CliftonStrengths for Organizations
Creating a culture where people want to work, feel fulfilled and can realize their full potential doesn't happen by accident. Use CliftonStrengths to bring the best to your people so you can get the best from them.
Workplace cultures across the globe are in reset mode. Organizations are trying to discover how to define their culture and reinforce the values of that culture, all while developing the people who make up that culture. That's a tall order.
And with organizations composed of employees working from home, in the office and a hybrid version of the two, leaders need something that unites their people -- giving them a common language and a better way to appreciate each other. What organizations need now is to focus on their strengths.
High-Performing Organizations Start With the Right Culture
And the right culture starts with CliftonStrengths.
Organizations with strengths-based cultures succeed because:
- They engage their employees.
- They select managers who coach their employees to bring their best selves to work.
- They provide an exceptional employee experience.
It's not surprising that organizations with strengths-based cultures experience higher employee engagement, retention, productivity and performance.
Because when you get the best out of your people, you get the best out of your business.
Strengths-based development helps workgroups realize up to:
29% increased profit
19% increased sales
72% lower attrition
7% higher customer engagement
Bring Strengths to Your Organization: The Best Approach Is Your Approach
Regardless of your industry, the size of your organization or your position, there's untapped potential in every company. Uncover that potential by focusing on what you're already great at.
Our strengths-based culture research has benefited organizations and their people, from:
10 to 100,000+employees
public sector and education to nonprofits and healthcare
managers and front-line workers to CEOs and coaches
Whether you're the family-owned business down the street or the corporation leading the market in your industry, a strengths-based culture is for you.
How you'd like to work with us is up to you and based on what you need. When it comes to bringing CliftonStrengths to your organization:
We can do the work for you: Our consultants and subject matter experts can tailor strengths-based, performance-oriented and engagement-focused solutions to meet the needs of your organization.
We can work together: We have been a trusted partner to hundreds of thousands of organizations for over 80 years. We can help you define your organization's goals and provide you with the resources and tools to guide you toward them.
You can get started on your own: If you're interested in exploring CliftonStrengths yourself, check out our assessment and learn about the report options that are best for you. With customized reporting and insights that you can implement immediately, this is a great way to get started on your own.
A good place to start, in any case, is with the manager. Good managers help organizations succeed, while poor managers act as a barrier to success. Talk to us about working with your managers and ensuring they know how to use their strengths to make their teams succeed.
Build a Strengths-Based Culture
Building a strengths-based culture is about more than just giving employees the CliftonStrengths assessment, although that is how some companies like to begin.
Gallup's research and experience working with the best strengths-based organizations show that it takes a commitment to five key areas.
1 Start with the CEO or executive sponsor.
Your efforts to build a strengths-based culture hinge on leadership alignment. A strong commitment from the top can tie your strengths-based approach to your organization's identity. But it takes intentional effort from your executives to explain how a focus on CliftonStrengths enables your organization to achieve its purpose and objectives.
What the Best Leaders Do
Leaders who get the most out of a strengths initiative approach it as a business strategy. It becomes constantly top of mind for them, and they:
- articulate how the strengths initiative is connected to the organization's identity (purpose, brand, culture)
- think about the people they are talking to at any given time and consider how their talent DNA is at work
- openly share their own strengths with others and explain how they use them
- communicate how applying the strengths of each person will enable their company to achieve its purpose and business objectives
However, actions always speak louder than words, and the most influential messages are conveyed by leaders' actions.
2 Give every employee the opportunity to discover their CliftonStrengths.
Your people need to know what they naturally do best and how to understand the same about their teammates. When you give your employees the chance to take the CliftonStrengths assessment, they'll get the tools and resources to learn how to use their CliftonStrengths to succeed in their role.
What the Best Organizations Do
The best organizations understand the business benefits of having everyone take the CliftonStrengths assessment, even people in high-turnover roles. Whether they are a retail employee who interacts with customers or a manufacturing worker who doesn't, investing in everyone can reduce turnover (up to a 72% reduction for high-turnover organizations) and improve the customer experience. The best also:
- create an ongoing plan for incorporating strengths for new team members
- give employees tools and resources to understand how to embed strengths into their specific roles and everyday behaviors
- establish strengths as a language and change developmental and performance conversations
- do a good job of recognizing talents in action
3 Build an internal network of CliftonStrengths coaches.
Everybody needs a coach. They need trusted advisers they can count on to help them use a strengths-based approach to navigate challenges, overcome obstacles and accomplish their goals. We educate and train Gallup-Certified Strengths Coaches in your organization to be the ones your teams can count on to help individuals and teams succeed using CliftonStrengths.
What the Best Organizations Do
The best organizations give their strengths coaches and champions clear role expectations. Acting as a coach or champion is often an additional role that individuals take on to move their organization forward in the strengths journey. As a result, it is critical for them to know exactly what they are expected to do on a daily basis.
Internal strengths coaches:
- provide coaches with ongoing support and access to coaching development for themselves
- recognize and celebrate the impact of coaching successes
- create opportunities for coaching by allowing individuals time in their schedules to participate in coaching conversations
4 Integrate CliftonStrengths into performance management.
Managers face an ongoing crisis. Most of their employees aren't engaged, and most say they aren't managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work. A strengths-based approach to performance development can help. We can help you reengineer your performance management approach and shift your managers from being bosses to being coaches.
What the Best Strengths-Based Managers Do
The best managers believe that managing by aligning employees' talents with their development creates the best opportunity for individual and organizational success. They are also:
- mindful of their own talents and assume responsibility for developing them
- understanding and appreciative of their employees' strengths and capable of using and communicating that information to set up each person for success
- making regular adjustments to align work with team members' strengths, when possible
5 Transform your internal programs.
A strengths-based culture enhances the employee experience. That's why the best organizations make sure strengths-based development is at the core of every initiative and program throughout the employee life cycle. We can help you audit your existing programs and transform any that contradict the philosophies of a strengths-based culture.
What the Best Organizations Do
Integrate strengths into internal communications and culture-building programs:
- company newsletters
- internal videos
- intranet branding
- company blogs
- webinars/podcasts
- email signatures
- storytelling
Align internal and external messaging on the "why" and "how" behind strengths, giving employees the learning and tools they need to deliver on the organization's brand promise.
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More Than 90% of Fortune 500 Companies Have Used CliftonStrengths
These companies bring the power of strengths-based development to their workplaces, every single day.
Learn more about how Southwest Airlines and Stryker align a strengths-based approach to their business needs and performance goals.
Southwest Airlines Culture Takes Flight and Soars
What started as a grassroots movement in the organization has turned into nearly 100% of the departments committing to CliftonStrengths implementation, starting their journey to make Southwest Airlines the world's first strengths-based airline.
Strengths and Diversity at Estée Lauder Companies
To achieve their vision of being the most inclusive and diverse beauty company in the world, Estée Lauder Companies committed to a swift rollout of CliftonStrengths, one that deeply embedded strengths into the foundation of their culture.
Stryker Uses Talent Offense to Succeed
With roughly 36,000 employees and around 300 active strengths coaches embedded in the organization, Stryker has put great thought into hiring the right people who are the best talent to achieve its mission of making healthcare better.
Developing Talent to Succeed at Ameritas
Many companies strive to improve the lives of their customers and employees. At Ameritas, this vision is more than a hopeful pursuit -- it's real in their work culture. Ameritas leaders at all levels have a strong commitment to creating a strengths-based and engagement-focused organization.
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Here Are Just a Few Ways We Can Help
Leadership Development
Create bold leaders in your organization. Can your leaders communicate what they do, what their leadership identity is and how their talents help them succeed? Fewer than two in 10 employees strongly agree that the leadership of their organization communicates effectively with the rest of the organization. Help your leaders discover their natural talents through 360 feedback, leadership competencies, executive coaching, leadership workshops and more.
Team Training
Strong teams are a vital asset. When team members come together to reach a goal, they are more likely to achieve it. It's a simple idea, but what's not simple is getting your teams to work together in a hybrid or matrixed environment. You know your team members better than anyone. But do you know why they do what they do, what motivates them or when they're at their best? Our role-specific CliftonStrengths reports are just one way you can help your team members use their strengths to succeed. Learn more about role-based reports and other CliftonStrengths report options.
Employee Development
Better business outcomes begin with the individual. Individuals who know their strengths work together to form better partnerships, and more thoughtful partnerships create stronger teams. Help each employee answer the question, "Who am I?" and discover what they do best -- because when an employee uses their strengths every day, they are six times more likely to be engaged in their job. Engaged employees are happier employees, and happier employees are better for your business.
Manager Onboarding and Development
Managers make or break an organization's success. If you're going to start developing just one group, start here. Managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement, which means that the health of an organization depends on the manager and their ability to communicate effectively with their employees, have helpful performance conversations, develop their employees and achieve team goals.
Culture Transformation
Imagine a culture where each person gets to do what they do best. When an employee knows their strengths, as well as the strengths of their partners, it leads to higher engagement and performance. Focus on your employees if you want to transform your culture, because your culture is more than a concept. It's more than ping pong tables or free beer on Fridays -- it's a combination of how your employees feel and how you treat them.
The Best Way to Build a Culture of Strengths Is Your Way
We want to show you how CliftonStrengths can help you transform your organization. Complete this form and Gallup will contact you to share how we can help you.
