Can execution or “getting things done” look different for each person? When you think about executing, what image comes to mind? A check box checked? A project completed? Clothes folded and put away? Trash emptied? How could executing look different?
Gallup® in their work through the CliftonStrengths® assessment and the research behind it, has discovered certain similarities in talent themes and developed Leadership Domains to define these. One of those Domains is Executing and is defined as:
Those with dominant themes in the Executing domain know how to make things happen. When the team needs someone to implement a solution, these are the people who will work tirelessly to get it done. Those with a strength to execute have the ability to “catch” an idea and make it a reality. |
What happens then when your Top 5 or Top 10 strengths themes contain none of the Executing themes? Do you not get things done?
This is a question a client struggled with and his track record (verified by him and others around him) confirmed that he was challenged to get initiatives to completion. What could he do to make sure his ideas moved from conception to completion?
Find a Partner – is there someone in the client’s realm who could help with execution? Partnering is a great way to overcome areas that are not a strength. It is also what builds strong teams. Given that my client is a team of one, partnering would mean calling on someone to offer their executing strengths in a role beyond their other professional responsibilities.
Utilize other Strengths – are there other strengths in the client’s top ten that could be utilized to help with execution? Given that Competition is his number 1 strength, this shows promise as he could challenge his competitive nature to step up to the challenge of taking ideas to completion.
Expand the definition of execution – could the definition of execution actually include what the client was doing? This was the ah-ha moment and solution for the client.
As we wrestled with this concept of executing in one of our coaching sessions, I replayed the client’s recent story, told to me that very day, of a successful strengths coaching session he led, the first step of three in the on-boarding process at this company. Right there, in front of his eyes, the client saw that executing for him looked different. It was part of Strategic Thinking and a plan he had designed. He hadn’t checked a box or completed a project just yet but he was doing the very things that would lead him to that. He was executing.
In a role different from others in his company, my client had observed the executing themes of those around him and had allowed that to determine what executing looked like. It wasn’t that those examples of executing weren’t correct, they certainly helped his team members do what they do extremely well. However, my client’s role is more strategic with long term projects requiring execution that looks a bit different.
Moments like this are the most rewarding in what I do. When a client sees the talent and potential within themselves and sees it in action, the learning is profound. Gaining a deeper understanding of your strengths opens the door to understanding the true depth of your talent and potential. What are you capable of? Do you know? Schedule a call with me to discover.
Curious about how you can use the StrengthsFinder assessment as part of your on-boarding process? Contact me at barbara@acceluspartners.com or 713-705-3815.