Characteristics of the CliftonStrengths® Strategic® Talent Theme
For many of us with the CliftonStrengths® Talent Theme of Strategic®, the questions “What if?” or “What’s next?” often go through our minds, sometimes so fast that we don’t even pay attention to them ourselves.
Another trait is the ability to quickly identify items that stand out when looking at the big picture. It could be seeing irregularities in patterns, missing pieces, a color, or simply connecting the dots and seeing the similarities between different teachings.
What stands out in the picture above for you? What thoughts pop into your head by just looking at this picture?
It could be as simple and immediate as coming to an unexpected road closure and quickly finding an alternate route or simply being aware of taking an alternative route from the get-go. Maybe you see possibilities when others don’t. Many of us with this theme quickly sort out the path or alternatives, easily zooming in and out of the big picture view. Do you recognize this in you?
Are there things that stand out like a sore thumb that you tend to address quickly, leaving people around you wondering what just happened? (or maybe that’s just my #5 theme of Activator® influencing?)
Considerations
The one thing those of us with the Strategic® talent theme need to consider is that for people around us, our actions may occur as if we’re winging it. We process different options in our heads so fast and don’t normally explain how and why we arrived at the chosen path.
For many of us, it’s an intuitive theme. Additionally, we love trying new things and have no problems making mid-course corrections as our focus is to find the best path forward. To keep those around us affected by our choices in the loop, we may need to consider sharing our thinking along the way.
As with all CliftonStrengths® themes, the way a theme comes across or is experienced by the individual varies for a number of reasons, 1) Your other dominant talents, 2) How strong the talent is for you, i.e., where it falls in the ranking of your overall strengths? 3) Is it a talent or a strength that you use daily or not? and 4) how this theme influences how you view your life?
Added to this are the layer of the builder talent role you bring (BP10™ Assessment) and your trade skills and experiences.
Combining CliftonStrengths® with BP10™
After talking with a fellow coach, Jeff @ Prism Perspective Coaching, what I found super interesting is how different each role shows up for each individual. For example, by just looking at my role of Conductor, and with the Relationship talent as my #1 (BP10™) and my #1 CliftonStrengths® talent of Strategic, my focus is on WHO and PEOPLE. This means that people stand out for me over processes, including traffic or navigating crowds easily. While a variety of things will stand out for me, it tends to be the impact on people that stir my pot and get me into action. For someone else, with Strategic, it could be, and often is, something completely different.
Do you have Strategic® as one of your dominant talents? How does it play out for you? Please comment below; I’d love to know.
Are you curious about what your talents might be? CLICK HERE for more information about the CliftonStrengths® Assessment or HERE for the BP10™ Assessment.
Lastly, visit Gallup’s YouTube channel for more information on the CliftonStrengths® theme of Strategic® HERE.