Awareness of Your Natural Patterns
Appreciate, name and apply your innate talents
Welcome to the concept of Strengths based performance, where you will learn how to enhance your mental and emotional fitness. However, before building on your fitness, you must first be able to identify your natural thinking and feeling patterns. We provide you with a language to be able to do that. This first step is known as “Name Your Strengths”, where you will gain awareness of your innate patterns and begin to understand how you use them.
Remember, there are over 33 million different combinations of natural patterns, so you will think, feel and behave differently to everyone else. And that is a great thing.
You will also learn about the potential benefits of focusing on your strengths, rather than conforming to socially driven expectations to concentrate on weaknesses.
Instead of becoming ‘well rounded’ to fit into a mould like everyone else, you will endeavour to become an individual star recognised for your unique strengths.
Analysing the results of a CliftonStrengths Finder assessment is a critical step in fully leveraging its insights. Here’s why it’s important to analyse the results:
The assessment provides a ranked list of your top five talents out of 34 themes (depending on which results you ordered), offering a unique insight into what you naturally do best. Analysis helps you understand the nuances of how these strengths manifest in your personal and professional life.
By identifying and analysing your strengths, you can focus on areas where you naturally excel, leading to increased confidence, productivity, and effectiveness. You can develop strategies to use your strengths intentionally to achieve goals and overcome challenges.
Each strength has potential downsides or “shadow sides” when overused, underused, misunderstood and misapplied. Analysis helps you recognise where your strengths unintentionally hinder progress and impact relationships, allowing for proactive management.
A coach helps maintain your focus by setting priorities, tracking progress, and holding you accountable for your commitments.
Example: A coach might ask, “What will you commit to focusing on this week, and how will we measure your progress?”
The insights gained from analysis provide a roadmap for growth, helping you align your career, relationships, and intentions with your natural abilities. It supports intentional development of less dominant strengths if they are critical for achieving specific aspirations.
Analysis deepens self-awareness by helping you understand how your thoughts and emotions influence your behaviours, decisions, and interactions with others. This awareness fosters emotional intelligence, aiding in effective communication and leadership.
Understanding the results enables you to develop an actionable plan to apply your strengths in daily life. It also helps you set realistic, strength-based intentions that align with your abilities and passions.
Knowing how your thoughts and emotions can be leveraged in challenging situations equips you with the skills and knowledge to adapt effectively. It helps you approach problems with a strengths-based mindset, turning potential obstacles into opportunities.
Analysing results helps you understand how your strengths align with your purpose and values. This alignment fosters greater fulfilment and motivation in both personal and professional pursuits.
Outhouse to Penthouse
The outhouse and penthouse theory within strengths provides a way to understand how thoughts, emotions and actions can manifest positively (penthouse) or negatively (outhouse) depending on how they are used.
Imagine...
… when you are in an unproductive state (the outhouse), figuratively, it maybe dark, cold and a not so happy place. Conversely, from the penthouse, you are in ‘flow’: up high, great views and on top of the world.
Example:
An example of someone with the Maximiser theme is someone who sees potential and strives for excellence. Driven by a desire to enhance what is already good and make it even better, their intentions are rooted in a passion for improvement and achievement. This same behaviour can come across negatively to others. If a Maximiser focuses too much on what could be improved without first appreciating others, they may seem overly critical, pushy, and even dismissive. This can alienate others who don’t feel acknowledged for their contributions and who might see the this drive as excessive and domineering. To stay in the “penthouse” you must balance your pursuit of excellence with genuine acknowledgment of what is already valuable. By appreciating and celebrating existing achievements, you build trust and encourage collaboration. From this foundation, invite others to join in improving what is already good, fostering a sense of shared purpose rather than imposing your own drive for improvement.
How the Theory Enhances Development
Benefits of Understanding Both Outhouse and Penthouse:
Self-Reflection and Growth: Encourages individuals to reflect on their behaviours and how they’re perceived, fostering personal and professional growth.
Targeted Coaching: Provides a framework for identifying development opportunities, moving strengths from the outhouse to the penthouse.
Holistic Perspective: Recognising both sides of strengths prevents over-idealisation and supports a balanced understanding of oneself.
Team Awareness: Helps teams appreciate diverse strengths while mitigating conflicts that arise from basement behaviours.
Challenges of the Theory
Overgeneralisation: People may overly focus on the penthouse and outhouse labels without appreciating the nuances of each situation.
Defensiveness: Highlighting outhouse behaviours may make some individuals feel criticised or judged, hindering development.
Fixation on Weaknesses: Some may focus too much on “fixing” outhouse behaviours instead of playing to their strengths from the penthouse.
Outhouse Perspective (Strengths at their Worst)
Drawbacks:
Overuse or Misuse of Strengths:
A strength in the outhouse can become a liability.
For example, Achiever in the outhouse might lead to workaholism and burnout.
Strained Relationships: Outhouse behaviours may be perceived as annoying or counterproductive, causing friction with team mates, coaches and family members.
For instance, Command in the outhouse might come across as controlling or intimidating.
Reduced Self-Awareness: Without recognising when a strength is in the outhouse, individuals may unintentionally sabotage their success.
Unbalanced Approach: Over-relying on a strength in its outhouse form can overshadow other valuable traits or derail team dynamics.
Penthouse Perspective (Strengths at their Best)
Benefits:
Maximising Potential: Recognising and operating from the penthouse of a strength helps individuals and teams perform at their highest potential.
For example, the strength of Empathy from the penthouse allows for deep understanding and connection with others.
Fostering Confidence: Awareness of a strengths positive impact builds self-assurance and encourages leveraging them effectively.
Improved Relationships: Penthouse behaviours often inspire trust, collaboration, and admiration, as they reflect the best version of a strength in action.
Alignment with Values: When strengths are in the penthouse, they align with personal and organisational values, creating synergy and alignment.
To Do List...
- Reflective Questions
- Complete Clifton StrengthsFinder
- Download Insight Guide
- Activity: Awareness
- Activity: Outhouse to Penthouse
- Activity: Share your Strengths
How do I get things done?
How do I encourage and influence others?
How do I develop relationships?
How do I process information, organise thoughts and make plans?
Now that you have completed these four short questions, you should have received an email with an access code to the Clifton StrengthsFinder online survey. If not, contact your coach to arrange. If you are completing this program without a coach, you may also purchase a code by visiting the Gallup website. Click Here.
This survey will uncover your natural patterns of thought, emotion and behaviour.
Once you have completed the survey, you will receive your results, feel free to read any or all information. Perhaps even share them with a friend. You will have access to these results whenever you log into the Gallup website. Before leaving the site, please download your insight guide and save it in a safe place.
If you want to print your insight guide, we also recommend highlighting the key words and phrases that really resonate with you.
Look at your top five Signature themes. How do they drive your performance? This may be applied to something big you want to achieve or an everyday situation. Answer the following questions using your workbook, or download the word or PDF version (click on the link), or simply write your answers in a journal or diary. Remember, you will grow your knowledge and understanding by handwriting your answers. Answer as little or as much detail as you feel worthy.
1) How would your friends describe you?
2)How do your themes impact your ability to make things happen?
3) How do you use your themes to influence (or inspire) others?
4) How do you use your themes to build and nurture relationships?
5) How do you use your themes to think about, plan or analyse a situation?
Look at your top five Signature themes. Using the Outhouse Penthouse Table below, input the descriptions of each theme and answer the following questions using your workbook, or download the word or PDF version (you may need five copies), or simply write your answers in a journal or diary. Remember, you will grow your knowledge and understanding by handwriting your answers. Answer as little or as much detail as you feel worthy.
Outhouse and Raw Description:
Describe a time you were using this theme from the outhouse. What were your thought processes, how did you feel and how did those around you respond?
Imagine, how will you manage this situation differently in the future?
Describe how the outcome will be better?
Penthouse and Mature Description:
Describe a time you were using this theme from the penthouse. What were your thought processes, how did you feel and how did those around you respond?
Imagine, how you will intentionally lead from the penthouse?
Remember to repeat this for each of your top five talent themes.
Once you have completed your penthouse to outhouse tables it is time to identify times you have acted in both states. Approach someone who knows you well. It could be a close friend, a family member, a team mate or even a work colleague. Briefly explain this strengths process and show them your tables. Ask them questions like, can you think of a time I was behaving in the outhouse and penthouse. Ask them what state they believed you were in at the time. Ask them how your behaviours made them feel. Remember, sharing what you’ve learnt and possibly teaching someone else will help embed your new findings.
And remember, now is the time to complete the Weekly Wellbeing Check.
Outhouse to Penthouse Table
Using the descriptions of each talent theme below, use the words and phrases that resonate most with you and input them into the answers above. Notice the slight differences in language and how each theme can be used (and seen by others). Note: The different colours represent the different domains. Purple: Executing, Yellow: Influencing, Blue: Relationship Building, Red: Strategic Thinking.
I find it difficult to say no. I overcommit and feel compelled to burn the candle at both ends, often to meet unrealistic deadlines. I am often concentrate too much on work. I must keep busy doing anything.
I work hard and possess a great deal of stamina. I take immense satisfaction in being busy and productive. I lead by example and I produce needed results.
I can be a loose cannon with a ‘ready-fire-aim’ approach. I’m may be impatient and speak before thinking. I feel frustrated when others can’t keep up. I push impulsively, impatiently & indiscriminately.
I’m a fearless self-starter who has the energy to make things happen. I turn thoughts into action. I push intentionally, urgently & relevantly.
I can sometimes be directionless, indecisive, inconclusive and whimsical. My attention span may be short.
I tend to go with the flow. I am flexible, comfortable in times of change and easy to get along with. My intense, real-time awareness helps me to respond with immediacy.
I can be critical and skeptical. I may often ask too many confronting or inappropriate questions in a quest to find answers. I am rarely satisfied with answers.
I am able to see the patterns of truth and can sort through factors that may effect a situation. I’m comfortable with numbers, charts and figures and apply a logical, thorough thought process. I make meaningful sense of complex realities.
I have a lack of structure or may be too flexible. I may not follow existing rules or procedures. I can be difficult to follow because of my constantly changing priorities. I often shakes things up when I’m bored.
I am flexible, an organiser and a juggler who aligns and realigns tasks to find the most productive configuration possible. I can be an efficient conductor. I productively and simultaneously manage multiple processes, activities and people.
I can be stubborn and set in my ways. I am an elitist, unaccepting of other people’s ideas, and an opinionated, goody-two-shoes. I move away from or push against others with differing values.
I have a lack of structure or may be too flexible. I may not follow existing rules or procedures. I can be difficult to follow because of my constantly changing priorities. I often shakes things up when I’m bored.
I am passionate, a steadfast and others know where I stand. I am altruistic, family oriented, ethical, and responsible. I move toward and engage with those who have differing values.
I appear bossy, domineering, rude, abrupt, short, strong-willed, inflexible and stubborn. I tend to resists external authority and control.
I use charisma to be direct and driven. I can be inspirational, easy to follow, clear, and concise to support myself and others. I exert authority and control in situations where others maybe are lacking.
I am often a poor listener. I chatter continually and need constant attention. I tend to show-off or be self-absorbed. I have often been in trouble for talking too much.
I am a storyteller who is easy to talk to, energising and entertaining. I have charisma and presence. My words build understanding, relationships & inspiration. Talking through ideas allows me to solidify my thoughts.
I want to compete even when there no one else competing. I can be self-centred and put others down. I may have ‘Dummy spits’ after a loss. I despise losing, and feel shattered after a loss. I loathe people who defeat me.
I aspire to be the best and inspire those around me to achieve their highest levels of performance. Even though losing is painful, I respect those who defeat me because I can use the feeling as a source of motivation for doing better next time.
I can be be passive, naïve, and overly idealistic. I may sense connections where there aren’t any. I have an awareness of something beyond the physical.
I tend to go with the flow. I am flexible, comfortable in times of change and easy to get along with. My intense, real-time awareness helps me to respond with immediacy.
I can sometimes be a little too much “by the book”, inflexible, and unwilling to customise/individualise. I enjoy unchanging predictable environments. I follow the letter of the law.
I am a problem-solver and policy maker who builds upon a platform where everyone is entitled to the same treatment. I demand fairness for people & efficiency of performance. I follow the spirit of the law.
I maybe slow to move or react to change. I can be closed-minded, and tend to live in the past. My love of yesterday can keep me from moving forward.
I have a robust historical frame of reference, and love to learn lessons from the past. I know how things came to be, and can leverage knowledge of the past. My memory insures that the best of the past will be preserved.
I can be standoffish, aloof, cautious, slow, introverted, and afraid to act. I am sensitive to the scary, risky nature of the world. I can be too cautious because I scare easily.
I have good judgment, and can identify risk. I make solid decisions and can plan for the unexpected. I use careful vigilance that protects and prevents danger and problems. I am cautious because I care deeply.
I may spectate rather than contributes or may pressure people into doing things they don’t feel comfortable doing or is not within their strength. I often invest too much time trying to help people who do not want to (or can not) be helped. All potential is equally important and the key to growth is my investment.
I enjoy helping others succeed and recognise the innate potential in others. I’m often a teacher or coach who nurtures that potential in others by recognising and encouraging improvement. I understand the key to growth is someone else’s potential and carefully choose who to invest time in so resources are used productively.
I may be overbearing, rigid, mechanised, and I can’t handle change. If my world is out of order, I am a mess.
I provide a high level of productivity and accuracy. I have an ability to create structure by breaking what’s complex into manageable steps. I’m a great planner who promotes efficiency. I can help restore order when someone else’s world is a mess, .
I can be moody and find it difficult to separate the emotion from a situation. I often focus on negative emotions and have difficulty shutting off from the emotions of others. Tears express my own sadness, anger and joy.
I create trust, bring healing and know what to say and do for others. I usually customise my approach to the person. I cry with those who cry and cheer with those who cheer
I am often overly absorbed in a tasks. I sometimes find it tough to relax and can be intense and stressed. My concentration leads to social & intellectual isolation.
I am disciplined, purposeful and have laser-like precision. I identify important areas quickly. I set goals and regularly achieve them. I am intentional about important priorities.
My attention wanders while dreaming about what may be. My ideas may not be practical. I often escape reality by living in a dream world. I tend to use my imagination to escape the prison of today.
I am inspired by the potential of what could be. I energise others with visions of the future. I am imaginative, creative and a visionary. I create a better world by transforming dreams into reality. I use my imagination to cast a vision of a better tomorrow.
I can be indecisive and reluctant to share my feelings and opinions. I need peace.
I have a natural capacity for practicality and enhancing collaboration. I bring peace.
I may offer impractical ideas and create more work for others. My good ideas may remain as good ideas and not be acted upon. I can become lost in the ideas of daydreams. I am fascinated by a world of fantasy. I may become frustrated if my ideas are not heard.
I am able to improve on what currently exists. I learn quickly and have an agile mind. I use my ability to imagine and innovate to make a reality better. When my ideas are turned down or overlooked, I create better ones.
I am generous to a fault. I can be indiscriminate and invite too many people into a situation. I dislike segregation.
I invite others into a group. I’m caring and know how to engage with others because I am sensitive, tolerant and like to ensure everyone is considered. I promote and facilitate integration.
I focus on the individual, often at the expense of the group. I may not follow generalised guidelines and take a long time to make a decision that affects people. I’m intrigued by a person, but oblivious to the group.
I appreciate the differences in others and fascinated by their distinctive abilities. I see the uniqueness in all individuals and intuitively know that “one size doesn’t fit all”. I help people stand out within a group.
I know a lot of vague ideas and am surrounded by clutter (physical and psychological). I can be seen as a boring conversationalist. I collect things.
I recognise great resources because I have a mind for detail and an effective memory. I collect interesting things and therefore may be an excellent conversationalist. I collect things that are useful & I share them with those who might benefit from that use.
I can be a loner, slow to act and lose time thinking too much. I’m often isolated and prefer not to work with others. My need for introspection keeps me from interaction.
I am an excellent thinker, enjoy musing, and capable of deep and philosophical thought. I am able to work alone. My deep self-reflection is a prelude to deep conversation.
I tend to be more focused on the learning than producing anything with what has been learnt. I ask a lot of questions but rarely focus on results. I maybe a know it all and often my curiosity dissolves into boredom.
I find life intriguing and am interested in many things. I seek continuous improvement and often understand quickly. The process of learning, excites me more than the outcome. I’ll fully explore something new in order to explain it clearly to someone.
I am a perfectionist, and often very picky. Always reworking things because they’re never good enough. Impatient with weakness & critical of those who are weak.
I will take things to the next level, and strive for excellence. I offer an environment for those around me to achieve mastery, success and excellence. I work with the best and show people how they can be their best. I am a guardian and curator of that which is strong.
I often appear superficial and naïve, especially if a positive approach seems unrealistic. Unhappy people make me unhappy, so I avoid them.
I have a contagious enthusiasm that people gravitate toward. I encourage people to be hopeful and productive. I tend to be lighthearted, optimistic, energetic, and generous with praise. I make unhappy people happy.
I am very selective and often play favourites. I may find it difficult to start relationships and may be prone to build cliques. I’m most comfortable with my friends.
I enjoy close relationships with others. I find a deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a common goal. I am most able to comfort my friends.
I find it challenging to let others take charge and tend to micromanage them. I over commit and can be obsessive about getting it ‘right’. I feel continuous external pressure to do the right thing.
I am conscientious and true to my word and I always fulfil my promises. I accept ownership of my thoughts, emotions and actions. I feel internal pleasure when I am doing the right thing.
I may be perceived as negative because I continually looks for problems. I have an eye for what is wrong, but lack the effort or solution to fix it.
I am seen as a problem solver and troubleshooter who finds improvements and solutions. I see the beauty in brokenness and enjoy contributing to healing.
I can be arrogant, self-righteous, over confident, and stubborn. I may be wrong, but I doubt it.
I am self-confident and my strong inner compass allows me to feel comfortable being a risk-taker. I have a certainty that is open to being made more certain.
I often seek attention as well as credit for what has been done. I may have an active ego and need the attention of others. I feel good when I am seen & heard.
I have high standards and are very independent. I look for outstanding performance and do things of importance. I do good by gaining attention for a cause.
I am often quick to criticise existing processes. Find it difficult to make a decision. At times can jump to quick decisions, be difficult to understand and thought processes seem closed-minded. The pursuit of the best path delays the start of the journey.
I anticipate alternatives and intuitively see multiple paths. I apply imagination and a creative persistence to finding the best path. I give broad consideration, rapid elimination and real initiation.
I often give the impression of being fake and shallow. I don’t seem to care about deep relationships. I have social courage without reason or cause.
I am outgoing, people-oriented, networked, and a rapport-builder. I offer intentional social initiative to build a supportive social infrastructure.