Understanding CliftonStrengths
CliftonStrengths, developed by Gallup, is a strengths-based assessment designed to help people identify and understand the natural patterns in how they think, feel and behave.
Originally known as StrengthsFinder, the assessment was renamed CliftonStrengths in honour of psychologist Donald O. Clifton, whose research focused on what is right with people rather than primarily on what is wrong.
The assessment identifies your strongest themes from 34 CliftonStrengths themes. Your results are not about putting you into a personality type or suggesting that you can only do certain things. Instead, they offer language for recognising the ways you naturally approach relationships, decisions, challenges and everyday life.
Understanding your strengths can help you become more aware of:
what comes naturally to you
what helps you feel energised and engaged
how you communicate and relate to others
where your strengths may sometimes be misunderstood or overused
what you may need in order to thrive
how you can use your strengths more intentionally in everyday life, relationships and work
Then I think your next resource section could be something like:
Your strengths are more than labels
This is where we could explain that knowing “I'm Empathy, Achiever, Relator…” isn't really the point — the useful part is discovering what that strength looks like uniquely in you.
Don't know your strengths yet?
If you haven't completed the CliftonStrengths assessment, you can purchase access directly through Gallup and complete the assessment online.
You can choose to discover your Top 5 CliftonStrengths or explore your full 34 themes.
Discover more about your strengths
If you already know your CliftonStrengths themes, the Strengths Network offers a free Discover More resource where you can select your strengths and watch a short video exploring each one.
It can be a helpful way to begin understanding how your strengths may show up in everyday life, relationships and work.
From talent to strength
Your CliftonStrengths themes describe natural patterns in the way you think, feel and behave. They are things you may find yourself naturally drawn to or doing without much effort.
A talent becomes a strength when you begin to recognise it, understand it and use it intentionally.
This means your Top 5 are not simply labels that describe you. They are an invitation to become curious about how you naturally approach life, relationships, decisions and challenges.
You might begin by noticing:
Where do I see this strength showing up in my everyday life?
When does it help me to be at my best?
How might other people experience this strength in me?
Are there times when I rely on it too much?
What helps this strength work well for me?
When a strength gets in the way
Every strength has different ways of showing up.
When we are using a strength well, we might think of it as being on the balcony — the strength is helping us and contributing positively to what is happening.
At other times, particularly when we are stressed, tired or under pressure, that same strength may move into the basement. We might overuse it, rely on it too heavily, or use it in a way that doesn't quite fit the situation.
For example, someone who naturally loves Achiever may bring energy, motivation and a strong desire to get things done. But at times, that same drive might make it difficult to slow down, rest, or feel that they have done enough.
Neither is about a strength being "good" or "bad". It is about becoming more aware of how our strengths are showing up and what they might need in different situations.
You might wonder:
What does this strength look like when I'm at my best?
What might it look like when I'm under pressure?
When does this strength help me?
When might I need to dial it back or draw on something else?
Getting curious about your Top 5
Knowing the names of your strengths is just the beginning. The real value can come from noticing how they uniquely show up in you.
Choose one of your Top 5 and take a little time to reflect:
Where can I see this strength in my life?
When have I felt most like myself while using it?
How does this strength help me in relationships or at work?
What do other people seem to value about this strength in me?
What does the balcony of this strength look like for me?
What might its basement look like?
What could help me use this strength more intentionally?
You don't need to have all the answers. Sometimes simply becoming curious about your natural patterns can help you understand yourself with a little more clarity and compassion.
Then try another of your Top 5. You may begin to notice not only your individual strengths, but how they work together to make your way of approaching life uniquely yours.
Your strengths in relationships
Our strengths don't operate in isolation. We bring them with us into our relationships — with partners, family, friends and the people we work alongside.
Sometimes another person's way of thinking, feeling or approaching something can seem very different from our own. Understanding strengths can help us become curious about those differences rather than assuming one way is better than another.
You might notice:
Which of my strengths are most visible in my relationships?
What do my strengths naturally bring to other people?
What might I need from others to help me thrive?
When might one of my strengths be misunderstood?
What strengths do I notice and appreciate in the people around me?
How might our different strengths complement one another?
Understanding each other's strengths doesn't mean we will always agree. It can, however, give us another way of saying, "This is how I naturally approach things — and I'd like to understand how you approach them too."
Our differences can become something to explore, rather than something we need to fix.
Exploring your strengths further
Understanding your strengths can be an ongoing process. As life changes, you may notice different ways your strengths show up, what helps them flourish, and where you might want to use them more intentionally.
If you would like to explore your CliftonStrengths more deeply, I offer strengths-based sessions for individuals, couples, families and businesses or teams.
Together we can explore what your strengths mean for you, how they work together, and how you might use them more intentionally in your everyday life, relationships or work.
Pam is a Strengths Network Accredited Associate Coach.