Stop Forcing Square Pegs Into Round Holes During Career Development

Divya Divakaran, Director of Human Resources at EVS, Inc.

As HR leaders, we’re responsible for engaging employees, driving productivity and retaining top talent. But when it comes to supporting career growth, many of us still rely on outdated approaches that force employees into predefined roles. Traditional career development models usually prioritize experience and seniority instead of considering employees’ unique, natural abilities. This can unfortunately place people in roles where they feel misaligned and unable to leverage their true talents.

What if there was a way to revolutionize both employee fulfillment and organizational success? Adopting a strengths-based career pathway approach could transform how we develop our talent. By aligning roles with employees’ inherent abilities, we can unlock higher levels of engagement, productivity and retention.

The Problem With ‘One-Size-Fits-All’ Models

In my coaching days, I had a client, Sarah, who was a talented marketing manager. She was creative and loved brainstorming new ideas for campaigns. However, her role also required her to analyze endless data, prepare detailed reports and spend hours on administrative tasks. These responsibilities left her feeling overwhelmed and drained. As time went on, Sarah became disengaged, and her passion for marketing faded. Because she felt stuck in a job that didn’t highlight her creative abilities, she decided to pursue external opportunities.

Had Sarah’s organization adopted a strengths-based approach, things might have looked very different. If leaders had identified her innate talents early on, they could’ve provided her with more opportunities to lead creative campaigns. Sarah would have been able to flourish in a role where her skills were put to their best use. Another available option was partnering her with someone whose strengths lay in data analysis. By taking on the more analytical responsibilities of marketing, her colleague would’ve been able to flourish as well.

The Power Of Strengths-Based Career Pathways

Strengths-based career pathways are about more than matching employees to tasks. They allow us to create roles that align with unique abilities and help employees grow in a direction that excites them. When people are allowed to focus on what they’re best at, they’re more engaged, productive and motivated.

For example, when I was an HR business partner at a software consulting firm, I worked with John, an operations manager tasked with leading a growing team. While technically proficient, his true strengths were in organizational efficiency and solving complex problems. John struggled to inspire his team and manage interpersonal dynamics, which created frustration and low morale. So I worked with his leaders to conduct a strengths analysis and create a path where he would be truly successful, engaged and productive.

We decided to transition John into a process improvement manager role, where he could focus on optimizing workflows, identifying inefficiencies and implementing systems to enhance productivity across the team. This role leveraged John’s strengths and allowed him to work behind the scenes, rather than directly managing the interpersonal dynamics of a large team. Once his responsibilities were aligned with his natural abilities, he felt more confident and engaged. His team, in turn, benefited from improved processes and clearer expectations, leading to increased morale, motivation and overall productivity.

Why Strengths-Based Career Pathways Work

By focusing on employees’ natural strengths, organizations can experience numerous benefits:

• Increased Engagement And Satisfaction: Employees who can leverage their strengths in their roles are more likely to feel valued and engaged. According to a study published in the Spanish Journal of Psychology, strengths-based leadership fosters a positive work environment where individuals are eager to contribute to the organization’s success.

• Enhanced Productivity And Innovation: When employees do what they’re good at, their performance improves. This leads to higher productivity and the creation of new ideas and solutions that can set organizations apart.

• Higher Retention Rates: Employees who feel aligned with their roles and understand their value within the company are more likely to stay. By nurturing an environment where strengths are recognized and developed, organizations can reduce turnover and the costs associated with hiring and training new staff.

• Improved Organizational Agility: A strengths-based workforce is more adaptable. Employees are empowered to work in areas that align with their talents, making them more resilient in the face of change. This helps organizations pivot more easily in times of disruption.

How To Implement Strengths-Based Career Pathways

To transition to a strengths-based approach, businesses must take proactive steps. Here are a few ways to get started:

• Evaluate Your Workforce: What current roles are available at your organization, and are there any employees who feel misaligned in their position? Can you offer greater flexibility to help employees work more in areas that energize them?

• Perform Strengths Assessments: As part of your onboarding process and ongoing professional development, leverage tools that identify team members’ unique strengths. This will make it easier to guide career conversations and suggest growth opportunities.

• Make Development Collaborative: Have people leaders shift the focus of career development conversations from job titles to individuals’ strengths. They should encourage employees to explore roles that align with their talents, as well as provide them with the resources to do so.

• Increase Employee Recognition: Encourage managers to celebrate individual strengths outside of performance reviews. A culture that regularly highlights strengths leads to more engaged, motivated and productive employees.

Unlock Your Workforce’s Full Potential

What if your employees could truly excel in roles that fit their strengths? By moving beyond the “square peg in a round hole” approach and adopting a strengths-based model, you can watch your employees—and your organization—thrive.

Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?