What Are the StrengthsFinder Strengths?
The CliftonStrengths assessment (formerly StrengthsFinder) identifies 34 distinct talent themes that represent natural patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Understanding these strengths helps individuals maximize their potential by focusing on what they naturally do best.
Understanding the Four Domains
The 34 strengths are organized into four domains that represent broader categories of talent. Most people have strengths across multiple domains, creating their unique talent profile.
Executing Domain
These strengths help you make things happen and get work done efficiently. People with dominant Executing talents are known for their productivity, work ethic, and ability to turn ideas into reality.
Achiever
People with strong Achiever talents have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take immense satisfaction in being busy and productive.
Arranger
Arrangers are organizers who can figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.
Consistency
People with strong Consistency talents are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same, creating a fair and stable environment.
Deliberative
Deliberative individuals are careful, vigilant, and private. They anticipate obstacles and make thoughtful decisions.
Discipline
People with strong Discipline talents enjoy routine and structure. Their world needs to be predictable and orderly.
Focus
Those with strong Focus talents can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track.
Responsibility
Responsibility talents make people feel psychologically bound to follow through on commitments and complete what they start.
Restorative
Restorative individuals are adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it.
Influencing Domain
These strengths help you take charge, speak up, and make sure others are heard. People with dominant Influencing talents can sell ideas, take command, and make decisions.
Activator
Activators can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are impatient for action and often say, "Let's get started!"
Command
People with strong Command talents have presence and can take control of a situation and make decisions.
Communication
Communication talents help people put thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.
Competition
Competitive people measure their progress against the performance of others and strive to win first place.
Maximizer
Maximizers focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence, seeking to transform something strong into something superb.
Self-Assurance
People with strong Self-Assurance talents feel confident in their ability to manage their own lives and make decisions.
Significance
Those with strong Significance talents want to be very important in the eyes of others and have a reputation for being important.
Woo (Winning Others Over)
Woo stands for "Winning Others Over." People with strong Woo talents love the challenge of meeting new people and getting them to like you.
Relationship Building Domain
These strengths help you build strong relationships that hold teams together. People with dominant Relationship Building talents have an ability to build strong connections that can hold a team together and make it greater than the sum of its parts.
Adaptability
Adaptable people prefer to "go with the flow." They tend to be now people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.
Connectedness
People with strong Connectedness talents have faith in the links between all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has a reason.
Developer
Developers recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements.
Empathy
Empathetic people can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others' lives or situations.
Harmony
People with strong Harmony talents look for consensus and areas of agreement, avoiding conflict whenever possible.
Includer
Includers are accepting of others and show awareness of those who feel left out, making an effort to include them.
Individualization
Those with strong Individualization talents are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person and have a gift for figuring out how different people can work together productively.
Positivity
People with strong Positivity talents have an enthusiasm that is contagious and can up-lift others and make them more productive.
Relator
Relators enjoy close relationships with others and find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
Strategic Thinking Domain
These strengths help you absorb and analyze information to make better decisions. People with dominant Strategic Thinking talents keep everyone focused on what could be and are constantly absorbing and analyzing information to make better decisions.
Analytical
Analytical people search for reasons and causes and have the ability to think about all the factors that might affect a situation.
Context
People with strong Context talents enjoy thinking about the past and understand the present by researching its history.
Futuristic
Futuristic people are inspired by the future and what could be. They energize others with their visions of the future.
Ideation
People with strong Ideation talents are fascinated by ideas and able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.
Input
Those with strong Input talents have a craving to know more and often like to collect and archive all kinds of information.
Intellection
People with strong Intellection talents are characterized by their intellectual activity and enjoy thinking and mental activity.
Learner
Learners have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. The process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
Strategic
Strategic people create alternative ways to proceed and can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues in any scenario.
How Strengths Develop
Your CliftonStrengths results represent your natural talent themes - your raw potential. To transform these talents into strengths, you need to add:
1. Knowledge
Learn factual and experiential knowledge relevant to your talents. For example, someone with Communication talents might study rhetoric or storytelling techniques.
2. Skills
Practice and develop skills that complement your natural talents. A person with Strategic talents might learn strategic planning methodologies.
3. Practice
Regularly apply your talents in real-world situations to build confidence and effectiveness.
Remember: A strength is the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance in a specific activity. Your talents are the raw materials, but they become strengths only through development and application.
Why Focus on Strengths?
Research shows that focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses leads to:
- Higher engagement at work and in personal life
- Greater productivity and performance
- Increased confidence and self-awareness
- Better team performance when members understand each other's strengths
- More innovation as people work in their areas of natural talent
Discover Your Strengths
Understanding the 34 CliftonStrengths themes is the first step, but discovering your unique combination is where the real transformation begins. Your top 5-10 strengths create a talent profile that is uniquely yours.
Ready to discover your unique strengths? Take our free StrengthsFinder assessment to identify your top talent themes and begin your journey toward greater success and fulfillment.