5 Ways to Get Started with Your Strengths

Congratulations! You’re one of the 30 million people worldwide who have taken the Gallup CliftonStrengths Assessment! You know your top 5! You’re excited to apply what you’ve learned!

But where do you start? There’s a lot of information out there and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. The truth is, there are opportunities to use your strengths every day. Because you are on the wrong side of your eyeballs, as it were, you don’t always see things as objectively or clearly, so I have a few steps for you to help you start to use your Strengths every day.

1. Take time to process

   When something happens that causes a reaction, take a beat and process what just happened. Think about what happened and how you responded. Can you connect your response to one of your Themes? Did you use that Theme to facilitate your success or was it used in a way that was a barrier to a positive outcome?

2. Do some journaling

   Once you’ve acknowledged how your Strengths showed up, write down your insights. You might use a journal, a voice note, a sticky note, or anything that will help you hang on to those insights. Writing down your thoughts will help you retain what you learned and act on your insights.

3. Daily Check-ins

   Take 5-10 minutes a few times a day to check in with how you are doing. Set a timer and think about what is happening right now, what happened earlier in the day, what was the outcome, and what you learned. Then in the evening, do an evaluation of your day. How did your Strengths show up that day? What did you accomplish? What did it feel like when you were able to use your natural ways of being?

4. Be aware of obstacles

   I like to say that your Strengths are a bit like The Force. They have a “dark side” and a “light side" of sorts. By that, I mean that they can be used both to facilitate your success and be a barrier to your success. Your reports have some insights for you on potential barriers or blind spots. Take a look at those and be aware of them as you reflect at the end of the day.

5. Ask for feedback

   The people who know you best will be able to give you feedback on how they’ve seen your strengths show up. Start with a partner or friend and ask their perspective. It’s always helpful to find out how other people see you and perhaps even hear about some of the misconceptions people have of you. Use these conversations to facilitate conversations about the Strengths of others or your team.

Remember that every time you read your CliftonStrengths report, a new person is reading it because you have grown and learned since the last time you read it. Revisit your reports often and use them to help you develop your Strengths every day.

Calming an Overactive Mind

I have an overactive mind. Like really overactive. When I was in preschool, I struggled with insomnia because, as I told my parents, “my brain won’t stop thinking.” They did what they could to try to physically exhaust me so I would sleep. I spent a lot of time in the pool so that helped. I still have bouts of insomnia from time to time and still use physical exercise to wear myself out, but nowadays, my overactive mind is a bigger issue in the daylight hours.

All five of my Top 5 Clifton Strengths are in the Strategic Thinking domain. I’ve put them below with a brief description of each.

1. Input - People exceptionally talented in the Input theme have a need to collect and archive. They may accumulate information, ideas, artifacts, or even relationships.

2. Strategic - People exceptionally talented in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.

3. Intellection - People exceptionally talented in the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions.

4. Context - People exceptionally talented in the Context theme enjoy thinking about the past. They understand the present by researching its history.

5. Ideation - People exceptionally talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.

Having just one or two of these would cause an active brain, but having five is a recipe for some non-stop mental activity. I’m not saying I’m smarter than anyone else; just more active. In other words, it’s quantity, but not necessarily quality.

One of the things that I bring to my work is seeing things from unique angles and seeing patterns in things that might not seem related. I really enjoy being able to use that ability to work with clients and help them see a new way forward to get out of a rut they’re in. I also love that Input gives me a crazy memory and I can pull out quotes and concepts at just the right moment.

The downside of all this thinking is sometimes confusing the important with the urgent, trying to multitask AT ALL, and starting a lot of things, and struggling to finish. Thus, I’ve had to come up with some ways to manage my themes and use them in ways that facilitate my success, rather than block it. Some of the things that have helped me are:

• Acknowledging that thinking is a valid form of work, just like producing actual products. Allowing myself time to think helps me to bring my best to work, coaching, and friendships.

• Lists. Lists are my friend. I have running to-do lists, brainstorming lists, and work to-do lists. They help me keep focused on what I need to do next.

• Try not to multitask. It’s not good for me and I end up doing a few things only halfway decently. I have to stay focused on one thing at a time.

• Time chunking. Setting a timer for a set amount of time to work and then for breaks helps me be more productive. That includes thinking time.

  Our Clifton Strengths are wired in us in a raw state and need to first be discovered and then be developed into maturity so they can help us be successful, however we define success. Coaching is designed to help you learn what your strengths are and how to best develop them. Don’t let your themes keep you up at night. Let’s talk about how to make sure you are the best you can be.