Strengths in Action: How CliftonStrengths Transformed My Team and My Leadership

In a world that often focuses on fixing what’s “wrong” with us, what if the real power lies in understanding what’s strong in us?


As I kick off Season 2 of The Incubate Her, I want to share a tool that has transformed how I lead, collaborate, and grow—both personally and professionally. It’s called CliftonStrengths, and it’s more than just a personality test. It’s a mindset shift. A movement. And a powerful framework for unlocking human potential.


🌟 What Is CliftonStrengths?

Developed by Gallup, CliftonStrengths is a science-backed assessment that identifies your natural talents—the patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that come most naturally to you.

The assessment ranks 34 “talent themes” across four domains:

  • Executing – Making things happen

  • Influencing – Taking charge and inspiring others

  • Relationship Building – Connecting and collaborating

  • Strategic Thinking – Analyzing and planning for the future

Once you know your top strengths, you can begin to name, claim, and aim them:

  • Name your talents

  • Claim how they show up in your life

  • Aim them toward your goals


🔍 My Personal Journey with CliftonStrengths

When my team and I first explored CliftonStrengths, we were already working well together—but something was missing. We were efficient, but not always intentional. We didn’t fully understand why certain dynamics worked… or didn’t.

CliftonStrengths gave us a shared language to decode those dynamics.

My top five strengths—Relator, Futuristic, Activator, Intellection, and Responsibility—helped me see myself more clearly. I realized that my drive to connect deeply, think ahead, act quickly, reflect, and follow through weren’t just quirks. They were assets.

That insight changed how I showed up. I became more intentional in how I contributed, more confident in my leadership, and more empathetic toward others’ working styles.


💼 How It Works in Organizations

In fast-paced industries like tech, CliftonStrengths is a secret weapon. Cross-functional teams—engineers, designers, marketers—often speak different “languages.” Without a framework to understand those differences, collaboration can feel like chaos.

But when a team knows each other’s strengths? That chaos becomes choreography.

Imagine a product sprint where:

  • Someone with Strategic and Ideation leads brainstorming,

  • Another with Focus and Achiever drives execution,

  • And someone with Harmony and Empathy keeps the team aligned.

That’s not just efficient—it’s energizing.

And it’s not just about cross-functional teams. Even within the same team, understanding each other’s strengths is a game-changer. We often assume others think and work like we do—but they don’t. CliftonStrengths helps uncover those differences and turn them into complementary assets. One teammate might thrive on structure, another on creative chaos. One might be a deep thinker, another a fast mover. When you understand those dynamics, you stop stepping on each other’s toes—and start stepping up together.

According to Gallup, strengths-based teams are:

  • 6x more engaged

  • 7.8% more productive

  • 3x more likely to report excellent quality of life

In the corporate world, it shifts performance reviews from “what’s wrong with you” to “what’s strong in you.” In the public sector, it brings humanity back into the workplace—reminding people they’re not just cogs in a system, but individuals with unique value.



🚀 For Entrepreneurs: Your Strengths Are Your Strategy

If you’re a founder or solopreneur, CliftonStrengths can be your secret co-founder.

It helps you:

  • Identify where you naturally thrive (and where to delegate),

  • Build partnerships that complement your blind spots,

  • Align your business model with your energy and values.

For example, if you’re high in Futuristic and Strategic, you might excel at vision and planning—but need a partner strong in Discipline or Consistency to bring structure.



🤖 Where AI Meets Strengths

Now let’s talk about the future—and the role of AI.

AI tools are becoming incredible at amplifying our strengths. If you’re high in Ideation, tools like ChatGPT can help you brainstorm faster. If you’re strong in Communication, AI can help you refine your message, generate content, or simulate audience feedback.

But here’s the key: AI is most powerful when it’s personalized. And that’s where CliftonStrengths comes in.

When you know your strengths, you can curate your AI stack to support how you work best:

  • High in Input? Use AI to organize and retrieve knowledge.

  • High in Achiever? Use automation tools to track progress and reduce busywork.

  • High in Empathy? Use AI to analyze sentiment and improve how you connect with your audience.

CliftonStrengths helps you humanize your productivity. AI helps you scale it.



💬 Final Thoughts

When we understand what makes us strong, we unlock something powerful—not just in ourselves, but in our teams, our organizations, and our communities.

CliftonStrengths isn’t just a tool. It’s a mindset. It’s a movement. And it’s one I hope more of you will explore.

If you’ve taken the assessment, I’d love to hear your top five! Share them with me on LinkedIn or tag me in your post.

Until next time—keep leaning into what makes you strong.


Pauline Françoisteam work, BusinessComment