Jim Collison:
[0:01] Welcome to Season 4 of The CliftonStrengths Podcast, where we'll dive deep into how CliftonStrengths themes build powerful partnerships and help teams thrive. I'm Jim Collison, Gallup's CliftonStrengths Community Manager.
Jillian White:
[0:09] And I'm Jillian White, Gallup's Subject Matter Expert on Culture and Leadership and our Lead Subject Matter Expert for CliftonStrengths.
Jim Collison:
[0:14] Today's theme is Ideation. We'll explore what this theme brings, what it needs, and how it fosters collaboration. Jillian, welcome!
Jillian White:
[0:21] Thanks, Jim. This is going to be a fun one to get into. And especially, I think this is No. 7 for you. Is that right?
Jim Collison:
[0:27] It is indeed. And it's a fun one. I enjoy this one as well.
Jillian White:
[0:31] It is a fun one.
Jim Collison:
[0:32] Well, let's start. Let's back up a little bit. Tell us a little bit about what this strength looks like.
Jillian White:
[0:36] When I think about people who have that high sense of Ideation, these are people who are fascinated and energized with ideas. It is a Strategic Thinking strength. So I often think, where does the energy even come on your own body? It's mental energy, right? This is something I once heard someone describe as a "popcorn popper in your head." It can oftentimes generate new ideas or connect the dots between other ideas, maybe even birth a new idea out of that. The image I'd like to have as a result of that is just a light bulb. A light bulb going off, whether you have that new idea you're coming up with or you see a connection between other ideas, it's that Aha!, that fun of generation and thinking outside the box.
Jim Collison:
[1:19] I love that, that idea of a light bulb. I think of it in terms of actually momentum. Now, there's some other themes around that that are definitely influencing that for me. But I always think of Ideation as being able to create momentum. Sometimes we're stuck, right? And we need ideas to get us unstuck. That's simply put. There's other scenarios around that. But I love that idea of it kind of creating momentum to get us moving. And oftentimes, we just need solutions for that.
Jillian White:
[1:46] It's great at helping people get unstuck. And I think there's certain strengths that tend to bring a little energy to situations, and there's certain strengths that tend to, you know, kind of bring calm. This is one that typically brings a little energy.
Jim Collison:
[1:59] Yeah. Or disruption. Those — that word.
Jillian White:
[2:02] Or disruption, which is energy, too.
Jim Collison:
[2:03] Not always bad. Not always bad. From your consulting work that you've done, can you give us an example of where have you seen this work?
Jillian White:
[2:10] Yeah, I was thinking about a fantastic example with this one. I have a really cool story that I feel like is one that always comes to mind when I look at Ideation. And I was sitting at a board meeting for one of our clients. We were doing strengths with their board. And I have to admire their CEO of this organization, $20 billion- plus organization. And when he talked about his strengths, he had Ideation in his Top 5 of his strengths. And he had a very mature approach of describing how that Ideation had grown in his leadership over time. And what he said, so this organization had a lot of different manufacturing sites and things like this. He would go around initially and visit a site. And he would share all these creative ideas of things that they could do to improve things or try new processes and all of this. And he said, he's just brainstorming, right? He would come back six months later, and they had all of these work streams working on all of the ideas that he mentioned.
Jillian White:
[3:08] And he had this Aha! moment where he realized that, while he knew he was brainstorming, because of the position he was in, people often took that as a directive. So he was able to intentionally better aim and partner with others with that high Ideation in the long term. When he started either using words to say, Hey, you know what? We're just going to brainstorm a little bit here, or if he knew the right audiences that it was safe to do that with, or times where he said, this is a place to act — this is a place not to act yet; we're just thinking about what's possible. So it was really neat to hear that example of somebody in that leadership role able to bring fresh, outside-the-box perspective, but also a very mature approach to how to lead and partner with others, having that strong Ideation.
Jim Collison:
[3:51] Yeah, that reminds me of the great Spiderman quote, right, of "With great power" — I like to say, "With great influence. there is great responsibility." And I think this is one of those areas, right, as depending on the position you're in, you have to kind of think through, When I say things, what happens, right? What — does it, can it, could it create? Because everybody wants to do them. Like, it can, like, it can create a whole bunch of new work streams. You're like, No, no, no, I was, I was just thinking about this. Like, I didn't intend for it. So I think there's, for those high in Ideation, I think there's a great opportunity to say, What do I, when I talk, or when I write, or when I do, how do I influence? Because that could move, that could move things based on the things I come up with. That's, sometimes that's not always a bad thing, right? Because it creates, it can create that disruption, that a great idea might happen to come out that was needed, right, to come out. But maybe not planned. I don't know. Any thoughts on that?
Jillian White:
[4:49] Well, and this is where, I mean, this is perfectly laying the ground for us talking about, every strength is going to have things that is an advantage to the partners around them, right? This is that person, if I'm working with them, they're going to help me get unstuck in a situation or look at something a different way and have that Aha! moment it myself. But it also lays the ground for us saying, who do they need to partner with that's going to complement them, right? Because, take that same lesson that that CEO had, you know, yes, they could do a little self-regulation, but imagine if they're running through a few of those ideas with a partner who's got high Maximizer or Strategic first, and they're trying to really refine it and just make sure they're sharing the right ideas or sharing it to the right people or using the right language with it with a high Communication. Those are strengths that really think about intentionally partnering differently to get the best out of that strength.
Jim Collison:
[5:39] Yeah. Imagine if the teams understood that around them and then asked the questions afterwards, "Hey, did, you had some great ideas. Did you really mean — ?" Like, you know, some, some, some check-in, right? This, I think, as we talk about powerful partnerships, I think this is what we're talking about is, it's OK, like, sometimes these ideas need to just come out. But the teams need to know, what do I need to do with these things, right? And in a strategic sense, if they know this is coming, then someone can check back around and say, I know you had 10 ideas. Do you really want us to do all 10? Or what's the expectation, right, moving forward? So I love that idea. I think in partnership, you'll talk about that here in just a few minutes, but I think the partnership helps in that.
Jim Collison:
[6:17] In Gallup Access, we have a section on your Strengths Dashboard where you can share your Top 5 or 34 with other folks. In that, we have some new tools that are available for you. And I think a really helpful tool in spending time looking at what this theme brings and what it needs. So let's first talk about brings. Jillian, when we think about Harmony, what does it bring?
Jillian White:
[6:36] Yeah. If I'm partnering with somebody who's got that — Ideation, by the way, we just did Harmony before this. So our high Ideation, if we're partnering with them, they're going to bring some creativity and originality. So they have that fresh, outside-the-box perspective. These are fantastic brainstorming partners. They're going to bring that energy around ideas. They will also bring an ability to look at connections. So remember, part of the strength is good at taking seemingly disparate and unrelated ideas and putting them together or seeing a connection between them or birthing something new from those ideas. The example I always have in my head is if you listen to the song Bohemian Rhapsody, and you realize that it's actually smashing together rock and opera in the same song, you go, Wow! I wonder if that's somebody who had high Ideation, they bring that creative world of possibilities through your partnership.
Jillian White:
[7:29] They also bring a lot of intellectual energy. We talked about the strength bringing energy, but what kind of energy does it bring? Positivity might bring more relational energy; Ideation brings intellectual energy. So it's the ideas that bring that source of joy and that help them dream about what is possible. A lot of our research team here at Gallup actually has high Ideation, and I think it's their joy of thinking about what is possible and how to look at data in a new way that really motivates them and helps them make a strong contribution through the work they're doing.
Jim Collison:
[8:05] I liked Harmony so much. Did I bring that back? Did I say "Harmony" instead of "Ideation"?
Jillian White:
[8:09] I think you did. We can double check.
Jim Collison:
[8:12] It's all right. Sometimes that happens. We do two in a row, and so sometimes that happens. OK, so with Ideation, then, as we're thinking about, what does it need?
Jillian White:
[8:19] Yeah. So flip side of this, once again, look at when does a, when does a high Ideation thrive? They are going to thrive when they have the opportunity to have variety in their work. They want to think about new ways, different ways to do things. They don't want to do things the same way. They don't want to follow a formula that's been given to them. They're going to bring a different perspective. So they need variety in their work. They also need creative freedom. They do not typically love constraints or limitations. So if I'm partnering with them and it feels like I'm constraining and limiting, they're not going to love that. They're going to love more of a whiteboard approach. So I think I was sharing, my husband has this high, and he has a whiteboard that he keeps behind him. And part of that is this chance to kind of reinvent and generate and have a blank slate to come up with ideas and dream about what's possible. So that creative freedom is going to light them up.
Jim Collison:
[9:17] Yeah, I think that plays to the example I gave before, where I had a partner, and they say, "Give me three ideas." That, it was creative freedom with limits, right? Knowing, Hey, we don't have all day to spend on this. So that was awesome. In our new Top 5 Report, we've added a section, we've added the Theme Dynamics section. That's when two themes working together. We're going to spend a little time talking about individuals a little bit, when we think about teams in this. When we think about common pairings with Ideation, what pairs with that most commonly?
Jillian White:
[9:46] The most common pairing inside of an individual is Ideation and Strategic. Strategic, very good at looking at pathways forward. So imagine putting those two things together. I'm going to read the direct statement, because I don't think I can say it better than this, that we actually have on our report. "When you need to do something or get somewhere, you consider all possibilities. If none seem right, you create a new one." That's Ideation and Strategic together.
Jim Collison:
[10:11] I love that. How would you use this idea of Theme Dynamics in partnerships and collaborations? Spend some time talking about that.
Jillian White:
[10:18] Yeah. Let's go back to the model we've been using throughout this whole season. When you're partnering with somebody, think about who's your catalyst partner and who's your complementary partner. So if you have somebody strong in Ideation, that strength is going to light up with what I call either "dreaming partners" or "deep thinking partners." So dreaming partners might be Futuristic or Significance. They can help see the possibilities of where an idea could go, right? Deep thinking partners might help fuel things that give ideas to that Ideation. Intellection, Input — deep exploration of ideas, right? Those are going to be fun for somebody with high Ideation.
Jillian White:
[10:58] Flip side of this, who's your complementary partners? Go back to the example I shared earlier today. That Ideation, because it is good generative and thinking outside the box, it doesn't necessarily get the energy in making the idea actually happen, turning that idea into a reality. They need Execution partners. So make sure you're partnering with people who can actually help make that idea a reality. Achiever, Discipline, Responsibility, Focus — anything really in that Executing Domain could be a good partner. I also think about refining partners. Jim, you mentioned this with, you almost do it in yourself, it sounds like, because you've got Ideation and Maximizer. But imagine if you have an individual who has high Ideation and you pair them with that Maximizer or Strategic or Analytical. Those might be strengths that help filter and refine those ideas to say, What's the best one? Or what's the one with the best outcome? Or what's the possibilities with this that help us sort or focus might help with that?
Jillian White:
[11:58] And then final partnership on the complementary side might be a promotional partner. So, you know, Ideation by itself might not necessarily get everyone on board with the idea. You're fascinated by the idea yourself. But imagine that there's something you want to have other people catch on to that idea with. Partnering with promotional strengths, like the classic advocacy package of Communication-Woo-Positivity, you know, those types of strengths will help you get other people on board with your idea.
Jim Collison:
[12:29] Look at you coming up with some partnership packages there. Nicely done!
Jillian White:
[12:33] I'm inspired by some of our live audience, like individuals who share, Ralph, I think, we've been sharing a lot of individual packages that Curt Liesveld used to give us back in the day, which are really neat to see.
Jim Collison:
[12:46] It's a great way of looking at it. So, so appreciate that. Well, well done. We have some tips for leaders, teams and individuals. So let's talk about the leaders first. How can leaders recognize and harness this theme with their teams or organizations?
Jillian White:
[12:59] Yeah. Remember, if you're a leader, look for it on your team. Even if you don't have Clifton StrengthsFinder, we know cues and clues to talent, right? Spot it. These are your people who love brainstorming. They're the first to raise their hand when you get to generate ideas. They're energized by doing something a new way. They always have a creative outside-the-box approach to something. Few things to keep in mind if I'm leading this person: Give them freedom to experiment. Let them have some creative of projects where they get to try something different. Give direction to their Ideation. That's going to help focus that Ideation and give a desired outcome for where they're bringing their ideas. Find out what fuels their Ideation and provide it. So I love asking people, you know, "Where do you get your best ideas from?" If they're a reader, help, give them a budget to have some books that they get to use to fuel their Ideation on key topics, right? If there's somebody who gets their ideas from other people, make sure they're getting to partner with other people. But find out what fuels their Ideation and provide it.
Jillian White:
[13:57] And then finally, recognize their creative thinking. I always think with these strengths, What is meaningful recognition from somebody who's a leader or a manager? It's something that honors how that strength got a creative or productive outcome for the team. So that creative thinking, honoring something that's an idea that they brought that made a difference is going to be meaningful to that person with Ideation.
Jim Collison:
[14:18] What should teams know about working with someone or even onboarding someone that has this theme?
Jillian White:
[14:24] Yeah, I would say expose them to some innovation early. If you're bringing someone who has Ideation on the team, they're going to get excited by that, right, and the idea of what's possible. Leverage their ability to brainstorm ideas. Jim, I thought the example that you personally gave with this is fantastic. You know, imagine I'm partnering with somebody with high Ideation. And I say, "Hey, do you have 5 minutes to just give me like, blank slate, you know, your three best ideas on, I'm trying to do this," right? Leverage their ability to do that. Ask them what possibilities they see in a situation. They're going to have fun doing that. It's a way to leverage that in your partnership.
Jim Collison:
[15:01] Yeah, and it might be good to know how they communicate that. I have Communication, so I want to talk about it. But there may be those who want to write about it, or there might be those who need some time to think about it, then can give. So I think it's, it's good to ask those — with those partners, I think it's good to ask the question, "How does this best work for you?" Just so you know how to set them up best for success. What should Ideation, what should we keep in mind with, about Ideation and partnerships?
Jillian White:
[15:27] If you have strong Ideation, I would look for in the partners around you, where are they stuck? And help them get unstuck. Use your high sense of coming up with creative, outside-the-box ideas to bring a different perspective. You can help other people and help your partners by helping them come up with creative ideas to get unstuck. That's a very practical way to use this to be a good partner to those around you.
Jim Collison:
[15:53] I think with that, we'll remind everyone to take full advantage of all the resources we do have available for you inside Gallup Access. Log into the resource, the search bar. All the resources we have available for you are there. You can continue the learning experience, and we'd love to have you do that. If you're joining us live, thanks for coming out. We'll do a little bit of a postshow. If you're listening to us in the podcast or on YouTube, we probably have another one ready for you. Just click Next. With that, we'll say, Goodbye, everybody.
Jillian White's Top 5 CliftonStrengths are Achiever, Input, Learner, Belief and Responsibility.