A leader is someone who, when presented with disparate people and ideas, can see a vision for a cohesive whole and then help bring it to life. On any team, each person has individual abilities and constraints, and a good leader can synergize the strengths to form an A-team.

Consider that you might be leading a team that has untapped potential. Maybe you need a little help developing this crucial leadership skill of identifying strengths, especially if you recently underwent a merger or organizational change or a period of growth. To bring team strengths into focus, consider looking back, looking around, and looking forward.

Look back

Begin by reviewing past team and individual performance. If your team has been working together for some time, you can look at past projects in detail. Note which team members excelled in which roles, and if any groups or partnerships appear in the projects that went especially well.

If your team is newly assembled or recently experienced turnover or growth, you may need to ask the new team members about their past performance elsewhere. Ask what they excelled at, what made them passionate, and what roles they filled best.

While you’re at it, ask the original team members the same questions to make sure their potential is being fulfilled. If you’re able, speak with former leaders of your team members, particularly if they work within your organization. Discuss how they utilized an individual’s strengths in a larger group format and make notes for yourself to reference.

Look around

Next, look around at the state of the team. Consider how your current project is going as well as how the team dynamics feel. Make a list of each team member and write their top three strengths by their name, then ask them to do the same for themselves. If there are glaring differences, perhaps it’s time to shake up some roles and responsibilities or simply discuss further.

If you’re currently in the position to hire or to let someone go, carefully consider the strengths already present and the strengths that are missing. Obviously you need to hire for a particular role, but different people bring very different strengths to the same set of responsibilities. Keep in mind what you are missing and seek it out.

If there are any team dynamics issues, take a fresh perspective by noticing the strengths at play. Perhaps individual constraints aren’t triggering one another; rather, similar strengths could be leading to a sense of scarcity and wasted potential. On the flip side, conflicting strengths could be causing a misalignment of priorities.

Don’t forget to include your own strengths in your team assessment. Perhaps you have strong communication skills or a great ability to navigate unexpected crises. Maybe you’re great at boosting morale or advocating for change. Take note of your top three strengths and ask yourself who on your team complements those strengths and who duplicates them.

Look forward

Once you’ve collected all that data, it’s time to look forward. Experiment with new roles, partnerships, and ideas. Play to each individual’s strengths and have them fill in gaps for each other. Communicate clearly that you are instilling alignment from a strengths perspective and are excited for the ways in which these arrangements will help everyone to shine.

This might be a great time to bring in a third-party team dynamics coach or to utilize a scientifically backed strengths tool. Often we think of formal team building as a reaction to negative behaviors and outcomes, but exponential results can manifest if you start from a place of health and set out to make it even better.

Here at Teamalytics, we have experience doing just that. Our decades of experience working with leaders like yourself has helped us develop proprietary tools that bring awareness, acceleration, and accountability to any team. We don’t just come in and point out what needs improvement–we help you and your team pinpoint strengths and work to synergize them both individually and as a collective.To start building a stronger team today, take our brief, 14-question A-Team Scorecard quiz and see what your next step could be.