Woo®: Developing Your Leadership Skills

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

Explore Gallup's CliftonStrengths^® for Leaders Report and discover its ability to help you maximize the impact of your -- and others' -- unique leadership talents and strengths, in this Season 2 episode of The CliftonStrengths Podcast. Join Jim Collison and Dr. Jaclynn Robinson as they discuss the Woo^® theme, its power in a leadership role, how it can help or hinder you as you lead others, and how you can leverage it with the CliftonStrengths for Managers and CliftonStrengths for Sales Reports. Unlock the leadership potential of your Woo talent -- because everyone leads something.

The success of Woo is bringing people together ... And bringing individuals together and making them feel welcome ... changes the dynamic of teams, when someone feels like they belong.

Jim Collison, 2:59

Given their broad network of people both inside and outside of the organization, a leader [with this theme] who manages others ... can be really fantastic at connecting their direct reports with other people.

Jaclynn Robinson, 9:46

Jim Collison 0:00
I am Jim Collison, and this is The CliftonStrengths Podcast, Season 2, recorded on January 24, 2023.

Jim Collison 0:07
In this CliftonStrengths Podcast series, we'll look at the CliftonStrengths for Leaders Report one theme at a time, and today's theme is Woo. If you're listening live, join us in the chat. If you don't see the chat on the page you're on, just, there's a link right above me to it, and join us in chat with your questions. If you're listening after the fact, you can send us an email: coaching@gallup.com. Dr. Jaclynn Robinson is our host today. She works as a senior Gallup Learning and Development Consultant and has joined me and did join me in the past on Season 1 of The CliftonStrengths Podcast, where you looked at Wellbeing at Work one theme at a time there as well. And Jaclynn, always great to be with you. With my Woo, let me welcome you back!

Jaclynn Robinson 0:59
Yes! My Positivity is happy to be here.

Jim Collison 1:02
Oh, we are glad you are here.

Jaclynn Robinson 1:04
My Positivity sees your Positivity.

Introducing Woo

Jim Collison 1:06
We will throw, what I'm most excited about (this won't matter for folks listening on the podcast), but we always, Woo always gets saved for last. Because it's at the end of the alphabet; we -- at least in English. Today, we're, we changed the whole order of things. We just came back from Adaptability. So that would make sense. We changed the order. Today, we're talking about Woo. Let's, let's give that definition of Woo.

Jaclynn Robinson 1:30
Yes. So you love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. You derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with someone. If you have Woo, this is you.

What Is the Power of Woo in a Leadership Role?

Jim Collison 1:43
Let's just end it with that. With that, we'll re -- no. It's, it's 2 for me. There's actually a GGSC, one of our coaching courses, going on right now. And I'm meeting with them after lunch today. I don't know any of them. And it's the best day. It is the best day ever to spend some time getting to know them. We're thinking, this season we're spending time thinking about the CliftonStrengths for Leaders Report. And so the, what's the power of this theme in a leadership role?

Jaclynn Robinson 2:11
This leader's charismatic and warm nature is just magnetic. So it makes it easier for people to feel comfortable when they're around. And they can create a collaborative and welcoming environment where people just share ideas and work together. If a silo in the workplace exists, this is the leader that can find ways to create a bridge of communication and collaboration. You're great at that.

Jim Collison 2:36
I think we often characterize Woo as life of the party. And I don't see that as a, as, you know, these were Don Clifton's success factors. These are things he found in life and in business where people were successful. And I love that you come back to this, you know, where they can create collaborative and welcoming environments. Because I think that's really the success of Woo is bringing people together, bringing teams together -- maybe even teams that are, that were disparate to start. They don't know each other, they don't, you know, many of the -- and you don't have to have Woo to be a CliftonStrengths coach, but many do that I've talked to. And bringing those, bringing individuals together and making them feel welcome because it changes the dynamic, right, of teams, when someone feels like they belong. And I think that's the success factor. Any, you want to add anything to that?

Jaclynn Robinson 3:31
Oh, that's good. It's good. There's the, what you're highlighting is really that intention piece that we tend to see with Woo is there's, there, it's great to have these relationships, and let's create some intention around it, whether it's goal-setting, whether it's getting to know each other better, whether it's breaking down silos, whether it's networking and growing, you know, our business with external clients, etc. So yeah.

How Can Those With Woo Lead Others?

Jim Collison 3:59
Yeah. Well, let's spend some time thinking about how it could lead others. So how can Woo really lead others?

Jaclynn Robinson 4:06
They influence others by showing the value of connection and charisma and I would say building relationships and completing goals together, just as a couple of examples. So where other leaders or employees might get comfortable in their own circles or silos, this leader really encourages people to get to know each other, recognize each other, find opportunities to collaborate. They might also encourage others then to start asking questions and engaging in conversations to spark partnerships. So I love these folks, especially if they're a senior leader, because they will encourage and almost hold other managers and leaders accountable to asking questions, recognize your team, get to know them a little bit more. Don't just have them come in like a cog in a wheel and get work done and leave; make it a warm, welcoming environment where people want to collaborate and engage.

Jim Collison 4:59
Yeah, they actually want to come. Like, they're like, Oh, I will feel welcome.

Jaclynn Robinson 5:03
This is a good culture here!

Jim Collison 5:04
Exactly. I'll feel welcome. I'll feel like I'm a part of the team. I will feel like I am part of the body, so to speak. I'm a member. Some of those kinds of things, some of my best Woo move, or moments have been when I brought teams together in that way, and then hand them off to maybe somebody with higher Executing or, or whatever we need to do, but to bring those. I think about my role as, as the, the intern manager for a lot of years here at Gallup, and especially with our high school teams, it was all about just bringing these students together -- making them feel welcome so we could have other experiences with them that were formative. I couldn't do it. I couldn't do those formative experiences. But I could find others that could. And so, but to make them feel welcome, so they'd want to come back. Listen, if they don't come back, can't be effective. They're gone. Tough to be effective --

Jaclynn Robinson 6:01
Cold culture. I don't want to be here. That's right.

How Could Woo Hinder Your Leadership of Others?

Jim Collison 6:05
Just saying. You got to create an environment where people want to learn. Let's think about, and this, this, I don't think any of this is possible, but how could this theme hinder (I'm joking) how could this theme hinder the leadership of others?

Jaclynn Robinson 6:18
One thing I thought about here is not everyone is as comfortable getting to know other individuals or may not see the value in having a large network of people in their social circle. So in these cases, helping people expand their relationships in a way that feels most suitable to them is going to be key for someone with high Woo. Maybe that individual in front of them is better when someone they trust introduces them to a person they should get to know better. So Woo might be that warm kind of extension that invites this other individual in to get to know this, this person. Or maybe when teams in different departments need to work better together, a leader or a team member with Woo on one of those teams gets the conversation going between both departments. So it's just thinking about the ways people build and grow relationships and how it might look different. Because there is such a comfort level with those high in Woo to just be around unfamiliar faces or connect others. So I think it's thinking about, you know, other people's talents; how do they like to build relationships?

Jim Collison 7:21
Well said. This season, we're thinking about these, this idea of report dynamics. How do we partner or pair this CliftonStrengths for Leaders Report with the CliftonStrengths for Sales or CliftonStrengths for Managers? Let's talk about sales or sales leaders, as I've heard you say in previous episodes. When we think about bringing those together, what are some things that may come out for those two reports?

Jaclynn Robinson 7:45
This, this leader can warm up prospects with their congenial or, you know, really kind attitude, and finds it fun and engaging to take on that more assertive prospect that doesn't warm up so easily, that person that might be asking a lot of challenging questions. So in this regard, they can find it less I think defeating to hear someone say, "No." Instead, they might rework their proposal and find opportunities to learn more about that, that individual, that prospect, to turn their "No" into a "Yes." So they can probably withhold the pressure of sales pretty well, to be like, Ooh, I'm gonna get this person.

How Can You Use Woo as You Lead, Together With the Managers and Sales Reports?

Jim Collison 8:22
I always call that presales. That's, I'm, I'm good at that; I'm a terrible closer. Understanding that in sales, by the way, revolution, revolutionized my selling. Because I was like, Yeah, I can't close. I just, I just, I'm terrible at it. And so partnering with those who could and putting myself in presales, that's what some companies call that, where, like, exactly what you're saying -- warm up the audience. Like, Hey, here's some, I love doing the presentation. I'll tell you all day about the benefits of becoming a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach. Getting you to buy the product to do it, that's, somebody else has gotta make that close -- or you're gonna do it on your own; one of the two. I'm just not, now that's me. That's me. That doesn't mean Woo always means you're a terrible closer. But I think, again, having that self-awareness for me was super important. But it's what we're doing right now. Right? This is, this is what I'm doing. I want people to be comfortable and feel good about knowing their strengths and what they're doing, and I'm warming up the audience for this, right. This is a Woo ex, this is a pure Woo exercise, in a lot of ways. I have Communication 4, so it fits, those two fit together nicely. But when we think about the manager, then, CliftonStrengths for Leaders, CliftonStrengths for Managers, what is that -- we put those together, what, how could we use those two reports?

Jaclynn Robinson 9:46
Well, given their broad network of people both inside and outside of the organization, a leader who manages others with this theme can be really fantastic at connecting their direct reports with other people. It could be a mentor; it could be a client, a prospect, another professional in the same field, in a different field. This manager just tends to know a lot of people -- what they do, where they might live, hobbies they might have. They're essentially a walking LinkedIn. So I think they're so great at being able to connect their employees to continue to build and broaden their network in a way that feels meaningful and conducive to them.

Jim Collison 10:24
I think sometimes leaders unnecessarily think they have to have Woo to be a leader or to be a manager. And not 100% of the time, but sometimes I think that's a misexpectation in that. But those that do have some ability to do some things that others can't. It's, again, it's the same with all of these themes. I just encourage those with high Woo, you've got an opportunity to build bridges, to make connections, to make people feel welcome. And as a leader, you get an opportunity to do that with your team. Like it's a powerful, powerful, powerful, powerful theme and talent that, that I think, and deployed in a way can really, can really move teams. I don't know, Jaclynn, as we wrap this up, anything else that you'd add, as we think about the power of Woo in the context of leaders?

Jaclynn Robinson 11:25
I like what you said: It has the power of moving teams. One thing they can be really good at and challenge other teams and leaders to consider is when there is a little bit of a disconnect between one department and another, or one team and another, are you asking? Are you going over there and asking that team or that department what they're doing, what the holdup might be, what their priorities are? Or are you just making assumptions? So they, they can help put a little whisper in the ear of these folks of ways that they can be more productive and Strategic in a Relationship Building manner, in an Influencing manner, when it comes to just the day to day. So I think that's something to consider too, because I feel like I'm doing a lot of coaching lately on helping managers engage their teams with not just making assumptions and doing the us versus them. Woo doesn't really allow that to happen. They're like, go over there! Go ask questions! Hang out with them! Make them your friends. You can work a lot more efficiently together, and you'll be happy people together. So that's something to consider too for those, those Woos out there.

Jim Collison 12:34
I just, as we were, we have Joe on the Go, who comes and, you know, provides coffee from time to time this morning. And of course, for me, that is open season connect, connecting people. Like I'm standing out in the lobby, "Hey, do you know so-and-so? Do you know, have you guys, have you met?" as we're talking to them all. And it's that, that power, I think, of making connections. Took me a long time to figure out how important that was in leading, of saying, "Hey, do you know?" Because oftentimes, folks would come up and they'd start talking. And I would just assume they knew each other. And good chunks of time, I mean, as I think about being at the Gallup at Work Summit, coaches don't, they have never met each other before. And they'll come, they'll come over to chat, and I, I've had to learn to say, "Hey, do you know? Have you guys met?" And then make that connection, because it can be a powerful connection, right? And to me, I win. That's when I win -- when the connection's made, whatever. And it's the, it's, I think it's that, that power to make those connections to, again, make people feel welcome. And so, so coaches, help me break -- coaches, everybody -- help me break this "life of the party" shenanigan thing that we have, I mean, yes, it can be. It's not a success factor. I mean, I mean, if, I guess if the party's boring, it is. It's somebody who brings it up, right? But there's, there's way more successful things that we've talked about here that I think can do it. So that can help people be more successful. Well, with that, we'll remind everyone to take full advantage of all the resources you do have available now in Gallup Access. If you want to head -- in fact, you want to know more about Woo or any of the themes, sign into Gallup Access. Go to the menu. Drop that down; choose Resources. Then put "Woo" in there, and it'll bring back every single thing we've done on Woo -- everything we know about it, everything we've said about it. All 6 seasons of Theme Thursday; these seasons of The CliftonStrengths Podcast, which we're in Season 2, and hopefully we'll do 6 seasons of these as well, are available there. So make sure you get in there and get them done. Engage your Learner, whether it's big "L" or small "l," get in there and get that done. Stay up to date with all the webcast content by following us on Eventbrite: gallup.eventbrite.com. Create an account and follow us there. Join us on any social platform just by searching "CliftonStrengths." We want to thank you for joining us today. And if you enjoyed this, share it with somebody, right. Get out there -- and make sure you subscribe, whether it's on YouTube or it's the podcast, make sure you subscribe, so you never miss an episode. Thanks for joining us today. With that, we'll say, Goodbye, everybody.

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

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