Understanding CliftonStrengths
- The Joseph Company
- Jan 1
- 4 min read
CliftonStrengths offers a powerful way to understand your individual talents and how they influence work behavior. What are CliftonStrengths? How do they show up in the workplace?
CliftonStrengths was developed by Don Clifton (Donald O. Clifton, 1924–2003), an American psychologist, educator, and entrepreneur. His work began with a simple but revolutionary question in the 1950s: "What would happen if we studied what was right with people instead of fixating on what was wrong with them?". This shift away from "fixing weaknesses" toward "maximising natural talents" remains the core principle of the CliftonStrengths movement.
Over several decades, Clifton and a team of Gallup scientists conducted millions of interviews with top performers across various industries to identify the "talent themes" that lead to success. They identified 34 unique talent themes. These themes represent natural patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior. Understanding these strengths helps individuals work more effectively and find roles that suit their natural talents.
The core CliftonStrengths equation is Talent x Investment = Strength, meaning your innate natural patterns (Talent) become reliable performance (Strength) only when you add skills and knowledge (Investment) through practice, learning, and experience.
The 34 Strengths and Their Meanings
The 34 strengths fall into four broad domains:
Executing
Influencing
Relationship Building and
Strategic Thinking
Below is a summary of each strength and how it might show up at work.
Executing Domain
These strengths help turn ideas into reality.
Achiever: Driven to accomplish tasks daily. At work, they keep projects moving and meet deadlines.
Arranger: Skilled at organising resources and people. They excel at managing complex projects.
Belief: Guided by strong core values. They bring passion and consistency to their work.
Consistency: Fair and predictable. They create stable processes and treat everyone equally.
Deliberative: Careful and vigilant. They identify risks and prevent mistakes.
Discipline: Loves structure and routine. They bring order to chaotic situations.
Focus: Concentrates on goals. They avoid distractions and push teams toward objectives.
Responsibility: Takes ownership seriously. They follow through on commitments.
Restorative: Good at solving problems. They fix issues and improve systems.
Influencing Domain
These strengths help individuals take charge and influence others.
Activator: Turns ideas into action quickly. They jumpstart projects and motivate others.
Command: Comfortable taking control. They provide direction during uncertainty.
Communication: Skilled at expressing ideas clearly. They inspire and inform teams.
Competition: Driven to win. They push teams to outperform rivals.
Maximiser: Focuses on strengths to achieve excellence. They refine and improve team performance.
Self-Assurance: Confident in decisions. They take risks and lead boldly.
Significance: Wants to make an impact. They seek meaningful work and recognition.
Woo: Builds connections easily. They network and create rapport.
Relationship Building Domain
These strengths help build strong teams and maintain harmony.
Adaptability: Flexible and goes with the flow. They handle change smoothly.
Developer: Sees potential in others. They mentor and encourage growth.
Connectedness: Believes in links between people. They foster collaboration and trust.
Empathy: Understands others’ feelings. They support teammates emotionally.
Harmony: Seeks consensus. They reduce conflict and promote peace.
Includer: Welcomes everyone. They ensure no one feels left out.
Individualisation: Notices unique qualities. They tailor approaches to each person.
Positivity: Brings enthusiasm. They lift team morale.
Relator: Builds close relationships. They prefer deep connections over many acquaintances.
Strategic Thinking Domain
These strengths help analyse information and plan for the future.
Analytical: Examines data carefully. They identify patterns and root causes.
Context: Understands the past. They use history to inform decisions.
Futuristic: Focuses on what’s ahead. They inspire with visions of the future.
Ideation: Generates new ideas. They bring creativity to problem-solving.
Input: Collects information. They gather resources and knowledge.
Intellection: Loves thinking deeply. They reflect and explore concepts.
Learner: Enjoys learning. They adapt quickly to new skills.
Strategic: Sees multiple paths. They choose the best route to success.
"There is one sure way to identify your greatest potential for strength: Step back and watch yourself for a while. Try an activity and see how quickly you pick it up, how quickly you skip steps in the learning and add twists and kinks you haven't been taught yet. See whether you become absorbed in the activity to such an extent that you lose track of time. If none of these has happened after a couple of months, try another activity and watch, and another. Over time your dominant talents will reveal themselves, and you can start to refine them into a powerful strength." ~ Donald O. Clifton
CliftonStrengths at Work
CliftonStrengths offers a clear way to understand what makes people unique and how those differences impact work. One of my clients understood why she she focused on the future so much and learnt that not all her team members are like that which helped her to slow down and explain her perspective to them. Another client learnt why she was feeling frustrated at work when she realised that she was using the themes under the executing domain more than where her real strengths were which was in the strategic thinking domain. That made her think if she could consider re-scoping her role in the team or consider another role. By focusing on strengths, individuals and teams can improve performance and satisfaction.
Curious which of the 34 themes defines you? Take the assessment and find out what makes you uniquely powerful.
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