Do You Know Your Top 5 Talents?

I just returned from an informative and motivational week at the Clifton Strengths Summit put on by Gallup. The main take away is that the world is changing and our desire for jobs is moving from “paycheck to purpose” and from “satisfaction to development.” You can read about it here in the Gallup Business Journal. Paycheck or Purpose: What Drives Millennials?

One of the key tools available to improve your work experience is Clifton StrengthsFinder®, an on-line assessment used to identify each individual’s unique and innate talents. CliftonStrengths has many benefits. First, knowing and understanding your top 5 talent themes gives you a road map to invest in the areas of your job–or your life, for that matter–where you can most effectively develop your talents into powerful strengths. And, when you use those strengths to follow your passion and purpose, you can make lasting contributions.

The second great benefit from knowing your CliftonStrengths is that this knowledge sparks a conversation–with colleagues and co-workers and with leadership and subordinates–about how to be at your best and show up every day ready to make those lasting contributions. Significantly, this strengths dialog can be reciprocal; knowing our own natural talents as well as the talents of those around us helps us interact in ways that leverage everyone’s strengths and ultimately elevates the performance of the entire team.

Gallup has gathered some pretty compelling statistics around the value of strengths. A recent Gallup Strengths Meta-Analysis (2016) analyzing 1.2 million employees and over 49,000 workgroups in 45 countries found that when workgroups used strengths-based development they had 10%-19% increase in sales and 14%-29% increase in profit. And, people who focus on their strengths are six times more likely to be engaged in their jobs and three times more likely to report an excellent quality of life.

If you are interested in learning more about your strengths for you or your team, contact us for training or coaching based on the Clifton StrengthsFinder®. We’ll help you discover your talents and invest in them to create powerful strengths to follow your passion and purpose and make lasting contributions.