Test the power of your organization’s strengths using Gallup assessment
Most business professionals have heard of the Gallup organization through the public opinion polls they’ve been conducting since 1935.
Others may recognize the name from their bestselling publications, including one of my all-time favorites, “First, Break All the Rules.” But it’s more likely that Gallup is a household name because more than 36 million people have taken the CliftonStrengths assessment since it was first introduced in 1999.
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Omaha, Nebraska, headquarters of Gallup with a group of association executives. Given my long-term respect for Gallup, I was kind of like a kid going to Disney for the first time. I did my best not to “geek out,” but walking the halls of their headquarters and participating in an educational session with Gallup’s director of research was bucket-list worthy.
For those unfamiliar with the concept of Strengths, here’s a quick overview of the core concepts. It’s based on the premise that every individual has unique talents, or strengths. Gallup identifies 34 different themes. After taking a relatively quick and easy online assessment, participants learn what their “Top 5” themes are — or even a list of all 34 in descending order. Once you know your strengths, you can work on ways to capitalize on them to boost your performance.
The self-exploration possible using CliftonStrengths can be inspirational and transformative. There are myriad tools available to help individuals on their personal self-improvement journeys and a plethora of case studies showing that real, lasting results are achievable.
As interesting as the self-work can be, I’ve found the most valuable way to use CliftonStrengths is for organizational development. My association, HR Source, has been using the tool for more than 15 years to improve our respect and understanding of others, and to boost our ability to collaborate and work effectively as a team.
Fortunately, we have a certified Strengths coach on our staff who works with our team, as well as with other employers, to teach how to best tap into the power of our strengths by facilitating productive conversations and building a culture that recognizes the benefits of harnessing everyone’s talents.
For those who speak the language of CliftonStrengths, you might be curious about my own Top 5. They are: Learner, Positivity, Achiever, Arranger, and Woo.
Most of these themes are easy to grasp based on their descriptive names. “Woo,” on the other hand, sometimes stumps people. Gallup describes those with Woo as “loving the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over.”
Although each theme is a strength, never a weakness, all have blind spots that we need to be aware of. For example, people like me who have Woo in their Top 5 might intimidate an introvert by coming on too strong or putting them on the spot in a group setting.
Although I was already a raving fan of Gallup and their world-renowned assessment before I spent the day immersed in learning and exploration with industry peers, I left Omaha more convinced than ever that CliftonStrengths is a remarkable tool that more individuals and organizations could benefit from.
While I have plenty of work still to do on myself, the real potential lies in tapping into my team’s talents to maximize our collective success.
• Mary Lynn Fayoumi is president and CEO of HR Source in Downers Grove.