This is the first in a series of short interviews with different types of coaches about career insights.
The key to authentic success is to discover and apply your unique talents and strengths every day. Joanie Muench, a Gallup-certified strengths coach, helps clients do this using the CliftonStrengths assessment.
The assessment isolates 34 strengths, and only 1 in 33 million people has the exact same combination of top-five strengths. Examples include Analytical, Empathy, Competition, Relator, and Consistency. In addition, they are grouped into four domains: Strategic Thinking, Relationship Building, Influencing, and Executing.
What makes this information powerful, though, is applying it to real life. That’s where Joanie comes in, working with organizations to help develop managers, future leaders and boards, to understand how their strengths impact their relationships and work. Joanie helps her clients translate their CliftonStrengths 34 report into actionable insights that increase trust, collaboration and performance.
We spoke with Joanie about her work and how it could apply to those of us who are mid- and late-career. Interesting fact: Gallup has found that CliftonStrengths typically do not change very much over time. Chances are, you were born with your particular constellation of strengths.
SD: What’s an “aha” you’ve had in doing this work?
JM: Studies show that our brains are hardwired to focus on the negative. Where did I fall short? What did I do wrong? How can I improve? What I love about CliftonStrengths is that it helps my clients flip the narrative and retrain their brains to focus on strengths. Where have I been successful? Which talents and strengths helped me? How can I create opportunities to use them more? This newfound thinking helps individuals invest in who they are and let go of who they are not. Every time this happens, it’s as if a weight has been lifted, and their runway for success becomes more clear.
SD: What mistakes have you seen clients make when getting into this?
JM: Sometimes people, often unintentionally, use strengths as a label. We assume that someone will act in a certain way when they have a specific strength. This can get us into trouble, leading to preconceived thoughts and misunderstandings. It’s important to remember that people are not just one or two of their strengths, and each strength will present differently in different people, depending on how it combines with their other strengths. Being open and curious about someone’s unique talent and strength combination is key to productively applying strengths both personally and professionally.
SD: How can this assessment/tool be of use to those in job search mode?
JM: I have found that often people are uncomfortable talking about what they do well. CliftonStrengths gives you the vocabulary to talk with confidence about your talents and strengths and the value you bring in whatever situation you are applying to. With this vocabulary and self-awareness, you can be very clear not only about what you bring to a specific role but also about what you need to help you determine if it’s the right fit for you.
More information on the Gallup CliftonStrengths assessment is available on the organization’s website and in this video.