This article has been accepted for publication in the September 2004 issue of Executive Branch, the newsletter for the Maryland Society of Association Executives

3 Approaches To Maximize Your Staff’s Talents
By Barbara Brown, PhD

Do you ever find yourself assigning your best staff members your hardest projects? If so, you are not alone. Many managers do. They reason that if they assign their most critical work to their best staff they know it will be done correctly. While this may be true, there are many drawbacks to this approach. First, your best staff members become burned out and frustrated. Second, your other staff members don’t have an opportunity to develop the skills you need. Third, you limit your options in making assignments.

The solution is not to continue dumping on your best, but to find ways to maximize each staff member’s strengths. Consider the following approaches. For each approach, add your own skill and assignment-match approaches:

Approach 1: Identify the skills where each staff member excels. This allows you to determine which skills are most important to you. It also gives you a grasp of the myriad talents of everyone.

1. Using Words: articulate, reading, writing, teaching, training, editing
2. Using Intuition: showing foresight, acting on gut reaction, judging person or situation
3. Using Numbers: taking inventory, counting, calculating, computing, financial records, managing budgets
4. Using Technology: software knowledge, hardware knowledge, information management
5. Using Analytical, Thinking, or Logic: researching, gathering information, problem solving, diagnosing, comparing similarities, defining importance
6. Using Creativity: imaginative, improvising, inventing
7. Using Helpfulness: developing rapport, drawing people out, raising other’s self-esteem, demonstrating empathy
8. Using Leadership: directing, taking risks, making decisions, promoting change
9. Using Follow-Through: implementing solutions, revaluating accomplishments, checking on details, thorough
10. Sensitive to Procedures: dependable, handles authority well, punctual, tactful
11. Determined, Self-Motivated: conscientious, persevering, persistent, strong under pressure, self-reliant, self-confident
12. Tolerant: easy going, patient, calm, flexible, optimistic

Approach 2: Capitalize on each staff member’s strengths. This requires looking for ways to use the skills of even the least talented. There are at least two benefits here. The first is that you can involve everyone when you need to. The second is that you can make sure individuals are working in their area of greatest strength.

Consider the following skill and assignment pairings:

1. Pair a skill of sensitive to procedures with assignments that are time sensitive or have short deadlines

2. Pair a skill of using analytical, thinking or logic with assignments that require analysis or problem solving

3. Pair a skill of persistence with assignments that require rework or revisions

4. Pair a skill of being organized with assignments that require coordination or planning events

5. Pair a skill of being detail-oriented with assignments that require accuracy

6. Pair a skill of resourcefulness with assignment where there is lack or guidance or lack or procedures

Approach 3: Have staff members with different but complementary strengths work together on one assignment. This ensures that the right staff member is working on the assignment. It also allows for participation by everyone. In addition, it prevents you from having to over burden your most talented staff. Finally, this gives staff members with different skills an opportunity to learn from each other.

Consider the following assignments as ways to create different but complementary skill pairings among staff members:

1. Assignments requiring skills of being organized, detailed-oriented, and resourceful

2. Assignments requiring skills of being persistent, sensitive to procedures, and follow-through

3. Assignments requiring skills of using numbers, creativity, and leadership

4. Assignments requiring skills of using technology, helpfulness, and intuition

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