How HR Can Make the Most of Everyone’s Strengths: Interview with: Sue Langley, Chief Executive Officer, Langley Group, a sponsor company at the marcus evans HR Summit 2013, discusses the strengths-based approach to recruiting and developing talent.

1. How HR Can Make the Most
of Everyone’s Strengths
We may hear talk of one bad apple
spoiling the barrel, sometimes we need
to look at the barrel; look at what is
The good
creating the environment.
thing about
What approach should they adopt?
strengths-based
Many companies are now moving to a
strengths-based approach, where they
are recruiting new people and assessing
assessment is
current employees on their strengths,
and reshaping the culture and
that there is
Interview with: Sue Langley, Chief
environment to fit with that approach. If
you provide the right environment and
no good or bad
Executive Officer, Langley Group give opportunities to people, they can
flourish too.
Many organisations rate employees and This is not about developing skills that
pick the top ten per cent to take part in are lacking. When we get a chance to Now that many applicants are
talent programmes, said Sue Langley, leverage the skills we are good at, we highly qualified, will this approach
Chief Executive Officer, Langley feel energised. When we do something become more commonplace to
Group. “But what about all the other we do not enjoy, (not necessarily bad distinguish the best person for each
people? Everyone has talent. It is just at), we get derailed or feel burnt out. role? Is this enough?
that the organisation may not have That is the difference between realised
found a way to unleash them or the strengths and learnt behaviours. More companies are picking up on this,
employees may not be in roles where Learned behaviours are things we are simply because they know they will not
they can use their strengths,” she good at, we are using yet they de- get as much out of their employees if
commented. energise us. They often get mistaken for they do not. Many people are coming
strengths. out of universities with good
As a sponsor company at the marcus qualifications, yet perhaps their people
evans HR Summit 2013, in the Gold Why don’t most organisations skills or self-regulation mechanisms are
Coast, Australia, Australia, 13 - 15 consider what energises people? not as well developed. We can’t expect
March, Langley discusses how the people to be good managers if they are
strengths-based approach could be part Organisations are used to doing things not good at building relationships or
of the solution to employee in a certain way. Most people have a job influencing people. The strengths-based
engagement issues. description and they try to fill it. Some approach is a great way to allow people
companies try personality tests or to leverage their strengths in a variety
What message on talent different psychometrics, they do not of ways; encouraging performance
development would you like to necessarily look at what energises based on strengths is always better
convey to Human Resources people. Yet it is the strengths that than focusing on what we are not good
directors? energise them that will yield the biggest at!
results.
Many organisations use a nine box grid Also, employee turnover in some places
to rate employees, with the people in To be honest, someone applying for a is high and engagement scores low, so
the top three by three boxes going on to specific job can fill in personality profiles forward-thinking organisations are really
talent programmes. What we want to come out the way the company starting to embrace the positive
companies to think about is the wants. The good thing about strengths- psyc ho logy and str en gth s -ba se d
remaining 90 per cent of the people who based assessment is that there is no approach. The link between positive
do not fall into that group. Everyone has good or bad; no set profile for a certain emotion, strengths and engagement is
talent. It is just that the organisation job. The company can look at the strong – whether we are aware of it
may not have found a way to unleash strengths of the team and realign the through the research or via common
them or the employees may not be in team roles to allow people to use their sense. It is time organisations started
roles where they can use their strengths more effectively, which in turn acting on this common sense
strengths. increases motivation and performance. knowledge.

2. About the HR Summit 2013
The HR Network –
marcus evans Summits group
This unique forum will take place at the RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast,
delivers peer-to-peer information
Queensland, Australia, 13 - 15 March 2013. Offering much more than any conference,
on strategic matters, professional
exhibition or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry
trends and breakthrough
thought leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking
innovations.
event.
www.hranzsummit.com
Contact
Please note that the Summit is a Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian, Press Manager, marcus evans, Summits
closed business event and the Division
number of participants strictly
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
limited. Email: press@marcusevanscy.com
For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com
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About Langley Group
emotional intelligence worldwide’s (EIW) specialised expertise, tools and industry experience is fast building a reputation as
the leading provider of custom emotional intelligence solutions in Australia. These include flexible, tailored people development
programmes, performance coaching and profiling, professional accreditation and open programmes for people who want to be the
best they can be.
Our team are leaders in the practical application of EI (emotional intelligence), positive psychology and brain science. They are
passionate, committed and knowledgeable. They expertly convert the latest research into everyday language and real-world
examples so people can immediately put techniques into action. And because they live and breathe our positive emotionally
intelligent approach they are able to inspire people to realise their real value.
www.emotionalintelligenceworldwide.com
About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss
strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to
individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-on-one business meetings.
For more information, please visit: www.marcusevans.com
Upcoming Events
Corporate Learning & Talent Development Summit (North America) - www.cltdsummit.com
HR Technology Summit (North America) - www.hrtechnology-summit.com
To view the web version of this interview, please click here: www.hranzsummit.com/SueLangley3