Last month we explored the five most common CliftonStrengths Themes—traits many of us see in ourselves or those around us. But what about the ones we don’t encounter as often? Today, we’re diving into the least common Themes and how they might show up in the people who “challenge” us—or surprise us.
We also have a few updates on the SC Health Equity Summit, StrengthIQ.ai and a fun little exercise around blind spots.
What are our topics for today?
- CliftonStrengths: Five least common Themes worldwide
- BrightPath Updates: StrengthsIQ.ai, 7th Health Equity Summit
- Self-Reflection: Blind spots
CliftonStrengths
Since last month, an incredible 172,728 new people have taken the CliftonStrengths assessment and this number is growing month to month.
Last month we talked about the five most common Themes: Achiever, Learner, Responsibility, Relator and Strategic. These are themes that – in all likelihood – resonate with you and are fairly easy to understand and relate to. We are typically drawn to things that we are familiar with and it creates a sense of comfort.
So, today we will look at the five least common Themes out there:
So now, take a minute and think about a recent situation where you struggled to follow someone or did not get along well with them – maybe they have rubbed you the wrong way.
Could it be that this person may have had a talent in one of the areas that we are not familiar with? They showed a different way of thinking, behaving or feeling that we were uncomfortable with?
Let’s take a high-level look at those themes:
- Context – Lots of questions, explaining the present by understanding the past
- Discipline – Repeating what has proven successful, routines, structure
- Significance – Be heard and seen, stand out for the things they stand for
- Command – Take charge, decisive, confrontation is a step towards solution
- Self-Assurance – Self-confidence, trust in abilities and judgement, risk-taker
Often times conflict does not stem from an actual issue but from a lack of understanding each other.
BrightPath Updates
StrengthsIQ.ai
Our MVP is nearing the end stage. We are at a point, where development is pretty much done and now we need to do some internal testing and configuration.
The main purpose of this MVP is to gather feedback on
- User experience
- Voice interaction with StrengthsIQ
- Session flow
- Basic AI integration to interpret results
Bottom line, we want to see if this is a viable concept for people to have a digital coaching experience or what else is missing.
At this point, I want to thank all the volunteers who are interested in testing. We will reach out to you once we are set on our end.
Dr. Kari-Claudia Allen Harrington delivered a phenomenal keynote, highlighting health disparities across South Carolina’s counties and reminding us that each of us can be a seed in the ground to grow and make things better. It was an invitation to take action: 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞—𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭.
I had about 40 people in my breakout session and we focused on three key takeaways:
#1 𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 – Self-awareness, resilience, well-being, and engagement are all deeply connected. You need to be(come) the best version of yourself so you can be the best for the people and cause you serve.
#2 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 – Tools like CliftonStrengths can help us understand ourselves and speak a shared language. But too often, they’re used as one-time effort only. Many people I talk to, can’t recall more than two of their top five talents—such a missed opportunity to drive engagement and real growth!
#3 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 – True resilience is built by working through mistakes, not avoiding them. Creating psychological safety by accepting that mistakes happen and working through them as a team is key to fostering a learning environment and creating a culture of courage.
This was such a great experience for me personally and, I also walked away with many valuable lessons such as making sure not to pace around too much. It’s funny how we easily notice this in other people but when we do it ourselves, we are often times oblivious until someone points it out – thanks, Deana. :)
Self-Reflection
This time we will put a little different spin on this. This is not necessarily about self-reflection but rather about self-discovery. I mentioned earlier, that we are sometimes oblivious to the things that are so clear and obvious to others.
So, let’s try the following:
- Identify someone you trust and value.
- Ask: “What is one thing about me that is obvious to you, that you don’t think I am aware of?“
- And then: “What is the consequence of me not being aware of this?“
This is a great way to increase self-awareness and at the same time build trust with another individual.
Taking a few moments for self-reflection helps make us aware of our impact and provides an opportunity to appreciate our growth.
Give it a shot, try it out.
Even consider writing down your responses. Going back through those notes can really lift you up when you have a bad day or help when you are facing self-doubts.