Why talk about strengths yet again? Because, despite mountains of evidence, many workplaces still default to “find-and-fix” management: focus on deficits, call out errors, patch gaps, and move on. Responsive Leadership (de Groot, 2016), also known as the CORE approach, argues for the opposite starting point: discover what people do well and all the great things they bring to the table, then design work so those strengths are used every day. Here’s the case—ethically, strategically, and culturally—for putting strengths at the center of leadership.

“Success is achieved by developing our strengths, not by eliminating our weaknesses.”

1. It’s the Right Thing to Do
   
   Leaders have an ethical duty to “do no harm.” Research shows that when employees can apply their natural talents, they report higher well-being, lower stress, and less burnout. A strengths lens lifts people instead of labelling them as problems needing repair.

2. It’s Good for the Bottom Line
   
   Gallup’s global data are blunt: staff who use their strengths daily are:
   
   • 6× more likely to be engaged
     
   • 8% more productive
     
   • Generate teams with higher profitability, customer loyalty, and safety scores.
     

Focusing on strengths isn’t warm-and-fuzzy; it’s a potent method for realizing and releasing greater human potential.

3. It Accelerates Learning and Growth
   
   We learn fastest when we feel both passionate and competent. Tasks that energize us trigger deeper focus and more frequent “flow” states, turning deliberate practice into a rewarding habit rather than a chore.

4. It Strengthens Resilience
   
   Knowing and understanding what you’re naturally good at provides a mental, emotional, and social buffer during times of stress. When faced with setbacks, people can rely on their proven capabilities, restoring confidence and determination more quickly.

5. It Nurtures Inclusion
   
   When each person’s unique efforts, contributions, and accomplishments are sought out and celebrated, diversity stops being a compliance target and becomes a performance asset. A strengths-focus approach can reframe unique differences as added value.

The High Cost of Deficit Thinking

By contrast, weakness-obsessed cultures breed risk aversion. Employees aim to stay off the radar, not to excel; creativity shrinks; performance plateaus at “acceptable.” Ironically, focusing on problems and relentless gap-hunting often locks mediocrity in place.

Leveraging Strengths at Work – 4 Steps

Step 1: Discover

Replace “What’s wrong?” with questions like:

• What’s going well?
• Where are you/we succeeding?
• What achievements are you proudest of?

Strengths tools and assessments can speed the process, but authentic conversation matters more and garners greater results than any survey printout.

Step 2: Align

Shape roles, projects, and partnerships so that talents meet tasks. Alignment is not a perk; it is a performance imperative. Even a 20% increase in time spent on strengths can yield noticeable engagement gains.

Step 3: Lead—Responsively

Quality leadership amplifies talent through three ongoing habits:

• Clarify Purpose: link individual strengths to the team’s “why.”
• Create Partnerships: set goals and exchange feedback collaboratively, not hierarchically.
• Cultivate Progress: track small wins, iterate, and celebrate forward motion.

Step 4: Embed in culture

One-off workshops fade. Strengths need to live in:

• Job postings (“You’ll thrive here if …”)
• Onboarding (“Let’s map how your talents and strengths fit our mission”)
• Performance reviews (“How did you deploy your top strengths this quarter?”)
• Documentation (“Let’s capture your strengths and successes in the performance plan.”)
• Succession planning (“Which projects or goals can benefit from your strengths?”)

Strengths-focused leaders reinforce this shift through ongoing micro-moments: noticing, naming, and celebrating strengths in real time. Over months, these small cues snowball into a workplace where people show up eager to contribute their best selves.

Bottom Line

A strengths-based approach to leadership humanizes work while boosting the metrics leaders care about. It turns the organization into a stage for existing brilliance rather than a workshop for fixing defects. When leaders see, name, and develop what is already right with their people, performance doesn’t just improve—it skyrockets!

So, the next time you face a challenge with an employee or have a lagging project, resist the instinct to ask, “What’s wrong?” Instead, ask, “Which strengths have gone unnoticed -which strengths are untapped—and how can we use them, starting today?”

If you are interested in learning more on this topic, check out Brivia’s upcoming webinar, “Beyond Fluff: The Truth about Strengths-Based Leadership”. Click HERE to learn more.

Stephen de Groot is President and CoFounder at Brivia. He is the author of Responsive Leadership (SAGE, 2016) and Getting to Better: A New Model for Elevating Human Potential at Work and in Life (Fall, 2025).

This blog post was based on Chapter 5, “A Strengths Focus and Quality Leadership” from the Book Responsive Leadership (de Groot, 2016) and some fun collaborations with Chat and Ask AI

To learn more about Stephen, his work and the Brivia approach click HERE.