We turn Talents into Strengths

Strengths-Based Development: Turning Talents Into Strengths

Become more of who you already are. You don’t need to change who you are to achieve your goals or become your best self. The truth is: everything you need is already within you.

Strengths-based development helps you become more of who you are—by identifying and growing the talents you already have.

What Is Strengths-Based Development?

At its core, it’s about becoming aware of your natural talents and intentionally developing them into strengths. But that raises a few important questions:

What’s the difference between talents and strengths?
What are your talents—and how do they show up in your everyday life?
How do they shape your decisions and behavior at work and at home?
And how can you transform them into actual strengths?

In this article series, we’ll explore how we at STRENGTHS use Gallup’s CliftonStrengths tools to support people, teams, and organizations in developing talents into high-impact strengths.

Why Focus on Strengths?

📊 According to Gallup:

People who use their strengths every day are:
6x more likely to be engaged at work
6x more likely to do what they do best every day
Almost 8% more productive

✅ Strengths focus also improves:

Stress management
Employee retention
Customer satisfaction
Sales and revenue

It delivers results on both hard and soft metrics—a rare and valuable combination.

👉 See more in our earlier article: “STRENGTHS – Activating Potential”

Why Don’t We Naturally Focus on Our Talents?

Because we’re used to them. We take them for granted.

We might know we’re good at organizing, communicating, or being creative—but because it comes naturally, we assume it’s not special. That’s why many people end up focusing on their weaknesses instead. Weaknesses are easier to notice. But focusing only on weaknesses leads to slow, exhausting, and unmotivating progress. Research shows:

You get far better results by developing what you’re already good at.

What About Weaknesses?

Everyone has them—and that’s okay. It’s important to know your weaknesses so you can manage them effectively. For example, if you struggle to stay on task, partner with someone strong in Discipline or Activator. A weakness will never become a strength. But it can be managed. At STRENGTHS, we work with both sides: developing talents and managing weaknesses.

Talents vs. Strengths: What’s the Difference?

Talent is a naturally recurring pattern of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied.

Examples of talent:

Naturally starting conversations
Loving structure and routine
Spotting patterns in data
Seeing the positive side of life

Talent ≠ skills, experience, or qualifications.

Those can be learned. Talent is something you’re born with—and it can be refined, but not invented. When you combine your talent with the right knowledge, skills, and mindset, it becomes a strength. Strength is the ability to consistently deliver near-perfect performance in a specific area. Once you consciously use your talents to deliver real results—you’ve developed a strength.

Most People Aren’t Using Their Strengths Daily

In Denmark, only 20% of people use their strengths at work every day
Globally, that number drops to just 13%

That’s a massive missed opportunity.

Developing Strengths Takes Practice—And Pays Off

Think of talent like muscle. If you’re naturally a fast runner, training will improve your performance faster than it would for someone without that talent. In one study, high school students with already high reading speeds improved the most—with proper training. Everyone got better—but those with natural talent soared.

The takeaway:

Focus + awareness + training = strength

How Do You Discover Your Talents?

Psychologist Don Clifton once asked:

“What would happen if we focused on what’s right with people instead of what’s wrong?”

From that question, the CliftonStrengths assessment was created. At STRENGTHS, we use this powerful tool to help individuals and teams uncover their top talents. The test includes:

177 questions
A personalized report with your Top 5 dominant talents
A complete ranking of all 34 strengths, grouped into 4 domains
With over 20 million users worldwide, it’s the most widely used strengths assessment available today.

🧭 Want to learn more about the 34 talents?

Check out our downloadable strengths chart below.

Can Strengths-Based Development pay off?

Gallup har undersøgt, om styrkefokus virker. Undersøgelsen inkluderede 49.495 afdelinger, med i alt 1,2 millioner ansatte, i 22 virksomheder fordelt på 7 forskellige forretningsområder i 45 forskellige lande. Læs artiklen

What sets your heart on fire?

Often, the goals we set are about fixing what we think we’re doing wrong.

We want to lose weight, eat healthier, drink less alcohol.

These goals often feel exciting and motivating at first—especially when they work for a little while.

But suddenly, they’re forgotten.

👉 Read the article

Execution

People with dominant talents in the Executing domain know how to get things done.

ACHIEVER
ARRANGER
BELIEF
CONSISTENCY
DELIBERATIVE
DISCIPLIN
FOCUS
RESPONSIBILITY
RESTORATIVE

Influencing

Influencing

ACTIVATOR
COMMAND
COMMUNICATION
COMPETITION
MAXIMIZER
SELF-ASSURANCE
SIGNIFICANCE
WOO

Relationship Building

People with dominant talents in the Relationship Building domain have the ability to form strong connections that hold a team together—and make it stronger than the sum of its parts.

ADAPTABILITY
CONNECTEDNESS
DEVELOPER
EMPATHY
HARMONY
INCLUDER
INDIVIDUALIZATION
POSITIVITY
RELATOR

Strategic Thinking

People with dominant talents in the Strategic Thinking domain help the team imagine what could be. They absorb and analyze information that leads to better decisions.

ANALYTICAL
CONTEXT
FUTURISTIC
IDEATION
INPUT
INTELLECTION
LEARNER
STRATEGIC

What Does It Mean to Be Strengths-Focused?

Being strengths-focused means you can understand, apply, and manage your strengths. Your talents are always active. They color and filter your choices, priorities, and decisions—whether you’re aware of it or not. When you get to know your talents well, this becomes very clear. Over time, you’ll be able to activate your talents intentionally when needed—and just as importantly, dial them down to fit the situation.

For example, if Communication is one of your strengths and you work in a team, that strength can be a huge asset in many situations. But in some settings, it might become disruptive if it takes up too much space at the wrong time. That’s what it means to be strengths-focused:

Knowing your strengths well enough to adapt them to the context you’re in.

Strengths-Based Development at STRENGTHS Works on Multiple Levels

At STRENGTHS, every individual coaching session starts with the CliftonStrengths assessment. The first step is helping you understand your natural talents—and how they influence your day-to-day life. Our coaching focuses primarily on your professional world: your tasks, responsibilities, and role. But your talents also play a huge role in your personal life.

So, this process also provides greater insight into your priorities, interests, and decisions outside of work.

Af: Christian Holst

Christian Machat Holst

Christian is the Managing Partner at STRENGTHS.

He has worked in business development for nearly 20 years and is Denmark’s first Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths Coach. Christian is also a proud member of the global network of CliftonStrengths coaches. Christian’s Top Strengths:

Input – Intellection – Connectedness – Significance – Learner

*Gallup. State of the global Workplace 2013.

**https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/home/en-us/index

***Gallup. The Relationship Between Strengths-Based Employee Development and Organizational Outcomes 2015 Strengths Meta-Analysis.