Who enjoys being yelled at? Who enjoys being put down? Who enjoys having their faults highlighted in front of others?

Most people react the same way. Criticism activates defensiveness. We become upset with the person offering the feedback instead of reflecting on what is actually being said. Human beings are wired to protect their identity. When someone points out a weakness, our brains treat it as a potential social threat. This response has been well documented in research from the NeuroLeadership Institute, which shows that negative feedback triggers a threat response in the brain that can shut down learning, creativity, and motivation.

This is one reason why managers who rely heavily on pointing out flaws often see little improvement in performance. People stop listening. They retreat or resist. The intention may be to help someone grow, yet the outcome is often the opposite.

Markus Buckingham’s work on strengths-based leadership has shaped how many organizations approach people development. His research, including studies with the Gallup organization, shows that employees who use their strengths every day are more engaged, more productive, and more loyal to their employers. Buckingham’s central idea is simple. People grow most where they already have natural talent. Managers who recognize this and build roles and development plans around individual strengths are more likely to see meaningful and lasting improvement.

At Plum Leadership Group we see this pattern every day in our leadership training, manager development programs, and executive coaching engagements. When managers learn to identify what their team members are naturally good at, give them opportunities to use those strengths more often, and then stretch them in those same areas, performance improves faster and with less friction. Employees feel seen and valued. They experience genuine progress. They feel trusted to take the next step in their development.

This principle extends well beyond the workplace. In sports, coaches who build on strengths unlock confidence and consistency in their athletes. At home, relationships strengthen when partners or parents highlight what is working well rather than focusing solely on what is not.

Research from Barbara Fredrickson on positive psychology reinforces this. Her broaden and build theory shows that positive emotions expand a person’s capacity to think, create, problem solve, and recover from setbacks. A strengths based approach creates these conditions far more effectively than an approach focused on deficiencies.

It is not that performance gaps are ignored. Instead, they are approached through a different lens. A strengths based question shifts the conversation. How can this person’s natural strengths support their growth in areas where they struggle? This approach works with human nature instead of against it.

Managers can start with three simple steps.

1. Notice what each person does with ease or enthusiasm. Natural strengths often sit in these patterns.
2. Assign work that aligns with those strengths more frequently. Allow people to spend meaningful time doing what they do best.
3. Stretch people where they are already strong. Invite them to grow in areas where they have real potential, not in areas that drain them.

Teams built this way perform better. They collaborate more effectively. They experience higher levels of trust and psychological safety. Gallup research shows that employees who feel their strengths are recognized are far more likely to stay with their employers.

Strengths based leadership is not soft. It is strategic. It creates more capable managers, healthier workplace cultures, and better business outcomes. This philosophy sits at the centre of many of the programs we deliver at Plum Leadership Group because it aligns with the science of how people grow and how performance improves.

The fastest path to higher performance is rarely through criticism or pressure. It comes from recognizing the talent that already exists and giving people meaningful opportunities to use it. When leaders help people build from their strengths, teams become more confident, more resilient, and more capable of delivering results that last.

This is the environment where real growth becomes possible.