Using Strengths to Enhance

Your Talent Acquisition Process

Dan Ryan

Principal

Intent

• What are Strengths?

• How can Strengths assist with Talent

Acquisition?

• How does this fit into Human Capital Strategy?

Background about StrengthsFinder

• Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D.

– Father of Strengths Based Psychology

• Culmination of more that 50 years of lifelong work

• Introduced by Gallup

– Now Discover Your Strengths © 2001

– StrengthsFinder 2.0 © 2007 - New and improved assessment

StrengthsFinder 2.0

• Measures talent (not strengths)

• Talent only an ingredient of a true strength

– Knowledge, skills, practice are amplifiers for natural

talents

– Without facts and skills, talent can go untapped

• Talent x Investment = Strength

STRENGTHS DEFINED

Strength = Talent + Knowledge + Skills TALENT

Naturally recurring

patterns of thought, feeling

or behavior that can be

productively applied

KNOWLEDGE

Facts and lessons learned

SKILLS

The steps of an activity;

‘How to’

Talent

Knowledge Skills

Source: Gallup Organization; StrengthsFinder 2.0

Golfing Example

Talent (Naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling or behavior that can be productively applied)

Age 2 began golfing

Age 3 shot a 48 over nine holes

Age 8 won Jr World Golf Championship

Skill (The steps of an activity; ‘How to’)

Tee Shot: driver, tee, aim, hit

Putt: aim, setup, stroke

Knowledge (Facts and lessons learned)

Fact: boundaries on course

Principle: one player at a time

Lesson: wind causes the ball to drift

Strength = Talent + Knowledge + Skills

Uses for StrengthsFinder

• Individual Development

– Career choices

– Life choices

• Leader Development

– Informal Coaching

– Classroom training

• Team Development

– Improve communication

– Maximize contributions

34 Themes-4 Leadership Domains

Executing Influencing Relationship

Building Strategic Thinking

Achiever Activator Adaptability Analytical

Arranger Command Connectedness Context

Belief Communication Developer Futuristic

Consistency Competition Empathy Ideation

Deliberative Maximizer Harmony Input

Discipline Self-Assurance Includer Intellection

Focus Significance Individualization Learner

Responsibility Woo Positivity Strategic

Restorative Relator

What about this Leader’s Approach?

Executing Influencing Relationship

Building Strategic Thinking

Achiever Activator Adaptability Analytical

Arranger Command Connectedness Context

Belief Communication Developer Futuristic

Consistency Competition Empathy Ideation

Deliberative Maximizer Harmony Input

Discipline Self-Assurance Includer Intellection

Focus Significance Individualization Learner

Responsibility Woo Positivity Strategic

Restorative Relator

What are your strengths?

Executing Influencing Relationship

Building Strategic Thinking

Achiever Activator Adaptability Analytical

Arranger Command Connectedness Context

Belief Communication Developer Futuristic

Consistency Competition Empathy Ideation

Deliberative Maximizer Harmony Input

Discipline Self-Assurance Includer Intellection

Focus Significance Individualization Learner

Responsibility Woo Positivity Strategic

Restorative Relator

Over-leveraged Talents

So What!

• Having talent is great

• Having the RIGHT talent is critical!

What is the Right Talent?

• Talent Acquisition is driven by

organizational strategy

• Strategy is driven by Planning

Strategic Planning

Human Capital

Planning

Talent Acquisition

Talent Development

Skills Knowledge Experience

The Big Picture

• Organizational Direction and Strategy are

critical issues

– External factors

• Economic

• Industry

– Internal factors

• Workforce demographics

– Skill/Knowledge/Experience

• Matches

• Mis-matches

Strategic issues

• Strategic challenges

– People

– Process

– Capital

• Understanding future vs. current needs is

crucial

Mis-Matches

• Skill

• Experience

• Knowledge

Strengths & Competencies

• Strategy will define role and needs

• Competencies will describe these roles

– A good fit for StrengthsFinder data

Integrating Strengths & Competencies

• Have the “right” competencies

• Focus on the teachable

• “will do” is more important than “can do”

• Consistency!

Source: Gallup, Inc.

Begin with the end in Mind…

• Covey said it best in the “7 Habits”

– Planning helps drive demand

– Assessment and development help find the

right fits

• StrengthsFinder is a great tool for identifying

talents

– Some may be developed

– Some may be latent

Differentiating factors

• High-performing HR departments separate

themselves from the rest by the strategies they

use and develop with respect to talent and HR

management.

• High-performing HR departments have data-

based talent strategies integrated with the

business strategy, while low performers do not. Source: Ed Lawler-USC: Marshall School of Business

HR Strategy

• Ties to business strategy

– Know the business

– How does HR support and drive results

HR Metrics

• What measures should we have?

– Who?

– What?

– When?

– Where?

– Why?

– How?

What does this all mean?

• Human capital management is driven by

organizational strategy

• Effective HR leaders know the business,

not just policy and procedure

• Knowing these strategies helps define the

needs for Talent Acquisition

• Strengths are a key part of talent

identification

Resources to Consider

• SHRM

– Creating an Effective Human Capital Strategy: Lawler & Boudreau 2012

• Gallup

– Gallup Strengths Center

• Human Capital Institute

– HCI.org

Thank you!

Dan Ryan Principal

Ryan Search & Consulting

615 202 0883 cell 615 656 3535 office

Dan@Ryansearch.net http://ryansearch.net