Twelve Strengths to Carry into the New Year
On the first day of Office Holiday Party Season, I’m giving to you all…. a blog post in your inbox. Okay, so the song doesn’t translate perfectly. I am here to give you twelve gifts, however, and not just because I smile a lot and have a white beard. No, I’m of the opinion that reflection is important all year long. Taking into account what’s already happened is an important step in deciding where to go next. There is something special about the end of the year that makes me especially aware of the progress I’ve made in the last twelve months, though.
So, what I’m going to offer are twelve small nuggets of advice pulled from our monthly blogs that you can take with you into the new year.
“As important as knowing your own strengths can be, you can have an even greater effect by getting to know the strengths of your employees. We are a society bound together by mutual strengths and weaknesses.”
Day One: Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses
I thought about writing all of this as a song, but that’s not one of my strengths! So I’ll let someone else take that idea and run with it if that’s something they’re inclined to do! So, on this first day, I’d urge you to get to know your own strengths with a CliftonStrengths assessment! Knowing where you naturally excel and where you may need work is the first step to improving yourself.
Day Two: Know Your Employee’s Strengths and Weaknesses
As important as knowing your own strengths can be, you can have an even greater effect by getting to know the strengths of your employees. They are the point of contact between the outside world and your product, whatever it may be. Without your employees, products will sit on shelves indefinitely. Offering them the opportunity to take the CliftonStrengths assessment can spark conversations that will be invaluable as you continue to implement a strengths-based philosophy in your organization.
Day Three: Don’t Use the CliftonStrengths Assessment for Hiring
As tempting as it may be, don’t use the CliftonStrengths assessment as a hiring tool. The assessment is intended to develop talent, not exclude candidates. A more useful strategy would be to train your hiring managers to recognize strengths and weaknesses in others or use the Predictive Index hiring assessment specifically. Having an informed discussion about strengths and weaknesses is a wonderful way to see who will be a fit for your organization.
Day Four: Conflict is Often a Clash of Strengths
No one person is exactly like another. These differences will inevitably lead to conflict occasionally (or frequently if you don’t know how to resolve them!). A person who has the Deliberative theme in their CliftonStrengths assessment may believe they are completely incapable of working with someone who has the Woo theme in theirs. This is completely false. These two people simply need to divide the project into parts that are executable by each person. Woo can reach out to new customers, while Deliberative can make sure deliverables get to these new clients in a timely manner.
Day Five: Be Aware of How Your Weaknesses Affect Your Work
We all have weaknesses. They’re just as much a part of our identity as our strengths. People often see them as nothing but a negative point in their report. They push them aside and ignore them. This isn’t what you should do! Instead, look at your weaknesses and figure out how to develop them or supplement them directly with one of your strengths. You can’t do everything, and no one expects you to.
Day Six: Dive Into Your Strengths
While wading through your weaknesses and figuring out how to make use of them or work on them may be essential, it’s not exactly an exhilarating experience. Be sure to dive into your strengths whenever you can! You’re good at things for a reason, and fully engaging with your strengths can be a wonderfully fulfilling experience. Craft a team that can all use their individual strengths, and you’ll be unstoppable.
Day Seven: Company Culture is a Vital Component of Success
Your company culture is unique to your organization. As different as two people can be, so can two businesses. Getting to know how your company culture works right now is vital to getting a handle on it. There are a number of tools at your disposal to help guide your company culture. Use them!
Day Eight: Students Have Strengths Too
Everyone can benefit from the CliftonStrengths assessment. Students are no exception. In fact, they’re uniquely positioned at the launch point of their careers to take their strengths and develop them before they even get into the workforce. Giving them the opportunity to take the assessment is a great idea for a holiday gift, actually.
Day Nine: Employee Wellbeing is Closely Tied to Organizational Health
Maintaining employee well-being is vital to keeping your company thriving and productive. Protecting your most valuable resource shouldn’t be left to chance. Often, companies treat employee well-being ineffectively by waiting until the need for corrective action or, worse, when people start leaving. As with most problems, the best way to handle them is before they become a problem.
Day Ten: Salespeople are Puzzle Solvers
Every customer is different, making every sale a unique puzzle for a salesperson. Taking full advantage of the CliftonStrengths for Sales Report can make you even better at solving these puzzles. The report breaks down specifically how your core themes can be translated into success in sales.
Day Eleven: Leaders are not Born, They Are Made
This sentiment attributed to Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi is as true as a statement can ever be. No one is inherently good at leadership. It takes hard work and dedication to reach a point where people will willingly listen to what you have to say. The CliftonStrengths for Leaders Report is a surefire way to jumpstart or supercharge that process.
Day Twelve: We Are All in This Together
Our employment landscape is complicated. The pandemic pulled us apart but couldn’t keep us apart. We are a society bound together by mutual strengths and weaknesses. Before I get too in the weeds, just let me say one thing: We’ve done a wonderful job of keeping things moving forward, and I know we’ll keep going. Thank you for all you do, and see you next year!
If any of the services or ideas above intrigue you, we would love to help! Feel free to use the steps below to begin (or continue!) your CliftonStrengths journey in the new year:
- Schedule A Call.
Set up a complimentary 15-minute call. We’ll discuss where you are, where you’d like to be and give you some ideas on how to get there! - Get A Plan.
We’ll help you with specific reports or training that will help you achieve your goals. - Carry It Forward.
I always include this last bit because it’s important. Whatever you learn, it’s important to apply it in your business and in other aspects of your life.
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