Go From Helping to Uplifting With a Strength-Based Approach
Very often, helping people centres around identifying and fixing problems. Starting with “What’s wrong?” or “What’s missing?” can generate negative feelings and tension. On the other hand, leading with a “What’s right?” perspective can result in greater motivation and more sustainable outcomes. Looking for successes, strengths, and abilities as a starting point changes the helping relationship from fixing someone to nurturing someone’s innate potential.
A Disempowering Scenario
When the starting point is what a person lacks, it creates a dependency on the person helping. The new direction may feel unnatural or forced and difficult to fully adopt without the helper’s assistance. That kind of dependence is disempowering and unlikely to lead to lasting change. In addition, the helpee may not be interested enough to continue doing it independently. Starting with a problem also lowers positive expectations, ignores the potential power of having lived through and grown from difficulties, and gets in the way of seeing a person’s unique capabilities and strengths. All of this limits the opportunities for change.
Motivate with Positives for Lasting Change
A strength-based approach starts by asking, “What’s right?” It’s founded in the belief that every person has a unique set of strengths and capabilities and the potential for growth, change and success. This approach also recognizes that people themselves hold the key to their own transformation. What can we learn from what we do best, and what are the possibilities for growth and change if we focus on our potential? People need to be motivated to improve in areas that require it. When starting from a positive or something that people are good at, they are more likely to adopt the change successfully and independently.
A Real-World Example
Anne was a talented graphic designer and hard worker; she was also a terrible speller and proofreader. This problem needed to be mitigated to ensure the quality of the firm’s work. Asking Anne to improve a natural weakness was not a realistic solution. However, she was really good at creating and following procedures. Therefore, instead of dwelling on the lack, she was asked to develop methods to mitigate the problem. Not only did Anne never fail to follow them herself, but she created and taught quality assurance procedures that everyone at the firm followed for years to come.
Sound Familiar?
If this move from a deficit or problem-solving approach to a focus on what’s working best reminds you of the Appreciative Inquiry model in organizational change, you are very insightful! Appreciative Inquiry in the business world was based on the strength-based approach of starting with affirmative investigation rather than problem resolution. Learn more about Appreciative Inquiry.
Effective and Meaningful Change
The bottom line is that effective and meaningful change in humans and companies starts with recognizing strengths and directing our efforts to explore our potential and capacity. To help focus on the strengths of individuals, teams and organizations, learn about Dennis Saleebey’s life-saving CPR.
C: competence, capacities, and courage
P: promise, possibility and positive expectations
R: resilience, reserves, and resources
Instead of dwelling on problems and seeing hopelessness, a strength-based approach focuses on opportunity, empowerment, capacity building, and hope. If people feel good, they’ll be motivated to work harder, be more dedicated, and in flow.
Learn More
DOWNLOAD Principles of Strength-Based Practice, By Wayne Hammond, Ph.D., Resiliency Initiatives
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