Studies from the 1960’s first suggested the theory of Left Brain versus Right Brain functions. People whose thinking is more logical, mathematical and/or linear were said to be dominated by the left side of the brain. More emotional, artistic and/or holistic thinkers were said to be right-brained. Though recent advances in neuroscience suggest that the hemispheres of our brains do not operate as independently as first theorized, the references will provide a working context as we look at three talents that have more of a right brain feel in how they show up: Ideation, Futuristic, and Connectedness. 

It is not uncommon for people with these three talents to show some form of artistic expression and creativity through music, painting, writing and/or quirky expressions of humor. These Reflect talents naturally think outside the box for new forms of expression and innovations.

Those with the Ideation talent constantly gush creative perspectives. The challenge is they can...

In CoreClarity, we talk about the fault lines in our thinking. Like a fault line in the earth, it can lead to disruption and instability in our relationships with others -- especially when we are unaware of their presence. Today we will look at the top fault line through the lens of a talent theme that can be susceptible to those shifts and “tremors.”

The first fault line is one everyone should know well: We think everyone thinks the same way we do. As we get older, we realize that what we refer to as common sense is not so common. Perhaps you have modified that idea to everyone should think the same way I do. 

I was walking a young woman named Beth through her Top 5. One of them was Consistency. “Beth, when it comes to administrative protocols, have you ever noticed how some people think there should be exceptions to the rules?” 

She immediately got fired up and raved, “Oh my gosh! Yes! It is so unbelievable how many people think they are the...

“It ain’t easy being green!” This quote from Kermit the frog also resonates with many people who have talents in the Reflect or Green quadrant in the CoreClarity key. Over one third of the 34 talents reside here -- talents that do so much intellectual pondering, processing, and problem solving. 

Three Reflect talents frequently tapped for problem solving are Strategic, Arranger, and Analytical. In order to better understand the dynamics and the differences between these three talents, imagine all three trying to solve a challenging maze. 

Strategics start with the end in mind and then work their way back to find the best path for success. They would want to get 1000 feet above the maze so they could see where the exit is located. They would then find the shortest route from there all the way back to the start. Any routes that were longer or led to dead ends would be dismissed as they have identified an express lane to success. 

The Arranger wants to...

“If I do that, I will lose my job!”

“Brian, I’ve talked this through with Jeff and he’s in full support.”

Brian’s boss, Jeff, had been concerned about Brian’s personal health from overcommitting and constantly taking on more than his share of the workload. Jeff and I came up with a plan – Brian could not say yes to any new requests or obligations for a week. 

“I have people counting on me every day. Saying no to them will slow things down a lot around here. Plus, I will be letting them down!” Brian protested.

“Then work into saying no. If someone comes to you with a request you are not already committed to, just tell them you can’t help them at this moment but to come back at the end of the week.”

“I guess if Jeff is good with this I will try. But it’s not going to be easy.”

People with Responsibility are great at getting things done. Not unlike Achievers, people with...

The two questions I am most frequently asked about the CliftonStrengths are usually asked at the same time:

One: Do your talents change over time?

Two: If I took the assessment again would I get the same results?

I first took the assessment in 2004 and then took it again in 2009. Three talents “changed” in the second result. In particular, Relator had replaced my Command talent & my core drill went from being a Force of Nature to a LifeLine. In 2009, I was in more of a support role. Though I was good at it, I was often frustrated that I was not doing more to influence and lead others.

Later that year, I went through the CoreClarity facilitator training. My trainer, Candace Fitzpatrick, confirmed that Command was definitely in my Top 5. As we discussed it further, the dissonance in my current role and my talent usage made total sense. My current role had been playing to a couple of talents in my next tier while ignoring others in my Top 5.

This is a personal example...

Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird? It’s a plane? It’s Superman! Just like an unidentified flying object, some talents can look like one another. Keith specializes in fixing team conflict, Jenifer teaches English as a second language, while Justin runs a clinic to help athletes excel to higher standards of performance. They all help people to improve but use very different approaches and motivations. Take Restorative, Developer, and Maximizer. These three talents can look similar from a distance but have very distinct differences up close and over time.

People with Restorative, an Energize talent, are motivated by fixing what is broken. A Restorative with several connect talents often focuses their efforts on fixing people. Whether dealing with people problems on an interpersonal plane or righting wrongs of social injustice, they may push for relational repair or renewal that moves institutions from broken to functional. They move people from a scale of negativity to...

I’d made an assumption.

I’d assumed that Darryl - a leader of leaders, a mentor to young entrepreneurs - would have talents in the Mobilize quadrant. But after some small talk while waiting in line to order coffee, I noticed Darryl was communicating much more from the Reflect quadrant, taking long pauses before replying thoughtfully to my questions.

I changed my whole focus from presentation mode to asking questions and understanding some of his intellectual processes and philosophy around his work. At the end of our time, Darryl asked about my work. I gave him a few highlights and asked if he would take the Clifton Strengths assessment so we could get back together and have him experience it for himself. He was both agreeable and intrigued to do so.

When I received Darryl’s assessment results, I found my initial assumption was way off. Darryl had no Mobilizing magenta in his Top 5 but was a Life Line with 3 Reflect talents and Relator as his one...

This month, we will look at two talents that are on polar opposite ends of the talent tier in terms of their frequency found in people’s top 5. At number one in our database is from the Energize quadrant: Achiever showing up in the top 5 a whopping 34% or just over 1/3 of the time. On the other side, we see Command from the Mobilize quadrant, coming in at just over 4% of the time. That is only one out of 25 people. Both have a great push toward productivity with some Kryptonite complications. Not surprisingly, I have both of these in my top 5.

Those of us with the Command talent have no problem stepping into a situation and giving direction & order to confusion & chaos. That presence and clarity can be inspiring and motivating when it is on point. There are other times that it can leave a wake of intimidation or just be emotionally overwhelming. Unfortunately, not many people with Command have understood this talent as a gift that needs to be developed. It can come...

It's a new year, and for many people, an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and give attention to being a better version of themselves. It's a resolution season, defined as the act of resolving or determining upon an action, course of action, method, procedure, to lead to self betterment.

 Over 40% of Americans make New Year’s Resolutions. And these intentions of self improvement typically fall into one of the following categories compiled from Statistic Brain: 

Top 10 New Year’s Resolution for 2017

1. Lose weight/ healthier eating
2. Self improvements
3. Better Financial decisions
4. Quit Smoking
5. Do more exciting things
6. Spend more time with family/friends
7. Work out more often
8. Learn something new on my own
9. Do more good deeds for others
10. Find the love of my life

A University of Scranton research doc suggests that just 8% of people achieve their New Year’s goals.  That is probably why the other 60% of Americans don't make resolutions -- they have...