How to Identify and Leverage Your Top 5 Clifton Strengths in the Workplace

Identifying and leveraging your strengths is a game-changer in personal and professional growth. Gallup's Clifton Strengths assessment helps individuals discover their unique talents and guides them on using these strengths to their advantage. But what comes next once you've identified your top 5 Clifton Strengths?

Let's explore how to implement these strengths and maximize your impact in the workplace.

 Step 1: Understand Your Strengths

The first step to leveraging your strengths is understanding them. Clifton Strengths categorizes talents into 34 themes, but your top 5 will provide a snapshot of your natural thinking, feeling, and behaviour patterns. Read through your assessment results and the detailed descriptions of each strength. Reflect on how these strengths have played out in your career so far.

Ask yourself:

- How have these strengths helped me succeed?

- When have they been a challenge or a blind spot?

- How do these strengths show up in my daily interactions?

The key here is to understand your unique combination of strengths and how they interact with each other.

 Step 2: Communicate Your Strengths to Your Team

Once you understand your top 5 Clifton Strengths, it's time to communicate them to your team. Share your strengths with your manager and colleagues, and explain how they impact your work style. This creates transparency and allows others to understand how best to collaborate with you.

For example, if one of your strengths is "Achiever," you likely thrive on setting and accomplishing goals. You might share that you enjoy having clear objectives and measurable outcomes. This can help your team know that you perform best when expectations are clearly defined and deadlines are in place.

 Step 3: Align Your Strengths with Your Role

Look for ways to align your strengths with your current responsibilities. Are there specific tasks or projects that naturally allow your strengths to shine? If "Strategic" is one of your top strengths, you might excel in roles that require planning and problem-solving. If "Empathy" is one of your strengths, roles that require understanding and collaboration might be where you add the most value.

List your daily tasks and identify which ones play to your strengths. Then, look for opportunities to volunteer for projects or responsibilities that align more closely with your natural talents.

Step 4: Use Your Strengths to Build Relationships

Your Clifton Strengths aren't just about completing tasks and building better relationships at work. Understanding your strengths can help you better understand others and vice versa. You might recognize complementary strengths in your colleagues and find new ways to collaborate effectively.

For example, if you have the "Woo" (Winning Others Over) strength, you are likely skilled at building rapport and fostering connections. Use this to bring people together and create a more cohesive team environment. Similarly, if "Analytical" is your strength, you can help your team by providing data-driven insights and challenging assumptions that could lead to better decision-making.

Step 5: Manage Your Weaknesses

While Clifton Strengths focuses on leveraging your talents, it's equally important to be aware of potential blind spots. Each strength has a "shadow side"—a way it can become a weakness if overused or applied inappropriately. For instance, if "Focus" is one of your strengths, you might excel in driving towards goals but struggle with flexibility or open-mindedness.

Identify areas where your strengths could hinder you and find strategies to manage them. For example, if you dominate conversations with your "Command" strength, practice active listening and remember when to step back and give others the floor.

Step 6: Develop Your Strengths Further

Your top 5 Clifton Strengths provide a foundation, but strengths can be developed further through practice, feedback, and learning. Seek out opportunities to refine and build on your talents. This might include taking on stretch assignments, seeking mentorship and coaching, or engaging in professional development courses that align with your strengths.

Ask for feedback from colleagues and supervisors to understand how your strengths are perceived and where you might improve. Continuous development enhances your skills and keeps you engaged and motivated.

Step 7: Create a Personal Development Plan

To leverage your strengths effectively, create a personal development plan outlining how to use them to achieve your career goals. Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals that align with your strengths, values and purpose. For example, if "Communication" is one of your top strengths, a goal might be to lead a presentation or workshop within the next three months.

Review your progress regularly and adjust your plan as needed. Celebrate your successes and learn from any setbacks. Remember that leveraging your strengths is a dynamic process that evolves as you grow and change in your career.

Identifying your top 5 Clifton Strengths is just the beginning. By understanding, communicating, and aligning your strengths with your role, you can maximize your potential and create more meaningful contributions at work. Building on your strengths allows you to perform at your best, build stronger relationships, and navigate your career more confidently and clearly. So, take the time to discover, develop, and deploy your strengths—your workplace and your job will be all the better for it.