.

To assess strength and weakness, there is a perfect questionnaire. You circulate that questionnaire to other team members. This 360-degree feedback will give a more accurate opinion. However, perceptions play a prominent role. Please make a note of this.

By the way, you need to have the end result of this SWOT analysis. Knowledge of one's weakness is the biggest strength, but then you need to have an action plan to take care of your employees' weaknesses. This action plan is nothing but HR intervention.

A few HR interventions are instituting a mentoring program in your company, doing career planning for each and every employee, etc. However, both interventions require a lot of organizational maturity in general and the maturity of HR professionals in particular. Lest these may do more harm than good.

Ok...

Dinesh V Divekar

Dear Dinesh,

Thanks a lot for your response! :)

Do you have such a questionnaire for a 360-degree feedback mechanism? Also, you mentioned that strengths and weaknesses can be observed over time. What if we perceive something as a strength and make decisions based on that assumption about a person, only to later realize it is actually a weakness?

Regards,
Manish

Please find attached the 360-degree performance appraisal method. I hope it's important to you.

Regards.

Dear Manish,

I just want to say that sometimes it is too early to judge the strengths and weaknesses of a person. One has to have good skills to judge people from their actions and behavior, and for this, they need to watch them very closely. Such people do not need much time to know about others. When you interact with more and more people, you will notice that you are in a better position to judge one's strengths and weaknesses.

Dear Manish,

Practically, you could use some assessment tools which easily identify strengths versus weaknesses of your people. But don't believe this could be your only answer because these are cognitive concepts, though sometimes it's too difficult to distinguish. Currently, HR can only use a certain type of assessment tool.

Regards,

Hi,

I agree that strengths and weaknesses are contextual. They depend on the role, industry, and culture of the company. Being forthright and open with your ideas can get you fired in one company and noticed in another. We need to differentiate between skills and attitude when considering strengths and weaknesses. Skills can be learned and unlearned, but attitude is more challenging and time-consuming, which may not be a priority for most organizations.

As the old adage goes, "hire for attitude and train for skills!" Unfortunately, too often, the reverse happens, leading to attrition. :P

Dear Manish,

I agree with your comments; it's not as black and white as strengths and weaknesses (I dislike that word). A model that may be more balanced and fair, and one that I created, is called the SAND analysis.

S = Strengths
A = Achievements
N = Needs
D = Demands

This model enables you to consider an employee's strengths, achievements, their needs when demands place stress upon them. Their needs may not be a weakness; they could be a consequence of the environment and a development need that should be addressed.

Hope that helps.

Joy

Hi Joy, thanks a lot for the new SAND analysis model. I'll definitely try to implement it in my organization. Could you please share more about it? Any case study or example?

Thanks again,
Manish

Thanks for the reply! It further adds to the confusion about whether strengths and weaknesses are contextual or not. Another honored member in this forum said that they are not. Can we come up with some more clarity and agreement on such an important subject?

Regards,
Manish

Hi Manish,

I am pleased that you found the SAND analysis useful and worth considering. I use it in many contexts: during coaching, training courses, particularly those courses with time management or planning content, and during performance management training courses. I use it to help managers provide balanced feedback by considering an individual's strengths and achievements, what they may need from the manager or their colleagues, and what are the specific demands that impact on their delivery of the job. It's quite a versatile model. I hope you put it to good use.

Joy