Psychology@Work

In this podversation, I am joined by Jane Grant – UK Head of Learning and Development at WSP. We’re going to be talking about WSP’s practical application of the strengths approach (and our strengths assessment tool Strengthscope) in different parts of the WSP business.

WSP is a Canadian business providing management and consultancy services to the built and natural environment with over 50,000 staff (of which there are 8,000 in the UK), making it one of the largest professional services firms in the world, with 500 offices across 40 countries.

Performance management processes – you know, what many people still call appraisals – are having a bit of facelift, an overhaul, a loving boot in many organisations that we’re working with at Strengthscope. Why? Because traditional appraisals don’t work so well, or even at all, with today’s employees.

In this podcast, I want to talk about how the performance management process is getting an upgrade the strength way and what that means in practice.

In our work around strengths – helping people to find, share and develop their strengths – we’re often asked the question…do strengths change over time?

On this podcast, I want to describe a couple of occasions where strengths do shift over time, both to become more prominent, or to play a lesser role.

One of the most frequently mentioned challenges I hear from people wanting to improve their work performance, or developing their strengths is making behaviour changes stick.

It’s tricky. Behaviour change hurts, needs discipline, and there are no short cuts.

However, there are cute ways that you can use what’s already in your brain to help changes stick.

One idea that seems to be getting a bit of love and noise around it at the moment is habit stacking – possibly because it sounds cool and efficient and quick.

So, in today’s podcast, I want to talk about habit-stacking, what it is, and if you want to give it a go, how to do it.

Have you come across the term ‘strength in overdrive’?

Well it’s a phrase that we use a lot at Strengthscope® - what it means is when you’re using something that is usually a positive quality for you, one that gives you energy and that you are good at using or at least have that potential.

But in certain circumstances, that strength can go just that little bit too far, so it tips into ‘overdrive’ territory, leading to unexpected consequences either for you or the people around you.

On this podcast, I want to give you some tips on how to spot a strength in overdrive and how to tame that energy so that you can use it positively and productively.

So last week, I recorded a podcast on the power of your reflection.

It’s not 100% necessary that you listen to that podcast before this one, but it will add to it for sure – for easy reference, it’s at Season 4, episode 12.

On this podcast, I want to talk about how you can take your reflection to the next level by factoring your strengths into the equation. Supercharging your development with strengths reflection

No no no, this isn’t a podcast on how to take the best possible mirror selfies, that’s not what I mean by the power of your reflection, not on this podcast anyway; no, this is a podcast on the science behind reflecting on your experiences so that you can learn better and achieve lasting changes in your behaviour, and in your attitudes too.

In our work with students, graduates and apprentices, we have seen the central role the strengths approach can take in accelerating people’s early careers by building confidence, certainty in career direction and flexibility in managing careers.

In this podcast I’d like to give you a bit more on each of these points to make sure you can build the best career for you and enjoy every day of it too.

Apart from the TV personalities who have made a career out of helping/bullying people to clear their homes and lives up so that we can all watch and say to ourselves ‘thank God I’m not as bad as that’, how many people do you know who are actually incredible at keeping their homes and workplaces and lives de-cluttered?

Not many right?

You may know one or two but one or two only and that’s because it’s not easy.

In this podcast i’m going to explain the science behind clutter, why it happens, and why de-cluttering doesn’t happen often, and then give you some ideas on how to make it more of a habit so that you can keep clutter in check more of the time.

De-Cluttering - science and solutions

In several of my podcasts, where I’m offering tips for getting more from life or work, I mention meditation as an option to try. Beating the winter blues, coping with interruptions, ways to stay positive and how to do the holiday transition – meditation gets a namecheck in all of them.

So I want to focus this podcast on my own story with meditation – how I’ve found it’s helped me in ways I definitely didn’t expect and also what it’s not. And I’m going to give you some thoughts on how to try it if you want to.