Several years ago, I wrote a blog post about being a solopreneur and how understanding my strengths led to my success.
Shortly after writing that post, I took the CliftonStrengths 34 assessment again. It had been eleven years. I was a member of a new global team and was curious to learn if anything had shifted in those eleven years.
The CliftonStrengths assessment has been used by more than 34 million people globally to identify natural talents. It provides a deep understanding of 34 themes of your natural patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving in four domains:
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- Executing: Help you make things happen
- Influencing: Help you take charge, speak up and make sure others are heard
- Relationship Building: Help you build strong relationships that hold teams together
- Strategic Thinking: Help you absorb and analyze information that informs better decisions
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In 2012, when I started my business, five of my top ten themes were in the Executing domain. That helped me launch my business and get things done.
When I completed the assessment again in 2023, the top ten themes shifted slightly to include four themes in the Influencing domain and four themes in the Executing domain. As I reflect on this minor shift, I see how my business has evolved. Although I am still “Making Things Happen” as a solopreneur, I am leveraging more of my Influencing themes of Woo (Winning Others Over), Communication and Activator to lead more successfully.
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- Woo helps leaders bring people together, make them feel welcome. These leaders are great at connecting people within their networks.
- Leaders with Communication theme are talented in helping others gain clarity on issues by asking questions to bring their thoughts out in the open.
- An Activator is someone who can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They have comfort with trying and failing until they get it right. They allow other people to have that comfort too.
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I am still a solopreneur, however, I work within teams all the time. Whether I am leading a project with several associate consultants or managing a team of coaches, I leverage my Executing and Influencing themes to deliver high-quality results.
Gallup has created a new report called CliftonStrengths for Leaders, which provides insights and advice based on your results to help you become a better leader.
Individuals who use their strengths regularly and intentionally are more likely to be engaged in their job and report an excellent quality of life. The most effective leaders are always investing in their strengths.
Are you leveraging your strengths to lead successfully? If not, let’s connect to get you on the path of investing in your strengths and living a more fulfilling life.