Your Job is to Find People’s Hidden Strengths: Talent Development in Research Administration
Career and Personal Development

Your Job is to Find People’s Hidden Strengths: Talent Development in Research Administration

Your Job is to Find People’s Hidden Strengths

In Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect, Will Guidara articulates a core leadership responsibility: to identify the strengths of the people on your team, even when those strengths are not immediately visible. This perspective reframes leadership from a focus on task management to one of talent development. In research administration, where roles often span technical, interpersonal, and strategic domains, the ability to recognize and cultivate individual strengths is essential for building high-performing, adaptable teams (Guidara, 2022).

Within many academic environments, performance management tends to emphasize gaps—areas where improvement is needed, skills that must be developed, or errors that must be corrected. While these elements are important, an overemphasis on deficits can obscure an equally critical dimension: the unique strengths that individuals bring to their roles. These strengths are not always immediately apparent, particularly in complex positions where responsibilities are broad and evolving. However, when leaders take the time to identify and develop these capabilities, they unlock new levels of engagement and effectiveness. Individuals are more likely to excel when their work aligns with what they do well.

Recognizing hidden strengths requires intentional observation and engagement. Leaders must look beyond formal job descriptions and standard performance metrics to understand how individuals think, communicate, and solve problems. For example, one team member may demonstrate exceptional attention to detail in budget preparation, while another may excel in translating complex policies into clear, accessible guidance. A third may have a natural ability to build rapport with faculty or trainees, creating trust in high-pressure situations. These strengths, when identified and intentionally leveraged, enhance both individual contribution and team capability.

The impact of this approach extends beyond individual performance to the overall function of the team. When strengths are recognized and aligned with responsibilities, teams become more efficient, collaborative, and resilient. Work can be distributed in ways that maximize effectiveness, and individuals are more likely to feel a sense of ownership and purpose in their roles. This alignment also fosters professional growth, as team members are encouraged to develop their strengths further rather than focusing solely on correcting weaknesses. In this way, talent development becomes a continuous, integrated process rather than a periodic evaluation.

Guidara’s emphasis on finding hidden strengths also highlights the importance of leadership mindset. Effective leaders approach their teams with curiosity rather than assumption. They seek to understand what each individual brings to the table and how those contributions can be amplified. This requires time, attention, and a willingness to move beyond surface-level assessments. In research administration, where workloads are often demanding, this investment may seem secondary. However, the long-term benefits—improved performance, increased engagement, and stronger team cohesion—far outweigh the initial effort.

Ultimately, leadership is not defined solely by the ability to manage processes, but by the ability to develop people. When leaders actively identify and cultivate hidden strengths, they create environments where individuals can perform at their highest level. In research administration, where success depends on both technical precision and human interaction, this approach is particularly powerful. Strong systems support the work; strong people elevate it.

Action Items for Research Administrators

  • Identify one team member’s strength that may not be fully utilized and consider how to better align their responsibilities.
  • Ask targeted questions (e.g., “What part of your work feels most natural to you?”) to uncover hidden capabilities.
  • Observe patterns in performance, noting where individuals consistently excel or engage more deeply.
  • Align tasks with strengths where possible, redistributing work to maximize effectiveness and engagement.
  • Incorporate strengths-based feedback into regular check-ins, reinforcing what individuals do well and how it contributes to the team.

Great leaders don’t just manage work—they develop people. And in doing so, they unlock potential that might otherwise remain hidden.

Further Reading

Don’t Just Do the Job—Create Magic: Reclaiming Purpose in Research Administration
Cartoon cells direct traffic at a busy intersection using signs and signals.
Be the Swan: Professionalism Under Pressure in Research Administration
Two cartoon cells divide an apartment and household belongings between themselves.
Make the Charitable Assumption: Leading with Empathy in High-Stakes Research Environments
A group of cartoon cells visit an art museum, examining exhibits and artwork as if participating in a cultural event.
Praise Loudly, Critique Quietly: Feedback That Builds High-Performing Research Administration Teams
Consistency Builds Trust (and Inconsistency Destroys It): Leadership and Psychological Safety in Research Administration
If Your Team Doesn’t Feel It, Your Stakeholders Never Will: Why Culture is the Foundation of Research Administration Excellence
Systemizing Excellence Without Killing It: Balancing Structure and Personalization in Research Administration
The 95/5 Rule of Exceptional Programs: Where Research Administrators Should (Actually) Invest Their Effort
The Power of the “Grace Note”: How Small Moments Create Outsized Impact in Research Administration
Budget Planning and Allocation: Effective Strategies for Planning and Allocating Your Budget
Intentionality is Not Optional: Designing Research Administration Experiences on Purpose
People Will Forget What You Did—But Not How You Made Them Feel: The Emotional Impact of Research Administration
Why “Good Enough” Will Never Be Memorable: Rethinking Excellence in Research Administration
Service is Black and White. Hospitality is Color: Reframing Excellence in Research Administration
Disclaimer: I was not compensated, sponsored, or asked to promote this book in any way—I simply found it valuable and worth sharing. A Different Kind of Book Club In academic settings, the idea of a “book club” often feels informal—something reserved for personal growth or casual discussion. Yet some books demand a more deliberate kind of engagement, particularly when they challenge the way we approach our work. Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect is one of those books. While it is grounded in the world of fine dining, its core message extends far beyond restaurants: any profession can choose to operate in the hospitality business. In research administration, this idea is both unexpected and deeply relevant (Guidara, 2022). At its core, Unreasonable Hospitality argues that excellence is not enough to differentiate an organization—what matters is how people feel as a result of their experience. This concept challenges the traditional framing of research administration as a primarily procedural or compliance-driven function. While accuracy, timeliness, and regulatory adherence remain essential, they are also widely expected. What is less common—and far more impactful—is the intentional design of experiences that are clear, supportive, and memorable. This shift from task execution to experience design forms the foundation of this series. This is not a book review. It is a translation exercise. Over the next series of posts, we will take key concepts from Unreasonable Hospitality and apply them directly to research administration—exploring how ideas such as service versus hospitality, intentionality, small moments of impact, and leadership behaviors can reshape the way we support faculty, scholars, and trainees. Each post will focus on a single principle, offering both reflection and practical application. The goal is not simply to understand the ideas, but to integrate them into daily practice. Framing this series as a “book club” is intentional. A book club implies participation, reflection, and conversation—not passive consumption. The invitation is not just to read, but to consider: How do these ideas apply to your own work? Where do they challenge your current approach? What might change if you adopted them more fully? In this way, the series becomes a shared exploration of how research administration can evolve—not through large-scale transformation alone, but through small, intentional shifts in how we approach our roles. Importantly, this series also recognizes the context in which research administrators operate. The work is complex, deadlines are fixed, and resources are often limited. The goal is not to add more to an already full workload, but to rethink how existing work is experienced. Many of the concepts explored—clarity in communication, anticipation of needs, consistency in leadership—require minimal additional time, yet have significant impact. This is the central promise of unreasonable hospitality: that small, thoughtful actions can create disproportionately meaningful experiences. Ultimately, this series is about expanding how we define excellence in research administration. If service is the baseline, hospitality becomes the differentiator. If processes define what we do, experiences define how that work is remembered. By engaging with these ideas over time, we can begin to articulate a more intentional, human-centered approach to our work—one that aligns precision with purpose. ________________________________________ What to Expect in This Series Over the next several posts, we will explore themes including: • The difference between service and hospitality • Why “good enough” is not memorable • The role of intentionality in designing experiences • The impact of small, thoughtful moments • Leadership behaviors that shape culture and trust • Balancing systems with personalization • Defining your own signature experience Each post will build on the last, creating a cohesive framework for applying these ideas within research administration. ________________________________________ Action Items to Get Started • Begin with awareness. As you move through your work this week, notice where interactions feel transactional versus experiential. • Select one upcoming interaction and consider how you might intentionally shape the experience. • Approach this series actively. Reflect on each concept and identify one small way to apply it in your context. • Engage your team. Consider discussing these ideas collectively to build shared language and alignment. This is not about doing more. It is about doing what we already do—with greater intention.
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