Jim Collison:
[0:00] 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:
[0:10] 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 Maximizer. We'll explore what this theme brings, what it needs, and how it fosters collaboration. Jillian, welcome.
Jillian White:
[0:22] Thank you, Jim. Jim, I'm excited because this one is your No. 3. So we get to hear a little of Maximizer come out of you today.
Jim Collison:
[0:31] I hope so. It's one of my favorites I don't talk about very much. So maybe we'll talk about it here. Let's rewind a little bit, though. Let's give some folks, what is Maximizer
Jillian White:
[0:40] Yeah, just a reminder, refresher of what this strength is. People who are exceptionally talented with that Maximizer theme, they focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb. That's the phrase I oftentimes think about with a Maximizer is good to great. It is an Influencing strength. So oftentimes it is very good at helping to pull out the best in people around them or spot where something is good and strong already. It's driven by a return on investment. It doesn't want to put a lot of energy into something if it's only going to get so much further forward. It likes to see where something's strong already. And then I think a powerful image for this is polishing a pearl or maybe even polishing a diamond. So you find that diamond or that pearl to start with, something that already has a lot of raw beauty to it. And then you think about how to bring out the shine of that. So polishing the pearl, polishing the diamond, moving from good to great, a good analogy for that strong Maximizer.
Jim Collison:
[1:47] Yeah, I love all those. It's taken me a long time to learn this. I didn't understand Maximizer for a lot of years, for me, personally. Because I don't, it's, for me, it wasn't always a quality. I, I'm beginning to see it's a quantity. I go from more to most. You know, so I want to make it better so we can do more. How can it be more efficient so we can create more? And that is a quality, there, there is quality built into that. But for me, I've often said I want to go from more to most. I want bigger numbers. I want more downloads. I want more friends. No, I made this a Woo. Right. I want to run more marathons, right. Some of those kinds of things. So how do I get better so I can do more?
Jillian White:
[2:28] And that's where you can see those other strengths, temperate, that are around that Maximizer. Yeah, that's funny.
Jim Collison:
[2:33] For sure. From the consulting work that you do, have you seen this in action? Can you give us a story?
Jillian White:
[2:38] Well, I feel like we could use you, Jim. Well, let's come back to you in just a minute here. But I was thinking specifically of a sales partner that I get to work with who is just incredible at leading with this high Maximizer. And what I have seen is that this person, so imagine, you know, you've got a sales number on your back, you're responsible for it. But think about what Maximizer is good at. It's good at spotting talent in other people and bringing that out. So what I've seen this partner do is actually surround herself with very talented people that she can bring the best out of. And she has a bit of a team. Now, what I've also noticed is that this Maximizer tends to, it loves to perfect. It loves to take something that's already good and make it even stronger. So oftentimes I watch this in the partnerships, but oftentimes she is at her best when some of her team is creating an initial draft of something. And then she gets to think about where to maximize it and make it even stronger to fit where they're aiming at together. So that Maximizer, bringing the best out of people around you, you know, a high bar for yourself and others, and constantly thinking about how to take something from good to great. Jim, how about for you personally? How does this one show up?
Jim Collison:
[3:55] I'll use a corporate example right here. It's an amplifier for me. It's like, I like to take guests like you and promote them and make them better, right? We grow this, the whole idea of what we're doing here is to share your talent with folks around the world, right? To really amplify your message, to make more of it what it could be. Yeah, you get the opportunity to go out and speak inside of organizations so people get to meet you personally. But every single week, 5,000 or more people get to hear you and get to hear your talent. And we get, you know, and then together we get to make that better. So for me, listen, there's a lot of Communication and a lot of Woo in there. Let's just be really clear about that is what's, what surrounds Maximizer. But, but for me, at its best is when it's just creating more, right, when it's creating higher quality.
Jillian White:
[4:49] You could use that quality.
Jim Collison:
[4:50] Higher-quality impact in that. In the new section of Gallup Access, we are now calling the Community, we're now calling Connections, used to be called Community. We've got some helpful resources if you want to share your themes with others and then bring those together for a conversation. That is about partnerships, right, as we do this. In that section is an "I bring" and "I need" statement, so you can compare those. We're going to practice that a little bit, Jillian, as we think about Maximizer. What does it bring?
Jillian White:
[5:17] Now, Jim, I'm going to be thinking about you as a partner as I go through this. But you, I always think about even with our podcast, you know, Jim makes sure that we do things with excellence, right? Even, we were just reviewing a potential website that we're going to have up for a landing page for being able to easily access these strengths results. And Jim had like great feedback on it. Here's how we can make it better. Here's how we can make it stronger. You know, we're making sure that when we're using technology that we've got the best microphones, the best, you know, setup for things. So, so what does that tell us about a high Maximizer? What do they bring to a partnership? They bring a quality orientation and a commitment to excellence. That is a part of what Maximizers bring. You heard it in Jim as well. They focus on strengths and talent in both themselves and others. So they oftentimes, remember, it's driven by return on investment. So it's looking at how much time do I have to put into this and what will be the return on me investing in this. So it's naturally good at a strengths mindset because it oftentimes naturally gets that if you focus on something that is already showing talent and you can amplify it, that influence can help amplify it. You heard that in Jim's stories there. So it can focus on strengths and talent in themselves and in others. And it does bring a critical eye. I think that can be powerful in partnerships, because it's always looking for, now some might say this might be a sense of perfectionism, but it's always looking for, how could we make this better? And that's a, that can be a gift in partnerships.
Jim Collison:
[6:53] You said a term, and I thought of an image of ROI, right? Yes. What's the return on investment? You, you said it that way, and I think Maximizers think through that lens a lot. How do we increase our return on the investment that we're making? What does it need?
Jillian White:
[7:09] Yeah. So when we look at what a Maximizer needs in a partnership, they do need things to maximize. And go back to the example I even shared earlier, where I do oftentimes find that Maximizers are at their best when they're given permission and even resources to maximize. So it's, hey, I took a first draft at this. Take it to the next level, right? When they've got something good and they can help make it great. So they need things to maximize. They do need opportunities to get to do what they do best. Remember, they have a natural orientation to understanding the power of playing to strengths and talent. So I think if you're partnering with somebody who has high Maximizer, it's even more important to understand, what do you do best, and how do we make sure you're getting positioned to do that? And then finally, I always like to think, where do they need a little help balancing out? Because they love to constantly iterate and push for excellence on something, sometimes they do need a little help just knowing when, when it's good enough, and when to say, we're done, on to the next thing, right? So that can be powerful to bring in a partnership as well.
Jim Collison:
[8:13] Yeah. And I think even with need, I ask them what they're best at maximizing, because it's not a, I don't think it's always a universal, like, I am much better at processes than I am at spelling, so to speak, right? Sure. Give me a document. That's not my favorite thing to do. Give me a process. Oh. Now, OK, now, like, people and processes.
Jillian White:
[8:34] Yeah, what do you like to maximize?
Jim Collison:
[8:35] Then I can kind of start thinking through, yeah. So I think I would add to your advice, I'm maximizing that right now, right? I would add to that. Ask them what they want to do as they get that. I just realized, like … .
Jillian White:
[8:49] You maximize it so kindly, Jim.
Jim Collison:
[8:50] Just maximize it. Yeah, here we go. The new, the new CliftonStrengths Top 5 report has an added section. We added theme dynamics to it. If you haven't checked it out, download that report. You can look at it now. Theme dynamics are really just when we take two themes, put them together, and think about what they can be together. There's a common theme pairing that we like to think in this. Jillian, what is that?
Jillian White:
[9:09] Yeah, you know, it's interesting. I always judge my own reaction when I look at what our database says is the theme pairing. So these are the ones most likely to show up in the same person. So most likely to pair with Maximizer is Relator. And to be honest, I was a little bit surprised by that at first. And then the more I thought about it, it does make sense to me. Those who are typically on with us live, we get to chat about these strengths in between our recording of these episodes. And you oftentimes hear me talk about looking at strengths on a spectrum. And there's some that go wide. And there's some that go a bit narrow. And I think both Maximizer and Relator are narrowing strengths. So Maximizer is, I don't want to work with everything. I want to work with something that's already in a good place or already has talent, already has high return on investment, and I want to make it great, right? Relator, I don't necessarily want to be friends with everyone. I want to kind of zone in in that depth of relationship, that narrowing. So I think these two together could really have a great filter for developing some powerful partnerships with very select partners you know you're going to work well with and bring the best out of one another, and have a high level of trust with that Relator.
Jim Collison:
[10:27] Love that. Grab your own report. Do this for yourself. Think about these. What is it, what's it look like when we bring two together? How about in the context of partnerships and collaboration?
Jillian White:
[10:37] Yeah. So, once again, when we look at partnerships, I always think, what are strengths that just light up this strength? So, if you are a high Learner, you're thinking about, who should I partner with that's going to be enjoyable and bring out the best of that Learner? There's a few that come to mind. So, Significance. And sorry, Jim, I just realized I said, Learner, we are on Maximizer. So, I'm going to maximize myself right there. Jim did this on one of our last recordings. I pulled a Jim on there. There we go. So, we are on Maximizer. But if I partner something like Maximizer with, let's say, Significance, imagine what that could do. It would take somebody who's naturally good at spotting talent in someone and then think about how to spotlight the significant work that person is doing. So Maximizer, partnering with Significance, how cool is that? Think about partnering Maximizer with Individualization. So Individualization, very good at spotting what makes someone unique and how to work with them based on that. If I add Maximizer to that, it could really customize an approach to bring out the best in someone. Now, I also think partnering it with something like Responsibility. Remember what Maximizer is drawn to, quality. So, Responsibility will also want to do something right. They're going to have high-quality results together. That's going to be enjoyable. Maybe even putting it with something like Competition. So I love, in some of the early episodes, I heard it called out that Competition is driven by victory and Maximizer is driven by quality. So imagine that you put those two things together and you've got victory through your quality. So I think that combination could be really fun and powerful. On the flip side of this, I always think, who's your complementary partners? Let's look at a couple of the dangers of Maximizer. Because it is a little more selective, it might not always be thinking about how to bring everyone with you. So where you might need to be intentional is to partner with some people who do that. Includer, right? Maybe Developer, because it's thinking about not just where there's talent, but maybe where somebody doesn't have as much talent in an area, but could still learn from it, right? So those could help bring people with you. I also think, where is a different way of thinking that could balance out the strength? I tend to find things like Maximizer and restorative on opposite ends of someone's strengths report. So Restorative loves problems and thinking about how to solve it, right? Maximizer oftentimes doesn't gravitate toward where a problem is. They like to start with something that's already good. So intentionally partnering with someone like a Restorative who can bring that mindset of, you know what, we also do need to pay attention to where something's not working and we could fix it could be a powerful partnership. And then the final one I wanted to call out is, I think Maximizer by itself could feel a little critical and not always recognize that it is really helping to push for high quality. And so having a strength that complements it and helps to actually recognize and celebrate the quality results that you're producing could be powerful. And that might be something like Positivity that can see that, call it out, and actually help to celebrate the high-quality orientation of that Maximizer.
Jim Collison:
[14:05] I love that you brought Includer in. I need Includer, oftentimes. I fake it with Woo. So I'll deploy Woo.
Jillian White:
[14:11] Oh, yeah, that's a good way to still get there.
Jim Collison:
[14:13] Right? They come at different motivations, but I can fake it that way. It's just a great way to partner, to bring my own, to know my own tendencies at that point and say, I don't have it. So I need to remember, deploy some Woo to grab as many people as I can in the process and make sure they're included. Again, they come, they come with different motivations. So let's talk about tips for leaders, teams, and individuals. Let's spend the first moment here thinking about leaders. How can they recognize and harness Maximizer for their teams and organizations?
Jillian White:
[14:42] Yeah. First of all, if you're a leader, think about how you start to spot this, right? These are typically your people who light up when they get to focus on quality. Maybe they get frustrated when they get handed something that isn't high quality to start with. I think that helping them is giving them a way to understand measures of excellence on a team. Remember, they value quality. So if you can help them understand what does "excellent" look like, that's going to help them aim that Maximizer in the right places. I also think these are people who are going to light up. Remember, they love working with other people who are in a great place already. So position them to connect with some of your best in the areas that they need to learn and grow or be connected across the company. They're going to find that really energizing. Think about where you're also positioning them to do work. They're likely not going to light up when you're putting them on something that's broken. Put them in positions where go back to the image we had to start with, where they get to shine the pearl, shine the diamond, where they get to take something that is already in a good place and just really amplify it and influence it to be in an even better place.
Jim Collison:
[15:56] What should a team keep in mind if they're onboarding or working with someone with high Maximizer?
Jillian White:
[15:59] Yeah, you heard me allude to a little bit of this earlier, but remember, they're at their best when they get to do what they do best. And so I would encourage, you know, ask them, what kinds of activities do you naturally excel in? Where do you want to be world-class in this role? Who do you typically work best with? Those questions, notice they almost all involve the word "best." Helping them think about when they're at their best, their partners are at their best, that is going to help you know how to partner with them well.
Jim Collison:
[16:28] And finally, as we think about individuals, how could we, how can you maximize this in the partnerships that you're having with others?
Jillian White:
[16:35] Yeah, you're naturally going to bring that excellence orientation. So I would encourage you, if you've got high Maximizer, collaborate with your partners to define what excellence looks like. Use words to actually call that out. How are we going to know that we're in an excellent place? You might also need to use those words sometimes when you're giving feedback that could feel critical to someone else. So say, Hey, I love to just help think about how we can maximize this. That's why I'm giving some of these thoughts or this feedback to you. And then I would encourage you, think about how you can use your natural talent to be a gift to your partners. So what I think is an easy win with this is usually Maximizer is good at spotting talent in others. I would encourage you, if you've got that high Maximizer, Call the talent out of the people around you. We know from all of our employee engagement research, one of the drivers of high-performing teams is that they get to receive praise or recognition in the last seven days. That means you have to have a culture where people are helping to recognize you. We also know high-performing teams feel like they get to do what they do best every day. A Maximizer can really help to contribute to that culture. Identify what people around you, your partners do best, call it out to them. That helps better position them to play to their strengths, and it helps create a culture of recognition. So I would encourage you to do those two things.
Jim Collison:
[17:56] And Jillian, I would say we have you doing what you do best every day by having you on the podcast. So thank you. I'll practice what you preach a little bit.
Jillian White:
[18:05] I wasn't trying to ask for it, Jim.
Jim Collison:
[18:07] No, I know you weren't, but it's a great opportunity to demonstrate that in the, in the way that works. And so thanks for being my partner on this. And not just making me better, which you do every single week that we're together, but making the world better. So thank you for, for doing that, of taking better and making it the best. So I appreciate that.
Jillian White:
[18:24] Oh, that speaks to my Belief. We, we do what we do because we enjoy doing something with excellence that helps other people. And so it's a joy to get to do that together.
Jim Collison:
[18:32] I agree. Well, with that, we'll remind everyone to take full advantage of all the resources that are available in Gallup Access, you Maximizers, go out and maximize that content that is out there, you know, get it done, log in, go to the Resources tab, put Maximizer. All the podcasts that we've done, all the written content around that is available for you, and we'd love to have you view that, listen to it, however it works for you to make you better. If you're listening live, thanks for joining us. We'll do a little bit of a post-show. If you're listening to the recorded version, either via podcast or YouTube, one, make sure you subscribe, but two, thanks for joining us. We probably have another program available for you. Just click Next. And with that, we'll say goodbye, everybody.
Jillian White's Top 5 CliftonStrengths are Achiever, Input, Learner, Belief and Responsibility.