StrengthsFinder for Managers: Building High-Performing Teams

As a manager, understanding and applying CliftonStrengths can transform how you build, develop, and lead your team. By focusing on each team member's natural talents, you create an environment where people can perform at their best while complementing each other's strengths.

The Strengths-Based Management Approach

Traditional management often focuses on fixing weaknesses. A strengths-based approach flips this paradigm:

Traditional Management

  • Focuses on fixing weaknesses
  • Standardized development paths
  • Assumes anyone can excel at anything
  • Generic feedback approaches
  • Work assigned based on position

Strengths-Based Management

  • Develops natural talents into strengths
  • Personalized development plans
  • Recognizes unique talent patterns
  • Tailored communication styles
  • Work assigned based on talents

5 Steps to Implement StrengthsFinder in Your Team

1. Assess Your Team's Strengths

  • Have all team members complete the CliftonStrengths assessment
  • Create a team strengths matrix showing all 34 themes
  • Identify which domains are well-represented and which are missing
  • Note any strength "clusters" where multiple people share themes

2. Facilitate Strengths Awareness

  • Host a team workshop to share and discuss strengths
  • Have team members describe how their strengths show up at work
  • Create visual displays of team strengths (wall charts or digital)
  • Encourage strength-spotting - noticing when colleagues use their strengths

Team Activity: Have each member share a story of when they felt most engaged at work, then identify which strengths they were using.

3. Align Work With Strengths

  • Review current responsibilities and projects through a strengths lens
  • Where possible, adjust assignments to better match individual strengths
  • Create "strength partnerships" where colleagues complement each other
  • Develop strength-based job crafting for existing roles

Example:

For a project requiring both big-picture thinking and detailed execution, pair someone with Strategic strengths with someone strong in Discipline.

4. Build a Balanced Team

Ensure your team has coverage across all four domains:

Executing

Who will get things done?

Influencing

Who will sell ideas and take charge?

Relationship Building

Who will maintain team cohesion?

Strategic Thinking

Who will analyze and plan for the future?

When hiring, consider your team's existing strengths profile and look for complementary talents.

5. Develop Strengths-Based Feedback

  • Frame feedback in terms of strength application
  • Recognize when team members use their strengths effectively
  • For development areas, suggest how to apply strengths to overcome challenges
  • Connect strengths to career development opportunities

Managing Different Strength Types

Tailor your approach based on team members' dominant domains:

Executing Strengths

  • Provide clear deadlines and measurable outcomes
  • Recognize their productivity and reliability
  • Give them ownership of getting things done
  • Be specific about expectations and standards

Influencing Strengths

  • Give them opportunities to lead and present
  • Let them initiate new projects or approaches
  • Provide platforms for their ideas to be heard
  • Channel their competitiveness productively

Relationship Building Strengths

  • Involve them in team collaboration efforts
  • Let them mentor or onboard new employees
  • Value their ability to maintain team morale
  • Recognize their contributions to team cohesion

Strategic Thinking Strengths

  • Engage them in problem-solving and planning
  • Give time for reflection and analysis
  • Value their innovative ideas and insights
  • Connect their work to bigger-picture goals

Creating a Strengths-Based Team Culture

Strengths in Meetings

  • Begin meetings by having members share how they'll apply their strengths
  • Assign meeting roles based on strengths (note-taker, facilitator, etc.)
  • Create space for different strength types to contribute (written vs verbal input)

Strengths in Projects

  • Form project teams with complementary strengths
  • Have teams map out how each member's strengths will contribute
  • Debrief projects by discussing strength applications

Strengths in Recognition

  • Tailor recognition to individual strengths
  • Public recognition for those with Influencing strengths
  • Private, thoughtful notes for those with Relationship Building strengths
  • Challenge-based rewards for those with Executing strengths

Overcoming Common Challenges

"We're Missing Key Strengths"

Solution: Partner with other teams, hire strategically, or develop "secondary strengths" in existing team members.

"Some Strengths Seem Less Valuable"

Solution: Educate the team on how all strengths contribute differently. Highlight examples of each strength adding value.

"Strengths Clash"

Solution: Help team members understand how different strengths interact. Create agreements about how to work through differences.

"It's Hard to Change My Management Style"

Solution: Start small with one strengths-based practice. Notice what works and build from there.

Case Study: Strengths-Based Team Transformation

A marketing team struggling with missed deadlines and low morale implemented strengths-based management:

  • Identified they were heavy on Ideation (Strategic Thinking) but light on Discipline (Executing)
  • Adjusted roles to have their Achiever and Discipline team members own project timelines
  • Created "idea incubator" sessions for their Ideation strengths to flourish without derailing projects
  • Resulted in 30% more projects completed on time and significantly higher engagement scores

Measuring the Impact

Track these metrics to assess your strengths-based approach:

  • Engagement scores on employee surveys
  • Productivity metrics before and after implementation
  • Retention rates of high performers
  • Strength utilization in self-assessments
  • Team performance on key objectives

Final Thoughts

Managing through a strengths lens creates teams where people feel valued for what they naturally do best. While implementing this approach requires an initial investment of time and attention, the payoff comes in higher performance, greater engagement, and more sustainable results.

Ready to begin your strengths-based management journey? Have your team take the StrengthsFinder assessment and start unlocking their full potential today.