Building innate talents into strengths in college or at work requires practice, much like building physical strength.
This article is adapted from the upcoming Gallup Press book Strengths Based Student.
Although people change over time and personalities evolve, scientists have discovered that core personality traits are relatively stable throughout adulthood, as are people’s passions and interests.
And more recent research suggests that the roots of our personality might be visible at a very young age. A 23-year, longitudinal study of 1,000 children in New Zealand revealed that a child’s observed personality at age three shows remarkable similarity to his or her reported personality traits at age 26.
That’s one of the reasons why the CliftonStrengths assessment — created by Don Clifton, Ph.D., and taken by more than 15 million people worldwide — measures talent: Talents may evolve, but they don’t change. In fact, Gallup named it “CliftonStrengths” instead of “CliftonTalents” because the ultimate goal is to build a true strength, and talent is a primary component of this formula.
That’s also why CliftonStrengths includes no questions about employees’ formal education, degrees or resumes. Nor does it ask about people’s skills — whether they’re able to speak fluent French, build a website or fix a transmission. While these are important, Gallup has discovered that knowledge and skills, along with regular practice, are most helpful when they serve as amplifiers for employees’ natural talents.
When businesses select the right managers and employees and build workplace engagement, they gain a serious competitive advantage — but there’s still more they can do to maximize their human capital. Companies get the most from their workforce when they help employees identify and use their strengths. All employees have strengths — the unique combination of talents, knowledge, and skills that help them do what they do best every day. These strengths serve as employees’ — and the company’s — greatest opportunities for success. Employees who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged at work.
This video is a collection of teams going through strengths development with via a Clifton Strengths Workshops. These are events that engage and grow the individual and the team. The clips show case an in-person event. An international hybrid workshop. A nonprofit workshop engaging the participants with real-time survey technology and finally, a workshop where participants engage and learn from each other.
Having a team go through a Gallup STrengths workshop is not just a team building opportunity, but a strategic process to help the team communcate and work best with one another. The workshop will highlight not just the strengths that are prominent, but also what areas the team has gaps in. This knowledge can help the team use other strengths to compensate.
Link HOW TO LEVERAGE YOUR TEAM STRENGTHS GRID
VIDEO TESTIMONIAL FROM PHILLIP AT AMERITAS
MONOLITH TEAM TESTIMONIAL
