How to Improve Your Wellbeing With Restorative™

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

People that lead with the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it -- AKA, the fixers.

Jaclynn Robinson, 0:58

Encourage this person to think of their physical issues as problems they need to fix. They will be more successful when they think of improving their physical wellbeing this way.

Jaclynn Robinson, 4:45

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 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 Restorative. If you're listening live, love to have you join us in our chat room. Or if you have questions after the -- I did this because the link is right up there -- if you're listening after the fact and you have questions, you can send us an email: coaching@gallup.com. Dr. Jaclynn Robinson is our host today. She works as a Learn -- a Gallup Learning and Development Consultant and was the primary contributor to Appendix 1 in the Wellbeing at Work book. And Jaclynn, always great to be with you. Welcome back!

Jaclynn Robinson 0:48
Good morning. Good to be here.

What's the definition of Restorative?

Jim Collison 0:50
We are excited to talk about Restorative. Can you take a second? Let's get that definition in, as we think about what does Restorative mean?

Jaclynn Robinson 0:57
Yes. So people that lead with the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it -- AKA, the fixers.

Jim Collison 1:06
The fixers! It's a great, it's a great theme. I really love watching Restorative folks in action, How does it relate to you, and how might it relate to others?

Jaclynn Robinson 1:16
So you're, if this, this is, if you lead with Restorative, you're at your best when you can work through problems throughout the day. Whether it's restoring a vintage car, helping a friend through a rough patch, or fixing a happenstance in your own life or in the organization, this is where you thrive. How it relates to others: When problems arise, friends, family and colleagues look to you for help. You have a knack for getting at the root cause of a problem and resolving it as quickly as you can. So not only do you resolve the problem, but you restore the wellbeing of the person facing the problem.

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

Jim Collison 1:50
I need, I need name tags, everybody to wear who has Restorative to have the name tag. It's like, Hey, I can help, right? Cause sometimes -- I don't, I don't memorize as many themes in people as I should, to be able to say, because this is the one really in, in problem mode, they really want to jump in and help, I think, sometimes. Plays out differently for everybody, I think. But, but I, in those problem moments, if I can't solve it, I'd love to know who could. As we, as we think about, we are spending the season talking about it in relationship to people's wellbeing. Spend a little time talking about, What does it look like thriving? And what does it maybe look like struggling?

Jaclynn Robinson 2:33
I think you nailed it. I go to these people like a moth to a flame, because when they're thriving is when they're placed in a role where people need solutions to problems. And when friends and family come to you for advice and support, it feels so great, that energy just comes of, Yes. OK, what's the problem? I'm going to solve it for you. The struggling piece is when you're deemed negative for addressing problems or potential problems that you see could arise in a given situation -- and also, when it seems the world around you is ignoring a problem or sweeping it under the rug. That'd be probably quite bothersome for someone high in Restorative.

Jim Collison 3:09
When I was managing IT resources, I saw a lot of Restorative in a lot of our QA folks, and I think we've come a long way -- in software development, we've come a long way from the old days of, like, you know, QA trying to find the bugs and they, in there, and they were always, nobody, you know, developers aren't always appreciative of that, like they, like they used to be. I think those processes have changed. But how, you know, you talk about, cause sometimes they get a negative or they can get a little bit of a vibe of you're always presenting the problems. I think the struggling is when those problems can't be fixed -- their problems. They need to be, right -- they need to be fixed. And that struggling is sometimes, no matter what I do, we can't fix this problem.

Jaclynn Robinson 3:52
Yes. And then it becomes endless rumination.

Jim Collison 3:55
Yeah, yeah. Or, or hopelessness. Like, no matter what I do, I can't, there's nothing I can do to solve this. And we may have seen examples of this over the last couple of years, just as there were just situations we couldn't work around. And I think for some of those folks with heightened Restorative, they may be coming out of this time, and hopefully, you know, coming out with some hope of maybe some things can change. We've been spending the season thinking about this wellbeing. Can you, and you've got an example in the, in Appendix 1 by each element of wellbeing. We've got an example. Walk us through one of those.

Jaclynn Robinson 4:33
Yes. So just like Responsibility, I went right back to physical wellbeing for this one. It's one I don't think we think about sometimes, so I wanted to pull it out of the hat. So for physical wellbeing, encourage this person to think of their physical issues as problems they need to fix. They will be more successful when they think of improving their physical wellbeing this way.

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

Jim Collison 4:55
Well, that's a good challenge. I'm -- anybody who wants to fix my physical problems, I'm all for it. Just, if you need that, I can, I can. It's a never, you know, a never-ending battle. We have 4 of the other elements out there as well -- a great resource for you to go back and in Appendix 1 and use that like you would, as you're spending time coaching or working with yourself or just mentoring someone, a great opportunity. Resources are available there in Appendix 1. Jaclynn, thanks for your work on that, by the way. You had a big part of almost every single word written back there. So thank you for the work that you did back there as well. So let's talk a little bit about how Restorative can support others.

Jaclynn Robinson 5:47
Well, if you are a manager, or you're leading a team, when there are barriers and frustrations hindering the workflow of your direct reports, they can count on you to take on the problem and find a resolution. So you are offering that sense of stability and, even going back to what you were saying earlier, Jim, hope. Because, you know, there's hope that we're going to get out of this rut that we're in or this, this bottleneck that's occurring. If you're on a team, others might not see a way out of adversity or feel they are the best candidate for troubleshooting issues that come up. But if they know how much you thrive in that area, they can come to you as the fixer and problem solver. So oftentimes, too, it's just highlighting maybe the enjoyment you have for problem solving. And as an individual, where others might shy away from constructive feedback, you tend to embrace it. You have a willingness to fix your shortcomings or skills. And from this talent lens, where we think about focusing on strengths, you are OK, from the constructive feedback side, of, Hey, this is a blind spot I'm recognizing in, you know, you know, one of your Top 10 themes, and you might embrace that a lot more openly than some folks.

Jim Collison 6:56
Jaclynn, as you were talking about that, I was kind of thinking through, you know, I've gotten, oftentimes I've gotten the opportunity to highlight volunteers doing certain tasks. They volunteered for this; they don't get paid, right? Hey, I'm available to do whatever -- fill in the blank. And then people are hesitant to go to them. And they're like, Oh, I don't want to bother them. I'm like, No, no -- they volunteered for this. They want to be bothered, right? This is, like, as we think of Restorative, they've got this superpower that they really enjoy deploying that on a team or in their role. They want to do this.

Jaclynn Robinson 7:36
Yes. They're raising their hand. Let me in!

Jim Collison 7:40
Don't rob them of their joy. Like, they're doing this, and they want to, right? They want to do this. And so I think it's, I always have to remind myself of that. Don't feel like you're bothering them. I mean, and of course, everyone's different. So ask the right and appropriate questions. But I think they're looking, sometimes they can be looking for those opportunities to help, and they want to. So ask them. I think that's an important piece. In Appendix 2 in the back of the book, too, we have a framework -- a very simple framework -- to work through on this. Jaclynn, give us that framework, and let's walk through it.

Jaclynn Robinson 8:14
So we went right back to physical wellbeing for this. So Ask Yourself: Where do I need help making progress in my physical wellbeing efforts? Ask Your Team Members: What physical wellbeing obstacles do we encounter at work? You can be that troubleshooter to make sure everyone is focusing on physical wellbeing and taking those 15-minute wellbeing breaks. And then Take Action: Build in short wellbeing breaks throughout the day to avoid long periods of sedentary time. So maybe you can be that support system again for, for the team, and looking for ways to do that with one another.

Jim Collison 8:46
There's a little conversation in chat about perception too. And I think, those of you high in Restorative, I think you need to ask yourself the question a little bit of, How am I being perceived with my Restorative theme? And if it's not positive, you've got a little Restorative to do with your Restorative.

Jaclynn Robinson 9:04
Oh, that's good. Yes!

Jim Collison 9:06
Because it can come across critical, right, if it's not deployed correctly in the situation. Just cause you have it doesn't mean you can necessarily barge into every situation saying, "I have the fix," or "You need to fix this!" Like, I see this problem. Why can't you just fix it? Right? So it's not 100% guaranteed. I think there's practice and there's -- around our perception of how we're coming across with that theme. Like how is it being perceived? And so we've got, I think those high in Restorative have some -- like, like any theme, right, we've got the opportunity to say, Hey, how is this, you know, it's like people who have a sad face and you ask them how they're doing, and they're "Great!" I'm like, "Well, good! Tell your face, so we all know!" The perception, right, the perceptions can be important too on how people perceive that. Anything else, as we wrap this, Jaclynn, you want to add to that?

Jaclynn Robinson 10:00
That's so good. I love this piece of you might have to restore your Restorative, just to make sure that that perception is still coming across as more constructive than being critical or problematic.

Jim Collison 10:13
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.