Let Your CliftonStrengths Flag Fly!

By Ashley Helms and Lexi Tuch

Have you ever felt as though some of your activities at work are energizing while others are deflating? This may be because you are not always playing to your strengths.

Rockwood associates engaged in a professional development workshop this winter to learn about our individual strengths and how they shape our work processes and behaviors in various situations. The workshop applied results from the CliftonStrengths assessment to help participants recognize their individual talents and the differences between their colleagues’ and their perception of the world.

The CliftonStrengths assessment is a framework for identifying and understanding individuals’ strengths. It covers 34 strengths in four distinct domains of leadership:

  1. Executing: This domain focuses on getting things done. People with strengths in this domain are action-oriented, reliable, and efficient. They excel at turning ideas into reality.

  2. Influencing: Individuals with strengths in this domain are persuasive, enthusiastic, and skilled at motivating others. They thrive in roles that involve communication, persuasion, and driving change.

  3. Relationship Building: This domain emphasizes building strong connections with others. People with strengths in relationship building are empathetic, collaborative, and excellent team players.

  4. Strategic Thinking: Individuals in this domain are analytical, forward-thinking, and adept at solving complex problems. They excel at seeing the big picture and developing innovative solutions.  

Individuals’ top-rated strengths represent talents that come naturally to them. Their low-rated strengths represent talents they find more challenging. Exercising the low-rated strengths may feel like writing with your non-dominant hand–while possible, it requires more focus and effort.

The CliftonStrengths assessment reveals many insights into how individuals can leverage their strengths and maximize their impact both individually and together as a company. We took away the following lessons from the workshop:

Know Thyself

The core purpose of CliftonStrengths is to help each participant “know thyself.” This equates to understanding unique skillsets and maximizing our ability to engage with others, understand others’ needs, and make informed decisions. Knowing thyself encourages the individual to embrace their unique talents and contribute positively to their teams and organizations.

Invest in Your Strengths

The assessment emphasizes focusing on and developing an individual's strengths rather than focusing on improving weaknesses. Playing to one’s true strengths can allow them to be up to six times more likely to be engaged in their work. Doing so minimizes the time and effort we must expend while maximizing our impact, resulting in more efficient workflows and outcomes. Remember that understanding and playing to your strengths is not about ignoring weaknesses, but rather about maximizing your potential by focusing on what you do best.

Build Complementary Teams

Effective leadership involves building teams with complementary strengths rather than specific knowledge or competencies. High-performing teams include team members that possess all four distinct domains of leadership. Successful leaders surround themselves with team members whose strengths complement their own, leading to better outcomes.

Seek to Understand Others

CliftonStrengths is not just limited to personal discovery–rather, it is extremely useful when it comes to understanding others (whether that be a peer, client, mentor, etc.).  CliftonStrengths provides a direct "window" into how others think, feel, and behave. When we explicitly understand and acknowledge others' strengths, we allow them to maximize their abilities. Through proactively cultivating these partnerships, we can build a diverse mix of strengths, resulting in more efficient and harmonious work.

Conclusion:

In summary, recognizing, understanding, and leveraging diverse strengths contributes to personal growth, effective leadership, and positive change. When working to maximize one’s peers’ and one’s own strengths, remember that the goal is not to fundamentally change who we are or who others are. By embracing our own strengths and appreciating others’, we create collaborative environments that maximize all team members’ abilities.

Company CultureMichelle WandresComment