Focus on your STRENGTHS

There is more to learn from success, Focus on your Strengths

Our Brains are not neutral, they are bias to negativity and have evolved to look for negatives. Our brains are simply wired with a greater sensitivity to unpleasant news. This is known as the negativity bias. Negativity bias refers to the notion that, even when of equal intensity, things of a more negative nature have a greater effect on one's psychological state and processes than neutral or positive things (Rozin, P., & Royzman, E. 2001). We inherited this capacity to weigh the negative more than the positive from our ancestors. Our ancestors’ very survival depended on their skill to escape danger. The brain developed systems that would make it unavoidable for us not to notice danger and thus, hopefully, respond to it (The fight or flight response).

If you think of it, negativity is all around us, even in the words we speak. Take for example the English vocabulary, it consists of 50% negative vocabulary, 30% neutral vocabulary, and only 20% positive vocabulary. This implies that people speaking English grow up learning more negative vocabulary than positive vocabulary (Quinlan, 2018).

Loss aversion bias for example is another demonstration of how are brains are more susceptible to negativity. Loss aversion is the tendency of an individual to disdain losing significantly more than they appreciate winning (Levy, 2015). It is seen when loss increasingly pose a threat than additions of indistinguishable greatness and individuals concentrate more on the potential loss. Tversky and Kahneman (1973) discussed bias and figured what is known as the prospect hypothesis in 1973. They found that loss is felt somewhere around two and more than two times more than additions (Tversky & Kahneman, 1973). Loss aversion is the reluctance to accept a loss, even when that might be the best thing to do. Tversky and Kahneman identified irrational loss aversion as a very common trait in individuals. Framing also enters into loss aversion, as people will accept a negative outcome more readily if it is framed positively, for instance if a person loses $200 out of a $300 investment, that person will view the result more positively if it is stated as “saved $100.”

Negative emotions are more potent and more persuasive than positive emotions (Rashid, 2018). They are remembered and are densely connected in the brain while positive emotions, although strong, don’t have longevity (Rashid, 2018). Positive emotions regrettably don't make the necessary impact on our brain to override the tilt to negativity. Because negative emotions are functional, they will always be there and are counterproductive (Rashid, 2018). Negative feelings are there for a reason and we can’t get rid of them. People grow only when they encounter negative emotions. History demonstrates that negative emotions can work as precursors in life. If Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi or Martin Luther King were not angry, they would not have done what they did. So if we can’t get rid of negative emotions, we need to make sure we don’t get stuck and stick on negative emotions.

People experiencing more positive emotions then negative emotions are more flourishing and make better contributions (Fredrickson, 2009). Cultivating Positive emotions is key in organizational survival and organizational growth. Positive emotions help people see the big picture better and navigate more complex trading situations. When people are in the midst of negative emotions, they are in a protective state of mind and they do not notice everything around them. Positive emotions fundamentally change the way the brain is working and allows people to better take in the world around them and gives them a better breath of awareness. Dr Barbara Fredrickson (2009) explains that Positivity doesn’t only change the contents of your mind, like trading bad thoughts for good ones, it also changes the scope and boundaries of your mind, by widening the span of possibilities that you see (Fredrickson, 2009). We need not control the mind, we only need to watch the mind.

We are the agent that makes judgments, so it all starts with our mind, our self. We are the ones that interpret a situation that may be objective in a subjective manner. Fredrickson (2009) stated that people can put positive emotions to work as they navigate their days to overcome negativity and Thrive (Fredrickson, 2009). Positive emotions helps people become more open and come up with more possibilities and more ideas as they become more creative and make better trading decisions. 

Positive psychology does not mean you have to be positive at all times. The most important thing to remember is that for most humans its positive psychology that allows us to get out of bad situations. Depression is the absence of positive emotions. People experiencing more positive emotions than negative emotions are more flourishing and making contributions than people experiencing more negative emotions than positive emotions (Fredrickson, 2009). We have to always be aware of our emotions and think in context. There is no emotions that is useful in every situation (Fredrickson, 2009).

Positive emotions are the fuel for strengths building. Our brains have evolved to relate and connect to other people (Quinlan, 2018). From the day we are born, till the day we die, we need a hand to hold. To function at our best we need relationships and connectedness. Connectedness are the single best predictor of wellbeing across life course (Quinlan, 2018). The importance of connection is fundamental in positive psychology. Social connection improves physical health and psychological well-being (Quinlan, 2018). Social scientists emphasize that the specific benefits that flow from the trust, reciprocity, information and cooperation associated with social networks are characterized by ability to carry emotion and positive regard and to be flexible under challenge or setbacks (Quinlan, 2018).

When people work in an environment where their strengths are valued, this is associated with and fueled by positive emotions (Quinlan, 2018). A strengths based psychological climate increases employee performance (Quinlan, 2018).

Focusing on strengths and working on weaknesses is useful, however we need to make sure we focus on strengths first. We must first make sure we get people to focus on what they do well and use more of that, yet let them work a little bit more on what are not doing well. In other words, we must use our strengths to develop our weaknesses. Working on weaknesses is energy draining, it depletes you. That is exactly why it is always the harder thing to do. When you are discussing strengths with your manager or with your peers, you want that discussion to persist and never end, however when you are discussing your weaknesses, you can’t wait for that discussion to end.

The benefits of building strengths in teams can be felt both at the individual level and team levels (Quinlan, 2018). At the Individual level, strength awareness acts as a personal resource for individuals, supporting self-concept and self-efficacy (Quinlan, 2018). At the team level, strength awareness provides an understanding and grasp of the resources available to the team to ensure staff are engaged and contributing (Quinlan, 2018). Strength awareness in teams allows the employees to bring their best self to a task or a project and provides them with the strengths tools to draw on (Quinlan, 2018).

Effective strengths-based team leadership requires knowledge of team members’ strengths coupled with mindful awareness of the application of strengths to the moment (Quinlan, 2018). 

It is said, there is something to be learned from failure, but that’s wrong. There is more to learn from success. That is why it is crucial to incorporate the language of strengths in our discussions and in everything we do. Strengths are always part of the solution to any problem.