Dear Friend,
As you know, research has proven that there are 4 needs ALL PEOPLE have in the workplace —to be seen, to be respected, to be valued, and to be protected. Those four needs are at the heart of everything we do at The Waymakers Change Group. The 8 Waymakers Archetypes of our Your Way leadership model are aligned to each one of those needs and to specific stages of the employee lifecycle. Each archetype is based on natural leadership tendencies and each plays a critical role during specific stages of an employee’s career.
The Enhancer archetype helps people feel respected. Enhancers support employees during the growth and development stages of their careers. They see the potential in others, shine a light on that potential, and help identify performance goals that match that potential. They also bolster people in ways that make greater reward and recognition possible.
Can you identify the Enhancers on your team? Are you an Enhancer? Let’s take a closer look at the Enhancer archetype and find out.
Anatomy of the ENHANCER Archetype
Why Enhancers matter
The Enhancer has a keen eye for improvement. Be it skills, processes, or behaviors, the Enhancer doesn’t sit back and wait for things to break down. They proactively identify opportunities to better people and situations and share insight and resources as appropriate. When developing people, Enhancers believe honesty is the best policy, and that to withhold useful information—even when hard to hear—is not only unkind, but an abdication of responsibility. Enhancers make goodness great, and greatness extraordinary.
When Enhancers matter
Without Enhancers, people stagnate. They see performance gaps before others do, and their commitment to excellence inspires a pointed and thorough approach to development. The Enhancer’s primary goal is success—for the business and the people—and they know that without clear direction, people and teams fall short of their aspirations. Enhancers shine in circumstances where expectations are changing, unclear, or not being met. When a lack of focus or investment derails a person or a project, the Enhancer makes crooked paths straight.
How to nurture your Enhancer instincts
- Ask people specific questions to discern willingness, skill, and readiness for a role or assignment. Design relevant tasks to build competence.
- After assessing areas of development, provide clear and ongoing direction to help fill performance gaps and strengthen any softness in capability.
- Set performance expectations to drive meaningful results and promote accountability and ensure understanding.
- Proactively identify tools and resources to drive improvement and check in often to help people stay on track.
Things to watch out for
- Because you constantly look for ways to enhance performance, you may fail to consider personal reasons for performance gaps. Communicate your observations and then listen before you jump to conclusions.
- Be aware of others’ feedback boundaries. They may not be open to feedback at certain times. Try asking before giving direct feedback to ensure it can be received in the way you intend—i.e. “Can I give you some feedback?” or “I have some insight. Can I share it with you?”
- Ensure you are not being overly critical. Is the feedback you want to provide growth-oriented, relevant, on-time, insightful, and actionable? If not, determine if it’s truly feedback that needs to be shared or your personal preference.
- Your talent for directly communicating improvements may limit your ability to create mutually beneficial professional relationships. Remember you were once a learner, too. Show vulnerability to help build deeper, lasting connections.
Without Enhancers, employees would not feel respected for who they are and what they can contribute. Careers would stagnate and employee experience, retention, and innovation would suffer. As leaders, we should all exhibit some qualities of the Enhancer to ensure our people and our businesses thrive.
How will you lean into Enhancer qualities to help all people achieve the success they seek? What will you specifically lookout for along the way? If you’ve yet to do so, take our FREE, 12-question quiz to learn more about your natural way of leading. If you have taken our quiz, use your archetype insights to help make a way for ALL PEOPLE at work–naturally, effectively, and sustainably. And be sure to follow us on LinkedIn as we share more about the Waymaker Archetypes.
Until next time, keep making a way!
The Waymakers Change Group