Why I Use CliftonStrengths with My Clients
Jill McCarthy, President of Adventure Bright LLC shares why CliftonStrengths is a foundational part of her coaching and consulting practice.
If you’re like me, you’ve taken one personality test after another, many of them while on the job. Each promises a new insight, but so many of my assessment results have ended up gathering dust in the back of a file cabinet or lost in my email archives.
For me, CliftonStrengths was different.
I first took the assessment back in 2012, and in 2018 I decided to become a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach. Since then, it has become core to my personal philosophy and the foundation of the business. Here are some of the reasons why:
CliftonStrengths Is Easy to Understand
In the fast-paced world of business, simplicity is key. Unlike other assessments that can be complex and difficult to interpret, CliftonStrengths uses normal words to describe what people do best. For example, my top strength is Relator®, and it means that I naturally gravitate toward building deep relationships. With this level of simplicity, the focus is on how the knowledge can be applied instead of having to spend hours explaining complex concepts.
CliftonStrengths Doesn’t Label People
Unlike personality tests that label you as a certain "type," CliftonStrengths recognizes that each person is a unique combination of talents. These talents describe what people enjoy most and their preferred styles of working, not what they are capable of accomplishing. Instead of being limited to a certain category, people get to use their strongest natural abilities to achieve success. This approach encourages growth and development, allowing people to expand their potential rather than feeling confined by a label.
CliftonStrengths Is Inherently Positive
At its core, CliftonStrengths is about identifying what’s right with people. Instead of focusing on weaknesses, it encourages people to their natural talents to overcome obstacles.
In a business world where challenges and problems can dominate the conversation, CliftonStrengths shifts the focus to opportunities and solutions. It empowers teams to see their strengths as assets they can use to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals.
CliftonStrengths Fosters Stronger Relationships
To be successful in the workplace, we all need the ability to collaborate seamlessly, and collaboration requires good relationships. By helping individuals understand their own strengths and those of their colleagues, it creates a foundation of mutual respect and appreciation.
When team members understand each other’s strengths, they communicate more effectively, collaborate more seamlessly, and resolve conflicts more constructively. This leads to a more cohesive, supportive team environment where relationships are strengthened, and everyone feels valued.
At the end of the day, CliftonStrengths is simply a tool. Yet when used consistently and correctly, it enables teams and leaders to reach their goals and enjoy their work more than they thought possible.
Ready to Transform Your Team?
Together, we can uncover the unique strengths within your team and create a plan to maximize them. Book a call to explore team workshop solutions.