Our Strengths journey through the pandemic

Nearly 18 months on from when the World Health Organisation declared the Covid-19 outbreak a pandemic, Trudy Bateman, Director of Strengths Profile at Cappfinity, reflects on how our strengths changed as the crisis unfolded and looks forward to how we’re adapting in 2021.

When we studied 25,000 Strengths Profiles in April last year and a further 15,000 in October, it was clear that we have all been on a journey of calling on different strengths during the pandemic.

Used by almost one million people across 100 countries, Strengths Profile is an online assessment that provides individuals, coaches, and talent professionals with insight into realised and unrealised strengths, learned behaviours and weaknesses, and how they playout in careers and the workplace.

We have just analysed a further 21,000 Profiles and released new research on the strengths change over the last 12 months and their impact in the workplace. Here is a taster of the highs and lows:

A quick recap of strengths in 2020…. 

We saw the biggest realised strength increase in Growth as we enjoyed the new learnings that were thrust upon us all. We also saw the biggest decrease in Resolver as we slowly came to realise many of the problems were beyond what we knew, and we didn’t immediately have all the answers. 

6 months on and Drive saw the biggest increase in the world’s realised strengths. We took back some control and grasped the challenges we faced with renewed momentum. We also increased our Resolver and Personal Responsibility strengths, taking ownership to drive solutions forward. 

2021 strengths…. 

The Highs 

We increased our use of our realised strengths in Unconditionality – our ability to naturally accept people for who they are. We’ve also been more active using our Empathic and Personalisation strengths. It seems we are great at offering support to others, but it may also be time to think about ourselves too. 

The Lows 

Not surprisingly, we’ve lost that renewed Drive we had just three months ago. We’ve also seen, decreases in the realised strengths of Bounceback and Time Optimiser. 

Overall, some really interesting insights have come out of the research. We found that 71% of the population share the motivating strength of Work Ethic as a learned behaviour – rather than a strength. The good news is that it seems we are all working hard but have learned that life is a balance of work and play.

The team also found that when it comes to Thinking, it seems our favourite strength is the love of Problem Solving, however we are currently struggling with managing our time. Across all 60 strengths, Time Optimiser saw the biggest change over the 12-month period – it became our most common weakness, with an increase of 11% of people not knowing how best to use their time.

I personally resonate with what we found. It’s been a long and uncertain start to the year that saw many of us back in some form of lockdown and wearing that teacher hat again.  The richness in knowing, appreciating and using this data to appreciate diversity and to encourage opportunity for development that will support people.

To find out more about the research and receive a copy of the whitepaper and accompanying webinar, please request here.

 

Cappfinity’s next Strengths Webinar is in partnership with the NHS and a tangible example of Putting Strengths to Work during the Pandemic.

NHS and Cappfinity Webinar: Putting Strengths to Work
Leading through a Pandemic from inside the NHS
Friday 25 June – 2:30-3:15pm BST

There have been universal changes that the global pandemic has brought to our lives at home and at work. Leaders have needed to navigate an ambiguous and uncertain future that has touched every industry and sector. But for leaders within the NHS, there is no doubt they have been in the eye of the storm working in extreme conditions with overwhelming workloads, compromised employee wellbeing and a race to vaccinate the nation. Join us to hear from:

  • Matthew Shaw – CEO of Great Ormond Street Hospital
  • Lucy Chappell – Professor of Obstetrics at Kings College London and the incoming Chief Scientific Advisor for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
  • Charlotte Hopkins – Deputy Medical Director of the Barts NHS Trust

…on how they saw their colleagues rise to the Covid 19 challenge and the key strengths their leaders displayed over the past year. For more information on the event and to register, click here.

 

About Cappfinity

Cappfinity is the global leader in strengths-based assessment and development, providing award-winning talent solutions to forward-thinking companies. Cappfinity was founded in 2005 by Dr Alex Linley, a leading expert in strengths psychology and Nicky Garcea, psychologist and strengths expert.

Today our teams in the US, UK, Ireland and Australia are proud to be working with more than 200 organisations and millions of individuals in service of our shared purpose of Strengthening the World.

 

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