Strengths on the Playing Field
If you haven’t taken the CliftonStrengths assessment, then it might be better to do so before continuing. If you’ve already taken it, then you might be feeling a little overwhelmed by the huge report that got dropped onto your screen. Well, its okay. Just take a deep breath and read on. How it Works Simply…
Strengths and Your Job Search
When I was in high school, I worked a lot of food service jobs. I mostly waited tables and found that while I could make good tips, I really didn't enjoy the work and found it stressful and draining. My senior year a friend connected me with a job working as a hostess at a…
Strengths for Academic Success
We are halfway through the semester and it’s a busy time for exams, papers and mid-term projects. As you manage all of these deadlines and responsibilities, have you ever really thought about how you use your CliftonStrengths as a student? Now is the perfect time to engage your talent themes in your classes, study habits…
Discover Your Talents!
"There is no more effective way to empower people than to see each person in terms of his or her strengths." - Don Clifton Don Clifton was the author of the CliftonStrengths assessment and father of strengths psychology. CliftonStrengths uncovers your top five unique talents. Students can take the assessment at the MU Career…
CliftonStrengths: Communication “The Storyteller”
People with the theme of communication feel they must express themselves, and this expression can take many forms – verbally, artistically, musically, through writing, how one dresses, teaches or even how one tells stories. They want to let people know how they are feeling and how they connect to others around them, and they can…
CliftonStrengths: Competition “The Driven”
Competition is rooted in comparison, so for people with the theme of competition, they love to measure their progress against the performance of others. They know, intuitively, how other people are performing and how they measure up. For them, competition is invigorating, especially when they come out in the end as the winners, yet they…
Introducing “Influencing” Strengths
Every team needs to communicate, both inside and outside the group. No matter your goals, effective communication is essential to achieving them. High-performing teams rely on people with strong Influencing themes because they take charge, speak up and make sure others are heard. When your team needs to sell its ideas and persuade others, look to…
CliftonStrengths: Woo “Winning Other Over”
Winning over others, it’s a hard thing to do, isn’t it? For a rare few, though, making friends and connections is second nature. The strength of Woo, or winning over others, is that elusive trait that these rare few exhibit. People with Woo are natural collaborators, mediators and team leaders. Their uncanny sense for getting…
CliftonStrengths: Strategic “The Anticipator”
Faced with any given scenario, people with the theme of strategic can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues to create alternative ways to proceed. Unfortunately, this is not a skill that can be taught, but it is a unique way of thinking that allows people to see patterns where others see complexity. These patterns…
CliftonStrengths: Learner “The Perpetual Student”
From current events to coding, those with the theme of learner enjoy learning about anything and everything. In fact, learners care less about the outcome of what was learned and more about the process of learning as a whole. Similarly, having the theme of learner does not necessarily mean that you strive to become an…