My Journey with CliftonStrengths®

shoes-1245920_1920Knowing My Strengths Wasn’t Enough

I first took the Clifton StrengthsFinder® assessment, now called CliftonStrengths® in 2011. At the time I was empty. I was at the end of a multiyear project that took everything out of me. A friend, mentor, and personal coach suggested that I take a sabbatical in order to rest, renew, and reimagine what the next phase of life would look like. As I prepared for the sabbatical, he also suggested I take the StrengthsFinder.

I purchased the book Discover Your Strengths: StrengthsFinder 2.0 and used the code that came with it to find out my top 5 strengths.  I was surprised at the results. They were me! As far as I could tell they were spot on. They suggested action steps were encouraging, inspiring, and invigorating.

I would love to say that I implemented every step, and developed action plans in line with my new awareness. Nope. Instead, I returned from my sabbatical and immediately buried myself in work. Within months, I had forgotten the talent themes that described me. I didn’t forget everything, but since I didn’t know what to do with this newfound knowledge, the assessment ended up in a file that is likely still buried in my desk. My conclusion: knowing your strengths is not enough! You have to do something with that knowledge.

I had forgotten the talent themes that described me and the report ended up in a file buried in my desk.

Experience Greater Clarity

Later on, I surfaced the long-buried assessment, but I didn’t realize that the Top 5 assessment was just the introduction.  So, I ordered the Full 34 report from the Gallup website, and then hired a WeAlign coach to walk me through a full Strengths Alignment.

The result has been greater clarity.  Now I have a much better sense of my unique design and how my talents are deeply woven into who I am.

After taking the CliftonStrengths® assessment and getting coached through the Strengths Alignment process with a WeAlign coach, I decided to become a WeAlign Coach myself – it was that transformative for me!

5 Benefits of a Strengths Alignment

  1. When your life is aligned with your strengths, you have greater clarity.
  2. You have a better idea of your purpose, calling, and how to spend your time.
  3. You have a new language for describing the power you bring to your life and work.
  4. You can better discern how to go about your life and work using your strengths.
  5. You even have greater energy and passion! Strengths are a foundation that you can build on.

If you haven’t yet experienced a Strengths Alignment or would like to know more about our services, contact us.

%d bloggers like this: