Psychology@Work
Dr Paul Brewerton, a strengths-based psychologist and founder of Strengthscope, explores human behavior in the workplace. The podcast offers bi-weekly insights to help listeners improve their work and life performance by understanding individual strengths. It aims to transform how people approach their careers and personal development.
Episodes
SE18E7 - Strengths coaching for neurodiverse teams
In this episode, Dr. Paul Brewerton and Holly Tennock, founder of Wilder Work and Strengthscope practitioner, explore the intersection of neurodiversity and coaching. They discuss the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals in the workplace, the significance of radical acceptance, and the need for psychological safety in team dynamics. The conversation highlights practical strategies f
Building team effectiveness in 2025
In this episode, Dr. Paul Brewerton discusses the findings from Strengthscope's latest research report, Team Effectiveness in the Workplace 2025. The conversation focuses on the strengths and habits of teams, the importance of trust and accountability, and the predictors of overall team effectiveness. Dr. Brewerton provides actionable recommendations for teams to improve their performance and
What energises leaders the most?
In this episode, Dr. Paul Brewerton discusses the findings from Strengthscope's latest research report, Team Effectiveness in the Workplace 2025. He highlights key leadership strengths, the perception gap between leaders and their followers, and the changes in leadership skills over time, particularly in the context of the pandemic. He also emphasises the importance of recognising and leverag
How strengths build agile, high performing matrixed project teams
In this episode, Dr. Paul Brewerton discusses the need for organisations and teams to be more agile in the face of rapid changes brought about by AI and the evolving workforce. He emphasises the importance of cross-functional collaboration and leading through influence rather than hierarchy. The discussion covers Strengthscope's five stages of team development, the significance of clarity in
Research alert: Embedding strengths development habits with strengths journalling
In this episode, Dr. Paul Brewerton and Claire Graham discuss the findings from The Strengthscope Research Team on the 8-week strengths journalling challenge, and the importance of strengths in the workplace. They explore how to make strengths stick over time, the methodology used for the challenge, and the significant positive shifts observed in participants' awareness and application of th
Creating a culture of openness and feedback with the Radical Candor model
In this episode, Dr. Paul Brewerton discusses the complexities of giving and receiving feedback in organisational settings. He highlights the importance of constructive feedback, introduces the Radical Candor model by Kim Scott, and emphasises the need for a strengths-based approach to feedback. He also presents the Strengthscope360™ tool as a means to facilitate effective feedback delivery.
Strengths on World Mental Health Day – what’s the link and what can you do?
In this episode, Dr. Paul Brewerton discusses the importance of mental health awareness in organisations, emphasising the need for supportive workplace cultures. He highlights the alarming statistics regarding mental health issues among workers and the challenges in discussing these topics openly.
Dr. Brewerton advocates for a strengths-based approach to enhance employee wellbeing and creat
How to use strengths in early careers and onboarding
Psychology@Work with The Strengths Guy!
How can strengths be used to recruit and onboard early-career employees? The main difference when recruiting early-career professionals is their lack of direct work experience, but this is when strengths come in. Tune into this episode to learn about Dr. Paul Brewerton's 8 steps to have a successful recruitment and onboarding experience.
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How strengths can help support teams to address Lencioni’s five dysfunctions
If you're not familiar with Patrick Lencioni’s model, it describes where leadership teams can go wrong. In this episode, Dr. Paul Brewerton breaks down the five dysfunctions and introduces the StrengthscopeTeam model, which offers practical tips to turn dysfunction into high performance. Hope you enjoy!
Strengths, business and neurodiversity with Nik Govier, Founder and CEO at Blurred
In this podcast episode, Dr Paul Brewerton and Nik Govier (Founder and CEO of Blurred) discuss why BCorp matters, neurodiversity, and how organisations can better help people with different neurodivergences thrive at work.
Hope you enjoy!
Josh Allan Dykstra on the challenge of measuring impact in the HR world
For all of us in HR, L&D, OD, and all the subsets of the people professions, it’s difficult to measure the impact of our work in a credible, business-friendly, and commercially relevant way. So today, Dr Paul Brewerton invites Josh Allan Dykstra, CEO of #Love Work, to talk about all of this and more to provoke some thinking and discussion around the return on investment measurement in the
Strengths and entrepreneurism with Rachel Carrell, CEO of Koru Kids
An insightful conversation between Strengthcope Founder, Paul Brewerton, and CEO of Koru Kids, Rachel Carrell, as they dive into the strengths within leadership and entrepreneurship.
Hope you enjoy!
Scott Christie on strengths vs skills: defining the future world of work
Are strengths or skills going to be more important when we think about the future world of work and the future workforce? And quite frankly, right now? What are strengths, and how are they different from skills? Can you have one without the other?
Find out in this episode with Dr Paul Brewerton - Founder & Chair of Strengthscope, and Scott Christie - Head of Training & Integration at
Research alert – how to get the most from strengths at work… the evidence!
Listen in as Dr Paul Brewerton dives into the 5-step model to maximise the chances of achieving positive outcomes from the application of strengths at work. All research-backed, of course.
Hope you enjoy!
Bringing your people to the centre of change and transformation, with Dr Pete Thomond
Dive into this jam-packed episode with Dr Paul Brewerton and Dr Peter Thomond as they discuss the dynamic topic of change and transformation and how you can bring your people to the centre of it all. Enjoy!
Assessments in recruitment - from social desirability to the full candidate picture with strengths
Do you work in recruitment, talent acquisition, or in a broader HR role responsible for recruitment?
Have you ever applied for a job or participated in an assessment centre or development centre, or you may do so in the future?
Are you interested in the strengths approach and how it can create a fairer, less biased, more open and relaxed recruitment process?
If any of the above, then this
Get ready for candidate-led recruitment, the strengths way
Recruitment today is no longer a ‘two-way’ process. It’s more ‘candidate way’ than ever, irrespective of the ebbs and flows of the recruitment market. Recruitment today needs to allow a candidate-centric, candidate-led approach in order to win the war for talent and to keep people engaged and retained for as long as it makes sense for both parties.
In this episode, find out how the strengths
Kent Frazier, CEO of ParadoxEdge - a strengths-based approach to becoming more fully human
Tune into this insightful conversation between Paul Brewerton, Founder and Chair of Strengthscope, and Kent Frazier, CEO of ParadoxEdge, on a strengths-based approach to becoming more fully human.
Hope you enjoy!
S16E12 5 strengths must-dos to keep strengths in your daily practice and in the flow of work
Research tells us that people who use their strengths every day see many positive outcomes: less stress, better relationships, greater job satisfaction, higher levels of well-being and improved problem-solving. So how can you be part of that group?
Today I want to share my top 5 tips for making strengths part of your daily practice and bringing them into your day to day work flow. Enjoy!
S16E11 - The 8-point plan that will guarantee your strengths-based organisation lasts
How do you implement a strengths-based approach that sticks in the long term? In this episode, you'll uncover eight key principles to help you sustainably achieve an organisation with strengths embedded in its culture.
S16E10 - How you can change a culture in 5 simple steps
Where does culture come from, and what influences it? Why is culture so hard to change? We delve into these questions and explore 5 simple steps to change a culture. This is the final part of our culture trilogy. Check Season 12, Episodes 7 and 11 for the first 2 parts.
S16E9 - Why social identity theory matters to us all and what you can do about it
In this episode, we explore how individuals adopt different identities based on their social groups and why they do this. The social identity theory is relevant in various life contexts, particularly work environments. From the impact on teams and organizations to the critical aspect of leadership, you will gain valuable insights into harnessing the power of social identity theory for positiv
S16E8 - Why would anyone want to be led by you? The question all leaders should still be asking themselves
In this episode, we delve into the enduring question posed by professors Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones: "Why should anyone be led by you?" We explore the challenges of authentic leadership, reflecting on how this concept has evolved over the years, and discuss the struggle of aligning academic research, business demands, and popular opinion in the realm of leadership.
S16E7 - How can you tell if your organisation is ‘strengths ready’?
In this podcast, we explore the journey of adopting a strengths-based approach in organizations. From defining the approach to understanding its impact, we delve into what it takes to make the strengths approach work. Discover the keys to success and the common pitfalls to avoid.
S16E6 The loneliness of the leader (and what you can do about it)
Stepping into a leadership position is one of the most challenging career transitions you can make, but, If becoming a leader can lead to a sense of loneliness, and continuing on your leadership journey can get more and more isolating, what are the risks of that, and what are the solutions that have worked for other leaders?
Here is my four-step guide to dealing with leadership loneliness -
S16E5 - How the strengths approach can support a neurodiverse culture
Neurodiversity is a super important topic for everyone in the workplace, not least for managers and for people professionals in HR, talent and learning and development teams. Neurodivergences need to be understood at work so that they can be accommodated, so that ND individuals can continue to feel included and valued.
S16E4 - How to use strengths in influencing
In today’s podcast, you'll learn about six clear steps for upping your influence game using your own strengths. Enjoy!
S16E3 Using strengths to support DE&I in today’s lockdown-affected generation
How should your talent acquisition strategy be modified to accommodate the lockdown-affected generation? The strengths approach can help! Find out how in this episode - hope you enjoy.
S16E2 The power of compassion - social support is the most crucial driver of our health
Today’s episode is about the power of compassion and how you can bring more of it into your life, into the lives of the people you care about and into the lives of everyone you come into contact with, in practical ways.
Enjoy!
S16E1 Unlocking early careers - the power of strengths based onboarding
Successful onboarding programmes play a pivotal role in retaining and engaging graduates and apprentices. Embracing a strengths-based approach to onboarding allows employers to bridge the gap between expectations and the realities of the workplace. That's the topic for today's podcast.
Enjoy!
S15E12 How strengths can positively impact your early career
Whether you’re a graduate, an apprentice, or someone else early in your career, or whether you’re someone who works with those in early careers, today’s episode is for you.
I want to share how strengths can really help those coming into the workplace in various ways. Enjoy!
S15E11 Research alert - is Gallup's latest 'global trends' engagement survey helpful or hurtful
In today's podcast episode, Dr. Paul Brewerton provides a personal view of not just Gallup’s annual engagement survey findings but also some pointers on making sense of any research report – what to look out for from a positive point of view and from a contrary perspective, so that you can draw your own conclusions on what’s helpful and what’s not so helpful in research such as Gallup’s.
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S15E10 How managers can get the most from a strengths approach
In today’s podcast, I want to offer some practical tips to managers for getting the best use of the strengths approach. I’m going to answer three questions:
How can you bring your strengths into day-to-day management practice?How can you start a dialogue about strengths with your direct reports?What are some concrete actions you take immediately to get strengths talked about, lived and breat
S15E9 Building a feedback culture in 8 steps
Today’s episode is about building a feedback culture by focusing on culture first. So here is my 8-step guide on how to get feedback flowing in your organisation.
S15E8 Research Alert - This is what makes an effective leader
Our study found that 1. Successful leaders have very different strengths that they draw on to achieve results, 2. That it matters more how you use your strengths and not whether you have specific strengths, 3. That to be rated as an effective leader, you need to show breadth of behaviour across 4 key areas and that 4. The highest predictor of leadership effectiveness as judged by feedback pro
S15E7 Does 360 degree feedback actually work? How can you get the best from it?
In today’s episode, I want to explore the evidence for 360-degree feedback and the evidence against.
I want to give you some top tips on how to get the best from 360-degree feedback when you’re the feedback recipient and how to get the best from your feedback process as an organisation.
Enjoy!
S15E6 The power of strengths-based feedback
Today I want to throw the spotlight on the power of strengths-based feedback – when to do it, how to do it and what happens because of it.
Hope you enjoy!
S15E5 Research alert – strengthening teams to deliver on their goals
There isn’t a huge amount of high-quality peer-reviewed research out there on the benefits of using strengths in a team setting, which is why this new research paper I'm going to share is so exciting and why I’m keen to share it with you.
Hope you enjoy!
S15E4 A pathway to a high performing team - Tuckman x strengths
In today’s podcast, I want to smush together two tried and tested philosophies: the strengths approach and Tuckman’s model of team development, to give you some practical pointers on developing teams towards high performance using team members’ strengths. Enjoy!
S15E3 No not that AI… Appreciative Inquiry as a powerful method for change
In today’s show, I’m going to focus in on why Appreciative Inquiry is such a powerful tool for personal, team, organisational and even societal change.
Enjoy!
S15E2 Taking control of your career with strengths
Today’s podcast is how to use your strengths as foundations to support you when you decide that you need to make a career move. Or when your employer decides for you. I have 5 top tips for you.
Enjoy!
S15E1 Applying the strengths approach to learning through change: 4 top tips
Change can take so many forms. And for most of us, it is registered in the brain as a threat rather than an opportunity.
But, if change is now so commonplace, maybe we can consider reframing it so that we’re less likely to deny or resist it and more likely to look for learning and growth opportunities for ourselves.
Hope you enjoy!
S14E12 How you can insulate your career from new technology by focusing on strengths
Fast forward to today, and AI is powering the majority of customer service interactions for many businesses. In Strengthscope’s case, this runs at up to 85% for a typical month.
In today’s episode, I would like to give you, fellow non-AI human, 6 tips for staying relevant as AI advances accelerate.
S14E11 Combatting change fatigue with strengths
One of the top priorities for HR leaders in 2023? Organisational change.
If change is everywhere, and we know it is everywhere, how can we keep our people insulated from change fatigue? That’s the topic of today’s episode on combatting change fatigue with strengths.
S14E10 How to give feedback well - 7 top tips
Today I want to give you seven top tips for getting the best from feedback, particularly when giving it, but with a couple of references to receiving feedback too.
S14E9 Are strengths still relevant in 2023? Part 2
The question at Strengthscope that we pose ourselves regularly is, how can we support our clients to create strengths-based cultures? To truly breathe life into the strengths approach? That’s what I want to focus on today: can you create a strengths-based organisation? And if so, from a practical point of view, how?
Enjoy!
S14E8 - Are strengths still relevant in 2023? Part 1
Are strengths still relevant in our volatile, unpredictable world in 2023?
That’s the question I’d like to address in today’s episode and next week in a two-parter, by putting the pros and the cons in this episode. And in my next episode, I want to cover some of the practicalities of introducing and embedding a strengths approach into organisations today.
S14E7 Privilege - what it is and why it matters
Privilege is getting quite a bit of airtime right now. So as a white, straight, cis, non-disabled, middle-class male, I’d like to spend today’s podcast introducing the idea of privilege, talking a little about the journey I’ve been on with it, and to talk about its importance and relevance to work and to life today.
I appreciate that talking about privilege at all can raise questions. Like ‘
S14E6 How can you apply positive psychology during change?
In today’s podcast, I want to give you some reflections and practical tips on how you can apply positive psychology during change, in VUCA environments. This is relevant both if you’re a manager or leader, or if you’re not.
Enjoy!
S14E5 Human-centred change – 6 top tips for leaders
What is human-centred change and why do leaders need to know about it?
When it comes to change, there are some principles which apply to all contexts and one philosophy that is most likely to lead to a successful outcome, whatever your leadership situation: aim for ‘human-centred change’.
Enjoy!
S14E4 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) – an introductory guide
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a topic which is getting more and more attention in today’s workplace. And rightly so. In today’s podcast, I would like to take you through a basic introduction to DEI. And by the way, I recognise my perspective and my privilege in doing this: I identify as a middle aged straight white male, meaning that I fall into none of the protected characteristics grou
S14E3 How to use your strengths to manage change and transformation
Today’s podcast gives you some guidelines on how to use your strengths, and the strengths of others, when facing changes large and small. And while my podcasts focus on work, actually, these principles can be applied equally well to your home life too.
Using your strengths during change puts your brain on a more positive footing, enabling it to help you make the changes with the minimum of
S14E2 Strengths versus competencies-what happens when you have one without the other
A question I get asked often is, what is the difference between strengths and competencies – are they the same thing, or different ways of looking at the same thing, or are they different things completely?
Today’s podcast is a response to those questions.
S14E1 Top 4 strategies for avoiding the strengths in overdrive trap
Dr. Paul Brewerton is bringing you the 4 top strategies for dealing with strengths in overdrive.
Before you can go to those strategies though, you need to lay the groundwork and that means knowing your overdrive risks and knowing your triggers. So let’s go there first.
S13E12 The art of developing a ‘win-win’ relationship the strengths way
We are all attuned to making judgements about how the hierarchy of whatever we have in our minds at that moment works – fame, wages, social value, height, attractiveness – whatever we’re using as a criterion, humans are really attuned to making judgements about relative position in order to assess how we’re doing.
But there are some limitations to these very human urges when it comes to deve
S13E11 Strengths: the nature vs nurture debate
I’m back after a summer break of no work and no podcasting, I’m feeling refreshed and delighted to be able to reconnect with you and get back to the topic of strengths and how your strengths can support you day to day throughout your entire life.
In today’s podcast, I want to take a request from one of our listeners, also a question I’m often asked when speaking to our strengths practitioner
S13E10 Getting out of your comfort zone safely with the art of stretching strengths
When it comes to your development and growth, how can you stretch yourself safely? How can you continue to develop and grow and learn and improve, or move to the next level of performance, without feeling that you might just end up toppling over a cliff into an uncontrolled descent?
Today’s podcast is about stretching safely. It’s about recognising that to get out of your comfort zone, you n
S13E9 How to work out what you really really want, post-pandemic
People have been fearful about their job security, followed by a stampede for the exit door in the great resignation. Concerns about the rising cost of living is putting pressure on people to be more careful about making a move. It’s pretty confusing and no one knows what’s next.
How can you work out what you really really want post-pandemic? Dr. Paul Brewerton has 5 questions for you to con
S13E8 Setting clear expectations with your line manager
This week, Dr. Paul Brewerton goes into a little more depth, with some ideas both for line managers and for their direct reports about setting clear expectations.
What he'll be covering includes:Asking for feedback from your boss (and actually the other way round too)Giving feedback – both positive and constructiveUnderstanding each other’s strengths and valuesHow to align when we’re coming
S13E7 How to ask for feedback well-5 top tips
In a recent survey by employee engagement firm, Office Vibe, a significant 65% (that’s two-thirds) of employees said that they wanted more feedback at work.
We can deduce from that stat that the feedback they’re looking for isn’t forthcoming without someone doing something differently. So how about if you want more feedback, you ask for it?
As we’ll explore in today’s episode, that’s more
S13E6 5 top tips on using your strengths to upgrade your work life
Today’s episode is going to be a check-in on using your strengths well at work if you’re already a strengths fan and user and it’s going to be a useful introduction if you’re relatively new to the world of strengths. Today, I’m going to be giving you my top five tips on using your strengths to make your work life more you-shaped.
S13E5 Team well-being - the essentials guide
So what is well-being, because it seems to be a phrase on the tip of many people’s tongues these days? Well it depends who you ask but well-being is pretty well-defined by the New Economic Foundation: “…how people feel and how they function, both on a personal and a social level, and how they evaluate their lives as a whole.”
S13E4 How to turn a leadership group into a leadership team
How often do you hear the term leadership group? Rarely, and when you do, it will be when describing a cohort of leaders on a development programme or some kind of discussion forum or committee. So, if you’re part of, or you know of, a leadership team actually running a function, department or whole organisation that right now is more group than team, then this episode is for you because my
S13E3 Team onboarding 101 - top tips to help new colleagues get on the good foot
There’s a lot of churn out there right now. Lots of people moving roles, moving organisations and moving teams. And that means a lot of change for individuals and for teams too. So in today’s podcast I want to make a point, and I’ll give you some practical tips too on how to get new team joiners off to the best possible start when they’re joining a new team.
S13E2 Hybrid team working - how to get the most from hybrid teams
How best to navigate hybrid team working in a post-pandemic world? How can you get the most from the teams you work in and who work for you? I have four areas to discuss and for each I’ll take you through the ups and downs as I see them and how you can get the best from all worlds…virtual and in person.
S13E1 Sticky teams - how to build a team that people just won't want to leave
S12E12 Team development essentials – what teams often forget and where you can help…starting with strengths
This episode is about team development essentials, starting from a position of strength but moving into the development of positive team habits, to support a team through change and challenge.
S12E11 Assessing an organisation's culture right now - the definitive guide
Today’s episode is on assessing the culture you have right now, to get a sense of where your organisation is, so that you can get a sense of where you’ll need to prioritise actions in order to get closer to your envisaged future state. So let’s get to it.
S12E10 What is strengths-based learning and development and why does it matter?
The strengths-based approach offers a compliment and an antidote to the deficit approach. And strengths-based learning and development helps us focus on developing and stretching our strengths, rather than spending all of our time on hammering out our weaknesses and shortcomings.
S12E9 Why setting clear expectations is important and how to do it
A recent Towers Watson survey reported that half of managers don't set effective employee expectations or goals.
And if, therefore, 50% of employees haven’t received a clear message on what is expected of them, they will figure out their own expectations, they won’t know how close or far away they are to what their manager had in mind and no one will know when or if the expectation has been
S12E8 What is a strengths-based approach in coaching?
In this episode, I discuss:
Coaching - what it isWhy strengths are so vital in coachingThe STRONG modelKiller strengths-based coaching questions
S12E7 How to map your future culture and how to work out when you need to
Today’s episode relates not necessarily to the assessment of your organisational culture right now, I’ll come back to that in a future piece. No, this blog is about mapping out your future culture and how best to do that.
S12E6 What is psychological safety and how can you get it?
I want to talk about psychological safety – what it is, why it’s important and how you can develop greater psychological safety in your organisation and within your teams.
S12E5 Strengthscope and Insights - are they happy together?
In this week's episode:
What is Insights?What are the benefits of Insights?What about any downsides?Does Strengthscope and Insights work together?Transitioning the conversation from Insights types to unique strengthsHow to choose Strengthscope vs Insights or Strengthscope + Insights
S12E4 How to get the career you want - ikigai x strengths = your killer career
This episode is all about getting the career you want, being prepared to make your move when the market conditions are right, or, quite frankly, when your conditions are right…that is, when you’ve decided that a career or role change is right for you. To help you navigate these decisions, I have some reflections about what not to do if you want to get the career you want, need and deserve. I
S12E3 Goal setting for the year ahead - the strengths way
Why is goal setting important?
It’s important because repeated research has shown that setting goals can make a difference to motivation and performance in many areas of life.
In this podcast, discover the 4 steps you'll need which will help you to goal set in the year ahead, or any time of year, the strengths way…
S12E2 The changing psychological contract post-pandemic and why you need to take it seriously
In this weeks episode, discover:
The psychological contract The employee psychological contractHow has the psychological contract time and again over the past 50 years?If the pandemic changed things again?And how how the employee psychological contract changed post-pandemic?
S12E1 Beyond Hogan - the power of strengths
The Hogan suite of psychometrics is very widely used in organisations across the world. The best known tools in the Hogan portfolio are what Hogan call their ‘bright side’ profiler (Hogan Personality Indicator or HPI) and their ‘dark side’ profiler (Hogan Development Survey or HDS).
In this podcast, discover:
What is Hogan & Why it's so popular?It's pros & consComparison of Hogan &a
S11E12 Strengthscope and Myers Briggs - friends or frenemies?
Myers Briggs or the Myers Briggs Type Indicator or MBTI, call it what you will, but the language and concepts of Myers Briggs are still the most widely recognised across the world when it comes to psychometric profiling and people getting a toehold in understanding their personality and preferences.
In this podcast, find out:
What is Myers-Briggs good for? And what are its shortcomings?How
S11E11 Where did positive psychology go wrong?
In this episode, I discuss:
Positive psychology and its attraction of criticismResearch findingsLinks to ‘happiness’ and ‘toxic positivity’The risks of Western-centrismLinks to religion, ethics and evangelismThe value of positive psychology?
