Gallup CliftonStrengths® is an assessment of personality, rooted in the theory of positive psychology. Research indicates that people who know and use their strengths every day are more likely to experience positive emotions (energy, happiness, respect) and less likely to experience negative emotions (stress, worry, anger, sadness). The assessment identifies an individual’s top five “Signature Themes” from a list of 34 common talents. Individuals can then develop those talents into strengths, and apply those strengths in all areas of their life.
Overview of the Intellection® Strength
Some people lift weights to grow stronger. Your idea of exercise is thinking through tough problems to strengthen your favorite muscle: your brain. Introspective by nature, you crave quiet time to reflect privately on your thoughts. When you stare off into space, you’re not an unproductive daydreamer. You’re refining your thinking and distilling your disparate thoughts into a single, well polished idea– the likes of which no one on your team may ever have considered. Nothing zaps your energy faster than a team dominated by groupthink.
Action Items for the Intellection® Strength
Choose the right job. Fast-paced environments that prioritize action over reflection aren’t for you. Seek out companies that will give you space and time to think, rather than expecting a steady flow of deliverables all day, every day.
Pick the right partners. You consider yourself to be conceptual and smart, but some may see you as aloof or even lazy. A coworker with a strong Activator® theme can help correct this misperception by helping you turn your great ideas into plans– and then ensuring you follow through.
Schedule time to think. A packed day leaves little time for reflection– you can’t even hear yourself think! Schedule a 10-minute break outside every afternoon. The fresh air will clear your head so you can organize your thoughts and pause to reflect on everything that’s been happening.
Write it down. Feeling overwhelmed or stuck in your head? Make a list or practice free form writing to get your ideas out on paper. Doing so can help your thoughts crystallize into actionable plans. Keep a notebook or digital journal to track your ideas so you can reference them in the future as new applications become relevant.
How to Manage Someone with the Intellection® Strength
Your employee has been staring off into space for the last 30 minutes. Are they wasting time daydreaming about lunch or formulating the next “big thing” in their heads? Your Intellection® employees are decidedly in the latter camp. They aren’t aloof, lazy or unproductive: they simply require significant time to muse and reflect. On-the-spot decisions, teams dominated by group-think and “know-it-alls” – this is the stuff of Intellection’s worst nightmares. Don’t stifle their potential. Give them the freedom to think and they’ll surprise you with their creative contributions.
Manage deadline expectations. Intellection® doesn’t like to be rushed. They’re not lazy, they just need quiet time to reflect on ideas before moving forward. When project due dates allow, build in time for this thinking process. Don’t mistake speed with productivity: for Intellection®, thinking time is productive time.
Give them a reason to dig deeper. Ask Intellection® to explore a new theory or complete research and give them a generous timeframe for doing so. Intellection® is naturally introspective– ask them to dig deeper into their own strengths and weaknesses and they’ll embrace this discovery process, too.
Challenge their thinking. Intellection® won’t feel threatened when you challenge their ideas. Instead, the act of communicating and defending their ideas will force them to sharpen their thought process– resulting in higher quality work and more articulate presentations.
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Gallup®, Clifton StrengthsFinder®, StrengthsFinder®, CliftonStrengths® and each of the 34 CliftonStrengths® theme names are trademarks of Gallup, Inc. For more information, or to take the CliftonStrengths® assessment, visit www.gallupstrengthscenter.com.
