If you’re reading this, you probably already know what your CliftonStrengths® Top 5 talent themes are.
However, one question we often get from people who have done their CliftonStrengths® assessment is: “How can it help me in my life?”
Well, if you ask me, one of the greatest thing about knowing your talent themes is how it can give you more BEST DAYS in your life!
Let me explain how that is possible.
“Every day deserves a 5-star rating!” – You, after reading this post
You become confidently strong in who you truly are
Firstly, knowing your talent themes can help you understand yourself better. You will finally understand why you are wired the way you are.
You get an insight into the way you think, feel and behave through your talent themes.
Not to mention you’ll finally have the answer for all those times you’ve asked yourself “Now, why did I do that?!”
You’ve always known you’re wired differently from everybody else, but it’s always been inexplicable how.
Now, having your talent themes in front of you reinforces who you are as a person. It reinforces your actions and reactions. It reinforces your thought processes and feelings.
You’ll start to accept yourself as who you truly are. And you’ll see your talents as strengths for what they truly are.
And through this acceptance, you become confidently strong in who you truly are.
Well, so you’ve probably already read your report. And you’ve also probably experienced the entire “a-ha!” moment when you find yourself resonating with many of the statements.
But, how does that still give you more BEST DAYS in life?
Here’s where you’ll need to put in a little more work and a little more effort.
Talent Themes And Their Needs
Ever talent theme has different needs. But one common need that all Talent Themes share? The need to be USED.
In order to make sure that you are at your very best, you need to make sure that you are able to use your talent themes often.
Talent themes are like muscles. Use them often, and they become better and stronger. If you leave them alone and rarely use them, they do nothing and become flaccid muscles.
You also need to make sure that the needs of each of your talent themes are being met. Here are some examples of some talent themes and their respective needs:
Analytical: You will need to know a lot of “Whys” and “Hows”. You need to dissect things to find the root. You need to see it to believe it.
Deliberative: You will need time. Time to think, time to ponder, time to weigh the pros and cons… Time is very important to you!
Significance: You will need constant feedback and affirmation. You need recognition for the impact you’ve made. You need to be seen and heard to thrive.
Intellection: You will need time to be alone. You need to be able to have deep reflections and understanding on certain matters or topics.
Remember, your talent themes need to be cherished in order for them to THRIVE.
What happens then, if you fail to meet those needs of your talent themes? What happens if they fail to thrive? That brings us to our next point:
Talent Themes Will Feel Suffocated
If the needs of your talent themes are not being met, your talent themes will feel suffocated.
Think about it. When you can’t be at your best, you’ll likely be at your worst.
You’re unable to work the way you do best.
You’ll feel that everything you do requires twice or even thrice the effort to complete.
You’ll get frustrated. And you’ll start to feel de-energised and drained.
This will all lead you to experience WORST DAYS.
TL;DR: Here’s How You Gain More Best Days
So there is no secret. Really.
The way to have yourself more best days is, quite simply, to USE your talent themes!
Ask yourself what are the needs of your talent themes. Find ways that you can meet those needs. Use them confidently, successfully and powerfully.
You’ll become more engaged and productive in the work that you do. You’ll have better relationship with your employees and co-workers. And eventually, you’ll have yourself more BEST DAYS.
StrengthsAsia has helped many individual and corporate clients all throughout the region in identifying and maximizing their talents, in driving engagement and increasing motivation in their work and life.
If you want to learn more about the 34 talent themes or discover how you can apply your talent themes in your team or in the areas of your work and your life, feel free to reach out to us here.
If you’ve enjoyed this article, and you would like to know more, you can download the FREE Strengths guide that we’ve prepared for you down below.
Aly is StrengthsAsia’s marketing and communications guru and lead editor. She's over the top inquisitive and everyone in the company knows her as “The Googler” as she practically googles everything. Honestly, we all worry for her… She is also the Principal Trainer for our one of a kind ice cream team building workshops in Asia.