Do you Understand how your Strengths Pair Together?

At Leadership Vision, everything we do focuses on helping people understand who they are and how they can engage the world around them. One of the ways we do this is through the use of the psychometric tool Clifton Strengths. In short, Clifton Strengths helps identify areas where you (or a team if being used in that context) have the most significant potential for building Strength. It measures recurring patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior.

We’ve been using this tool since the year 2000 and have gained tremendous insights as we’ve used it with over 50,000 clients. One of those recurring insights is the power of understanding how your Strengths Pair together. Pairing happens with two Strengths (or, more accurately, the Talents that make of the Theme of Strengths), work together to deliver the desired result.

RELATED: Understanding Talents

Today on the podcast, we’re talking about the importance of understanding how your Strengths pair together. Brian, Linda, and I discuss the difference between expressive pairings and motivational pairings, how you can understand both, and why you need to communicate these new findings to those on your team.

What are Strengths Pairs?

Simply put, we believe that Strengths always work in pairs. No Strength ever works alone. Meaning, if you see someone demonstrating the Strength of Relator, there is always another Strength (or two) working just below the surface.

We also believe that understanding how Strengths pair together is key to understanding how a person engages their Strengths. For example, two people with Developer and Connectedness may engage in very different ways depending on how those Strengths are pairing with the others.

We have also found that there are expressive pairings of Strengths and motivational pairings of Strengths. An “expressive pairing” is what we all see, while motivational is the internalization or behind-the-scenes nature of why we do what we do.

For example, my Strengths of Ideation and Communication often pair together and, when expressed publicly, looks like someone bouncing ideas off a person or group one after another, after another. Their ideas can come quickly and are then revised verbally, out loud.

However, my Strengths of Restorative and Maximizer are the internal motivating factors driving that. What I’m trying to do is dig down and “fix” the problem (Restorative) and arrive at the best solution (Maximizer) to help the team.

How do YOUR Strengths Pair together?

Spend some time thinking about how your Strengths might be pairing together. Your Strengths pair together in a multitude of ways. These pairings will change a bit depending on the context. Jot down some ideas, then share them with a friend or trusted colleague. Compare notes, get feedback, and identify what is being seen by others and what is seen internally just to you. Share with us as we’d love to help you on your journey in any way we can!