What is CliftonStrengths®?

Overview of the CliftonStrengths® (formerly StrengthsFinder) Assessment, including a description of the four categories of 34 strengths.

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Written by Team
Updated over a week ago

The CliftonStrengths® assessment was developed by the Gallup® organization and is based on 2 million interviews which derived 34 different themes that are consistent and prevalent themes of human talent or strengths. 

After taking the assessment, individuals are assigned their top 5 strengths. These strengths fall into one of four domains. These domains describe how people and teams use their talents to work with information, make things happen, influence others, and build relationships. 

Check out your assessment results on My Assessments and check out the Team Dashboard to see your team's breakdown of domains and themes!

Four Domains

Strategic Thinking - People with dominant strategic thinking themes help teams consider what could be. They absorb and analyze information that can inform better
decisions. How do you absorb, think about, and analyze information and situations?

Analytical, Context, Futuristic, Ideation, Input, Intellection, Learner, Strategic


Relationship Building - People with dominant relationship-building themes have the ability to build strong relationships that can hold a team together and make the team
greater than the sum of its parts. How do you build and nurture strong relationships?

Adaptability, Connectedness, Developer, Empathy, Harmony, Includer, Individualization, Positivity, Relator


Influencing - People with dominant influencing themes know how to take charge, speak up, and make sure the team is heard. How do you influence others?

Activator, Command, Communication, Competition, Maximizer, Self-Assurance, Significance, Woo


Executing - People with dominant executing themes know how to make things happen. How do you make things happen? 

Achiever, Arranger, Belief, Consistency, Deliberative, Discipline, Focus, Responsibility, Restorative


Each theme within CliftonStrengths® gives you a way to describe what you naturally do best. Don Clifton asked: "What would happen if we studied what was right with people versus what's wrong with people?"

CliftonStrengths® follows the formula of Talent x Investment = Strength, meaning that to turn your natural talents into strengths, you have to invest in them by increasing your knowledge and skills.

Taking CliftonStrengths® on Cloverleaf allows you to receive continual coaching tips on your strengths, giving you ways to learn and grow those talents and help your teammates.

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