20 Skill Assessment-Actions That Inspire Outstanding Performance
By Barbara Brown, Ph.D.

Before you can maximize the strengths of your employees you have to know their strengths. Use the following list of skills to begin taking inventory of your staff. Below are 12 skills categories you can use and 8 uses for those categories. Take 15 minutes each day and explore how you can apply these strategies.

Skills Categories: Use to determine your employee’s strengths

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

Uses For Skills Categories: Ways to apply what you know about your employees’ strengths

1. Identify the skills where each employee excels
2. Determine which skills are most important to you
3. Pair employees who have a specific skill with an assignment that requires that specific skill
4. Pair employees who need to develop a specific skill with employees who already possess that specific skill
5. Regardless of the project, make sure that everyone is assigned to a particular task
6. Make sure that employees are working in their area of greatest strength
7. Allow employees who need skill development in a specific area to learn from talented employees
8. Create a complementary assignment grouping by paring employees with different skills with other employees who have different skills

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PERMISSION TO REPRINT: Articles, Tips, and Tools can be reprinted in company newsletters or magazines. If placed electronically, a Live Link to Dr. Brown's website must be included. Please use the following credit for every item: Dr. Barbara Brown shows organizations how to use High-Performance Leadership to create the kind of links among people, goals & performance that produce positive results. For more tips, visit: www.DrBarbaraBrown.com or email: Barbara@DrBarbaraBrown.com.