You've spent months coaching that employee to treat customers better, work more independently, or get organized—all to no avail.

How to make better use of your precious time? Do what great managers do: Instead of trying to change your employees, identify their unique abilities (and even their eccentricities)—then help them use those qualities to excel in their own way.

You'll need these three tactics:

• Continuously tweak roles to capitalize on individual strengths. One Walgreens store manager put a laconic but highly organized employee in charge of restocking aisles—freeing up more sociable employees to serve customers.
• Pull the triggers that activate employees' strengths. Offer incentives such as time spent with you, opportunities to work independently, and recognition in forms each employee values most.
• Tailor coaching to unique learning styles. Give "analyzers" the information they need before starting a task. Start "doers" off with simple tasks, then gradually raise the bar. Let "watchers" ride shotgun with your most experienced performers.

The payoff for capitalizing on employees' unique strengths? You save time. Your people take ownership for improving their skills. And you teach employees to value differences—building a powerful sense of team.

The Idea at Work
A closer look at the three tactics:

Capitalize on Employees' Strengths
First identify each employee's unique strengths: Walk around, observing people's reactions to events. Note activities each employee is drawn to. Ask "What was the best day at work you've had in the past three months?" Listen for activities people find intrinsically satisfying.

Watch for weaknesses, too, but downplay them in your communications with employees. Offer training to help employees overcome shortcomings stemming from lack of skills or knowledge. Otherwise, apply these strategies:

• Find the employee a partner with complementary talents. A merchandising manager who couldn't start tasks without exhaustive information performed superbly once her supervisor (the VP) began acting as her "information partner." The VP committed to leaving the manager a brief voicemail update daily and arranging two "touch base" conversations weekly.
• Reconfigure work to neutralize weaknesses. Use your creativity to envision more effective work arrangements, and be courageous about adopting unconventional job designs.

Activate Employees' Strengths
The ultimate trigger for activating an employee's strengths is recognition. But each employee plays to a different audience. So tailor your praise accordingly.

Tailor Coaching to Learning Style
Adapt your coaching efforts to each employee’s unique learning style:

If an employee values recognition from... Praise him by... His peers Publicly celebrating his achievement in front of coworkers You Telling him privately but vividly why he’s such a valuable team member Others with similar expertise Giving him a professional or technical award Customers Posting a photo of him and his best customer in the office

If an employee is ... Coach him by... An "analyzer"—he requires extensive information before taking on a task, and he hates making mistakes • Giving him ample classroom time • Role-playing with him • Giving him time to prepare for challenges A "doer"—he uses trial and error to enhance his skills while grappling with tasks • Assigning him a simple task, explaining the desired outcomes, and getting out of his way • Gradually increasing a task’s complexity until he masters his role A "watcher"—he hones his skills by watching other people in action • Having him “shadow” top performers.

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