We all know that there are just some things that we are naturally better at than others. Some people excel in athletics, some people are scientifically minded, and some may have a keen sense of business. We thrive in environments that take our natural strengths and fine-tune them to unlock our potential. CliftonStrengths® workshops can be a starting place to help create these kinds of environments. Check out these six key takeaways from my CliftonStrengths® workshops to help elicit individual and team potential.
- Appreciation for Differences: Each member of your team will receive their own, unique CliftonStrengths® report indicating the talents that drive their performance. As humans, we naturally seek out and find comfort in similarity. However, it is in the differences that you can find balance and complement each other. You will be able to seek out the outliers on your team and encourage your team members to partner with people who are different from them. Seeking and utilizing the differences, as opposed to the similarities, create the synergy that can help your team thrive because, as we know, we are all more powerful when we work together.
- Increased Self-Awareness of Impact: Once your team has access to their CliftonStrengths® report, we walk through the Gallup® process of “Name It! Claim It! Aim It”! This helps your team build their capacity to not only know and recognize their strengths, but to also apply them in achieving their most important goals in the most natural way. This increased sense of self-awareness will help to build a team of individuals who are more aware of how they function, how they relate to others, and how they can best contribute to the team.
- Increased Engagement on the Team: We live in a world where we can be problem saturated. We often seek out in ourselves, or others, the things that we are not so good at. Instead we focus on what’s “wrong” with us. One of the things I appreciate about CliftonStrengths® is that it helps us seek out what is “right” with us so we can develop our natural talents and reach our potential. This is the type of team environment where people feel invested in the company because they know the company is invested in them.
- Leveraging CliftonStrengths® to Achieve Company Goals: All companies have goals and often there are barriers to getting those goals accomplished. Sometimes those barriers can be as simple as matching the right people to the task at hand. With a thorough understanding of your team’s CliftonStrengths®, you can help your team seek out the passion projects and company goals that are a good match for the things that they already do well. An engaged team with a passion for their work is a recipe for company success.
- Empowered Leaders: Often the best starting place for a CliftonStrengths® workshop is with the executive leadership team. When the leaders in a company understand the power and edge that can be created by activating their strengths, they become the model for others to follow. It makes it that much easier for managers and individual contributors to integrate strengths on their teams. As a strengths-based leader, you will have a greater sense of self-awareness, which will help deepen your understanding of how you relate to others. Once you understand your CliftonStrengths®, you will have a tool to better understand the impact of your leadership style. You will also have a greater understanding of your team and be empowered to manage and lead with what motivates them so they can discover their passions and develop their potential.
- Powerful Partnerships: Partnerships are important because no one is good at everything. We need to lean on each other in the areas that are not our strengths. The best partnerships happen when you and someone who has strengths that complement yours join forces and focus on a single goal. Your strengths cancel out your partner’s weaknesses and vice versa. You accomplish together what could not be done separately. A CliftonStrengths® workshop helps your team identify the strengths pairings that make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. By combining contrasting talents, you can better vet challenges and discover optimal outcomes. The idea of intentional partnering often leads to a new level of success.
With these six takeaways from my CliftonStrengths® workshops, you and your team can help foster an environment that turns natural talent into your greatest strength.
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