How to Improve Your Wellbeing With Intellection®

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 Intellection, 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 Intellection talent to fuel your wellbeing. Join Jaclynn Robinson and Jim Collison on this CliftonStrengths Podcast to discover how.

Thriving is when you have the freedom to reflect and spend time in solitude. It's this time that allows for thoughts to flow, for ideas to come together, and processes, actions or even upcoming conversations to be thought through.

Jaclynn Robinson, 2:44

I've noticed those high in Intellection, when it comes to crisis situations, they can help people get really centered.

Jaclynn Robinson, 9:57

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 0:10
In this CliftonStrengths Podcast, we'll look at the Strengths Insight and Action Planning items from Appendix 1 in the Gallup book Wellbeing at Work one theme at a time, and today's theme is Intellection. If you're listening live, we'd love to have you join us in our chat room. There's just a link right above there. Or if you're listening 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 the Wellbeing at Work book. And Jaclynn, it's always great to have you here. Welcome back!

Jaclynn Robinson 0:44
Likewise. Thank you.

What's the definition of Intellection?

Jim Collison 0:46
Let's get started with the standard definition. When we think of Intellection, what do we think of?

Jaclynn Robinson 0:51
Let's dig in. People that lead with the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They're introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions.

Jim Collison 1:02
I have a lot of theme envy, but no one's ever accused me of this. So let's just get that out in the open before we start. As we think about this theme definition, how does it relate to you? And how does it relate to others?

Jaclynn Robinson 1:13
I think about this relating to you as spending time each day engaging in a book, mindfulness activities or even a movie in which you learn a thing or two. That can feel ideal to you. So whatever you do, it's carving out time in a day for some solitude that truly keeps you at your best. How it relates to others: Because of your scholastic insights and that desire to engage in more deep and meaningful discussion, you have a natural way of asking a question or bringing up an insight that has individuals and teams stop to reflect more deeply. I always think about it as the, "Wow, I never thought about that!" kind of reaction that you end up getting from individuals and teams.

Jaclynn Robinson 1:13
The silence in the room, and everybody goes, "Whoa!"

Jaclynn Robinson 1:19
You just took it there. I didn't think about that. That is your superpower.

How does Intellection look when it's thriving vs. struggling?

Jim Collison 1:27
Yeah. It's great. When I was in college, one of my best friends high in Intellection. And I could give him a problem to think about and forget that I even had the conversation. I do that. And he'd come back 2 or 3 days later and remind me and then tell me what he thought about it. And it was super helpful, because I'd be like, "Oh, yeah, I totally forgot I even asked you to do that." And then he would have all these things that he thought about it. And it was just, it was really, really great. I really learned to appreciate that in him and figured out ways to work together on that, you know. So it was pretty cool. We are spending this series thinking about wellbeing. And so let's look at this theme first, maybe as it's thriving and then maybe as it's struggling.

Jaclynn Robinson 2:44
Thriving is when you have the freedom to reflect and spend time in solitude. It's this time that allows for thoughts to flow, for ideas to come together, and processes, actions or even upcoming conversations to be thought through. Those high in Intellection will sometimes think through the conversation they want to have with somebody. So that's what I mean by these conversations here. And then in terms of struggling, if you're not afforded time in the day to process information or thoughts or ideas or your to-do list, it could feel unsettling and a bit anxiety ridden. So this can be compounded even more if the environment's loud and busy. And those are the types of things that could really lead someone high in Intellection to struggle.

Jim Collison 3:25
Or distracting -- I know that borderlines a little bit on Focus but, but, you know, distracting, not conducive to that time that's needed or, or, or whatever -- however that fits in, right, in, in some of that, or maybe related stress associated with it, right, of not being able to be in the right frame of mind from that. So --

Jaclynn Robinson 3:48
It is a good sort, because with Focus, you might want that quiet time so you can go deep and intentional into your work. But with Intellection, that quiet time allows you to have solitude, which is the need, so that you can just process your ideas and thoughts or whatnot in your mind, or just find a source of relaxation and not hyperstimulation.

Jim Collison 4:08
I love that insight. No, that's, that's -- again, and this is an area of, I have very little insight into, so thank you for, for doing that. In the back of the book, we cover, by each of the 5 wellbeing elements, we talk about these themes. A great resources for folks who want to dig in on it. You've chosen one for us today. What do you have?

Jaclynn Robinson 4:27
I have. So career wellbeing. This one comes up often in the workplace. And so, so I think it's just key to maybe hit on this topic today. But with someone with Intellection, look for opportunities to give this person the freedom to reflect and to use their full intellectual ability. They'll appreciate the time to noodle on new information, people or processes before putting ideas and opinions together on how to proceed. So I share that with managers, with colleagues, with family members when you hear that.

Jim Collison 5:00
I did that just a couple times today. I had a problem -- I was, I had a text analytics problem that I needed to kind of solve. And I reached out to four, four folks that I know who have that. I was like, Hey, could you just think about this for a second? And some I couldn't even talk to, so I just left them a message so they would be able to hear that or, or read it. And I fully expect them, they'll get back to me in a couple days, you know, it's one of those kinds of things, just plant some seeds. And be like, Hey, just think about this for me, you know. And, and they're all trusted, I mean, they're all trusted friends that they, they know what I'm doing. They know my gig.

Jaclynn Robinson 5:35
That's a great best practice too. You're like, Just think about this for me or noodle on it; you're not pressuring them to have the answer right then and there. I love that you are planting those seeds, and that that's the way you refer to that.

Jim Collison 5:46
Yeah, take your time, take your time. Let's, I just, I need some -- well, and part of the, you know, part of the Arranger allows me to get a lot of those things going on at the same time. So I can be throwing those seeds out in, in a variety of places for folks, who then can single-track. Because I don't have any ability to single-track. I just don't; I need others to single-track for me. And so it's just become a really, for me, the, having that network around me of folks that I know I can go to get that done super, has been super helpful, especially during the pandemic, that has been really, it's been really, really key. And it's actually been a place for Teams -- I'm not a big fan of that -- but Teams has really helped because we can IM each other, and that never worked before the pandemic. There was no, it was either email or, I don't know.

Jaclynn Robinson 6:31
That's true.

Jim Collison 6:32
But now IM works internally, from a corporate standpoint. So that's, that's, that's pretty cool. They probably don't appreciate me pinging them. But, but they're thinking about other things.

Jaclynn Robinson 6:42
That's what that Do Not Disturb is for, though.

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

Jim Collison 6:45
Like I know it's red, but I ignored it. Right. So, Jaclynn, as we think about Intellection, and how it can be, speaking of it, how it can be used to support others, let's talk a little bit about that.

Jaclynn Robinson 6:58
Yeah, so if you're a manager or you're leading a team, with your uncanny ability to take a topic and go quite deep with it, considering information that might not have surfaced yet for others, you can formulate questions that get your team members to think about something in a new and enlightening way. So again, going back to that question-asking, where there's something that you've thought of, or you're reflecting on, that you recognize hasn't crossed their minds yet, just offering that up and putting it on the table can really have them go, "Oh, wow. Yes, I didn't think about that." And you could take them on this new, enlightening journey. If you're on a team, when others need someone to bounce a topic off of, to ensure they're considering it in all of its depth and spirit, you could be that person after, again, given a window of time, to think through that question or topic that has some thoughts or follow-up questions that they haven't yet considered.

Jaclynn Robinson 7:54
And then as an individual, once you identify your hobbies, passions and topics of interests, you're capable of diving even deeper into your knowledge of them. So this might show up in weekend museum visits or hours spent reading your favorite book genre. Or this could be additional skills training or continuing education you're doing that supports your career paths. So I think it's just remembering that, bringing that back to the surface and then identifying and spotting how you can invest in that further.

Jim Collison 8:23
Yeah, no, I love it. I think that's some great advice there. In Appendix 2, we've got some framework to kind of think this through -- a very simple framework for you. Can be used as an individual; can be used as a coach in a coaching session. Walk us through that with one of these themes.

Jaclynn Robinson 8:41
Yes. So with Intellection, Ask Yourself: How can I apply my passions and interests to organizations in my community? Ask Your Team Members: How does the work we do every day have an impact on our communities? You might already have some answers to that. But sometimes people just need the extra, they need someone to just kind of bring that out and call it out to have them think a little bit more deeply. How is the work I'm doing everyday impacting the community? How is that connected to a larger mission or purpose? And then Taking Action: Serve as volunteers or board members for organizations that are important to your team. So after resurfacing some questions about what is important, how are we contributing, you might actually identify a community that you all can contribute to.

Jim Collison 9:32
I love that. As we think of, you know, it's March 2022. Special times; I think we thought we'd be in a different spot today. You know, you might be listening to this 4 or 5 years from now and have some insight, hopefully, have some insight. But how do you think we can use, from a wellbeing perspective, and just that -- how do you think we could use Intellection? Those with high Intellection could serve the greater good in this.

Jaclynn Robinson 9:57
I've noticed those high in Intellection, when it comes to crisis situations, they can help people get really centered. They help them recognize -- gosh, I'm seeing this right now, and I'm trying to even figure out myself how I want to frame it up -- but they help people just have some time to kind of express what they're going through or what their thoughts might be. Because again, they do like that deep, meaningful conversation. And they'll allow people to just let that kind of breathe out in the open. And they might ask a question that takes them deeper. And I think, so that's, that's one part of it, just as we think about what the team might be going through. But then they also are pretty knowledgeable in what's going on in the world or within that crisis situation, particularly if it's of interest.

Jaclynn Robinson 10:47
And so if other people on the team are really interested in knowing more, pulling them in, helping them go deeper in a particular area of interest that they might have, or saying, "Oh, I just read this. And then I read this article as well." Not to be confused with Input. But they'll go really deep on a topic and say, "This is what I'm hearing," or "Have you thought about it from this perspective?" They'll offer up some questions that help people go, "Oh, I see, I see what's happening and how that might impact X or how that might impact Y." So I think they're really good to have around, because they, people can sometimes have some oversight, and they don't quite recognize that they're not hitting the nail on the head. People high in Intellection can help teams and managers and even the organization say, "You need to put this in writing," or "Have you thought about this? Because this is how it's going to impact us on a larger level. We need to take this deeper than we have. It's a little too surface."

Jim Collison 11:46
I love that. It causes me, I'm constantly moving and thinking on my feet. There are times I need a well-thought-through position; a well-thought-through (doesn't mean I need to agree with it). But I appreciate a well-thought-through, thoughtful, right, conversation, discussion, information. Like, you know that, I appreciate that. And oftentimes, I'm, when I recognize it, I really, I really, really, really crave it. You know, you're like, OK, tell -- OK, oh, I found someone. Tell me more, because I won't spend the time doing it, right.

Jaclynn Robinson 12:23
It's true. They, they help you feel like you can be really authentic and genuine in that moment of crisis or in that moment of, Oh, we got to take this and go deep with it. They might be the person to offer up the townhall to say, This is gonna give us an opportune moment to just have an enriching, meaningful conversation. And maybe we'll have some key actions and takeaways at the end, which would be beneficial.

Jim Collison 12:46
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.

Gallup^®, CliftonStrengths^® and each of the 34 CliftonStrengths theme names are trademarks of Gallup. Copyright © 2000 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.