Understanding the CliftonStrength Assessment: An Introductory Guide
Welcome to the wonderful world of CliftonStrengths! I’m thrilled to share this introductory guide with you, as it’s a framework I’ve relied on to support in coaching numerous clients and teams, helping them recognize and leverage their unique talents so they can create happier, healthier workplaces.
In this guide, I’ll share practical ways to integrate CliftonStrengths into your everyday work life. We’ll look at how to set goals and OKRs based on strengths, assign tasks to maximize team productivity, and use strengths-based language in meetings.
I’ll also provide tips on incorporating strengths into performance evaluations and team-building activities, creating a strengths-based culture that drives success.
Whether you’re a team leader looking to boost engagement, boost trust, or an individual seeking to play to your strengths, this introductory guide to CliftonStrengths will provide you with the tools and insights you need to begin operationalizing the framework at your workplace.
So, without further ado, let’s explore all things CliftonStrengths and unlock your full potential!
First thing first: What is the CliftonStrengths assessment?
Developed by Don Clifton (now owned by Gallup), CliftonStrengths is a strengths assessment tool that helps individuals identify and understand their unique talents and how they can use those talents to achieve success both at work and in their personal lives.
Rooted in positive psychology and more than 50 years of research that identifies where an individual’s greatest potential naturally exists, 32+ million people around the world have taken this assessment and 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies also use this approach to better understand their teams.
By taking the assessment and receiving a report outlining your top strengths, you can gain a greater understanding of what makes you unique and how you can use your strengths to contribute to your team and organization.
How is CliftonStrengths beneficial to you as an individual?
CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) facilitates your personal and professional development. It helps you build awareness of yourself and others, and teaches you how to use that knowledge to maximize your potential.
CliftonStrengths helps you answer questions like:
How can I reach my goals faster?
How can I enhance my leadership abilities?
How can I improve my problem-solving, time management and communication skills?
How can I better collaborate with my team?
What are my blind spots and how can I address them?
What career path aligns best with my strengths?
How can I better manage stress, build resilience, and avoid burnout?
How can I foster more meaningful relationships?
When I first started using CliftonStrengths (when I worked full-time at Aritzia), I discovered insights about myself that I never realized before. It was like turning on a light in a dim room — I could finally understand what I was good at and I could understand how to leverage these strengths better.
It helped me identify not only my natural talents (I ended up changing careers because of it!) but also how to apply them to overcome obstacles. The framework really helped me manage my time more efficiently because I knew how to prioritize tasks in a way that played to my strengths (tip: I’m an Activator so I took on way too much!). Problem-solving became less daunting, and I found myself achieving my goals with more confidence and speed (I ended up launching three businesses after learning how to learn on my strengths! A clothing brand, a digital marketing agency, and now, Reframed Coaching and Consulting!).
The self-awareness and practical strategies CliftonStrengths offers truly transformed my approach to both personal and professional challenges.
Why is CliftonStrengths important for your team?
When I run coaching workshops and offsites, some of the most frequently asked questions I hear are:
“Alice this is amazing but…how can we actively use and apply CliftonStrengths themes at work?”
“Alice, does CliftonStrengths at work actually improve employee engagement?”
“But I don’t know what to do with this information now.”
There are a few practical ways that teams can use CliftonStrengths on a regular basis. Gallup’s research shows that CliftonStrengths results inform people what their natural talents are so that they can play to their own strengths and improve their self-awareness, problem solving skills, teamwork skills, and hit their performance goals.
Create high performers and, in turn, increase profitability
Having access to these insights means teams can perform better. In short – if everyone is aware of their strengths and knows how to use them, you gain an advantage over the organizations you compete with.
Don’t believe me? Believe Gallup. Their research discovered that profit increases by up to 29% for many strengths-based workplaces. What’s more, workgroups that received a strengths-based intervention increased sales, reduced employee turnover, bolstered customer engagement and experienced fewer safety incidents.
Overall, incorporating CliftonStrengths into your team's daily routine not only enhances individual performance but also drives collective success, fostering a more engaged, productive, and cohesive work environment.
To learn more about the benefits of the CliftonStrengths Assessment, read this blog post.
How to make the most of your CliftonStrengths assessment
Unlocking the full potential of your CliftonStrengths assessment involves more than just understanding your top strengths; it requires you to strategically apply your learnings across every aspect of your daily work and interactions.
Here are a few ways you can make the most of your CliftonStrengths assessment:
1. Assign tasks, responsibilities, and projects based on CliftonStrengths
When assigning tasks, consider how to utilize the strengths of each team member to maximize productivity and efficiency.
For example
If someone has a strength in "Analytical," assign them tasks that require data analysis and critical thinking. On the other hand, if a team member excels in "Communication," have them lead presentations or client interactions.
This strategic alignment ensures that tasks are performed by those best suited for them, leading to higher quality outcomes and increased job satisfaction.
Check out this free template for assigning tasks and responsibilities based on CliftonStrengths:
2. Set team goals accordingly
When setting goals, think about how individual strengths can be pooled together to achieve common objectives.
For example
A team member with the "Strategic" strength can help map out the team's long-term goals, while someone with the "Activator" strength can motivate the team to start working on these goals immediately.
By aligning team goals with individual strengths, you ensure that everyone is contributing in the most effective way possible.
Hot tip
You will want to use a CliftonStrengths Team Grid to make sure everybody understands the collective strengths of the team, collective blind spots, and more.
Interested in getting your own CliftonStrengths Team DNA Grid? Contact us!
3. Use a strengths-based common language in team meetings
When discussing team goals and progress, use strengths-based language to help team members understand how their unique talents and strengths can be used to contribute to the team.
For example
Instead of just reviewing what tasks need to be done, discuss how each person's strengths can be applied to those tasks. For instance, you might consciously tell your colleague they’re an ‘Achiever’ and explain how this strength will be crucial in meeting a tight client deadline.
This not only fosters a better understanding of each other's capabilities but also promotes a positive and supportive team culture.
Hot tip
Want to get your CliftonStrengths Communication Cheat Sheet offered only exclusively in our paid workshops? If you got this far, you deserve it!
Just drop in your email below and we’ll send it to you - for free!
4. Encourage team members to share their strengths
Encourage team members to share their strengths with each other and discuss how they can use their strengths to contribute to the team. This can help team members better understand and appreciate the unique talents of their colleagues.
For example
You might spend 15 minutes at your next meeting conducting a short “Strengths Spotlight” session. During this session, each team member takes a few minutes to share their strengths and how they can contribute to a project. A person with a strength in "Ideation" might share how they came up with an innovative solution to streamline a complex workflow. Another colleague who excels in "Developer" might talk about how they mentored a new team member to quickly get them up to speed.
Sharing CliftonStrengths helps team members appreciate the diverse talents within the team and fosters an environment where everyone feels valued for their unique contributions.
Hot tip
Encourage people to answer these questions:
My superhero strength(s) are…
This is how the team can lean on me…
This is how I can help the team achieve our goals this quarter
This is how I can help the team on this project
This is how I might be misunderstood (blind spots)
This is how I might get in trouble
These blind spots get in my way because…
My strengths/blind spots impact my natural feedback style by…
My strengths/blind spots impact my natural orientation to conflict by…
5. Use strengths in team-building activities
Incorporate team members' strengths into team-building activities to help team members understand and appreciate each other's strengths and how they can be used to benefit the team.
For example
During your next offsite, organize a problem-solving challenge where team members are grouped based on their top strengths. Those with "Analytical" strengths, for instance, can tackle data-driven tasks, while those with "Communication" strengths can present the group's solutions.
Grounding team-building activities in CliftonStrengths is a great way to highlight individual talents and show how a diverse range of strengths can contribute to team success.
Hot tip
Here is an example of an activity we ran during a recent workshop:
6. Introduce strengths into your performance evaluations
When evaluating team members' performance, consider how they have used their strengths to contribute to the team and the organization.
For example
During a colleague’s annual performance review, you might highlight how her "Ideation" strength led to the development of a new, more efficient workflow that saved the team significant time and resources. You might also provide constructive feedback on how she can further leverage this strength in upcoming projects.
This approach not only acknowledges your colleagues contributions, it also encourages her to continue using and developing their strengths for future projects and helps them “think in strengths”.
Hot tip
Better yet, ask your team to reflect on their strengths ahead of time. Use this Reflection Sheet every month as good practice.
7. Finally, ask reflection questions
Encouraging regular reflection with targeted questions helps individuals and teams to continually leverage their strengths and address blind spots. Reflection questions also help build trust and create strong connections.
These questions can be asked on a weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis to promote ongoing personal and professional development.
Questions to ask weekly (or every two weeks)
What Strengths did you leverage this week?
What Strengths did you observe in your team members this week?
What Strengths did you appreciate in your team members this week?
What blind spots came up for you this week?
How did you dial down your blind spots this week?
Questions to ask monthly (or every quarter)
What Strength would you like to lean on (dial up) this month?
What did you learn about your Strengths this month?
What did you learn about your team members this month?
How did you use your CliftonStrengths profile this month?
What blind spots would you like to work on dialing down this month?
How can you use your Strengths to be a better team member this month?
How can you channel your Strengths in a more productive way?
Overall, the key to using CliftonStrengths on a regular basis is to make it a part of the team's culture and to actively incorporate it into team goals, communication, and activities. This can help your teams understand and appreciate their own (and their colleagues!) strengths and use them to achieve greater success as a team.
5 tips to make sure CliftonStrengths is effective across your organization
From providing comprehensive training and fostering leadership involvement, to integrating strengths into performance evaluations and team interactions, here are the five biggest tips to ensure that CliftonStrengths is effectively utilized throughout your company.
1. Provide training and support
Make sure that everyone who is taking the CliftonStrengths assessment receives training and support to understand their results and how to use their strengths effectively. Consider providing ongoing coaching and training to help team members continue to develop their strengths.
2. Encourage leadership buy-in
It's important to get leadership buy-in to ensure that CliftonStrengths is effectively implemented across your company. Encourage leaders to take the assessment and use their strengths to model behavior for their teams.
3. Use strengths in performance evaluations and development plans
Incorporate strengths into performance evaluations and development plans! This helps team members understand and leverage their strengths to achieve success in their roles.
4. Encourage team members to share their strengths
Encourage your teams to share their strengths with each other and discuss how they can use their strengths to contribute to the team and the organization. This helps to create a culture of appreciation and support for individual strengths.
5. Use strengths in team-building and communication
Use CliftonStrengths as part of your team-building activities. Better yet, use strengths-based language in team communication to help team members understand and appreciate the value that everyone brings to the organization.
To summarize, the key to making sure CliftonStrengths is effective across your organization is to provide training and support, encourage leadership buy-in, and actively incorporate strengths-based approaches into performance evaluations, development plans, team-building activities, and communication. This helps everyone create a healthy workplace that values and leverages the unique talents and strengths of all team members.
CliftonStrengths FAQs
Curious about CliftonStrengths?
Here are answers to some of the most common questions about this powerful assessment tool, from how it works to its applications in career decisions and personal relationships.
How does the CliftonStrengths assessment work?
The CliftonStrengths assessment consists of a series of questions where respondents choose between pairs of statements that best describe them. The results reveal their top 5 talent themes, out of a total of 34, ranked in order of dominance.
Is CliftonStrengths scientifically validated?
Yes, CliftonStrengths is based on decades of research by Gallup and has been rigorously tested for reliability and validity. It has been used by millions of people worldwide and is considered a robust tool for personal and professional development.
Can CliftonStrengths help with career decisions?
Absolutely. Understanding your strengths can guide career choices by identifying roles and environments that align with those strengths, leading to greater job satisfaction, engagement, and career success.
What resources are available to learn more about CliftonStrengths?
There are various resources available, including books like "StrengthsFinder 2.0" by Tom Rath, workshops, online courses, and certified coaches (like me!) who specialize in strengths-based development.
Can CliftonStrengths be used for personal relationships?
Yes! Understanding each other's strengths can improve communication, appreciation, and collaboration in personal relationships by recognizing and valuing each other’s unique contributions and perspectives.
How long does the CliftonStrengths assessment take?
The CliftonStrengths assessment typically takes about 30-45 minutes to complete. It consists of a series of paired statements where respondents choose which statement best describes them. The assessment is designed to be completed in one sitting to ensure accurate results.
What are the rarest CliftonStrengths?
While there is no definitive list of the "rarest" CliftonStrengths, certain themes are less common than others due to their unique nature or specific requirements. Themes such as Intellection, Deliberative, Command, and Strategic are often considered less common compared to more universally applicable themes like Achiever or Communication.
To learn more about how CliftonStrengths can benefit you and your teams, let’s connect!