The CONNECT, COMMUNICATE, CREATE process of getting the most out of your CliftonStrengths® profile is an immersive journey. If you truly want to live a Strengths-based lifestyle, using your Strengths everyday to live and lead, the key to success is embracing the concept and using your Strengths deliberately every day.
CONNECTING with Strengths: studying your assessment and engaging fully with learning about your profile, lets you appreciate your Strengths and affirm personally how you show up in the world.
This is a language-based process. The 34 Strengths, in four domains, need to be spoken about and deliberately used to describe yourself at your best.
- If you talk about your Strengths to yourself, then you start to bring them to the front of your mind.
- If you start to describe your unique attributes in terms Strengths language then you will start to use your Strengths mindfully and deliberately.
- When you are deliberate about naming your Strengths then it becomes easier to use them, and just like muscles they get more powerful.
So we encourage you to talk about your Strengths, when you talk about yourself in your own head, and when you talk about yourself to others.
Step two in the 3 C's process: Communicate your Strengths
Remember, it starts on the inside. Give yourself permission to have a positive internal monologue. Strengths language helps you talk about what you do best with new, deliberate language. It’s stuff you already knew about yourself, remember, but now you can be very specific about how you describe yourself. It’s really affirming!
Now, share this with others. Tell them about your Strengths, how you see yourself showing up every day; which specific talent you are going to be leaning into as you execute a task. Then when a colleague observes you in action they will be able to see how you show up, and know how and when to support you.
Want to be more specific about how you COMMUNICATE your Strengths?
- Tell people what you uniquely Bring with your Strengths: Use words like “I am” or “I will” to be very clear. If you understand how your profile will help you show up in a specific situation or task, and you can communicate it to others, then they will understand how you will perform and they will be able to have a better expectation and appreciation of your performance.
- Share with people what you Need from them to be at your best. If you know what you bring, then you can describe what you need from your team – Space, resources, information, moral support, time…
If you use Strengths language as the basis of the conversation then you can describe the kind of support people can give to help you be successful.
Here’s the next challenge in the COMMUNICATE piece: ask your colleagues how they see you through the lens of your Strengths profile.
If you have an idea of how your Strengths interact with those around you, how you uniquely react to situations and tasks, then you gain insight into where and how to ask for help, or when to dial your Strengths up and down to ensure you show up consistently.
Interpersonal communication is difficult. Emotions and perceptions creep in. Using Strengths-based language as a tool to express what you bring and need helps you and your team understand and affirm each other using neutral but affirming language. 34 words that speak directly to you at your best.
If you want to explore how to harness the 3 Cs of Strengths at work and at home, click here to book an exploratory call.
