Talent assessment - how to conduct and why?

Gallup's talents, also known as Gallup's strengths, are a concept developed by Gallup, an international consulting firm specializing in workplace and talent research. The foundation of this concept is the belief that people achieve the best results when they can focus on what they do best, namely their natural talents and strengths. Gallup defines talents as natural patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that can be productively applied. Gallup developed a tool known as "StrengthsFinder" (later renamed "CliftonStrengths") to help individuals identify their core talents from 34 talent themes.

Immature and Mature Talents:

An immature talent is one that we should work on. It can also become our anti-talent if we do not recognize and use it properly. For example, my activator talent might cause impatience if things move too slowly, or if someone, in my opinion, takes too long to make a decision or take action. I have learned to recognize differences in approaching tasks and understand that some people need more time to reflect, prepare, and analyze situations. A sense of urgency and different perceptions of time are things I need to manage while working in a team. At the same time, I am able to activate others, infecting them with action. An immature activator can cause trouble, i.e., if I do not communicate my talent to others and expect the same approach from them, I could be perceived as impulsive, a workaholic, always rushing to do everything first, seeking popularity. The truth is, I use this talent not only at work – I engage in various activities without delay, handle matters quickly, and save time wherever possible, but I might take on too much. Sometimes I feel that others are floating through life while I am running through it.

Here are brief descriptions of the 34 talents:

1. Discipline (Executing Domain)

Description: individuals with the Discipline talent value order and structure. They have a natural inclination towards planning, scheduling, and organizing their life and work in an orderly and predictable manner.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: without proper development, this talent can lead to excessive rigidity or resistance to change. Individuals might struggle to adapt to unexpected situations or may be perceived as too rigid by others.

2. Restorative (Executing Domain)

Description: people with this talent love solving problems. They appreciate the ability to identify mistakes or obstacles and find effective solutions.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: an underdeveloped Restorative talent can lead to focusing on negatives or becoming overly engaged in solving problems at the expense of other tasks, or in extreme cases, causing problems that then need to be solved.

3. Responsibility (Executing Domain)

Description: individuals with this talent take personal accountability for what they promise to others and are reliable. They take their commitments very seriously.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this can lead to overworking or difficulties in setting boundaries, as these individuals may tend to take on too many responsibilities.

4. Arranger (Executing Domain)

Description: arrangers have a talent for organizing resources, people, and tasks in the most efficient way possible. They are flexible and can easily adjust plans.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: without proper development, they may feel overwhelmed when forced to work within rigid or inefficient structures.

5. Focus (Executing Domain)

Description: individuals with the Focus talent can set goals and monitor progress towards achieving them. They have the ability to concentrate on what is most important and ignore distractions.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: if undeveloped, this can lead to an overly narrow focus, neglecting the broader context or other important aspects of a project.

6. Achiever (Executing Domain)

Description: individuals with this talent have a natural need for achievement and making progress. They are persistent, hardworking, and value daily progress in their activities.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: without balance, they can become burned out or overly focused on achieving at the expense of relationships and well-being.

7. Belief (Executing Domain)

Description: individuals with the Belief talent have strong convictions that are motivating and guide their actions. Their work often reflects these values.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this can lead to inflexibility or difficulties in compromise when there is a threat that these values will be sidelined.

8.Deliberative (Executing Domain)

Description: people with this talent are cautious and thorough in making decisions. They weigh all options and potential risks before taking action.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this can lead to paralysis or delays in action due to excessive caution.

9.Consistency (Executing Domain)

Description: individuals with the Consistency talent strive for fairness and equality, ensuring uniform standards for all.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this can lead to an excessive focus on rules and procedures at the expense of individual approach and flexibility.

10. Woo (Influencing Domain) Description: individuals with the Woo talent enjoy meeting new people and winning their affection. They are open and sociable, easily making connections.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: an undeveloped Woo talent can lead to superficial relationships or focusing on the quantity of contacts at the expense of their quality. The person may be perceived as insincere.

11. Command (Influencing Domain)

Description: individuals with the Command talent naturally take control of situations and express their opinions. They are confident and can easily motivate others to act.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: if undeveloped, it may lead to dominating others or being perceived as aggressive. There can be a lack of flexibility in decision-making and listening to others.

12. Maximizer (Influencing Domain)

Description: maximizers focus on leveraging and developing strengths, both their own and others'. They aim for excellence instead of fixing weaknesses.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this can lead to perfectionism, potentially resulting in paralysis and an inability to complete projects or tasks because they never seem good enough to the Maximizer. They might struggle to appreciate progress or successes, both their own and those of others, because they always see room for improvement.

13. Communication (Influencing Domain)

Description: individuals with this talent are natural communicators, able to effectively convey ideas and emotions, both verbally and in writing.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: if undeveloped, it may lead to excessive talkativeness or a lack of focus on listening, which can hinder effective communication.

14. Significance (Influencing Domain)

Description: individuals with the Significance talent strive to be important and meaningful in the eyes of others. They want their work to have an impact and to be appreciated.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this can result in an excessive focus on one's image and gaining recognition at the expense of collaboration and shared goals.

15. Self-Assurance (Influencing Domain)

Description: individuals with this talent have a deep faith in their abilities and make decisions with self-confidence. They are independent and trust their intuition.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this can lead to stubbornness, ignoring the advice of others, or making risky decisions without consultation.

16. Activator (Influencing Domain)

Description: activators are naturally motivated to take action. They dislike stagnation and are effective at motivating others to start working on projects.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: if undeveloped, it may lead to hasty decisions, a lack of planning, and overlooking details, which can affect the quality of work.

17. Competition (Influencing Domain)

Description: individuals with the Competition talent are naturally competitive and motivated by comparisons and rankings. They aim to be the best and to win.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this can lead to an excessive focus on winning at all costs, ignoring cooperation and the good of the team. It may also cause frustration in less competitive environments.

18. Adaptability (Relationship Building Domain)

Description: Individuals with the Adaptability talent easily adjust to changing circumstances and prefer to "go with the flow" rather than sticking to a rigid plan. They are typically very flexible and can effectively respond to unexpected events.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this can lead to a lack of planning for the future or difficulties in setting and achieving long-term goals. The person may also struggle to maintain consistency in action.

19. Empathy (Relationship Building Domain)

Description: individuals with the Empathy talent can empathize with others' emotions, allowing them to deeply understand and sympathize with others.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: if undeveloped, it may lead to overly taking on others' problems or difficulties in maintaining emotional boundaries.

20. Individualization (Relationship Building Domain)

Description: individuals with this talent have the ability to recognize the unique qualities of each person and tailor their approach to best support each individual.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this can lead to an excessive focus on individual needs at the expense of group goals or difficulties in managing larger groups of people.

21. Connectedness (Relationship Building Domain)

Description: individuals with the Connectedness talent believe that everything in the world is interconnected and have a deep sense of unity with other people and nature.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this can result in difficulties in confrontation or making decisions that may seem unpopular, as there's a tendency to avoid conflicts and maintain peace at all costs. It may also lead to an overreliance on intuition. While intuition can be a powerful tool, a person with an immature Connectedness talent may rely too heavily on it, disregarding logic, data, and empirical evidence. They might seek hidden meanings or connections in simple situations, leading to misinterpretation or misunderstanding of events or the intentions of others.

22. Includer (Relationship Building Domain)

Description: includers strive to ensure no one feels excluded. They have a talent for creating an open and accepting environment where everyone feels welcome.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this can lead to difficulties in maintaining high standards or making tough decisions that might not please everyone.

23. Relator (Relationship Building Domain)

Description: individuals with the Relator talent value deep, personal relationships more than broad circles of acquaintances. They aim to build strong bonds with a few selected people.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this may lead to a limited social network or difficulties in forming new connections. The person might also struggle with opening up to new people.

24. Developer (Relationship Building Domain)

Description: individuals with this talent have the ability to recognize potential in others and derive satisfaction from helping them develop and achieve success.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: if undeveloped, this may result in an excessive focus on the needs of others at the expense of one's own development or expecting quick results from others.

25. Positivity (Relationship Building Domain)

Description: individuals with the Positivity talent are naturally positive, enthusiastic, and can uplift others. They are great motivators.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this may lead to underestimating problems or difficulties, ignoring the negative aspects of situations, or being perceived as naive.

26. Harmony (Relationship Building Domain)

Description: individuals with the Harmony talent seek to minimize conflicts and find common ground among people to promote cooperation.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this can lead to avoiding necessary confrontations, problems with assertiveness, or difficulties in defending one's beliefs in the face of opposition.

27. Strategic (Strategic Thinking Domain)

Description: individuals with the Strategic talent have the ability to quickly identify patterns and various paths that can lead to a solution. They can anticipate future scenarios and choose the most effective courses of action.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: if undeveloped, this may lead to indecision as the person might be overwhelmed by possibilities or overly focused on planning at the expense of action.

28. Learner (Strategic Thinking Domain)

Description: individuals with the Learner talent have a deep need to acquire new knowledge and skills. They draw energy from the learning process, regardless of the subject.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this might lead to a continuous search for new information without applying it in practice or a lack of focus on one subject, resulting in being spread too thin.

29. Futuristic (Strategic Thinking Domain)

Description: individuals with the Futuristic talent are focused on the future and have a clear vision of what could happen. They are inspired by possibilities and often motivate others to follow their vision.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this may lead to ignoring current realities or problems that require immediate attention, focusing exclusively on future possibilities.

30. Input (Strategic Thinking Domain)

Description: individuals with the Input talent have a natural need to collect information, resources, or trivia. They value knowledge and often seek new data that might prove useful.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this can result in excessive collection of information without practical use or difficulty in separating relevant data from the irrelevant.

31. Ideation (Strategic Thinking Domain)

Description: individuals with the Ideation talent have the ability to generate new and innovative ideas. They enjoy thinking outside the box and often find unique solutions to problems.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this may lead to an excessive focus on idea generation at the expense of execution or difficulty in communicating those ideas in a way that others can understand.

32. Analytical (Strategic Thinking Domain)

Description: individuals with the Analytical talent have a natural tendency to analyze information. They seek causes and effects and base decisions on data and facts.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this can result in excessive skepticism or a lack of action, where the person is so focused on data that it's difficult to make a decision without absolute certainty.

33. Intellection (Strategic Thinking Domain)

Description: individuals with the Intellection talent enjoy thinking and pondering ideas. They value intellectual discussions and spending time in contemplation.

Untapped or Underdeveloped Talent: this may lead to excessive introspection or analysis, neglecting action or practical application of their considerations.

34. Context (Strategic Thinking Domain)

Description: individuals with the Context talent value understanding the past to better comprehend the present. They enjoy analyzing the history of successes, failures, and decisions to learn for the future.

Talents are grouped into four domains: Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building, and Strategic Thinking.

Each domain represents a unique set of skills and preferences that can be utilized in various contexts, both personal and professional.

Executing Domain: individuals with dominant talents in the Executing domain can turn ideas into reality. They are characterized by their ability to make decisions, manage resources, and carry projects to completion. People with strong executing talents are usually very organized, responsible, and focused on achieving goals. Examples of talents in this domain include Responsibility, Discipline, and Achiever.

Influencing Domain: this domain encompasses talents related to the ability to influence others, persuade them to one's ideas, and mobilize them to act. Individuals with strong influencing talents are usually very persuasive, enthusiastic, and capable of building networks and gaining supporters for their ideas. Examples of talents in this domain include Communication, Maximizer, and Activator.

Relationship Building Domain: individuals with talents in this domain are key to creating strong teams and building deep, lasting relationships. They have a natural ability to understand others, empathize, and support them. These talents help in resolving conflicts, strengthening engagement, and promoting a positive atmosphere. People with strong talents in this domain are often considered the glue that holds a team together. Examples of talents in this domain include Empathy, Developer, and Harmony.

Strategic Thinking Domain: this domain groups talents related to analyzing information, conceptual thinking, and planning for the future. Individuals with strong talents in this domain can easily spot patterns, think analytically, and develop strategies. They have the ability to anticipate obstacles and find the best paths to achieving goals. Examples of talents in this domain include Strategic, Analytical, and Futuristic.

Teams that encompass all talent domains and utilize them effectively work more efficiently, and employees find their work more enjoyable.

Discovering and developing one's talents aims not only to improve performance and satisfaction at work but also contributes to better well-being and success in various aspects of life. Gallup promotes the idea that focusing on and developing strengths brings greater benefits than attempting to fix weaknesses.

Gallup emphasizes that individual and team focus on strengths can lead to significant benefits, including:

Increased employee engagement: Gallup's research has shown that teams focused on strengths are 12.5% more productive in business, and employees who use their strengths every day are six times more engaged in their work.

Improved performance: teams utilizing their strengths can experience an 8-18% increase in performance. This boost in performance results from better utilization of each team member's natural predispositions and talents.

Higher profitability: companies that focused on employees' strengths reported a 14-29% increase in profitability. Focusing on talents can lead to more efficient and effective use of resources, translating into better financial results.

Improved quality of life for employees: employees who have the opportunity to use their strengths are three times more likely to report a higher quality of life. This highlights the importance of aligning roles and responsibilities with individuals' natural predispositions and talents.

Reduced absenteeism and employee turnover: organizations that promote the use of strengths experience significantly lower rates of absenteeism and employee turnover. Employees who feel their talents are appreciated and utilized are more satisfied with their work and less likely to leave.

How and Where to Take the Test:

Important Information About the Clifton StrengthsFinder Assessment:

• To take the test, you must register and purchase it (current price 105 PLN) on the Top 5 Clifton Strengths website: https://store.gallup.com/p/en-ie/10108/top-5-cliftonstrengths.
• Then, enter the code at https://my.gallup.com/_Home/RedeemAccessCode and take the test in your native language.
• After completing the survey, the system generates results that appear on your individual account. You will also receive them via the email provided during registration.
• The test consists of 177 questions, and you must answer each question within 20 seconds.
• You cannot return to previous questions.
• Each question consists of two statements, and you must indicate on a scale which one you agree with more.

It's important to:

• Allocate about 50 minutes of uninterrupted time for the test. If someone interrupts you during the test, the results may be distorted.
• Choose answers that come to mind first (there are no right or wrong answers).
• Take the test in your native language.

Gallup's "called to coach" videos can help in deeper understanding and analysis of talents, where individuals with specific talents share how they use their talent and what challenges they face.

Recommended books:

• "Now, Discover Your Strengths: How to Develop Your Talents and Those of the People You Manage" by Marcus Buckingham
• "StrengthsFinder 2.0" by Tom Rath

It's crucial to understand that exploring one's talents through the test does not reveal the whole truth about oneself. Interpreting personality test results can be likened to trying to see an entire elephant through a small slit. There is no single, comprehensive test that will reveal the entire truth about oneself.

If you need to discuss your talents and develop a plan for their growth, please contact me.