I’ve got this: the CliftonStrength of self-assurance

We talk a lot about CliftonStrengths on these pages because Millennial Guru believes that individuals thrive when they’re put into roles that allow them to use their strengths to grow personally and professionally.

A great example of this type of growth comes from my friend Elyse, who has the CliftonStrength of Self-Assurance. New college degree in hand, Elyse accepted a job offer with a start-up company.

She was attracted to the newness of the venture, because people with the CliftonStrength of Self-Assurance love to be trusted to make decisions, be independent, help guide the process, and influence others through their certainly. Working for a start up was a great fit for her!

People with Self-Assurance also tend to be self-aware leaders who are confident and help others feel calm, even in chaos. This trait came in very handy for Elyse when, in short order, her nascent company entered into a merger.

Drawing on the strength of Self-Assurance, Elyse was able to clearly and calmly articulate the benefits of the merger to both co-workers and clients. Doing so helped bring a sense of certainty to an uncertain time. Post-merger, Elyse was quickly promoted, in part, because her strengths helped her shine in her previous role.

How Could This Trait Possibly Be Problematic?

Reading the above anecdote, you might think that, as a manager, you’d never run into any personnel issues with this person on your team.

How wrong you’d be.

Employees with the trait of Self-Assurance are a fabulous asset to any team, but a healthy measure of self-awareness is critical. Without it, co-workers can feel like these employees are arrogant, over-confident know-it-alls who don’t accept input from anyone else, which can wreak havoc on a team or department in any industry.

Managing Employees With The CliftonStrength Of Self-Assurance

As is often the case, there are a couple of key components to helping employees with Self-Assurance maximize their talents:

  • Make sure they’re aware of their natural talents and strengths and how to best use them in the workplace.

  • Keep the lines of communication open, helping them understand possible misperceptions (like not being a team player) and how to handle them.

  • Play to their strengths when assigning roles.

You might be wondering how you can “play to the strength” of Self-Assurance. Here are a few ways you can help these employees to maximize this strength and capitalize on their contributions:

  1. Put them in positions where they can contribute meaningful ideas and make decisions that have a solid impact. They’ll thrive when they see the positive outcomes of their decisions and efforts.

  2. Give them plenty of leeway. It’s a bit of an understatement to say that these employees don’t respond well to micromanaging!

  3. Be sure they have a strong presence with co-workers and customers during times of uncertainty. Like my friend Elyse, they’ll be good at bringing calm to chaotic situations.

  4. Don’t be afraid to offer constructive criticism when they make a misstep. No one is perfect and, despite their self-confidence, these employees need to know when they’ve made an error and be given room to correct it.

Give them plenty of opportunity to grow, with an eye on their future with your firm.


How Millennial Guru Can Help

Through our workshops, Millennial Guru empowers clients to harness their employees’ strengths to maximize performance at work, benefiting both the individual and the company.

We start by using the CliftonStrengths personality assessment to help each person on your team identify his or her natural talents. Then we take that information and give them the tools they need to turn those talents into strengths.

Schedule a no-commitment informational meeting today to find out more about how we can help your employees be more effective and more productive, delivering better business results for you.


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How does CliftonStrengths compare to other personality assessments?