How to Improve Your Wellbeing With Achiever®

Below are audio and video plus a transcript of the conversation, including time stamps.

Your CliftonStrengths^® can empower the 5 elements of your wellbeing -- career, social, financial, community and physical. But how does this happen if you are struggling in one or more of these elements? If you have Achiever, Appendix 1 of Gallup's Wellbeing at Work book has Strengths Insights and Action Items that can move you from struggling to thriving as you apply your Achiever talent to fuel your wellbeing. Join Jaclynn Robinson and Jim Collison on this CliftonStrengths Podcast to discover how.

If we think about community wellbeing, if you're an Achiever, consider your passions and interests, the hobbies that you have ... that are quite important to you, and then look for ways to contribute and serve the community.

Jaclynn Robinson, 5:39

If you're on a team, and you're someone that enjoys being productive as an Achiever, lean into that energy, and really help motivate and inspire other people towards that objective at hand.

Jaclynn Robinson, 8:24

Jim Collison 0:00
I am Jim Collison, and this is the Wellbeing at Work and CliftonStrengths Podcast, recorded on November 11, 2021.

Jim Collison 0:06
In this CliftonStrengths Podcast, we will look at the Strengths Insight and Action Planning Items from Appendix 1 in the Gallup book Wellbeing at Work one theme at a time, and today's theme is Achiever. If you're listening live, join us in chat. There's a link right above me to do that there. Or if you're listening after the fact and you have questions, you can always send us an email: coaching@gallup.com. Dr. Jaclynn Robinson is our host today. She works as a Gallup Learning and Development Consultant and is a primary contributor to Appendix 1, which we'll be spending a lot of time in -- Gallup's book Wellbeing at Work. Jaclynn, great to see you, and welcome back!

Jaclynn Robinson 0:53
Thank you, sir!

What's the definition of Achiever?

Jim Collison 0:55
Excited to be in this series. Let's get it kicked off. Today, we're kicking off with Achiever. So let's start with the theme definition. How do we define Achiever?

Jaclynn Robinson 1:04
We see Achiever as one of those that really sets the pace for production, enjoys being productive, takes immense satisfaction out of being busy and productive throughout the day, and really has a number of personal and professional goals that they'd like to achieve.

Jim Collison 1:21
We want to spend some time how it relates to us, and then how it relates to others. So how does it relate to you?

Jaclynn Robinson 1:26
If I think about, if I think about the Achiever theme, I think it's the folks that tend to have a mental or written list of to-dos for the day. You know, it's, it's coupled with that and having these personal and professional goals ruminating in your mind of these things that you seek to achieve. And I think because of this innate desire to achieve your next personal best, there's very little time spent celebrating successes, because you're already thinking about the next thing that you want to do.

Jim Collison 1:53
And how does that then relate back to others?

Jaclynn Robinson 1:57
If we think about that, because of this desire to want to be busy and set, you know, be busy throughout the day, they can set the pace for individuals and teams. And whether it's role-modeled behavior, or they're inspiring and nudging others to act, they can get people moving towards those goals.

How does Achiever look when it's thriving versus struggling?

Jim Collison 2:14
We have a course; we have a lot of resources available around this. These are very simple definitions. But as, if you, we would encourage you to kind of dig in on those Theme Insight Report, or the Strengths Insight Guide -- now I think is what we call it -- is a great way to do that as well. Jaclynn, when we look at Achiever, what, what does it look like thriving maybe versus struggling?

Jaclynn Robinson 2:36
Productivity, I think, feels purposeful, because you're achieving goals and you're really efficient at what you're doing. You've got that speed down; you, you're able to pay a little bit more attention to that quality work. And you're excited to be able to check things off your list. So you feel like you have efficiency, speed; you're getting things done; you're achieving those goals. But on the flip side, if it's struggling, then sometimes the work that you select may or may not be applicable towards those goals that you have. And the workload can be so overwhelming at times that it's not very efficient for you or done in a timely manner. And that can be frustrating to you and/or other people.

Jim Collison 3:15
For Achievers -- little off script here for a second -- for Achievers, how do they know? How do you think they know they're in a thriving state versus a struggling state? What, what are some, maybe some key indicators in there that they could be like, Oh -- cause I don't know if it's always clear.

Jaclynn Robinson 3:32
I don't think it always is either. I've been sharing with a lot of Achievers -- Write everything down that you have on your list. And out of all of those tasks, what is aligned with personal and professional goals that you have that feels really purposeful? Sometimes I think it's the gut check and that just frustration that we have, if we, we bring wellbeing into the picture. There's, there's a level of frustration because you're not getting things done fast enough. That to-do list just keeps getting longer, and you're transferring it from one day to the next. Where, when you feel like you're firing on all cylinders with Achiever, you know, maybe you're moving a couple of things to the next day. But you feel like there's this pace, and you're still able to tread water in a way that feels positive and fruitful versus, you know, you're 8 feet deep, and you're tired of treading. Or, you know, you're in that 12-feet-deep water, and you're trying to swim to the surface. You feel it; you get that sense, if you're an Achiever.

Jim Collison 4:28
Do you think there's an opportunity to discover that maybe even through our relationships with others? In other words, asking those around us by the theme, How is it being seen? Do you think there's an opportunity there for that?

Jaclynn Robinson 4:42
That's -- Yes, I do. And it reminds me -- you might have people that say, "Hey, I know you. You tend to be one that gets something done really quickly," or "If something feels a little off, you know, I recognize that you're falling behind." And these are your trusted partners. So this isn't something where you might be offended that they're saying this. But that could be an enlightening Aha! moment when you have other people observing, you're not getting things done with the efficiency or speed that they're used to seeing in you.

Jim Collison 5:09
We have this resource that you spent a lot of time working on: Appendix 1 in the back of the book. Can you give us an example and a best practice from one of those wellbeing elements? We're, in this case, we're talking about Achiever. So let's dig in a little bit on that and give us a best practice out of the book.

Jaclynn Robinson 5:23
Yes. So with Achievers, we talk about work a lot, because Achievers love work. But I want to change gears a little bit and have us focus on something different with wellbeing. So instead of career wellbeing, let's just think about what it could look like with community wellbeing. So if we think about community wellbeing, if you're an Achiever, consider your passions and interests, the hobbies that you have day in and day out that are quite important to you, and then look for ways to contribute and serve the community. Bonus points if, while you're serving the community, whatever that is that you're doing is also a bridge for the work that you do in the workplace; there might be a way to tie both of those together.

Jim Collison 6:06
I love that idea of taking Achiever and then turning it towards a community event, a community need, a community -- We know from our wellbeing research that, that working in the community can be a boost to your wellbeing -- giving back, giving more than you're getting, those, those kinds of things. And I think sometimes I love the fact that you moved away from career at this point. And really, how could we point that in another way for it to be effective? I think that could, that could be a super cool opportunity. We have four other elements in the book. So the opportunity here is to drive you back to that and then go back through that Appendix 1, look at those other, those other four areas and, and get some examples. We'd kind of love to hear from you as well. Anything else that you'd add to that, Jaclynn?

Jaclynn Robinson 6:56
Well, because we know Achievers tend to choose work over people, going back to that community wellbeing piece, in a sense that's also going to support social wellbeing, where you're out and getting to work with other people. It's, it's productive, it's energizing, because you're doing good. So I think it can check a lot of wellbeing boxes, just in focusing on the community a little bit and turning away from always thinking about the work space.

For those with Achiever, how can it be used to support others?

Jim Collison 7:21
We have a section in Appendix 2 where we talk about these three different areas. And I love that you chose -- this won't be this way, every time, but -- I love that you chose this idea of community. How can we use Achiever, really, to support others? And let's walk through those three sections together.

Jaclynn Robinson 7:38
Yes, so if we're thinking about supporting other people, let's just talk about if you're leading a team. So right now (I always round up -- it feels like 2 years into COVID), the team might feel a little bit off center, in terms of what their purpose is or what they should be striving to achieve. So as an Achiever, if you're a manager or leading a team, then you can realign the team with what that overall goal is, so that they're focused on the bigger picture and how they can contribute to it. And I think this also allows them to think about what work they have on their plate, and what is in alignment to that, and what they might be able to move to the bottom of their, their own to-do list or, you know, to their calendar, they can push it to a future date.

Jim Collison 8:21
What about if you're on a team?

Jaclynn Robinson 8:23
Yes. So if you're on a team, and, you know, you're someone that enjoys being productive as an Achiever, lean into that energy, and really help motivate and inspire other people towards that objective at hand. Got a lot of people that are burned out right now. And that positive energy that you bring and the reinforcement of, you know, completing work that is contributing to a larger goal can be that morale boost for them and that mood boost for them.

Jim Collison 8:51
I actually rely on Achievers a lot. I don't -- I have one Executing theme in my Top 10. And so, especially over the last couple years, it's been a conscious thought for me to surround myself with Achievers. If I want to get stuff done -- and listen, I can get stuff done; I can kind of fake it through a Maximizer-Arranger thing, right, there, where I, you know, line up a bunch of stuff and then just blunt-force trauma, get it done. But with Achievers, there's this, it seems like there's this just natural pathway that they can create to just getting stuff done. I just, I'm in awe of them a lot of times, and I love to be around them. I just love to be with them. I actually love to kind of come behind them and support them. And in them, and in helping them get stuff done, I get stuff done, which is super cool. Right? So that partnership on a team that can work. What about from an individual standpoint?

Jaclynn Robinson 9:42
Ooh, individual standpoint. So if you've listened to former podcasts, you might hear me say this about purposeful productivity. It really, it's going right back to everything that you have on your plate, what's in alignment with your own personal and professional goals and what isn't, because you've just taken it on because you like work? But it's not necessarily something that's constructive for you. If it's not aligned, you know, Michael Hyatt is this leadership, planning and productivity guru. He says, you know, what can you delegate, automate or eliminate? And I love that, because I think that's something to be considering as an Achiever to make sure that you are fully in alignment with workplace needs and goals that you have, and, and personal goals.

Jim Collison 10:23
Yeah, I think in this area of wellbeing, I think Achievers can look at their teams or look at their groups. By the way, a team can be anywhere, right -- can be a family unit; it can be a social unit; it can be whatever. And, and look inside and say, "Who inside is struggling to get things done?" Because I think when we, we're not productive, it worries us, right? It drags us down sometimes; it makes us ineffective. And I think Achievers have that ability to look inside at others from a wellbeing standpoint, and say, "What kind of things can I do? What kind of things can I get done to help others? Or how can I remove things for others, right, to get, to help clear, to clear away and remove some of that anxiety, some of that -- ?

Jaclynn Robinson 11:11
Such a good point, right.

Jim Collison 11:14
Jaclynn, as we look at that Appendix 2, there's a great framework, and I've asked you to kind of work through it from just an example standpoint. So you, you're going to proxy as an Achiever. Walk yourself through that a little bit. And, and what would you add in to that?

Jaclynn Robinson 11:30
Thinking about what I would ask myself or things that I would do for the team?

Jim Collison 11:34
Yeah, yeah, walk through that.

Jaclynn Robinson 11:35
Yes. So I think you know, top of the morning, you're waking up, looking at yourself in the mirror, you might want to think about, What gives me the most energy? You know, as I think about how this week has gone so far, what's given me the most energy? If I think about the day ahead of me, what am I looking forward to the most? And really paying attention to where that energy goes. That's one way to boost wellbeing is to say, How can I find ways to create more of that space, whether it's at work, or whether it's at home? And then I think things that we can do as Achievers is, you know, asking team members, "If you could make one change for the better, what does that look like? What would it be?"

Jaclynn Robinson 12:17
And then if we think about identifying action, and we start to pull in some best practices, this, again, is going to tie in career wellbeing and community wellbeing -- and social, actually. But identify someone with that shared mission. And, you know, it's this person that is an accountability partner for you -- they're your cheerleader; they encourage your growth -- and spend more time with them to really be able to feed that social piece, the career piece, the community piece. It's a way to, you know, support relationships while also pursuing your goals.

Jim Collison 12:49
As an Achiever, what kind of systems might you use to be able to even accelerate or encourage or support asking yourself these 3 questions? As an Achiever, what might you do to drive this even more?

Jaclynn Robinson 13:05
I'm a fan of motivational quotes. So I like the Post-It note motivational quotes. Having a Post-It note that just says what gives you energy would be something for me that would trigger me to think about that -- whether it's on my mirror in the bathroom or on a, you know, on my laptop, but having it near is almost that subliminal messaging -- What is giving me energy today? And what's taking away from that? So I have something I can go off of to share with my manager, to share with a team member, to share with, you know, a family member. But I think, I think that's key is just putting it somewhere where we can note it. And we're always fans of lists and reminders. So maybe it's that ping that, that shows up on your, you know, smartphone.

Jim Collison 13:54
Well, we kind of always default to those lists, right? When we think about Achiever, we kind of default to those lists. And I love the fact that you stepped out a little bit and say I'm, even I post it on a wall -- Post-Its that I'm writing and putting on the wall or a framed picture of something to remind me to do this. I think Achievers can also set up automatic systems, right? However, whatever that looks like from a technology standpoint, or what? Listen, as a wannabe Achiever, I'm always setting, I'm always trying to do those kinds of things. I have Activator but not Achiever. They always fail; I'm just not really great at it, right? But Achievers have the ability I think then to set up those automatic process or help others set up those automatic processes, get those systems going. Anything else the, that, that would spark a thought from you?

Jaclynn Robinson 14:38
Yeah. So earlier you were talking about the partnership of Achievers, and I love that, and how you said, "I like to, you know, really get behind them and support them in the work." I love that because Achievers, because of that desire to want to just get things done, get it done quickly, because you enjoy work. It can be hard to delegate out the work or tell people when you need support. You just continue to overburden yourself, and you feel it -- I think a lot of Achievers might be burned out at this point in time because they've taken on so much more. And Achievers will burn out eventually. I know there's this pride in, "No, I have stamina that lasts forever." But that flame eventually just, you know, snuffs out. And so I loved what you said, because I think that's a great support system is, it's OK to hand off work. It's OK to have some support and some help, especially when it's that trusted confidant or that, that colleague that you really enjoy working with in the workplace. They can really help continue to keep you motivated, serve as that person that says, "You look like you're really enjoying this," or "Hey, let me take some of that off your plate."

Jim Collison 15:41
I love that. I think Achievers may even want to consider setting up a system that checks their own wellbeing. Right? Because you can drive, you can drive yourself, like a dog chasing a car, right? You can just, you, they'll just keep running. And so it, maybe it's one of those situations where set up a process for regular check. How am I feel -- and then, not just, How am I feeling? But how do I know how I'm feeling? Right. I mean, that real question back to yourself, How do I know this? And what is a system that can tell me that? And maybe even what are some early warning systems that will tell me these things are off? Right? Or they get to be a problem? How can I know I'm starting to feel this way? Even though I don't have Achiever, I've spent the last couple, I've spent the last year trying to have these early warning mental notes that says, Hey, warning, danger! You know.

Jaclynn Robinson 16:36
Danger, Will Robinson!

Jim Collison 16:38
You should be thinking about this. And I think Achievers maybe need to set up those processes to check themselves. Jaclynn, anything else before I wrap it?

Jaclynn Robinson 16:47
I do too. Sometimes, Achiever might, might feel a bit like Focus, because there's that goal orientation there. And I think that's a, that's a good gut-check too of just my wellbeing feels off. I feel like I'm lacking focus and direction. And that's probably a sign that you're off course from your personal or professional goals. So take a step back, and How am I feeling? How am I doing as it relates to things that are meaningful and purposeful to me? And then thinking again, about that energy -- am I, am I aligning my energy in the right direction?

Jim Collison 17:16
I think that's -- energy is one of those kinds of things we can ask for each of the 34 themes as well. Is, is this, is this bringing me energy? And is it contribute -- am I able to contribute energy back to the group? Right? It's not always just about us. Oftentimes, it's about am I, can I provide -- is it helping me provide energy back to the group?

Jaclynn Robinson 17:36
Yes. Or am I too tired to even do that -- to motivate them to work more?

Jim Collison 17:40
Yeah, yeah, if you're broken, it's tough to help, right, along those lines. Well, with that, we'll remind everyone to take full advantage of all the resources we have available in Gallup Access. Don't forget, you might want to follow along -- pick up the book Wellbeing at Work, and Appendix 1 and 2, we'll be spending the rest of the season in those as well. For coaching, master coaching or to become a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach -- or any questions -- you can just send us an email: coaching@gallup.com. You can follow these sessions -- gallup.eventbrite.com. And join us on any social platform by searching "CliftonStrengths." If you're listening live, we'll do some midshow. If you're listening to the recording, there's probably another one there for you. With that, we'll say, Goodbye, everybody.

Jaclynn Robinson's Top 5 CliftonStrengths are Achiever, Strategic, Maximizer, Positivity and Relator.

Gallup^®, CliftonStrengths^® and each of the 34 CliftonStrengths theme names are trademarks of Gallup. Copyright © 2000 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.