How to Improve Your Wellbeing With Belief®

Below are audio and video plus a transcript of the conversation, including time stamps.

Your CliftonStrengths^® can empower the 5 elements of your wellbeing -- career, social, financial, community and physical. But how does this happen if you are struggling in one or more of these elements? If you have Belief, Appendix 1 of Gallup's Wellbeing at Work book has Strengths Insights and Action Items that can move you from struggling to thriving as you apply your Belief talent to fuel your wellbeing. Join Jaclynn Robinson and Jim Collison on this CliftonStrengths Podcast to discover how.

If we think about physical wellbeing, we can coach this person [with Belief] to understand how physical and mental health connects to their living mission.

Jaclynn Robinson, 6:31

What might be best [for someone with Belief] is ... where do we have a common purpose and mission that we can agree on and move forward with to find some sense of alignment?

Jaclynn Robinson, 5:47

Jim Collison 0:00
I am Jim Collison, and welcome to the CliftonStrengths Podcast. On this podcast, we'll be covering topics such as wellbeing, teamwork, professional development and more. Now enjoy this episode.

Jim Collison 0:14
In this CliftonStrengths Podcast, we'll look at the Strengths Insight and Action Planning Items from Appendix 1 and a little bit of Appendix 2 in the Gallup book Wellbeing at Work one theme at a time, and today's theme is Belief. If you're listening live, love to have you join us in our chat room. There's a link right above me there that will take you to YouTube. Sign in to the chat room that is there. If you have questions after the fact, you can always send us an email: coaching@gallup.com. Dr. Jaclynn Robinson is our host today. She works as a Gallup Learning and Development Consultant and was the primary contributor to Appendix 1 in Wellbeing at Work. Jaclynn, always great to be with you. Welcome back!

Jaclynn Robinson 0:47
Thank you, sir.

What's the definition of Belief?

Jim Collison 0:48
We're spending some time digging in today with Belief. Give us, give us the definition.

Jaclynn Robinson 0:55
We think of Belief as those folks that have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerge a defined purpose for their lives. I often think about that as their North Star -- so those core values that guide them.

Jim Collison 1:08
My, my, my spouse No. 1, so I'm pretty familiar with this after 32 years; she may sneak into this, this episode as well. What about the, how does it relate to you, and how does it relate to others?

Jaclynn Robinson 1:23
You know, it's that core value system and purpose they connect with in their life that drives their career path, that drives the friendships they have, the family they connect with, the hobbies they hold for themselves. And so everything is interconnected and aligned with that core value system. So if I think about how it relates to other people, because of the clarity in their values, and beliefs, they can really speak to them with passion. And I think that really engages and excites the teams that they're on or the people that they're around, which is why we often think of it as an Executing theme is because of that passion and verve that we hear in their voice.

How does Belief look when it's thriving versus struggling?

Jim Collison 2:02
For me, understanding Belief in my, in my marriage relationship was super important, because I realized there was a value structure that existed that wouldn't necessarily change very fast. Mine changes all the time. Situational ethics -- I'm OK with that. And it was, it was a, it was a tremendous understanding, I think sometimes -- and we'll talk about this here just in a second, but -- I think sometimes in the context of groups, Belief can run up against the rocks and, and just crash their ship on shore. Because people don't understand that. And so it just gets, I think that's one of those areas where Belief people are like, "Don't you know? I'm always gonna feel this way." You know, "I've thought through this; it's, this is the way, this is what I believe." And it's a strong, unwavering, you know, Discipline, Focus-like, zeroing in on it, right. And so I think oftentimes -- we'll talk about that here during the group section. But when we think about it from a wellbeing perspective, and thriving versus struggling, how do we see it there?

Jaclynn Robinson 3:10
I think they wake up with purpose and with a sense of verve and excitement for life, because they, you know, when they put their feet on the ground in the morning, they know what it is that they're working towards; who they're going to be surrounded with; and all of that's so in alignment with their core value system, the purpose that they want to live out in life. And so I feel like it's just, there's that pep in their step. It's like, I'm, I'm going -- that North Star is shining, it's bright, it's right in front of me, and everyone is on that path. And they feed into my value system too.

Jim Collison 3:44
Where does it look -- when it's struggling, where's it struggling?

Jaclynn Robinson 3:49
You know, when I see people struggle with this theme, it feels like there's some misalignment. It could be personally or professionally or even both. But there's misalignment with what they stand for and what surrounds them. And that can create feelings of sadness or hurt or discontent or frustration. And they don't tend to sit in that place long because, to your point, they have that core value system that is unwavering. But when they, when they see that, it could be really hurtful. It's like, "Oh, you know, this company is no longer aligned with who I am." Or "This person, I don't want to have to let them go, but they're no longer in alignment; their, their values don't match up to mine." What else might you add, just having your wife with this as No. 1, have you seen these experiences too?

Jim Collison 4:33
I have, I have, and I think it's an area where -- and I mentioned this a minute ago -- in group settings or with teams or family members, where when it's misunderstood, then it really, then it can really grind or it can really, you know, heads can bang. And it's painful. I mean, it's painful to watch. And when someone is, you know, because values are so tied to kind of the inner soul of who we are, I think, as an individual, it gets very, very personal, you know. And so, it's just a struggle there, right? That can really, when they feel like their values are not being heard or when their values are not being valued. This is where I think, and coaches, I think it's really, really important in group and team settings, when you see this Belief, this high Belief come out, you spend some extra time making sure the team understands that Belief. Because I think, particularly from a wellbeing standpoint, when that person is not understood or those values are, are violated in some way, I think it hurts really, really deep and has a, has a, an effect on wellbeing. I don't know, anything you'd add to that?

Jaclynn Robinson 5:40
Yeah, I think that's spot on. I think about this theme, too, as what might be best is where can we agree to disagree? Because they might have their own value system on that side. But where do we have a common purpose and mission that we can agree on and move forward with to find some sense of alignment? -- whenever it feels like there's that dichotomy that they're, you know, managing.

Jim Collison 6:05
Yeah, where's alignment? is a great question, by the way, in this. Like, where do we find, in team, the team setting, where do we find common alignment in this? And I think that's just kind of a great place to start. We have, we have examples in Appendix 1 looking at this, the theme, then by one of the elements of wellbeing. You picked one to go over today. What do you have for us?

Jaclynn Robinson 6:25
I've got physical wellbeing. You know, we talk a lot about career wellbeing with Belief. But if we think about physical wellbeing, we can coach this person to understand how physical and mental health connects to their living mission. So good rest, nutrition, exercise, that allows them to be at their best so that they can continue to make a difference in their families and communities. I think helping tie that in could help inspire or motivate them from the physical wellbeing piece.

For those with Belief, how can it be used to support others?

Jim Collison 6:54
I love that, because oftentimes we tie it to -- and we can, but community, community wellbeing comes up right as, with that high Belief. And I love just thinking like, no, there are other ways to tie this in to the other elements -- which, I would not have picked physical wellbeing. I'm thinking, like, how does that work? But yeah, I know, I think there's a great -- as we're thinking about wellbeing, right, the way we take care of ourselves is important. And I think high Belief, getting out ahead of that with people to help them like understand, like, no, you got to take care of yourself during this time. I think, like I'm finally now -- it's taken almost 2 years, but I'm finally getting back to where I was pre-pandemic, from a, from like a physical and emotional wellbeing standpoint. It's taken me some time. You know, maybe, maybe Belief could have pushed me a little bit, a little bit or led, led me a little bit quicker to get there.

Jim Collison 7:48
So I love that. We have 4 others in there in the, in the appendix. Great, some great insights by theme into those questions. And so use that as a resource in your coaching. We -- anything else, as we look at Appendix 2 and this framework that kind of walk through? Maybe we can spend a little time with Belief, walking through that framework.

Jaclynn Robinson 8:10
I agree. So if we're thinking from a manager perspective, whenever I coach people high in Belief, one thing that they do exceptionally well is help others recognize how they contribute to the overall goal, to the team goal, to the, the mission or purpose of the organization. Because they lead with that, it's so top of mind thinking about this purpose-driven life, I think that's something they do quite well. And we know in the workplace that teams want to know, How am I contributing to something greater than myself? They do that very well. If they're on a team, I think, where they can bring some, I think, where they have some power and edge is connecting other people to the common goal, if others aren't quite sure why they're doing what they're doing, and they're saying, "What's the outcome we're trying to achieve here?" You've got someone with Belief that is likely able to verbalize how what they're doing ties into that mission or purpose.

Jaclynn Robinson 9:07
And then if we think about it from an individual perspective, looking for ways to have that sense of community, so going back to a little bit of the community wellbeing piece, but How am I connecting with other people that have similar, you know, beliefs as I do? Or, you know, a similar mission and, and I can feed that? Socially, I'm getting that social energy, but I'm also just connecting within the community and feeling like I'm doing something greater than self.

Jim Collison 9:38
I think, because I tend to wobble, just, you know, with my themes, I can move around and fast-moving, quick, changing. I call that sometimes, when I'm struggling, a "wobble," you know, and maybe not a very productive one. Belief adds a great North Star, as we think about when you're on a team. And I sometimes look for that. Like when I'm wobbling, when things are in chaos, and I'm OK handling the chaos, but I do need something to look to or to travel on. By the way, thank you for your Focus in the notes. I skipped ahead, and you went right back to where we should be. That's a, I was realizing, oops, I took a peek at the chat room, I wobbled a little bit, right, and your Focus brought us back. So it's a great example.

Jim Collison 10:27
But really, even from an, so for those of you high in Belief, and, and just realizing, even as an individual, you're providing stability as we think about those 4 Needs of a Follower, stability is important. I think this provides some of that stability onto a team, whether you're the manager, or you're on the team or from, even from an individual, it may be that stability you need in the times of chaos, right, to be able to really kind of nail that down. I don't know -- would you add anything else to that?

Jaclynn Robinson 10:56
I love that. It gives me the visual of an oak tree. They're just so firmly planted, and people just want to go to that person. And their branches might sway in the wind, but they know where they're at. They know why they're there. And it just creates that sense of sturdiness and stability for people.

Jim Collison 11:15
Kind of come back to the flagpole. Like, come back to it. Like that's where, this is the rallying, the rallying point. When I was in the military, we would always have a rallying point.

Jaclynn Robinson 11:24
That's an even better vision.

Jim Collison 11:25
Hey, in midst of chaos, we're determining in advance, we're gonna rally here. And, and that may be a good opportunity for Belief to say, "I can be your rallying point," like "I'm not gonna waver," you know. In Appendix 2, there's a framework. Now it's time for the framework. There's a framework, as we look through these elements of wellbeing, there's some great questions in that section about Asking Yourself and Asking Team Members and then Take Action. Jaclynn, walk us through that section now.

Jaclynn Robinson 11:56
So for that one, as we think about Belief here, I think a good question that they could ask themselves is, How can I apply my passions and interests to organizations in my community? From a team member perspective, maybe they ask the team members, "What do you feel passionate about in your communities?" We talk so much about the value system and the mission of those high in Belief. One area of opportunity for them is also to engage with others on what they believe in and what their values are. So I think asking that question, "What do you feel passionate about in your communities?" is a really good bridge. It can create that common ground and common connection with another person, just in hearing what their mission is, even if it's different. But it opens up the door for just hearing about other people and learning about what, what gives them energy, from a values and systems perspective.

Jaclynn Robinson 12:48
And then last, but not least, Taking Action, I think about getting to know each other's hobbies and interests. They can connect on that. And when they find that shared interest in community or in the workplace, they can look for ways to pursue that, that interest, or maybe volunteer their time in that area where they have some common ground.

Jim Collison 13:08
I love these ideas of asking questions. And there's plenty more questions there for you, along these lines. And I love, you know, in my move to be more relational and less Woo during the pandemic, I'd love to ask some questions about asking people, "How do you think about this?" And just listen, right? That's not -- that takes work on my side, just to be honest. It takes some work not to be the talker, but to be the listener. Right. We had Cathy DeWeese on, on LinkedIn Live the other day; she talked about the 3, kind of the 3 phases of listening, right? And I'm, 99% of the time, I'm listening to respond. Right. It's just, it just is what it is. But it has been, with high Belief, I think for me, I'd want to take -- when I know this about someone, to be able to kind of say, "Tell me more about that Belief." Right. Tell me more about the values kind of behind that. And I think those of you who have high Belief have an opportunity to help us that don't by asking great questions around this, as well. Jaclynn, anything else you want to add before I close it?

Jaclynn Robinson 14:14
No, I love that. I like the way you just ended it too. We can look towards people with high Belief to, to help us think about our own North Star. They can ask some really good questions that help us think about our own value system and our own mission or purpose in life and can help us just ensure that we're on that path for ourselves, especially if we're in that funky feeling of having some, some wellbeing that feels a bit off.

Jim Collison 14:38
Thank you so much for listening to today's episode of the CliftonStrengths Podcast. Make sure you like and subscribe wherever you listen, so you never miss an episode. And if you're really enjoying this podcast, please leave a review. This helps us promote strengths globally.

Jaclynn Robinson's Top 5 CliftonStrengths are Achiever, Strategic, Maximizer, Positivity and Relator.

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