An Introduction to the Maximizer® CliftonStrengths Theme
Looking to learn more about Maximizer? Whether you want to know more about how to use your Maximizer theme to succeed, or how to help someone harness theirs, you've come to the right place.
You'll find definitions and descriptions made popular in the international bestseller StrengthsFinder 2.0, plus ideas for how to better understand and use this CliftonStrengths theme.
What Is the Definition of Maximizer?
Maximizer and the rest of the CliftonStrengths themes are comprised of natural talents that Gallup has identified through decades of research.
People exceptionally talented in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.
People complete the CliftonStrengths assessment to learn which of the 34 themes, like Maximizer, are strongest in them.
The following theme description highlights the thoughts, feelings and behaviors you are likely to experience if you have strong Maximizer:
Excellence, not average, is your measure. Taking something from below average to slightly above average takes a great deal of effort and in your opinion is not very rewarding. Transforming something strong into something superb takes just as much effort but is much more thrilling.
Strengths, whether yours or someone else's, fascinate you. Like a diver after pearls, you search them out, watching for the telltale signs of a strength. A glimpse of untutored excellence, rapid learning, a skill mastered without recourse to steps -- all these are clues that a strength may be in play. And having found a strength, you feel compelled to nurture it, refine it, and stretch it toward excellence. You polish the pearl until it shines.
This natural sorting of strengths means that others see you as discriminating. You choose to spend time with people who appreciate your particular strengths. Likewise, you are attracted to others who seem to have found and cultivated their own strengths. You tend to avoid those who want to fix you and make you well rounded. You don't want to spend your life bemoaning what you lack. Rather, you want to capitalize on the gifts with which you are blessed. It's more fun. It's more productive. And, counterintuitively, it is more demanding.
Maximizer is a theme in the Influencing domain of CliftonStrengths.
People with dominant Influencing themes like Maximizer take charge, speak up and make sure others are heard.
Each of the 34 CliftonStrengths sort to one of four domains -- Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building and Strategic Thinking. These domains help you understand how to use individual CliftonStrengths to succeed when you join, create or lead a team.
Learn more about the CliftonStrengths domainsHow to Better Understand Your Maximizer Theme
Making the most of your Maximizer talents starts with gaining valuable insights into what you naturally do best.
How people with strong Maximizer talents describe themselves:
- "I am committed to excellence."
- "I need quality to be valued as much as quantity."
- "I love a maximum return on investments."
- "I hate an obsession with fixing weakness."
- "I bring an emphasis on quality."
How to Apply Your Maximizer to Succeed
The most successful people invest in their strongest talents. The only way to develop your Maximizer talents is to use them every day -- at work, at home and everywhere else.
The following are a few ideas for how to apply your Maximizer to achieve your goals:
Work With Maximizer: Seek roles in which you are helping people succeed. In coaching, managing, mentoring or teaching roles, your focus on strengths will prove particularly beneficial to others. Because most people find it difficult to describe what they do best, start by arming them with vivid descriptions.
Lead With Maximizer: Devise ways to measure your performance and the performance of others. These measures will help you spot strengths because the best way to identify a strength is to look for sustained levels of excellent performance.
Live With Maximizer: Don't let your Maximizer talents be stifled by conventional wisdom, which says you should find what is broken and fix it. Identify and invest in the parts of your organization or community that are working. Make sure that most of your resources are spent in the build-up and build-out of these pockets of excellence.
Check out our in-depth videos from Gallup experts for more ways to use Maximizer to make the most of your potential.
Maximizer:
If You're a Manager With Maximizer
Your Maximizer talent makes you stronger. Lead with your strengths so both you and your team can succeed. A strengths-based approach to management will lead to:
- better conversations
- stronger partnerships
- higher team engagement
- greater collaboration
For manager-specific insights and strategies, check out your CliftonStrengths for Managers report and explore your top 10 themes and how you can use them to reach your goals.
Discovering the collective talents of your team using the CliftonStrengths assessment is just the first step.
To successfully manage or lead others, you must individualize your approach. You must understand what makes each of your team members unique. And you must lead meaningful conversations about performance that focus on what each person naturally does best.
An Example of Managing Team Members With Maximizer
When you approach engagement and performance conversations with Maximizers, remember that they are interested in taking something that works and figuring out ways to maximize its performance. They might not be interested in fixing broken things.
Use the CliftonStrengths Assessment to Discover More About Maximizer
How Strong Are Your Maximizer Talents?
Purchase CliftonStrengths 34 to reveal your complete unique talent profile and learn just how strong your Maximizer talents are. You'll get personalized insights into your CliftonStrengths results and ideas for maximizing your potential.
How to Work With Others With Strong Maximizer Talents
Gallup offers resources and products you can use to help others succeed by developing their Maximizer theme and all their CliftonStrengths.