What is Strengths Coaching?

Gallup CliftonStrengths® measures your specific order of 34 themes of talent that makes you uniquely you. The CliftonStrengths® assessment uncovers which talents you rely on to build relationships, think strategically, execute plans and influence others to accomplish goals. Over 19 million have taken the assessment to date.

So…what is a Strength?

To understand a strength it is helpful to understand the CliftonStrengths® terminology.

Talents — the ways in which people most naturally think, feel, and behave

Themes — a grouping of talents

Strength – a theme productively applied

Learning about your talents/themes are a source of tremendous power. When you learn how to develop them into strengths, you transform your world.

You are your best when you do what you were created to do best. To do what you were created to do best, you need to defy the conventional wisdom of this world.

Conventional Wisdom:

Myth – Weakness fixing = Success!

Myth – Weaknesses represent your greatest opportunity for growth.

Reality – Weakness fixing/focus disempowers a person and the best they will do is mediocrity. Developing talents into strengths leads to optimal performance.

Understanding the difference between a skill, talent and strength are critical in strengths coaching. A skill is the ability to perform the basic steps of an activity such as parallel parking, washing dishes, or adding up a group of numbers. While some of us do better at one or more of these skills, they can be learned. A talent is a naturally recurring pattern of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied such as being busy and productive, picking up on emotions of others, thriving under pressure, or making others laugh. A theme is a grouping of talents. A strength is the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance in a specific task.

Though we describe our expertise in an area, we don’t often recognize a natural talent. If it is easy for you to find just the right word, tell an engaging story, you might have Communication as a theme

Here are some examples of Strengths in Action-

Achiever Strength – Executing Domain of Leadership

Talent – A constant need for achievement.

Themes – Each day something must be achieved. High energy to get work done.

Strength  Applied – This person has an internal fire, is a self-starter and defines the level of productivity for the group.

Woo Strength – Influencing Domain of Leadership

Talent – Loves the challenge of meeting new people.

Themes – Enjoys Winning Others Over. Satisfaction with making a connection with another person.

Strength Applied  - This person finds strangers energizing, can easily build rapport, and is excellent as a builder of goodwill for the group.

Relator Strength – Relationship Building Domain of Leadership

Talent – Derives pleasure from being around close friends/family.

Themes – Pulled toward people you know. Encourages a deepening of the relationship.

Strength Applied – This person is generous, develops close bonds, and can build genuine trusting relationships within a group.

Input Strength – Strategic Thinking Domain of Leadership

Talent – Inquisitive and a collector.

Themes – Your mind finds so many things interesting. You collect things, either information or something tangible, as it might one day prove valuable.

Strength Applied – This person finds the world exciting because of its complexity, enjoys the knowledge that comes from research, and is great at providing facts and materials for an organization.

These are examples of just one strength at a time in action. Imagine how an individual’s Top 5 combined together look. Add a sixth strength and it changes how they work together. The possibilities are endless. How do your unique themes combinations work together? Find out.