Strengths-Based Leadership

Strengths-Based Leadership & Teamwork: What It Unleashes – and Why It Works

Many organisations still follow a familiar logic:identify weaknesses, analyse what isn’t working, and fix it.

This approach has its place – but it only captures a small part of what makes people and teams truly effective.A perspective focused solely on deficits often overlooks the very elements that sustain collaboration: the individual resources, talents and strengths that allow people to perform at their best.

Strengths-based leadership responds to this gap.It is not the opposite of addressing weaknesses, but an intentional expansion of perspective – towards what creates energy, enables agency and facilitates development.And as research increasingly shows, it is far more than a well-intentioned idea.

What Strengths-Based Leadership Really Means

Strengths-based leadership does not mean ignoring challenges or glossing over difficulties.Instead, it is about recognising strengths, motives and resources – and using them in ways that allow people to act with clarity, confidence and energy.

This includes:

• Making strengths visible in a structured way

• Designing roles and responsibilities around potential

• Aligning development with what already works, rather than what is missing

• Creating conditions in which strengths can unfold and evolve

In Positive Psychology, strengths are understood as psychological resources that contribute to wellbeing, motivation and flow. This relationship is well documented and forms the foundation of many coaching and organisational development approaches.

What Research Tells Us About Strengths-Based Leadership

That strengths-based leadership goes beyond an intuitive or „feel-good“ approach becomes evident when looking at recent studies. Across different research settings, one finding appears consistently:People who are able to use their strengths show higher engagement, healthier performance and greater resilience.

Strengths-Based Leadership & Psychological Wellbeing

Ding & Yu (2021) found that employees whose strengths are recognised and supported by their leaders report higher psychological wellbeing – particularly when they can apply their strengths in their daily work (strengths use as the key mechanism).

Engagement & Resilience as a Result of Strengths Use

A large-scale study published by Cambridge University Press (2024) shows that strengths-focused leadership is associated with higher engagement and resilience – two factors that protect teams against overload and support sustainable performance.

Performance Emerges Through Strengths Use – Not Strengths Awareness

Wang et al. (2025) demonstrated that the critical factor is not simply knowing one’s strengths, but being able to apply them.Strengths use mediates the relationship between leadership, motivation and performance and explains why strengths-oriented teams often work with greater initiative and focus.

Together, these findings show that strengths-based leadership is not theoretical rhetoric but a robust foundation for developing leadership and teamwork.

Why a Deficit Focus Falls Short

A deficit-oriented perspective is not wrong – but it is insufficient when the aim is motivation, sustainable development or healthy collaboration.

Research indicates:

• Addressing weaknesses is necessary, but it rarely generates energy

• Psychological safety increases when strengths are recognised alongside challenges

• A sense of self-efficacy builds more easily through strengths than through deficits

• People respond more actively and constructively to challenges when they can draw on their resources

In other words: development is often more effective when it builds on what already works.

What Strengths-Based Leadership Looks Like in Practice

Strengths-based leadership shows up not in large programmes, but in everyday interactions: in conversations, decisions, priorities and the way leaders perceive their teams.

It becomes visible when leaders:

• Recognise potential intentionally, not just assign tasks

• Design roles around individual strengths, enabling clarity and energy

• Offer feedback that provides direction, rather than mere evaluation

• Create conditions for ownership and responsibility, fostering autonomy and trust

This creates an environment in which people feel encouraged to contribute ideas, take initiative and work with greater ease.

Strengths as a Cultural Factor in Teams

When teams begin to use strengths consciously, collaboration changes noticeably:

• Roles and expectations become clearer

• Communication becomes more open

• Conflicts are addressed more constructively

• Ideas emerge more naturally

• Talents become more visible – and remain within the organisation

• Decisions are made with greater clarity and confidence

Strengths orientation is therefore not a „soft“ topic – it is a cultural factor that shapes how teams work, decide and grow together.

Methods That Bring Strengths to Life

For strengths to guide daily work, they must be made explicit, tangible and actionable.The following methods, which I often use, combine reflection, structure and practical implementation:

LINC Personality Profiler

A scientifically grounded personality assessment that captures strengths, motives and competencies in an integrative way. The combination of personality types, inner drivers and behavioural tendencies enables a nuanced and accessible reflection on strengths.

The Resource Tree

A visual coaching tool that provides quick and deep insights.Roots, trunk, crown – each element symbolises values, personal resources, supportive relationships and areas for growth. The visual nature of the method helps people recognise not only their strengths but also what stabilises and energises them.

LEGO® Serious Play®

A creative and powerful method that makes strengths, roles and team dynamics visible through physical modelling. The hands-on process often opens perspectives that are difficult to express verbally. It is especially effective in team settings to deepen mutual understanding.

Strengths & Values Reflection

Structured questions and guided conversations that help identify what comes naturally, where people enter flow, and which values guide their work. These reflections create a shared vocabulary – essential for applying strengths with intention.

Strengths-Based Team Design

When teams organise responsibilities according to individual talents rather than habit or hierarchy, clarity increases and friction decreases. This allows strengths to be used strategically, not just individually.

Conclusion

Strengths-based leadership does not replace addressing weaknesses – but it provides a foundation on which development becomes easier, more sustainable and more meaningful.It strengthens self-efficacy, motivation and psychological safety, and supports a form of leadership that takes people seriously rather than correcting them.

And it begins with a simple question:

Which strength do you want to bring into your work today?

Yours, Johanna