Clifton & Signature Strengths Analysis Plan

In a positive leadership course during my doctoral studies in organizational development, I was challenged to look inward before leading others. The assignment called for a personal strengths analysis grounded in positive psychology research.

Assess my own strengths using multiple validated frameworks, then build a development plan for how I would intentionally use those strengths to lead and work more effectively.

I combined three lenses into one analysis: CliftonStrengths, the VIA Character Strengths survey, and 5 Voices. Looking at the results side by side helped me see patterns no single assessment would show on its own, like how my talents, my core character strengths, and my natural communication style show up together in how I lead.

From there, I translated those insights into concrete development goals and actions, with a focus on applying them to leadership and team settings. The process was rooted in reflective practice: stepping back to examine how I actually work, then deciding with intention how I want to grow.

The analysis changed how I lead and how I work with others. I now apply strengths-based approaches with the clients and teams I support, helping people identify what they already do well and build development around it.

Strengths-based development tends to stick because it builds on what people already do well instead of focusing only on gaps. Doing the work on myself first gave me a deeper understanding of how self-awareness fuels growth, and that’s a big part of how I approach behavior and performance change with others today.