Harmony: Learning to Love All 34 Talent Themes

On a recent episode of Theme Thursday Season 1, we discussed the Harmony theme with Gallup Global Learning and Development Manager Shari Theer.

The particular brilliance of the Harmony theme is its natural practicality and preference for emotional balance. By reducing friction, people especially talented in the Harmony theme can enhance collaboration. They avert many contentious interactions before they start and quickly help others find a resolution.

The Harmony theme is the seventh-most-frequently named Top 5 theme within our database of more than 10 million people. Almost one-fifth (19%) of those who have completed the CliftonStrengths assessment have Harmony as one of their Top 5 themes.

Curt Liesveld, Gallup Senior Learning and Development Consultant, points out that people with Harmony promote collaboration by managing conflict and maintaining practicality. Simply put, they get along with people, so they can get things done. Although Harmony falls into the Relationship Building domain, it often has a strong performance orientation. Curt says that those with Harmony sometimes fight an inner battle where they want to get along with everyone, but they want to get things done without creating any conflict.

In order for harmony to be achieved, Curt says there must be more than one voice involved. This holds true for Shari when trying to get a group together to accomplish a common goal. When leading meetings, for example, she begins by asking the group for their input before she gives hers. This provides people a chance to talk about any issues or thoughts they might have, and it gives everyone a voice and an opportunity for their opinions to be heard. She says this is incredibly important in creating understanding in any situation.

To hear more about the Harmony theme and how people like Shari use it in their everyday lives, watch the full video above.

Shari Theer's Top 5 CliftonStrengths are Achiever, Positivity, Focus, Harmony and Empathy.