S.O.A.R. methodology for Personal Development

How many annual development discussions have you lived through in your business life and how many of them solely focused on your future development goals – without digging the past performance or weaknesses?

Do yourself a favour – put your (or your team members’) focus on strengths and change the discussion into a forward-looking, positive approach. By sidestepping the negative emotional triggers of 'weaknesses,' we all can benefit from more effective listening and collaboration and no doubt a more constructive dialogue. Check out the SOAR method (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations and Results) – as an alternative to SWOT.

Some guiding questions for your next development session could be:

🌟 Strengths: What are the unique strengths that you bring to the table?
📈 Opportunities: Which goals are you eager to achieve or improve upon?
🌱 Aspirations: What future roles or contributions are you aspiring towards?
🎯 Results: What do the desired outcomes look like, and what steps are necessary to reach them?

I am a strong believer in strengths-based leadership development, a method that is also highlighted by Zenger Folkman in "The Extraordinary Leader" methodology. By leveraging strengths, we can achieve remarkable performance gains and create an overall more engaged and happy workforce.