How to Improve Your Wellbeing With Self-Assurance®

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

Others feel confident in the road ahead when they hear the sense of confidence that you have in them or the team to overcome obstacles or to complete goals.

Jaclynn Robinson, 1:52

Bounce [your] hesitancies off of a trusted partner to get their perspective and see what they have to say and ... get your roots dug into the ground again.

Jaclynn Robinson, 7:34

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 Self-Assurance. If you're listening live on our live page -- gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/live -- right above me is a link to the, to the YouTube page that has the chat room. Love to have you sign in and join us there for chat. Or if you're listening after the fact, and you have a question, you can 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 -- I never get tired of saying that, Jaclynn. It's great to have you. Welcome back!

Jaclynn Robinson 0:52
Thank you!

What's the definition of Self-Assurance?

Jim Collison 0:54
Let's spend a little time talking about Self-Assurance. What is that definition?

Jaclynn Robinson 0:59
Yeah, so people that lead with Self-Assurance feel confident in their ability to take risks and manage their own lives. They have an inner compass that gives them certainty in their decisions.

Jim Collison 1:09
Certainty in their decisions. I think sometimes this, this theme, and we talked about this on almost every season of Theme Thursday, that this particular theme, and maybe the one we're going to talk about next, get kind of maligned. And I want to bring some positivity to it in a way, because I think they're fantastic. And so -- well, they're all fantastic, right? And so I love that certainty. So let's kind of focus on that. How does it relate to you -- the collective view -- and how does it relate to others?

Jaclynn Robinson 1:37
Yeah, so if someone leads with this, the way it would relate to you is you might feel guided by your gut and, more often than not, know the path that's right for you. So your wellbeing is at its best when you have the freedom to make your own decisions. How it would relate to others: Others feel confident in the road ahead when they hear the sense of confidence that you have in them or the team to overcome obstacles or to complete goals. So as you think about the positive aspects of wellbeing, it can boost the wellbeing of themselves and others for sure, through that sense of self-confidence.

How does Self-Assurance look when it's thriving vs. struggling?

Jim Collison 2:08
And there's that term of confidence that I really like. There are moments, especially in leadership, where we need that confidence. You know, there's, there's nothing worse than when you're lost, and you go, "Hey, do you know where you're at?" And that, the person's like, "Not a clue!" You know, and like, "I don't know how we're gonna get out of this," as opposed to that confidence oftentimes in leadership. I just kind of think about the last 2 years, and maybe the last 20 years, as we think of all the turbulence we've had, having that confidence, having somebody around with that confidence, can sure really be the center of a team, right? It can be the grounding, kind of a grounding force in that as well. Let's talk about this in relationship to wellbeing. What does it look like in a sense when it's thriving versus struggling?

Jaclynn Robinson 2:58
I think of thriving as when this person's in an environment where people trust their decision-making skills but also aren't afraid to challenge this person's thoughts or instincts. And I'll even say, so speaking of those that have Self-Assurance, you thrive when you're in an environment where people trust your decision-making skills but also aren't afraid to challenge your thoughts. So often, this can help validate your initial thought process or help you consider a different perspective from a trusted confidant. But struggling can look like, you know, your world getting smaller when others -- particularly those who take a standardized approach to advice, where it's like, "You just need to do this," and they'd say the same thing to everyone. Or those that don't, who don't know you well, when they try to offer advice that goes against your gut instinct, that might make you feel confined. And you also might feel confined when others try to micromanage your world, because you're used to having more of that freedom and that autonomy.

Jim Collison 3:54
Yeah, yeah, I can, I can really see that. The struggling part I don't, it's middle for me in somewhere, and that struggling part, I think, is an area for me to learn. Let's spend a little bit of time on that as we think of in Appendix, yeah, in Appendix 1, we kind of walk through an exercise -- one of the themes by one of the wellbeing elements. Walk us through that exercise now.

Jaclynn Robinson 4:16
Yes. So for this one, I chose career wellbeing. What can be wise is to put this person in charge of a bold new initiative. They thrive because they know they can do it. The, you know, they'll step up to that challenge and really absorb it and embrace it and then just go for it. And if they need other folks, they'll bring them on board too and give them that sense of confidence. Oh, we've got this. Let's do it. This is gonna be fun.

For those with Self-Assurance, how can it be used to support others?

Jim Collison 4:44
I think of that Lord of the Rings moment, where Gimli, you know, he's the, he's the, the axe guy; he always carries an axe, right, and I forget what they call him. But he says they're about ready to go on a mission where, you know, he says, "Certainty of death? What are we waiting for?" kind of thing, right. Yeah, that confidence of being like, yeah, in the face of danger or in the face of, you know, oftentimes, it's not always, doesn't always have to be dangerous, right. But in the, in the sense of difficulty or in the sense of needing that confidence, I think they can bring a lot of that, that confidence to it, right. In the, in Appendix 1 in the back, there's also 4 other wellbeing elements there. And you can, you can use that in your coaching; we encourage you to do that as well, for both certified independent and embedded coaches a great tool, or even just for yourself. Great opportunity, check that, check that out, back in Appendix 1 in the book Wellbeing at Work. So Jaclynn, for those with this theme, how can they use it? And this is, I'm going to learn from you on this, because I think this is an important question. How can it be used to support others? I think we often think of it as a "me" theme. How can it be a "we" theme?

Jaclynn Robinson 5:56
I love that "me versus we"! If you're a manager, or you're leading a team, and you have Self-Assurance, you can lend that, that sense of self-assurance to others. And I mentioned that earlier, but there was, there was a person that I had in a session that led with Self-Assurance or leads with it, and he was a Marine drill sergeant, and he used to lend it to others and say, "Oh, you're gonna have to jump off this cliff. But I'm gonna be there right behind you. So you can do it; I've got you. You've got this!" But managers can really just lend that sense of self-confidence, when it's a challenge or a stretch assignment, to give them that additional nudge and that boost where they go, OK, maybe I can do this!

Jaclynn Robinson 6:42
And if you're leading a team, or, I'm sorry, if you're a part of a team, then you can help the team see that they're capable of overcoming adversity or capable of getting through a busy season or capable of hitting that target goal that might just seem slightly out of reach. So I think that's, that's something that Self-Assurance can lend itself to, especially when you maybe have some team members that are just tired, and they're like, "I don't know. The end of the road seems far away." And they could just give that extra nudge and say, "No, you've got this; we've got this!" And then as we think about yourself, as an individual, as someone that knows what's best for you, continue to be guided by your natural instincts, but take heed when something feels off or not right for you. So bounce those hesitancies off of a trusted partner to get their perspective and, you know, see what they have to say and kind of feel your, your footing again, get your roots dug into the ground again.

Jim Collison 7:46
The "me versus we" on this, because of the term "self" in the title of this, I think sometimes makes it difficult. I think of it in terms of confidence. We talked about this at the very beginning, up front. I kind of actually like that word "confidence" better in, in some regards -- just for me, just because it really is that I can give that confidence or I can support -- I kind of think of it as foundational. Sometimes we need that foundation confidence there to say like, "You know what? We're gonna be, we're gonna be OK. And even if we're not, we're still gonna be OK," right. Like, you know --

Jaclynn Robinson 8:25
I'll find a way out. Yeah.

Jim Collison 8:26
I've been in those situations before. I've been in a little bit of a panic, and someone has come to me and reminded me, you know, it's, even if it's not OK, it's gonna still be OK. So, you know, we need, I think sometimes we need that. I mean, I think it's super important, super, super applicable in team settings. And I think, I think this is one of those themes that's even more powerful in a team setting than it is for oneself, even though that's in the title. In Appendix 2, we got a framework that we can work through this as well. And, and I've been asking you to do that as well. Can you work through Self-Assurance in this framework?

Jaclynn Robinson 9:05
Yeah. So if you have Self-Assurance, you can Ask Yourself: How can I provide friendship and support to someone? That's where you can use your Self-Assurance to give them a nudge of confidence. Ask Your Team Members: If you could make one change for the better, what would it be? And then you can encourage them to start. And Take Action: Create opportunities for people to learn about one another, both their work and their lives. And where you can come in is you can champion what they do well to boost that inner sense of self-confidence and show the strength of the team.

Jim Collison 9:37
Yeah, I love that. I think this is one of those themes. And again, they're, you know, they're all, they all have their abilities to do things in a way that's supernatural, in some sense. And I think this one brings, brings, can bring calmness in the strongest of storms, right, and, when working right and deployed in that. And so it's just, we, we need more of this. Coming out of the, coming out of the situation we're in, we need those with Self-Assurance, and, and to stand up not for themselves, but really for others as well. And I think we just have a great opportunity to lead with that. Jaclynn, anything else that you would say as we kind of close this up?

Jaclynn Robinson 10:24
Well said! This reminds me of, we see some themes that have that level of grit, where they can overcome adversity; they kind of have that bounce-off factor. And this is one of those where they, they do have that, that sense of grit of, if there's an obstacle, I trust myself to get over it. And I can nudge the team, and we'll get through it together. So to your point, we could, we could use those with Self-Assurance. Come on in, raise your hand and step on board!

Jim Collison 10:53
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.