The Journey From ‘Ahhh’ to ‘Aha’!

What’s
Next Upon Delivering Your Strengths?
The first time you saw your CliftonStrengths results, which was it — “ahhh” (a moment of confirmation or clarity)
or “aha” (a moment of true self-discovery)? And how did you move to the eventual aha that really helped you make
a difference?

In my experience, people typically find themselves in awe that a 30-minute session on their computer could so
accurately describe them. The other ahhh happens when they finally have a clear way to put into words what
others often say when describing them. This ahhh is a revelation of clarity and confidence they can use to describe
what they truly do best. Then there is occasionally the aha moment, where someone truly experiences self-
discovery and enhanced self-awareness. Whether a person’s strengths journey starts with awe, ahhh, or aha —
what comes next is almost always the same question: “So now what?”

Helping people answer this question is something I truly enjoy. In fact, I tell my clients that they can depend on me
to be their “strengths nag” — making sure they use their strengths in a very intentional way. I have found that for
many people there is a strengths awareness that eventually progresses to application if the individual is willing to
put forth some effort.

To help clients apply their strengths in everyday life, I encourage them to name, claim, and aim their strengths.

Name It

Just taking the CliftonStrengths assessment gives individuals an entirely new language to describe themselves in
a positive way. They now have 34 new words in their vocabulary to describe what is right with them, and they can
focus on the top five talent themes that are the strongest part of who they are. Like learning any new language, it is
important to practice the vocabulary, so I encourage people to tell as many people as possible what their top five
themes are and read their report regularly.

Claim It

After the initial reaction to the assessment results, it is then time to embrace the top five and stake ownership of
the talents and how they fit. It is not until people take a close look at their talents that they begin to discover the
amazing variety, intricacy, and power that they have. Sometimes, the title of a talent theme or certain phrases in
a theme definition can feel counterintuitive, so a person may be reluctant to accept the description. I encourage
them to share the CliftonStrengths report with others who know them well, and know them in different aspects
of their life. They should invite others to read the report and point out specific examples of application of these
talents in their interactions with the individual. I also encourage personalization of the talent theme definitions
by highlighting words or phrases that resonate and crossing out anything that doesn’t fit. I also suggest writing a
synthesis of the five themes to create an individual strengths statement. This reshaping can provide heightened
awareness of how a person’s talents have supported their success to date.

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 The Journey From ‘Ahhh’ to ‘Aha’! What’s Next Upon Delivering Your Strengths?

Aim It

Now comes the work. Our ability to achieve excellence and get the most out of life is connected to the extent to
which we intentionally build strengths from our talents. Unless a person commits to using their talents with greater
intention, they may be leaving untapped potential on the table. To get others to increase their own success, I ask
people to look at their personal and professional world and think about specific tasks where their talents are being
used, draw connections between each task and the talents being applied, and then consider other potential
talents that could also be in play. I ask them to think about tasks that are required of them, where they don’t see an
immediate link to their talent themes. Could any of their talents really come to life with more conscious application?

As an individual begins to turn their talents into strengths and increase their own performance, there is often a
simultaneous awareness of other peoples’ talents. They begin to notice how we each bring something unique
to projects, processes, and relationships. When someone can fan the flames of their own talent so that it has an
impact on the development or success of another person, they are truly using their talents for maximum impact.
Conscious application of talents can be felt by others; it even inspires the flames to spread to others.

It isn’t enough to simply identify talent. Where there is awareness, there needs to be action; when there is action,
growth is more likely to occur. When we are willing to take that next step with talent, all the awes, ahhhs, and ahas
turn into awesome outcomes.

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