Posted on: 14/10/2026

Thought Leadership

Supporting people through pressure, uncertainty and change starts with understanding what they need to stay engaged and thrive. Michele Deeks explores the importance of meeting three basic psychological needs: competence, autonomy and connection. By recognising, valuing and helping people play to their strengths, leaders, managers, coaches and mentors can help individuals feel capable, empowered and connected—supporting wellbeing, motivation and successful change across teams and organisations.

Michele Deeks, Pyschologist and Co-Founder of Work Positive

Picture the scene. Workloads are high, priorities are shifting and people are being asked to adapt to new demands. Some may be feeling stretched, uncertain or less confident about where they can make the biggest difference. You’re supporting people through that uncertainty, while also trying to make sure work keeps getting done. What do you do?

Let’s face it, this is hardly a rare situation.

For those of us supporting others, whether through leadership, management, coaching or mentoring, the challenge is working out what is the best way to support people through periods of pressure, uncertainty and change?

Well, we would argue that understanding a little bit of psychology can get you a long way.

As human beings we have 3 basic psychological needs (Ryan and Deci, 2000):

Competence We need to feel capable and competent.

Autonomy We need to feel like we have a voice and a choice.

Connection We need to feel connected to, and valued by, others.

If any of these psychological needs are not met there is a detrimental impact on our wellbeing, engagement, and motivation. Conversely, when all these needs are met, we are much more likely to be engaged and thriving.

Periods of pressure, uncertainty and change can all make our basic psychological needs harder to meet. For example, when priorities shift or new demands arise it immediately upsets the status quo; it raises questions and uncertainty that weren’t there previously – that uncertainty impacts on the extent to which people feel like they are in control and have autonomy over their situation. These periods can also lead people to feeling like their competence is being questioned: responsibilities may change or new expectations may be introduced.

The challenge for you, whether you are managing, coaching, mentoring, or supporting others, is working out how to make sure people’s psychological needs are met so that they remain engaged and thriving. But what can you do? The change process is happening, that is non-negotiable.

In this kind of situation there is huge value in helping people recognise and play to people’s strengths.

First off, that means knowing what someone’s strengths are. We describe strengths as:

Those underlying qualities that shape who you are at your best.

Strengths are the things people are good at AND they love to do; they are the things that energise someone, the things that they can’t help but do because they are part of who they are.

A good place to start is strengths-spotting: Figure out what someone’s strengths are and start strengths-spotting – praise the person when you see them using a strength. Don’t just say ‘great job’, explain what it was you observed and why it was such a positive. That way you’re educating the person in what you value in them and how they can make the most of their strengths.

For those with management responsibility, you can go further by talking about strengths in 1-1s; find ways to allocate some tasks based on people’s strengths; try to avoid taking tasks away from people that play to their strengths.

If you’re facilitating a team or group, encourage peers to call out each other’s strengths. Team members identifying what they really appreciate in each other, and sharing that, strengthens relationships benefiting both the giver and the receiver of the feedback.

Alongside all of this we always encourage people to reflect on their own strengths and to find ways to play to those more.

Why does playing to strengths work?

Well, when we’re using our strengths, we tend to perform better which means we feel more competent. Intentional use of our strengths makes us feel like we have some autonomy and some choice. When other people notice and appreciate our strengths, we feel valued and seen, increasing our sense of connection. In other words, taking a strengths-based approach to supporting others helps to make sure a team’s basic psychological needs are met.

That doesn’t just benefit them, it benefits the whole organisation. Research conducted by McQuaid et al. (2019), showed that organisations that emphasise strengths are much more likely to experience successful implementation of change initiatives. McQuaid’s results were stark. Of the organisations that were very successful in implementing their change, 66% focused on building on strengths whilst only 34% focused on fixing weaknesses. Conversely, of those organisations that were very unsuccessful with their change initiative, just 30% focused on strengths, whilst 70% concentrated on fixing weaknesses.

The evidence is clear. Taking a strengths-based approach to supporting others benefits individuals, teams and organisations, during periods of pressure, uncertainty or change it is a simple, positive intervention that can have a tangible benefit on how people feel and behave, benefiting them throughout the change and beyond.

Join us at the Annual Public Sector Coaching and Mentoring Conference 2026 to learn more and try out some practical exercises to help you and those you work with to play to strengths more of the time. You’ll even get a free pack of At My Best Strengths Cards to take away.

Hear feedback from attendees at last years Annual Public Sector Coaching and Mentoring Conference 2026

Michele Deeks, C.Psychol, AFBPsS, HCPC reg.

Director, Work Positive

mdeeks@workpositive.com