1. Page 1 of 2
The CliftonStrengthsFinder
Strategic
The Strategictheme enablesyoutosortthroughthe clutterandfindthe bestroute.It isnot a skill
that can be taught. It isa distinctwayof thinking,aspecial perspective onthe worldatlarge.This
perspective allowsyoutosee patternswhere otherssimplysee complexity.Mindful of these
patterns,youplayout alternative scenarios,alwaysasking,“Whatif thishappened?Okay,well what
if thishappened?”Thisrecurringquestionhelpsyousee aroundthe nextcorner.There youcan
evaluate accuratelythe potential obstacles.Guidedbywhere yousee eachpathleading,youstartto
make selections.Youdiscardthe pathsthat leadnowhere.Youdiscardthe pathsthat leadstraight
intoresistance.Youdiscardthe pathsthat leadintoa fog of confusion. Youcull andmake selections
until youarrive at the chosenpath—yourstrategy.Armedwithyourstrategy,youstrike forward.
Thisis yourStrategictheme at work:“What if?”Select.Strike.
Competition
Competitionisrootedincomparison.Whenyoulook atthe world,youare instinctivelyaware of
otherpeople’sperformance.Theirperformance isthe ultimateyardstick.Nomatterhow hardyou
tried,nomatterhow worthyyourintentions,if youreachedyourgoal butdidnotoutperformyour
peers,the achievementfeelshollow.Like all competitors,youneedotherpeople.Youneedto
compare.If you can compare,youcan compete,andif you can compete,youcanwin.Andwhenyou
win,there isnofeelingquitelikeit.Youlike measurementbecause itfacilitates comparisons.You
like othercompetitorsbecausetheyinvigorateyou.Youlike contestsbecausetheymustproduce a
winner.Youparticularlylike contestswhereyouknow youhave the inside tracktobe the winner.
Althoughyouare graciousto your fellow competitorsandevenstoicindefeat,youdon’tcompete
for the funof competing.Youcompete towin.Overtime youwill come toavoidcontestswhere
winningseemsunlikely.
Relator
Relatordescribesyourattitude towardyourrelationships.Insimple terms,the Relatortheme pulls
youtoward people youalreadyknow.Youdonotnecessarilyshyawayfrommeetingnew people—
infact, youmay have otherthemesthatcause you to enjoythe thrill of turningstrangersinto
friends—butyoudoderive agreatdeal of pleasure andstrengthfrombeingaroundyourclose
friends.Youare comfortable withintimacy.Once the initialconnectionhasbeenmade,you
deliberatelyencourage adeepeningof the relationship.Youwantto understandtheirfeelings,their
goals,theirfears,andtheirdreams;andyou wantthemto understandyours.Youknow that this
kindof closenessimpliesacertainamountof risk—youmightbe takenadvantage of—butyouare
willingtoacceptthatrisk.For you a relationshiphasvalue onlyif itisgenuine.Andthe onlywayto
knowthat isto entrustyourself tothe otherperson.The more youshare witheach other,the more
yourisk together.The more yourisktogether,the more eachof you provesyourcaringis genuine.
These are your stepstowardreal friendship,andyoutake themwillingly.

2. Page 2 of 2
Communication
You like toexplain,todescribe,tohost,tospeakinpublic,andto write.Thisisyour Communication
theme at work.Ideasare a dry beginning.Eventsare static.Youfeel aneedtobringthemto life,to
energize them, tomake themexcitingandvivid.Andsoyouturneventsintostoriesandpractice
tellingthem.Youtake the dryideaand enlivenitwithimagesandexamplesandmetaphors.You
believethatmostpeople have averyshortattentionspan.Theyare bombardedbyinformation,but
verylittle of itsurvives.Youwantyourinformation—whetheranidea,anevent,a product’sfeatures
and benefits,adiscovery,ora lesson—tosurvive.Youwanttodiverttheirattentiontowardyouand
thencapture it, lockitin. Thisiswhat drivesyourhuntforthe perfectphrase.Thisiswhatdrawsyou
towarddramatic wordsand powerful wordcombinations.Thisiswhypeoplelike tolistentoyou.
Your wordpicturespique theirinterest,sharpentheirworld,andinspire themtoact.
Discipline
Your worldneedstobe predictable.Itneedstobe orderedandplanned.Soyouinstinctivelyimpose
structure on yourworld.You setup routines.Youfocusontimelinesanddeadlines.Youbreaklong-
termprojectsintoa seriesof specificshort-termplans,andyouworkthrougheachplandiligently.
You are notnecessarilyneatandclean,butyoudo needprecision.Facedwiththe inherent
messinessof life,youwanttofeel incontrol.The routines,the timelines,the structure,all of these
helpcreate thisfeelingof control.Lackingthistheme of Discipline,othersmaysometimesresent
your needfororder,butthere neednotbe conflict.Youmustunderstandthatnot everyone feels
your urge for predictability;theyhave otherwaysof gettingthingsdone.Likewise,youcanhelp
themunderstandandevenappreciate yourneedforstructure.Yourdislike of surprises,your
impatience witherrors,yourroutines,andyourdetail orientationdon’tneedtobe misinterpretedas
controllingbehaviorsthatbox people in.Rather,these behaviorscanbe understoodasyour
instinctive methodformaintainingyourprogressandyourproductivityinthe face of life’smany
distractions.