Knowing our strengths or the contributions that we make that are valuable to our team, can actually help us formulate and articulate our KRAs in a way that they leverage our strengths . A behaviour profiling such as the Belbin can help one identify one’s main workstyle strengths. To start off, the key then is to take a look at one’s KRAs and identify the most crucial of the KRAs.

Now look at one’s list of Work Style strengths in the Belbin Suggested Work Styles report (Fig 2). This is a crucial report that gives one insight into contributions and work styles that one is good at and in all probability will enjoy doing. Consciously leveraging these at the work place would result in enhanced levels of interest and engagement. It also allows individuals to begin looking at their KRAs in a new light, developing and creating their goals in an empowered manner.

The crucial question to answer is ‘How can one leverage this strength in one’s current context to fulfil the KRA’. One will notice creative and exciting ways of bringing in context and life to one’s KRA such that one is leveraging one’s strength and beginning to see one’s KRA in a new light. This makes formulating KRAs not just a bland exercise but allows one to bring in one’s own individuality and strengths in setting performance goals for the year.

Given below is an example of how this is done:

The key is to let the KRAs come alive and to look for how one’s strengths can be harnessed for the various goals that one is setting for the year. In this example, the person can see that the ‘Supporting’ Work Style can be aptly leveraged for the KRA of ‘Developing second line leaders’. Going into details such as which team member the person will  develop during the first few months and how he/she will do so brings the KRA alive. (Fig 3)

In the second example in the KRA sheet below (Fig 3), the person has creatively and smartly leveraged his/her strengths of Shaper- Resource Investigator ie ‘Exploiting opportunities’ to contribute to a KRA where at face value would largely require Implementer contributions. Developing one’s KRAs through the lense of team roles now allows this person to break up the KRA into contributions that are required for success. He/she now realises that opportunities for introduction, for process change have to spotted. Once this is finalized, these changes have to be introduced and followed. The person can now seek help from an Implementer colleague who can support him/ her in  setting the process once he/she as actively looked at opportunities to enhance and benefit the business process. Then he/she can consciously leverage his/her strength to drive things forward once the processes are in place

Once can also discover new areas that one could bring into one’s goal sheet bases one’s strengths and current or future organisation needs. Such an approach allows for a involved discussion between the individual and the manager. Let us know how you have integrated your strengths to create KRAs that you find challenging, dynamic and enthusiastic about.