Jim Collison:
[0:01] Welcome to Season 4 of The CliftonStrengths Podcast, where we dive deep into how CliftonStrengths themes build powerful partnerships and help teams thrive. I'm Jim Collison, Gallup's CliftonStrengths Community Manager.
Jillian White:
[0:11] And I'm Jillian White, Gallup's Subject Matter Expert on Culture and Leadership and our Lead Subject Matter Expert for CliftonStrengths.
Jim Collison:
[0:16] Today's theme is Consistency. We'll explore what that theme brings and what it needs and how it fosters collaboration. Jillian, welcome!
Jillian White:
[0:24] Thank you, Jim. Excited to get into this strength.
Jim Collison:
[0:26] Yeah, and the heart of Consistency, let's take a look at it. What is it? Give us, give us an idea what it is.
Jillian White:
[0:33] Just to remind us what that Consistency strength is: At the heart of it is fairness. These are individuals who are wired to want to see systems of equity around them. They are individuals that crave stable, consistent routines, clear rules, clear procedures. They bring operating systems that help to bring an infrastructure of equity. It's an Executing theme, so they act based on what they perceive is fair and balanced. And that's the image I like to see for Consistency is an image of a balance, where there's weights on either side, and you're trying to keep those things balanced. They want those systems of fairness.
Jim Collison:
[1:11] We originally called this theme "Fairness" back in the day and there, for various reasons, made that change to Consistency. But it is a term that I pull back a lot when I'm explaining this to people. Some want to come at this theme from an "I do things the same way, the same time." And that can be a part of it. But I love this idea of how we treat people. We often spent time in past seasons thinking about the me to we concepts of taking it from just me to the we. And I think in Consistency, there is that. The mature version of this is really looking at others and how they're treated and finding that, like you said, that balance or that fairness in that. Would you add anything to that?
Jillian White:
[1:53] Yeah, that's, it's a great point. It is a strength that is about — the application is with people. So remember that fairness brings in an other. It's thinking of that system of equity that's a part of it. I oftentimes like to think, what are other strengths that might contrast it? So for example, Consistency, it thinks about the collective, where something like Individualization thinks a bit more about the individual. So when you have a strength like Individualization, it's looking at how to personalize or customize to someone, where Consistency in and of itself almost has the we built into it, because it's thinking about the collective and creating a system that feels fair for everyone and feels equitable for everyone.
Jim Collison:
[2:36] I love that. I love that thought of it's built into it, and one I really think we need a lot of. From your coaching work and your consulting work that you've done, give me an example, maybe, where you've seen this in action.
Jillian White:
[2:49] Yeah, you know, I always love to just think about where I've seen these things shine and how people partner with others when they have this strength. Now, anytime I give an example, it doesn't mean that you're always going to find it in this type of a role or this type of an industry. But one of the ones that stands out to me was working with a company who was rehauling their performance management processes. Now, you can imagine a leader at the heart of rehauling performance management strategies. Consistency was such a gift, because they could help bring that system of fairness to think about how we are measuring people across our organization in a way that feels fair, that prevents favoritism, that helps everyone feel equally valued as a part of this company and very clear on the rules of how they're getting measured on their performance. So you can imagine, as we talk about powerful partnerships, that person also had to be very mindful to make sure that, as the system was getting rolled out, they were working with partners who could communicate the why. They were working with people who could bring people with them as a part of the change. But that heart of fairness at developing that performance management rehaul is really neat to see in action.
Jim Collison:
[3:56] It's a great example. We have a new section — I shouldn't say new — within the last year in our, in our Community area, now in our app, where you can compare your themes to someone who shared their themes with you. In that section, we have an I bring and I need statement. They've been very, very popular. We're going to practice those now. When, when we think about this, what does it bring?
Jillian White:
[4:18] Yeah, if I'm partnering with somebody who has that high Consistency, they bring stability to our partnership, and they bring that through their predictability. Remember, they like systems of fairness, and that oftentimes shows up in how they show up themselves. So they apply rules to themselves that help create balance in how they're interacting with others. So I can oftentimes predict their behavior because it's very consistent — the reason we choose that word to go along with it. So that stability through predictability, something I'm going to experience in that partnership, I'm also going to experience that ability to do things at scale.
Jillian White:
[4:53] So remember, it's different than Individualization, in the sense that it thinks about that scale. It wants to reduce variance, so it's going to bring that infrastructure to help govern a group, help govern the collective. They're naturally going to think about that larger application to the collective. They may also be, in our partnership, the conscience of our group. They're going to be very aware if rules are getting misapplied, if there's favoritism, if there's bullying, if there's mistreatment, their radar's going to go up, and they're going to be the ones who can help bring things back into balance and create consistency for the partnership and for the team.
Jim Collison:
[5:28] I love that "stability through predictability" concept. And I think sometimes we could, we could take speed from predictability and say that. Because we know what's going to happen. We know when we turn the wheel, it's, the vehicle will follow that path. Imagine driving a car and you, you didn't know which way the wheel would take you, right? And how slow you would have to go in that case. And so I love that concept of stability.
Jillian White:
[5:57] A good catchphrase for Consistency is actually "reducing operational variance." So think what it is doing. There, there's a level, there's certain strengths that bring efficiency, and this is one of them that brings it through that reduction of operational variance.
Jim Collison:
[6:11] What does it need, then?
Jillian White:
[6:14] You're going to hear this come out whenever I talk about what strengths need is I like to listen for the value behind the strengths. Remember, they value clear expectations. I want to know what's expected of me. They value having a system of fairness. So bring that to those partners. They're going to do better when they have clear expectations. They're going to do better when they feel like things are fair in your partnership. They're going to do better when they understand standard operating procedures. So when they know the rules that are getting applied to everyone, how we do things around here.
Jim Collison:
[6:46] That's awesome. In the new Top 5 report, we have an area called Theme Dynamics. We're going to look at it from both an individual theme standpoint and then in partnerships. When we pair these, this with the, we have another theme that's the most common with it. And actually, I really love this pairing. Talk a little bit about what's the most common theme that pairs with Consistency.
Jillian White:
[7:06] You know, it's fun to think about with this. I was looking at this and, Jim, I was sharing this last night. I was with some friends here in Chicago, and one of my closest friends actually has this exact combination. So it's always fun when you just picture real flesh and blood, right, that's embodying these strengths. And the one that's most likely to partner with that high Consistency is Harmony. Think about how that shows up. You heard me say that Consistency brings operational variance reduction, so it reduces operational variance. What does Harmony do? Harmony reduces emotional variance. This is someone who's going to bring a lot of clarity in how we work together, because they can find that common ground, and they're going to be a very, very, likely, consistent and predictable partner.
Jim Collison:
[7:53] Yeah, I love, as we've been doing this season, you know, Learner and Achiever come up a lot, as we think about work. And it's, for me, as we think about Consistency and the specialness of it, I mean, think in what it can do, then we see Harmony with that. And I just love that — I love that combination together. What about when we think about this idea of Theme Dynamics and partnerships and collaboration?
Jillian White:
[8:13] Yeah, you've heard me say this multiple times that, What does Consistency value? It values applying structure, right? And it values follow-through. So I think what's some strengths that catalyze that? Discipline brings a lot of efficiency to it — repeatable systems, right? So putting those two together could, could really sharpen some efficiency for a group. Responsibility really values follow-through. So part, those two partnering together could really create a nice sense of consistent balance and follow-through. That's going to be fun for that person to work with those strengths.
Jillian White:
[8:49] Flip side of it, we know Consistency is about scalability, but there are going to be times where somebody has to say, "You know what, there's an exception or there's a place we need to customize, there's a place we need to personalize." I always think this is the space where the strengths are going to feel very different, right? Consistency partnering with Individualization — that's more about customization and personalization — you're going to get a great outcome from that. It might be a little harder, because they see the world in very different ways, but that can be a powerful complementary partnership or having two people that think that way on a team.
Jillian White:
[9:22] I also think Consistency is about, you know, repeating the same thing. They may need reminders of when to be willing to change course or just be in the moment. Think about strengths that do that. Adaptability — very in the moment. Strengths that can be very agile and change course. Strategic, Arranger — they bring a sense of flexibility to them. Those may also complement that Consistency to say, Hey, where are the times where, yes, you've got that super consistent golf swing, that super consistent approach to things. But, you know, we landed in the rough on this one. We got to do something different. And so they're able to come in and look at how to do something a little bit differently.
Jim Collison:
[9:58] You may be giving me some clues why I like partnering with, with Consistency: High Arranger, high Adaptability, high Individualization. And I, and so there's, there may be some clues, as we think about those complementary partnerships that really settle in for me. This season, we're spending time creating some tips for leaders and teams and individuals. When we think about leaders, how can leaders recognize and harness consistency for their teams and organizations?
Jillian White:
[10:24] Yeah. First of all, spot it, right? Look for those people, they're very predictable in their own behavior. They value fairness. They value equity. They like clear rules. What can you do as a leader to help them? Help them understand the rules of the team and the organization. Let's imagine you're onboarding someone with high Consistency. They're naturally going to be saying, you know, How am I held accountable to my performance? What's expected of our norms on the team? The more they feel comfortable with the rules of how things are being done, the more free they will feel.
Jillian White:
[10:52] And then, I always like to think with this one, as leaders, we know, Jim, the power of strengths-based organizations. We just gave out our Don Clifton Strengths-Based Culture Award winners. And these are organizations that are truly understanding that you're unleashing a level of performance by creating systems that help position people to do what they do best and play to their strengths. So what can leaders do in those type of systems? Look for how to position people to let their strengths flourish. So when you need someone who needs to bring that level of fairness or scalability, position them to take on that kind of work — always in connection with a conversation with that individual, but that's where they're going to light up.
Jillian White:
[11:29] You might also think about bringing that person in when you're giving recognition to the team. Because they value fairness so much, they're going to be that person who you can go to and say, "Hey, did I miss anyone on when I'm going to give recognition for this team that's been doing all this work on the system rollout?" And they'll go, "Oh, you know what? Actually, you've got somebody over here. Make sure that feels fair. They've done a lot of work too." So they're going to bring that, that conscience and that fairness to really help create that feeling of, of equality and feeling valued as a part of the team.
Jim Collison:
[12:02] Yeah, you made me think of partnering with someone with an Includer as well.
Jillian White:
[12:06] It almost could feel like it.
Jim Collison:
[12:07] You know, from that standpoint, yeah, I love that. That, again, because I struggle with that as a leader sometimes, that kind of makes me feel warm and comfortable thinking a partner like that on my team helping me. What should teams know about working with someone who has this strength?
Jillian White:
[12:23] Yeah. I was also going back to, you've heard me reference a couple times when we've looked at our research on powerful partnerships. We've found 8 dimensions of what makes incredibly powerful partnerships. And one of those dimensions is fairness. So imagine if I'm partnering with somebody, this is going to come pretty naturally if I'm working with somebody with high Consistency. I want to think about, up front, just being clear, who's doing what in our partnership as we work together? How do I make sure we're giving equal credit where credit is due? And that, that fairness and, and recognition of that fairness over time will be a strong foundational piece of our partnership and come easily to us.
Jim Collison:
[13:04] For individuals with Consistency, what are our final thoughts on how to amplify these themes with our current partnerships?
Jillian White:
[13:12] Yeah. You know, I was actually reading an article — one of our, one of our colleagues, Vibhas Ratanjee, has been doing some writing for Forbes. He wrote a beautiful article on how to think about what our strengths contribute to the world around us. So I think part of what I love about this series is it's not just strengths for me and my success. A strengths-based organization, a strengths-based culture, a strengths-based community is really thinking about how, as a collective, our strengths are helping to serve one another. And so I encourage us, when you're thinking about any strength, how can the strength help you serve? So if you have strong Consistency, claim it, bring it to the people around you, bring clarity, bring stability, bring systems of fairness. They're going to appreciate you when you're naturally bringing those things that are what you do best.
Jim Collison:
[14:02] Well said, Jillian. Thank you for saying that. That just makes me feel good inside when you say that. Thank you. With that, we'll remind everyone to take advantage of all the resources we do have available in Gallup Access. Log in, choose the Resource tab, and then search on, and you can just put "Consistency" in there. You'll see all the webcasts, past webcasts that we've done, all the learning that's available on it will be available for you there to continue the learning process. But I think, like Jillian says, learning is great, but let's apply that and take that to others, so that they can experience that as well. For those listening, stay around for a little bit of a postshow. If you're listening to the podcast, we probably have another episode for you. Just click Next. We'll see you over there. With that, we'll say, Goodbye, everybody.
Jillian White's Top 5 CliftonStrengths are Achiever, Input, Learner, Belief and Responsibility.