CliftonStrengths

What do the best managers have in common? Gallup research found that even across different CliftonStrengths profiles, people described their best managers similarly: They provide support, build trust and autonomy, communicate clearly, demonstrate empathy and fairness and recognize contributions. That consistency reveals a shared foundation for effective management. Managers and those who develop them can build on that foundation by understanding how each manager’s individual strengths shape how they put these qualities into practice. Explore Gallup’s new research on CliftonStrengths and team experiences: https://lnkd.in/e8xGAf6G

Every leader needs to make things happen, influence others, build relationships and think strategically. What effective leadership looks like across those demands, however, can vary from one leader to another. Leadership development can easily become an exercise in trying to match your image of what a great leader should be. Instead, focus on how you can lead effectively using the talents that come most naturally to you. That shifts the focus from imitation to intentionality: understanding how you lead best, where you may need to adapt and how to meet the demands of leadership without trying to become someone else. Explore Gallup’s research on developing your strengths as a leader: https://lnkd.in/e6dGMSBU

How well do you need to know a colleague’s strengths to work well together?   Not every working relationship requires the same depth of strengths awareness. Learn how to focus on what matters most in this edition of the CliftonStrengths Insights newsletter.

When building a strengths-based team, the combination of strengths matters. But what team members know about each other’s strengths may matter even more. In a study of more than 11,000 teams across six industries, Gallup found that strengths awareness had twice the influence on team performance as the team’s strengths composition. Rather than focusing on assembling the “right” combination of strengths, help team members understand and value the strengths of the people already on the team. That shared awareness gives team members a common language for recognizing differences, valuing what others contribute and working together more productively. Explore the new research: https://lnkd.in/egw3zHFC

How teams work is becoming more complex. New Gallup research finds that the strongest team experiences are marked by trust, collaboration and meaningful contribution. But people working on the same team with the same manager can experience that team very differently. Natural patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving shape what people notice and value about their team experience. CliftonStrengths gives team members a shared language that helps them recognize, articulate and value individual differences and work together more productively. Explore Gallup’s new research on CliftonStrengths and team experiences and what it means for developing stronger teams: https://lnkd.in/egw3zHFC

Discovering what students naturally do best can shape their college experience and help prepare them for what comes next. Gallup research shows that students who incorporate strengths-based learning into their college experience are 2.3 times more likely to feel prepared for life after graduation and 57% more likely to strongly agree that their institution is committed to their growth and development. At Prairie View A&M University, that potential is shaping a larger vision for strengths across campus. Earlier this year, PVAMU President Tomikia P. LeGrande challenged university leaders to imagine what could happen if students, faculty and staff better understood and applied their strengths. “Imagine if our campus constituents could speak from a place of strength, learn how to leverage their strength to achieve long-term goals and if our leaders leaned into the talents and strengths of their employees,” she said. Through PantherStrengths, PVAMU’s name for Gallup’s CliftonStrengths program, the university is putting that vision into practice, helping students discover, develop and apply their CliftonStrengths throughout their college experience. See how strengths-based development is taking shape at PVAMU: https://lnkd.in/eeawz5BN

How do your strengths shape how you learn? Gallup identifies rapid learning as one sign of talent. Certain learning styles may come more naturally to you — for example, organizing something complex, talking through a new idea, comparing your performance against a benchmark or imagining where new information could lead. But what comes naturally is only the starting point. To develop your strengths, pay attention to what happens when you apply your talents. What’s becoming easier to do or understand? Is a clear path forward emerging? Those signals can help you see whether an approach that feels natural is also helping you learn and make progress. And those signals can look different depending on the talents behind them.  Explore how to recognize when your natural approach to learning creates real traction based on your dominant CliftonStrengths themes. https://lnkd.in/genUbbRS 

Career development often focuses on what someone needs to learn, improve or accomplish next. But lasting development also requires understanding the talents they can build on. A strengths-based career development plan connects someone’s natural talents to their future growth. It starts with understanding their talents, translating them into meaningful career goals and having ongoing conversations with a manager to turn those goals into action. The result is a more individualized path for development grounded in how the person naturally thinks, feels and behaves. They can then focus on applying their talents to contribute and perform at a higher level. Don Clifton, Father of Strengths Psychology and Inventor of CliftonStrengths, captured this principle simply: “The right expectations begin from the inside out.” Explore Gallup’s guidance for building a strengths-based career development plan: https://lnkd.in/dyvH82Tm

The strengths that got you here can take you further, but only if you keep developing them. Learn how to move beyond familiar patterns and apply your strengths in new ways in this edition of the CliftonStrengths Insights newsletter.

A strengths-based campus requires more than students knowing their CliftonStrengths. Gallup research identified three core themes in the most successful strengths-based programs: at least five conversations about strengths, an in-depth conversation about real-life application and strengths-based mentorship. Students who talk about their strengths with a variety of people are more likely to feel confident, resilient and prepared for life after graduation. Those conversations can also help students explore bigger questions about how they work with others, how they navigate challenges and what their future could look like. Discover the strategies behind successful strengths-based programming: https://lnkd.in/dMMQWPGZ