Finding My Talents: How My CliftonStrengths Results Led Me to Become a Writer

Through my old job last year, I took the CliftonStrengths test. I was working in social work, domestic violence advocacy, to be exact. My experience working in that field was rewarding yet draining, and I found myself at a pivotal point.

I thought, I’m in my twenties, I shouldn’t be doing a job that makes me feel this way. But what did that mean? I didn’t know. The work I did, I just did. But I didn’t want to just get by. I wanted to feel like I was using my talents to their fullest potential.

Before going into this, I had a decent level of self-awareness of what I am and am not good at. I knew I was creative, analytical… the list goes on. I simply had no idea what those things meant together in an occupational sense.

What is CliftonStrengths™?

How Clifton Strengths Works

CliftonStrengths is a 177-question assessment that aims to discover your talents. With 34 skills, those who take the assessment will receive an ordered list (1-34) based on their results. The top 5, even down to the top 10 or 15, are your top skills. These skills best fit your personality- skills you can turn into talents with intentionality and practice.

The test is not aimed at “ranking” your talents. What falls at the bottom of the 34 are simply skills that might not be best utilized by your talents and what you do on a daily basis.

Role-specific reports allow test-takers to review the results in an occupational sense- finding career insights and opportunities for professional development.

Example

I work in marketing as an SEO specialist and writer.

Traditionally speaking, “woo” (a skill on the CliftonStrengths) is a pivotal skill to have in sales and selling services. However, “woo” is actually in my bottom 5 results.

So what does this mean? That I’m bad at “wooing” people? Nope.

It means I use my top skills and refined talents to “woo” people. My skills in context, strategy, learning, individualization, connectedness, and so forth allow me to connect with others and read the room.

What can I take from this?

The CliftonStrengths test is an excellent resource for those looking to continue their journey on self-exploration or even looking for a career change or to boost their current job’s performance. After taking the test, you’ll receive access to limitless insights- showing you how you can become the best version of yourself.

4 Domains: Executive, Strategic Thinking, Relationship Building, & Influencing

My CliftonStrengths Results

1. Context

You look back. You look back because that is where the answers lie. You look back to understand the present. From your vantage point the present is unstable, a confusing clamor of competing voices. It is only by casting your mind back to an earlier time, a time when the plans were being drawn up, that the present regains its stability. The earlier time was a simpler time. It was a time of blueprints. As you look back, you begin to see these blueprints emerge. You realize what the initial intentions were. These blueprints or intentions have since become so embellished that they are almost unrecognizable, but now this Context theme reveals them again. This understanding brings you confidence. No longer disoriented, you make better decisions because you sense the underlying structure. You become a better partner because you understand how your colleagues came to be who they are. And counterintuitively you become wiser about the future because you saw its seeds being sown in the past. Faced with new people and new situations, it will take you a little time to orient yourself, but you must give yourself this time. You must discipline yourself to ask the questions and allow the blueprints to emerge because no matter what the situation, if you haven’t seen the blueprints, you will have less confidence in your decisions.

CliftonStrengths Results

The context for me is everything. It has been a pivotal aspect of my personality since I was a child. I find great value in examining the past and drawing parallels to the present and future. I often look back to the past when faced with a present challenge. In real life, this may mean doing extensive research to find the answer to even the most mundane question. Context helps me understand.

Easy Example: My artwork? The majority are based on psychology and historical photographs.

2. Strategic

The Strategic theme enables you to sort through the clutter and find the best route. It is not a skill that can be taught. It is a distinct way of thinking, a special perspective on the world at large. This perspective allows you to see patterns where others simply see complexity. Mindful of these patterns, you play out alternative scenarios, always asking, “What if this happened? Okay, well what if this happened?” This recurring question helps you see around the next corner. There you can evaluate accurately the potential obstacles. Guided by where you see each path leading, you start to make selections. You discard the paths that lead nowhere. You discard the paths that lead straight into resistance. You discard the paths that lead into a fog of confusion. You cull and make selections until you arrive at the chosen path—your strategy. Armed with your strategy, you strike forward. This is your Strategic theme at work: “What if?” Select. Strike.

CliftonStrengths Results

I’ve always been told my way of thinking is unique. After taking the assessment and finding that “strategic” was my #2, it made sense. I’ve always been told that I was creative, but that never felt right. I feel like an analytical artist who draws from patterns, life, and experience. I find the path, and I go for it. My creativity lies in my ability to sort out the complex.

3. Learner

You love to learn. The subject matter that interests you most will be determined by your other themes and experiences, but whatever the subject, you will always be drawn to the process of learning. The process, more than the content or the result, is especially exciting for you. You are energized by the steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence. The thrill of the first few facts, the early efforts to recite or practice what you have learned, the growing confidence of a skill mastered—this is the process that entices you. Your excitement leads you to engage in adult learning experiences—yoga or piano lessons or graduate classes. It enables you to thrive in dynamic work environments where you are asked to take on short project assignments and are expected to learn a lot about the new subject matter in a short period of time and then move on to the next one. This Learner theme does not necessarily mean that you seek to become the subject matter expert, or that you are striving for the respect that accompanies a professional or academic credential. The outcome of the learning is less significant than the “getting there.”

CliftonStrengths

As someone who began college at 16 and graduated at 19, only to switch career paths multiple times and continue my education in many different sectors, I am most definitely a lifelong learner. I believe that we can’t make proper change without knowledge and the truth. I am a learner and a truth seeker. I enjoy learning more than receiving a degree. Honestly? If I could get a degree in every one of my interests, I would.

4. Individualization

Your Individualization theme leads you to be intrigued by the unique qualities of each person. You are impatient with generalizations or “types” because you don’t want to obscure what is special and distinct about each person. Instead, you focus on the differences between individuals. You instinctively observe each person’s style, each person’s motivation, how each thinks, and how each builds relationships. You hear the one-of-a-kind stories in each person’s life. This theme explains why you pick your friends just the right birthday gift, why you know that one person prefers praise in public and another detests it, and why you tailor your teaching style to accommodate one person’s need to be shown and another’s desire to “figure it out as I go.” Because you are such a keen observer of other people’s strengths, you can draw out the best in each person. This Individualization theme also helps you build productive teams. While some search around for the perfect team “structure” or “process,” you know instinctively that the secret to great teams is casting by individual strengths so that everyone can do a lot of what they do well.

CliftonStrengths Results

One phrase: People-watching. Observation.

I seek to find what is unique about an individual, and often the base conversation, my work, and my topics of writing off on this. I must find what makes someone or something stand out to truly understand something.

5. Connectedness

Things happen for a reason. You are sure of it. You are sure of it because in your soul you know that we are all connected. Yes, we are individuals, responsible for our own judgments and in possession of our own free will, but nonetheless we are part of something larger. Some may call it the collective unconscious. Others may label it spirit or life force. But whatever your word of choice, you gain confidence from knowing that we are not isolated from one another or from the earth and the life on it. This feeling of Connectedness implies certain responsibilities. If we are all part of a larger picture, then we must not harm others because we will be harming ourselves. We must not exploit because we will be exploiting ourselves. Your awareness of these responsibilities creates your value system. You are considerate, caring, and accepting. Certain of the unity of humankind, you are a bridge builder for people of different cultures. Sensitive to the invisible hand, you can give others comfort that there is a purpose beyond our humdrum lives. The exact articles of your faith will depend on your upbringing and your culture, but your faith is strong. It sustains you and your close friends in the face of life’s mysteries.

CliftonStrengths Results

I suppose my life, personal, and website’s mission align with this strength. Need I say more?

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6. Intellection

You like to think. You like mental activity. You like exercising the “muscles” of your brain, stretching them in multiple directions. This need for mental activity may be focused; for example, you may be trying to solve a problem or develop an idea or understand another person’s feelings.

CliftonStrengths Results

7. Restorative

You love to solve problems. Whereas some are dismayed when they encounter yet another breakdown, you can be energized by it. You enjoy the challenge of analyzing the symptoms, identifying what is wrong, and finding the solution.

CliftonStrengths Results

8. Communication

You like to explain, to describe, to host, to speak in public, and to write. This is your Communication theme at work. Ideas are a dry beginning. Events are static. You feel a need to bring them to life, to energize them, to make them exciting and vivid. And so you turn events into stories and practice telling them

CliftonStrengths Results

9. Responsibility

Your Responsibility theme forces you to take psychological ownership for anything you commit to, and whether large or small, you feel emotionally bound to follow it through to completion. Your good name depends on it.

CliftonStrengths Results

10. Deliberative

You are careful. You are vigilant. You are a private person. You know that the world is an unpredictable place. Everything may seem in order, but beneath the surface you sense the many risks. Rather than denying these risks, you draw each one out into the open. 

CliftonStrengths Results

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Discovering my weaknesses

Along with finding my strengths, I also was able to find some blind spots in my own self-awareness. My bottom five were Significance, Maximizer, Harmony, Positivity, and Includer. While I agree with many of these, it doesn’t mean I lack them completely.

For example, I’m not saying I’m a negative nelly. But I’m but necessarily “glass half full” either. I’d say I’m a realist, in a way that I examine what’s in front of me, and based on the past and gathered present information, I deduce what the outcome will be.

Ooopph. I’m way more philosophical than I thought sometimes.

Or take harmony and includer- it doesn’t mean that I’m bad at including people or creating harmony/peace, it just means that I’m better at using my top talents to create a sense of community. In fact, connectedness, which is one of my passions, is my #5 strength.

Interpreting CliftonStrengths for You

What CliftonStrengths means for you is relative to your experiences; past, present, and future (goals, ambitions, etc.). Personally, I had the assistance of a CliftonStrengths Coach who is certified and excellent at walking test-takers through their results and interpreting it. It allowed me to apply it in real-life.

I’m looking to contact the coach to do an interview and we can talk further about this.

In the meantime, I hope you discover what this test means for you! If you decide to take it, let me know how the results impacted your career and/or personal life in the comments below.

Final Thoughts: Becoming a Writer