CHARACTER STRENGTHS IN HIGH-PERFORMANCE
High-Performance
I’m increasingly interested in the role of character strengths in high-performance. Setting expectations of performance is a cornerstone of establishing and maintaining a high-performance culture in any organisation. In The Score Takes Care of Itself, the late, great and sorely missed Bill Walsh outlined his expectations as a leader:
Work hard and look to improve
Respect others
Commit to learning
Pay attention to detail
Self-control
Be positive
Loyalty
Recognise the contribution of individuals to a team
Seek humility
Communicate openly and substantively
Seek poise
Leaders eat last
High concentration and focus
Sacrifice and commitment
Character Strengths and Performance Expectations
That’s quite a list. I wondered how to interpret this from the perspective of positive leadership, and to help leaders better develop these skills. I redefined the list against the VIA Character Strengths classification, and made the following matches:
Work hard and look to improve – a love of learning; perseverance
Respect others – social intelligence
Commit to learning – a love of learning
Pay attention to detail – self-regulation
Self-control – self-regulation
Be positive – zest
Loyalty – love
Recognise the contribution of individuals to a team – gratitude, teamwork
Seek humility – humility & modesty
Communicate openly and substantively – honesty
Seek poise – humility
Leaders eat last – leadership
High concentration and focus – self-regulation
Sacrifice and commitment – kindness
Character Strengths in High Performance
Consequently, organised under virtues, character strengths in high-performance and a high performance culture are:
Wisdom
A love of learning means mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge, whether formally or informally
Transcendence
Gratitude is being aware and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks
Courage
Perseverance means finishing what you start or persisting with a course of action in spite of obstacles
Honesty requires speaking the truth; living genuinely and authentically
Zest is about approaching life with excitement and energy; feeling alive and activated
Humanity
Love means valuing close relations with others, particularly those that reciprocate sharing and caring
Kindness is about being kind and generous to others or enjoying doing good deeds for others.
Social intelligence means being aware of the motives and feelings of other people and yourself, as well as fitting in well in social situations
Justice
Teamwork requires working well as a member of a group or team or being loyal to a group
Leadership means encouraging a group of which you are a member to get things done, and maintaining positive relationships within a group
Temperance
Humility & modesty is about letting your accomplishments speak for themselves, not seeking the spotlight, or not viewing yourself as special
Self-regulation requires regulating what you feel and do, being disciplined, or controlling your appetites and emotions
Translating Bill Walsh’s expected standards of performance in these terms enables us to access a rich body of psychologically supported tools and techniques to promote their adoption in organisations. It gives us a strong basis for coaching character strengths in high-performance.