CliftonStrengths
What is CliftonStrengths?
CliftonStrengths is an online assessment that helps you identify your natural talents based on your patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Your unique results give you a shared language for the talents that already show up in how you learn, solve problems, connect with others, make decisions, and get things done.
At LSU, CliftonStrengths provides a powerful starting point for understanding what makes you uniquely you and how you can use your strengths to thrive on campus. Whether you’re navigating your academic journey, building meaningful connections across the LSU community, preparing for your career, or exploring your leadership potential, CliftonStrengths can help you develop a more intentional approach to personal, academic, and professional growth.
About CliftonStrengths
The CliftonStrengths assessment, developed by Don Clifton, Ph.D. and distributed by Gallup, is grounded in decades of research on human talent and potential. In the 1990s, Gallup conducted thousands of semi-structured interviews to identify innate talents that could be developed into strengths and used to enhance personal, academic, and professional success. Under Clifton’s leadership, Gallup created the CliftonStrengths assessment, an online tool that can be completed in under 45 minutes which provides individuals with a personalized strengths profile.
Benefits of CliftonStrengths
CliftonStrengths empowers students, faculty, and staff to better understand themselves and others by identifying their natural talents and learning how to intentionally develop them into strengths.
- Increased self-awareness and clarity about personal contributions
- Stronger relationships with peers, faculty, and team members
- Improved performance in academics, work, and family life
- Positive mindset shift: focus on what’s right, not what’s wrong
- Higher productivity with greater stamina and satisfaction
- Improved emotional regulation and responsiveness to stress
- Stronger critical thinking about influencing factors and outcomes
Research
While traditional psychology often focused on addressing deficits, CliftonStrengths is grounded in positive psychology – a strengths-based approach that highlights what’s right with people rather than what’s wrong with them.
Talent x Investment = Strength
Gallup’s formula captures the approach:
- Talent: A natural way of thinking, feeling, or behaving
- Investment: Time spent practicing and learning
- Strength: The ability to deliver consistent, near-perfect performance
Results
CliftonStrengths has strong test-retest reliability, supporting long-term stability of results. Students and professionals who use their strengths report:
- 6x higher engagement at work
- 3x higher quality of life
- Greater confidence, energy, happiness, and goal achievement
- Less stress, worry, anger, and physical pain
Explore the Science View Gallup's Strengths Meta-analysis (2015)
Domains
People with dominant Executing themes make things happen. They turn ideas into action and bring projects to completion.
Key Themes: Achiever, Arranger, Belief, Consistency, Deliberative, Discipline, Focus, Responsibility, Restorative
Contributions: Implementation, work ethic, organization, problem-solving, and delivering results
People with dominant Influencing themes take charge, speak up and make sure others are heard.
Key Themes: Activator, Command, Communication, Competition, Maximizer, Self-Assurance, Significance, Woo
Contributions: Motivating others, gaining buy-in, selling ideas, and moving groups toward action
People with dominant Relationship Building themes build strong relationships that hold a team together and make it greater than the sum of its parts.
Key Themes: Adaptability, Connectedness, Developer, Empathy, Harmony, Includer, Individualization, Positivity, Relator
Contributions: Team cohesion, emotional intelligence, nurturing, and personalized engagement
People with dominant Strategic Thinking themes absorb and analyze information that informs better decisions.
Key Themes: Analytical, Context, Futuristic, Ideation, Input, Intellection, Learner, Strategic
Contributions: Visioning, planning, learning, and helping others see patterns and possibilities
CliftonStrengths at LSU
35+
Gallup Certified Strengths Coaches
- Coaches certified through formal Gallup training
115+
Strengths Champions
- Faculty and Staff participated in LSU Strengths Champions Training
17,000+
Students Have Taken the CliftonStrengths Assessment
- Class of 2028-2030
Frequently Asked Questions
The assessment offers insight into your top talents, helping you maximize your potential, improve how you work with others, and make more informed career, leadership, and life decisions.
Students will receive a personalized Strengths Report that includes your Top 5 themes. The report provides descriptions and strategies for applying your strengths.
Your dominant themes typically remain stable over time, though minor shifts can occur. Strengths can also evolve through intentional development and life experiences.
A talent is a natural way of thinking, feeling, or behaving. A strength is a talent that has been refined with investment (time, skill-building, and practice).
No. Unlike personality tests that categorize you, CliftonStrengths highlights your unique combinations of talents and focuses on development, not labeling.
It promotes self-awareness, appreciation of differences, and team synergy. Understanding each other’s strengths enhances communication, collaboration, and productivity.
Yes. CliftonStrengths is based on decades of research by Gallup in the fields of positive psychology, performance, and human potential.
Absolutely. It can guide students in choosing majors, navigating campus involvement, improving relationships, and preparing for careers by aligning strengths with goals.
While the report offers helpful insights on its own, working with a certified CliftonStrengths coach can deepen your understanding and help you apply your strengths more intentionally in your life, academics, or career.
Gallup generally does not recommend retaking the assessment unless there were unusual circumstances (e.g., distractions or pressure). Your dominant talents are likely to remain consistent over time.
Not at all. CliftonStrengths is used widely with college students, faculty, staff, and professionals across industries. It’s helpful for leadership development, career planning, relationship building, and personal growth.
Yes. Many organizations and institutions use it to build high-performing teams, enhance collaboration, and help teams appreciate diverse strengths and contributions.
It won’t tell you what to do, but it can help you align your choices (majors, careers, leadership roles) with your natural strengths, giving you a personalized roadmap for success.
Start by:
- Naming your strengths and learning what they mean
- Claiming how they show up in your daily life
- Aiming your strengths toward your goals
This is known as the Name It, Claim It, Aim It model.
Yes. When overused or misapplied, strengths can become barriers. For example, a person high in Responsibility may take on too much. Awareness and intentional use help avoid these pitfalls.