In this article I will write down my views and learnings on the Gallup Team Strengths Grid (which was previously called the CliftonStrengths Team Grid). It is a visual tool that combines the Gallup Strengthsfinder 2.0 results of each team member, and show the distribution of talent and strengths, as well as the balance within the team.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Team Strengths Grid based on CliftonStrengths 34
Back in my early days with Microsoft I purchased the Gallup StrengthsFinder 2.0 book and conducted the assessment to get an understanding of my top 5 strengths: (1) Learner, (2) Ideation, (3) Relator, (4) Analytical, (5) Belief.
Recently at BMC Software I’ve conducted the CliftonStrengths 34 assessment, to get a more extensive profile to see how it has evolved over the past 10 years. In addition, I was performing some research to find if and how Strengthsfinder results can be used within- and among different teams. That research quest also got me a simple Microsoft Excel Online version of the Team Strengths Grid to play around with: TeamStrengthsGrid.xlsx (live.com)
Description CliftonStrengths Grid
In the massive article “How to Improve Teamwork Collaboration in the Workplace” the Team Strengths Grid or CliftonStrengths grid is outlined as:
“Knowing the individual strengths of each team member is important, but the collective strengths of your team are equally important. It’s important to visually display the makeup of your team. CliftonStrengths grids show the order of a team’s strengths and provide invaluable insights into the way that team operates. […] If your team is heavily driven by relationships, you ought to manage them in a much different way than if they were heavy strategic thinkers.”
Another interesting Gallup article is about the timing and introduction of the Team Strengths Grid Is Your Team Ready for the Team Strengths Grid? The Medium article of Emma Sharrock “What your Top Strengths say about your Success with Agile” is using the Team Strengths Grid as a tool to outline the superpowers of the team with success in Agile. And these are just a couple of examples of how to use the Team Grid.
Concluding thoughts and wrap-up
Gallup’s research has shown that most successful people start with a dominant talent, and then add skills knowledge and practice to the mix. […] this raw dominant talent serves as a mathematical multiplier, driving your strength and development. In a simple mathematical formula: STRENGTH = TALENT * INVESTMENT.
Gallup Strengthsfinder 2.0 is a great tool to identify this raw talent. The basic top 5 strengths assessment has helped me during the development in my professional career and personal life. While I’m still puzzling a bit with the new insights from the CliftonStrengths 34, I think the Team Grid is a super cool tool that can help build a stronger, more engaged and better-balanced team. The awareness of each team members’ strengths is the first step, and how pockets of strengths and their complements can be utilized to run different types of projects.
If you are developing a team based on their strengths, then the Team Strengths Grid in combination with the ClifftonStrengths 34 assessments is a journey worth taking. If I recall correctly Management Drives also has this layer view of individual drives, team drives and organizational drives.
What do you think of the ClliftonStrengths Team Grid?
Please check out the Personal Development page with more interesting content around this topic.
