Stop Guessing, Start Coaching: How to Use CliftonStrengths to Unlock Your Team's Potential

You have a talented team, but something isn't clicking. Projects stall, communication breaks down, and you feel like you're constantly putting out fires instead of leading strategically. You know your team is capable of more, but you don't know how to unlock it.

The problem is that you're managing the "what"—the tasks, the deadlines, the projects—without a clear understanding of the "how." How does your team naturally think, communicate, and get things done?

This is where strengths-based leadership, powered by a tool like Gallup's CliftonStrengths, transforms everything. It gives you a user manual for your team, allowing you to stop guessing and start coaching with precision.

Here are three ways you can use CliftonStrengths to immediately increase your team's effectiveness.

1. Delegate Smarter, Not Harder

Stop assigning tasks based on who has the most bandwidth. Start aligning work with natural talent. Have a project that requires building consensus and getting buy-in from other departments? Give it to the person with high 'Influencing' talents like "Woo" or "Communication." Need someone to think through all the potential risks of a new plan? Tap your team member with "Deliberative" or "Analytical." When you delegate to a person's strengths, you're not just giving them a task; you're giving them energy.

2. Transform Your 1:1s

Most 1:1 meetings are boring status updates. A strengths-based 1:1 is a powerful coaching conversation. Instead of just asking "What are you working on?", you can ask questions like:

• "Which of your strengths did you get to use most this week?"

• "I saw your 'Achiever' strength in action on that project. How did that feel?"

• "Is there any part of your role that feels like it's draining your energy? Let's see if we can reshape it to better fit your talents."

These conversations build self-awareness and show your team members that you see and value them as individuals.

3. Build Complementary Partnerships

Struggling with a team member who is a brilliant big-picture thinker ("Ideation," "Futuristic") but struggles with details and execution? Don't try to "fix" their weakness. Instead, partner them with someone who has strong "Executing" talents like "Discipline" or "Responsibility." By creating these complementary partnerships, you leverage the collective strength of the team, cover for individual gaps, and build a culture of interdependence.

Leading with strengths is the fastest path to building a team that is engaged, effective, and confident. It allows you to be the coach your team deserves—one who develops talent instead of just managing tasks.

Using Strengths is the foundation of our work in both our S.A.F.E.T.Y. and Hybrid Leadership programs. If you're ready to lead with this level of insight, let's talk.

Beyond Buzzwords: 3 Practical Ways to Build Real Psychological Safety on Your Team

The most dangerous phrase in business isn't what you think. It's the seemingly innocent advice you've probably given or received: "Don't bring me problems, bring me solutions."

While it sounds proactive and empowering, this single phrase quietly strangles the life out of psychological safety. It tells your team that identifying a risk isn't valuable unless you've already solved it. It punishes the messenger who spots a fire but hasn't yet found the extinguisher. The result? People stop raising their hands. Small problems fester into full-blown crises, and you, the leader, are the last to know.

Psychological safety isn't about being "nice" or avoiding tough conversations. It's the shared belief that it's safe to take interpersonal risks. It’s the foundation that allows teams to innovate faster, learn from mistakes, and engage in the healthy conflict necessary for growth.

Building it requires more than just buzzwords. It requires intentional action. Here are three practical ways to start building real psychological safety today.

1. Reframe the Problem: Reward the Messenger

Instead of asking for solutions, start by rewarding the act of identification. When a team member flags a potential issue, your first response sets the tone for everyone else.

• Old Way: "Okay, so what's your plan to fix it?"

• New Way: "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. This is exactly the kind of thing we need to be aware of. Let's walk through it together."

This simple shift encourages vigilance and makes it safe to be the one to point out that the emperor has no clothes. It transforms you from a judge into a collaborative problem-solver.

2. Model Vulnerability (Without Oversharing)

Your team won't take risks if you don't. Modeling vulnerability doesn't mean sharing deeply personal stories; it means being open about your own fallibility as a leader.

• Start a meeting by saying, "I've been thinking about the launch last month, and I think I could have done a better job communicating the timeline. I'd like to get your thoughts on how we can improve that process."

• Admit when you don't have the answer. "That's a great question. I don't have the data on that right now, but I will find out and get back to you."

When you model that it's okay not to be perfect, you give your team permission to be human, too.

3. Create Multiple Pathways for Contribution

Not everyone thrives in a fast-paced, verbal brainstorm. The "loudest voice wins" approach silences your introverts, deep thinkers, and remote employees. To build true safety, you must create different ways for people to contribute their ideas.

• Before the Meeting: Send out the agenda with key questions and a link to a shared document. Ask team members to add their initial thoughts before the meeting begins.

• During the Meeting: Use round-robin techniques where you go around the "room" (virtual or physical) and explicitly ask each person for their thoughts on a specific topic.

• After the Meeting: Follow up with a summary and create an opportunity for people to add further reflections or ideas via email or a shared channel after they've had time to process.

Building a psychologically safe culture is the single most impactful investment you can make in your team's performance. It's a journey that moves from theory to transformation.

If you're ready to take that journey, learn more about how our S.A.F.E.T.Y. Accelerator™ program can give you the framework and tools to build a truly high-performing team.

The Hybrid Manager's Guide to Overcoming Proximity Bias

Your hybrid model feels fair. But look closer. Who gets the most interesting, career-advancing projects? Who gets the most "in-the-moment" feedback and coaching? Who do you think of first when a last-minute opportunity comes up?

If the answer is consistently "the people in the office," you have a proximity bias problem.

Proximity bias is our brain's natural, unconscious tendency to give preferential treatment to those we are physically close to. It's not malicious, but it's incredibly damaging. It creates an "A-team" (the in-office crew) and a "B-team" (everyone else), leading to disengagement, lower productivity, and the loss of your best remote talent.

The good news is you can fight it. Being a "Proximity-Proof Leader™" is a skill you can build. Here's how to start.

1. Audit Your Interactions

For one week, keep a simple "interaction log." At the end of each day, jot down which team members you had unscheduled conversations with. Who did you grab for a quick question? Who did you chat with while getting coffee? The data will likely reveal a strong bias toward your in-office employees. Once you see the pattern, you can be intentional about correcting it by scheduling regular, informal check-ins with your remote team members.

2. Formalize the Informal

The "hallway conversation" where a key decision is made is one of the biggest drivers of inequity. As a leader, you must commit to a simple rule: If a decision is made in an informal chat, it must be immediately communicated to the entire team in a shared, written channel. This ensures everyone has access to the same information at the same time, regardless of their location.

3. Lead with Objective Data (Not Just "Face Time")

Bias thrives in a vacuum of objective information. The most powerful way to combat it is to ground your talent decisions in data. This is where tools like Gallup's CliftonStrengths become invaluable. When you have a clear picture of each team member's innate talents, you can make decisions based on who is truly best for a project, not just who is most visible.

• Instead of: "I'll give this project to Sarah; she's right here and seems eager."

• Try: "This project requires someone with strong 'Executing' talents. Based on our team's Strengths grid, David is the perfect fit, even though he's remote. I'll set up a call to discuss it with him."

Overcoming proximity bias requires deliberate effort, but it's the defining challenge for leaders in the modern workplace. The managers who master this skill will be the ones who build the most engaged, innovative, and high-performing teams of the future.

Ready to find out where your team stands? Take our free, 2-minute Proximity Bias Audit to get your score and a personalized action plan.

5 Ways to Manage Up and Get Your Ideas Heard

You’re a great manager. You lead your team with purpose, you hit your targets, and you’re committed to building a culture where people can thrive. But when it comes to influencing your own boss, it can feel like your best ideas hit a brick wall. You know you have valuable insights that could drive the business forward, but getting them heard—and acted upon—is a challenge.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. The good news is that you don’t have to shout louder to be heard. You just have to get more strategic.

This is the art of “managing up.” It’s not about office politics or being a suck-up. It’s about intentionally building a productive, trusting, and mutually beneficial relationship with your manager. When you learn to manage up effectively, you don’t just get your ideas heard; you gain the resources, autonomy, and support you need to make a bigger impact and make your team more successful.  

Here are five practical, actionable ways to start managing up and ensure your voice is heard.

1. Speak Their Language by Aligning with Their Goals

This is the single most important rule of managing up: understand what your manager cares about most. Your ideas have a much higher chance of landing if they are framed as a solution to one of their problems or a direct path to achieving their goals. It’s your job to connect the dots for them.  

How to put this into action:

• Listen for priorities: Pay close attention in team meetings and 1-on-1s. What metrics does your boss report on to their boss? What projects get most of their attention? These are your clues to what they value.

• Ask directly: Don’t be afraid to ask clarifying questions to understand their world. In your next 1-on-1, try asking, "What are your biggest priorities this quarter?" or "What’s the most significant challenge you're facing that my team and I could help with?"  

• Frame your ideas as solutions: Instead of saying, “I have an idea for a new software,” try framing it around their goals: “I’ve found a software that could reduce our team’s administrative time by 10%, helping us hit that efficiency goal you mentioned last week.”  

2. Master Your Communication by Adapting to Their Style

Every leader has a preferred way of receiving information. Fighting against it is a losing battle. Instead, adapt your communication style to match theirs, and you’ll find your message is received much more clearly.  

How to put this into action:

• Observe and adjust: Is your boss a big-picture thinker who wants the bottom line upfront, or do they prefer a detailed, data-filled email? Do they like quick chats or scheduled meetings? Once you identify their preference, meet them there.  

• Use 1-on-1s strategically: Come to every 1-on-1 with a clear, concise agenda. A simple and effective structure is: key updates on your projects, any roadblocks where you need their help, and then new ideas or proposals. This shows respect for their time.  

• Never let them be surprised: No one likes to be caught off guard. Give your boss an early heads-up on potential problems. This builds immense trust and shows that you are proactively managing your responsibilities.  

3. Build a Business Case, Not Just an Idea

Passion for an idea is great, but data is what persuades leaders. To get your ideas taken seriously, you need to present them as a well-reasoned business case, not just a fleeting thought.

How to put this into action:

• Track your wins: Keep a running list of your accomplishments and quantify them whenever possible (e.g., "Increased team productivity by 15%," "Reduced client response time by 24 hours"). This data builds your credibility over time.  

• Do your homework: Before you pitch an idea, anticipate the questions your boss will ask. What is the potential ROI? What are the risks? What resources are needed? Having thoughtful answers shows you’ve done the work.  

• Present solutions, not just problems: It’s easy to point out what’s broken. Great leaders bring solutions. When you identify a challenge, come prepared with one or two potential fixes. This positions you as a proactive problem-solver.  

4. Create a Support Network by Socializing Your Idea

The most successful ideas are rarely introduced for the first time in a big meeting. The groundwork is laid beforehand by building a coalition of support. An idea presented by a group is much more powerful than one presented by an individual.

How to put this into action:

• Pre-wire the meeting: Before formally presenting a big idea, schedule brief, informal chats with key stakeholders. Share your concept, ask for their honest feedback, and incorporate their suggestions. This gives them a sense of ownership and turns potential critics into allies.  

• Find an advocate: Identify a respected peer or leader who sees your value and can champion your idea, especially in rooms you’re not in. This ally can help amplify your message and lend it credibility.  

• Support the ideas of others: One of the easiest ways to build goodwill is to publicly praise a colleague's good idea. When people feel you support them, they are far more likely to support you in return.  

5. Be Proactive and Reliable to Make Their Job Easier

Ultimately, the foundation of managing up is being an exceptional employee. When your boss knows they can count on you to deliver high-quality work without constant oversight, they will naturally trust your judgment and be more receptive to your ideas.  

How to put this into action:

• Anticipate their needs: Think one step ahead. If you know a big report is due, get the data ready before your boss asks for it. Anticipating needs is a hallmark of a top performer.  

• Own your responsibilities: Take full ownership of your projects and your team's performance. When your manager doesn't have to worry about your domain, it frees up their mental energy and builds their confidence in you.

• Disagree and commit: It’s healthy to challenge ideas and offer different perspectives—in private. But once a final decision is made, get behind it 100%. This shows you are a team player who respects leadership, even when you disagree.  

Managing up is a skill, and like any skill, it takes practice. Start by picking one or two of these strategies to focus on this week. By strategically building a stronger relationship with your manager, you’ll not only get your ideas heard but also unlock new levels of effectiveness for yourself and your team.