When I was 22 years old, working as a Department Manager at K Mart, I really had no idea as to what my interests at work were, apart from the young women on the Checkouts. It took my adopted father to suggest to me that I should do some volunteer work as a youth worker which prompted me to spend the next 24 years developing a career in counselling.

When I was still early in my career, my manager at a drug rehabilitation centre suggested I should accompany him on a speaking engagement. This prompted an interest in helping people also through speaking and finally enabled a good outlet for my smart mouth. I wonder how my life would have played out if those two men had not seen and commented on strengths they saw in me that I could not see myself.

Sadly, our negativity bias tends to prompt most of us to focus on others' weaknesses. There is also a compelling logic to the belief that working on others' flaws enables them to become better people. Although there is a time for such discussions, there is an increasing amount of research that indicates we are better to put more time into encouraging people's strengths, than we are at trying to correct their weaknesses. Here are five ways you can do so:

1. Comment on their strengths and abilities. Like me, many people are highly aware of their weaknesses, but not so aware of their strengths. Start to comment more on the strengths that you see in people around you. Consider also suggesting or asking about ways they can make better use of their strengths. With your co-workers, find the time to ask about what they would like to do more of at work. Only about one-third of workers generally believe they get to do what they do best each day, so you should find plenty of room for discussion. You might have to remind yourself to look beyond people's weaknesses to what may be an underlying strength.

2. Access what they are motivated for. Everyone is motivated for something and this is a major strength in their life. A major motivator in my own life is simply to help people to have better relationships. This has probably come about due to having lost my natural father as a child. So it should be no surprise that I have enjoyed and worked very hard in roles where I have been helping people with their relationships at home or work. The cynical among you might well be thinking that the only things some people care about are themselves or their next pay cheque. Your challenge is to find what people really care about.

3. Ask about people's interests and passions. It has often been said that people are only happy when they are doing work that they love. By helping people at work do more of the work they enjoy and less of the work they do not, you will end up with a happy, engaged employee. But I think people not only need to have work that is engaging, but also things in their personal life that enrich and energise them. Apart from my family, my other passion in my personal life is road cycling. I find this a terrific satisfaction, not to mention release from the pressures and stresses of work, and I enjoy the wonderful camaraderie that comes from the friendships made.

4. Be alert to the supports they have in their work and personal life. My wife, Christy, tells of the time she was learning to swim as a young child. Her swimming coach wanted her to float on her back, but Christy said she couldn't do so. Her coach offered to place her hands under Christy's back as a support. As Christy floated on her back, her coach said, "There ... you are doing it!" Christy replied, "But you are holding me up." Her coach held up her hands and said, "No, you are doing it by yourself." As is often the case in so many challenges we deal with, we need someone's invisible hands, or their belief in us, helping us to do what we thought was impossible. Whether the supports are good people they have in their life or a personal faith or spirituality they possess, these supports can help them to find strength, better ways of seeing challenges, and greater resilience.

5. Ask about exceptional times when problems are less dominant. By exceptional times, I mean occasions when someone who is not coping is coping better or when a person who is miserable at work is happier. By focusing on these stronger periods in their life, we, or the person concerned, can become more alert to what is working and recreate those conditions wherever possible. For example, you might notice a challenging co-worker performs better when their ideas or expertise are accessed, when they are put in charge of solving a problem, or when they are given a challenge that appeals to them. You could also ask a co-worker who is not coping well with stress what they are doing on the better days that help them to be less affected.

The good news is that you will not do any harm by accessing people's strengths. But there is a significant likelihood of doing much good - helping people to become more engaged at work, enabling people to feel better about themselves, and getting more of the behaviour you want to see. Experiment with using the above and notice what helps.

If you work in a helping role and are interested in better accessing people's strengths, then check out my upcoming seminar, Becoming Solution-focused in Brief Therapy, below.

Ken Warren is Australia's leading speaker on People Management Skills and an expert on Human Behaviour. With his engaging, interactive and positive workshops, Ken has shown thousands how to turn difficult people around and bring out their best. Check out all his FREE resources at www.positivepeoplesolutions.com.au