Why CliftonStrengths as a Profile Tool?

Profile tools are great as they help short circuit how we understand ourselves and others.  This is because what comes naturally to us, we can dismiss. In contrast, we easily spot talents in others. There is often a passionate debate around which tool can help us do this best. There are a lot of them, but what can strengths do that makes it different from other profile tools?

As I put these thoughts down I should disclose

1. I have done Colour Wheel, HBDI, Myers Briggs, DOPE and completed an enneagram profile 

2. I am an accredited CliftonStrengths based coach and call myself a “strengths coach” so I do have a preference 

   
   With that in mind and in my travels of 8 years coaching and 20 years corporate experience with profiles tools, I think you want something that does the following:

It can show complexity and simplicity at the same time. That you can go as high level or as deep as required depending on who you work with e.g.

1. Your strengths names don’t need much deciphering i.e., ACHIEVER achieves, STRATEGIC strategizes, CONSISTENCY does things the same way most days.  Strengths influence each other, so that the chances of someone getting the same Top 5 results as you are 1 in 33 million.

2. For a DISC, colour wheel, Hermann Brain Dominance Indicator, equivalent around simplicity of 4 areas, the CliftonStrengths domains (Strategic Thinking, Influencing, Relationship Building, Executing) do a similar role in helping teams understand one another at a top line level

You want the ability to be able to talk about it in your everyday work and with who you work with everyday i.e., you don’t have to rely on a coach to come in and interpret and decipher every time you try and use the tool. The power needs to sit with the individual and the organisation. In my view coaches should be used to provide depth and facilitate insight beyond what the team can do in the day to day

You want it to be affordable. I know some tools can get expensive once you start profiling large numbers at $200-300 per person. Strengths is under $40 per person 

You want something that “sticks” and has psychological buy in. I’ve seen this happen with CliftonStrengths as people talk about “my strengths”, and several years later the organisation is still using the tool (I’ve worked with some teams for over 8 years). I think this happens because of the positive focus/language “let’s start with what is right with people”, and the accuracy of the results, see my next point

You want something that has scientific validity. Gallup is a research driven/data science organisation. The CliftonStrengths tool is constantly being assessed and revalidated based on the data. At the writing of this, there are almost 26 million profile completes and the process and outputs are based on 50 years of research validated in 48 countries.

You want a tool that is accurate. As the assessment looks at innate talents rather than behaviors, the results are less situational and therefore less likely to change. Statistically, the take-retake rate is around 72%, meaning that 3 of your top 5 themes are likely to stay in your top 5. Other assessments such as MBTI and DiSC are behavorial based and have a take-retake rate of around 52%. For these assessments, it is likely that 2 out of the 4 indicators will change.

You want something that gets you quickly to action. A lot of tools are great about What and Why.   By far I have seen strength’s ability to turn things into action by providing clarity around the Who and the How 

You want it to work at all levels.  What I've seen strengths do well (and struggled to see in other tools) is that it not only helps understand an individual, but it also then layers up to a team and organisation profile by understanding which strengths are dominant. It can also then understand individual impact within this context. That culture read of "how we do things around here" has been valuable for people to be able to describe the culture of the companies in which they find themselves and where it points to things in common and potential differences in view.

The final thought is that when you profile, it is important that people get to choose.  This is not about what is the “right” or “wrong” tool, this is about helping people discover what they do best and leverage this to get the outcomes they need.  The strengths programmes that have worked best are the ones that have grown organically, and people choose to be involved.

Want to know more about CliftonStrengths and how you can use this to support you, your team, and your company? Always happy to talk. You can get in touch with me here.