Strength Spectrum
Readers of this blog are likely familiar with Gallup CliftonStrengths, a personal assessment tool that considers 34 strengths and talents and ranks them within an individual. Someone once explained to me that, from a personal development angle, you don’t want to spend too much time thinking about your top five strengths, because while you should certainly choose a career and other pursuits that utilize them, they come so naturally to you that they don’t need much attention to be brought to fruition. They are just there. Much more opportunity for self-development exists within the lower ranked 29 strengths.
One of the things that I like about the Gallup model of understanding personality is that it rests on the assumption that we all possess each of the 34 strengths, just to varying degrees. There isn’t a single one of us who could say “nope, I’m not a learner,” or “focus is out of the question for me.”
Sure, some of the strengths are more prominent in us than others (hence, the ranking) but we each contain traces of all 34 strengths. For an example, I’m not naturally one to "take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time,” but it isn’t literally impossible for me to exhibit adaptability.
The Gallup model doesn’t deny that we each have weaknesses as well as strengths. But by suggesting that our weaknesses aren’t set in stone — that they are simply strengths needing more development — it challenges us to become better versions of ourselves. It makes me think of a line spoken by the evangelical preacher Billy Graham: “I don’t have any more patience than anyone else. I just use mine.”
The truth is that it’s easier to believe that we simply don’t have a strength than to work on cultivating it.
It’s easier to say “I’m just an impatient person” than to calmly help a child tie their shoelaces.
It’s easier to say “I have a terrible sense of direction” than to carefully examine the map and landmarks in order to orient ourselves.
It’s easier to say “I have no filter” than to bite our tongues when we’re tempted to say something unkind.
But we’re not doing ourselves or the world any favors when we abdicate responsibility for entire strengths.
A good question to consider, whether you’ve taken the CliftonStrengths assessment or not, is what qualities or skills are you most inclined to think you simply don’t have? Then, reframe. Remember that just because a particular strength is weak right now doesn’t mean that you aren’t capable of developing it.
Nexus is a strengths-based community organization, encouraging all of our members to uncover their CliftonStrengths and to work together as a community to aim our strengths towards our greatest leadership visions. Our strengths are visible to all our members so that we can actively tap each other for support. Click here to learn about our commitment to strengths-based leadership philosophy.
Teresa lives in Pennsylvania where she works as a Director of Faith Formation at a Catholic Church and dabbles in hospital chaplaincy. She has a BA in English, a Master’s in Divinity, and a passion for thinking about the intersection of spirituality, self-improvement, and well-being. Her perfect day includes slowly savoring a morning cup of coffee, reading for work and for fun, and receiving snail mail.