CliftonStrengths - Discover What You Naturally Do Best

CliftonStrengths has revolutionized how we think about personal and professional development by asking a simple yet profound question: What would happen if we focused on what was right with people rather than fixating on what is wrong with them? This strengths-based approach, developed by psychologist Don Clifton, has helped over 25 million people worldwide discover and develop their natural talents.

The Philosophy Behind Strengths

Don Clifton's groundbreaking research challenged conventional wisdom about personal development. Instead of trying to fix weaknesses, he proposed that the key to success lies in identifying and building upon our natural talents. His decades of research at Gallup revealed that people who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged in their work and three times more likely to report having an excellent quality of life.

Understanding the 34 Strengths

CliftonStrengths identifies 34 distinct talent themes, organized into four domains:

Strategic Thinking Domain

• Analytical: Search for reasons and causes
• Context: Enjoy thinking about the past
• Futuristic: Inspired by what could be
• Ideation: Fascinated by ideas
• Input: Crave to know more
• Intellection: Characterized by intellectual activity
• Learner: Great desire to learn and improve
• Strategic: Create alternative ways to proceed

Relationship Building Domain

• Adaptability: Prefer to go with the flow
• Connectedness: Faith in the links among all things
• Developer: Recognize and cultivate potential
• Empathy: Sense others' feelings
• Harmony: Look for consensus
• Includer: Accept others
• Individualization: Intrigued by unique qualities
• Positivity: Contagious enthusiasm
• Relator: Enjoy close relationships

Influencing Domain

• Activator: Impatient for action
• Command: Take control of situations
• Communication: Easy to put thoughts into words
• Competition: Measure progress against others
• Maximizer: Transform good into excellent
• Self-Assurance: Feel confident in ability
• Significance: Want to be important
• Woo: Love the challenge of meeting new people

Executing Domain

• Achiever: Work hard with great stamina
• Arranger: Organize for maximum productivity
• Belief: Core values are unchanging
• Consistency: Balance and treat people equally
• Deliberative: Serious and careful in decisions
• Discipline: Enjoy routine and structure
• Focus: Follow through and stay on track
• Responsibility: Take ownership
• Restorative: Adept at solving problems

Taking the Assessment

Website: www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths

Time Required: 30-45 minutes

Cost:

• Top 5 Strengths: $24.99
• All 34 Strengths: $59.99

Format: 177 paired statements with 20 seconds to respond

The Science of Strengths

CliftonStrengths is grounded in decades of Gallup's research:

Research Foundation

• Based on interviews with over 2 million people
• 50+ years of studying human strengths
• Validated across cultures and industries
• Peer-reviewed studies supporting effectiveness

Organizational Impact

According to Gallup's research:

• Teams that receive strengths-based development show 9-15% increase in engagement
• 7-23% increase in performance
• 8-18% increase in sales
• Up to 23% more engaged employees

Understanding Your Results

Top 5 vs. Full 34

Most people start with their Top 5 strengths, which represent their most dominant talents. The full 34 report provides a complete ranking, helping identify:

• Supporting talents (6-10)
• Lesser themes that still contribute
• Bottom strengths to manage or partner around

Reading Your Report

Your customized report includes:

• Strengths Insight: Personalized description of each strength
• Action Items: Specific ways to apply your strengths
• Blind Spots: Potential challenges of each strength
• Working with Others: How your strengths affect relationships

Practical Applications

Career Development

CliftonStrengths helps with:

• Choosing roles that energize you
• Crafting job descriptions around strengths
• Identifying ideal work environments
• Planning career transitions

Real-world example: "I took the Gallup StrengthsFinder test, and realized I was working in the wrong role." Many discover that aligning work with strengths transforms their career satisfaction.

Team Performance

Organizations use CliftonStrengths to:

• Build balanced teams
• Assign roles based on natural talents
• Improve collaboration
• Reduce turnover

"Over 90% of Fortune 500 companies have used the CliftonStrengths assessment to improve their workplace."

Leadership Development

Leaders leverage strengths to:

• Understand their leadership style
• Build on natural talents
• Compensate for lesser strengths
• Develop others' potential

The Four Domains in Action

Why Domains Matter

"The 30-minute assessment includes 177 paired statements designed to measure and score talents, thinking patterns, feelings, and behavior." Understanding domains helps:

• Build balanced teams
• Identify gaps in capabilities
• Appreciate diverse contributions
• Navigate organizational needs

Team Composition

Research shows the most effective teams have representation in all four domains:

• Executing: Getting things done
• Influencing: Selling ideas and reaching broader audience
• Relationship Building: Holding team together
• Strategic Thinking: Focusing on possibilities

Developing Your Strengths

The Path to Excellence

Talent × Investment = Strength

Your natural talents become true strengths through:

1. Knowledge: Learning skills and content
2. Practice: Applying talents repeatedly
3. Coaching: Getting expert guidance
4. Experience: Real-world application

Daily Application

"Understanding your strengths unlocks your potential and leads you to greater performance." Ways to use strengths daily:

• Volunteer for projects that use your top talents
• Reshape your role to leverage strengths
• Partner with others who complement your talents
• Create systems that maximize your strengths

Common Misconceptions

Myth: Fix Your Weaknesses

Reality: While you can't ignore weaknesses, focusing on strengths yields better results

Myth: Strengths Don't Change

Reality: Your top 5 typically remain stable, but how you use them evolves

Myth: Some Strengths Are Better

Reality: All 34 strengths are valuable; success comes from application

Myth: One Assessment Defines You

Reality: Strengths are one lens for understanding yourself

CliftonStrengths vs. Other Assessments

Unlike personality tests, CliftonStrengths:

• Focuses on talent and potential
• Emphasizes performance and achievement
• Provides actionable development strategies
• Measures what you do best, not who you are

Success Stories

Individual Impact

People report:

• Greater self-awareness and confidence
• Improved job satisfaction
• Better relationships
• Clearer career direction

Organizational Transformation

Companies using CliftonStrengths see:

• Higher employee engagement
• Increased productivity
• Better team dynamics
• Improved customer outcomes

Getting Started

After Taking the Assessment

1. Read your report thoroughly
2. Share with trusted colleagues
3. Identify one strength to develop
4. Find opportunities to apply it
5. Track your progress

Resources for Growth

• Gallup's online resources
• Strengths-based coaching
• Team workshops
• Books by Tom Rath and others
• Online communities

The Future of Strengths

As the workplace evolves, strengths-based development becomes even more critical:

• Remote work requires self-awareness
• AI collaboration needs human strengths
• Diverse teams benefit from strengths language
• Career pivots build on transferable strengths

Your Strengths Journey

CliftonStrengths isn't just an assessment - it's a philosophy and a practice. By focusing on what you naturally do best, you can achieve more, enjoy work more, and contribute more meaningfully to your teams and organizations.

Remember Don Clifton's wisdom: You cannot be anything you want to be - but you can be a lot more of who you already are. Your strengths are your natural power source. The question isn't whether you have talents worth developing; it's whether you'll invest in discovering and developing them.

Take the step. Discover your strengths. Join millions who have shifted their focus from fixing weaknesses to building on their greatest talents. Your unique combination of strengths is your competitive advantage - use it.