Jim Collison:
[0:00] Welcome to Season 4 of The CliftonStrengths Podcast, where we'll dive deep in how CliftonStrengths themes build powerful partnerships and help teams thrive. I'm Jim Collison, Gallup's CliftonStrengths Community Manager.
Jillian White:
[0:11] And I'm Jillian White, Gallup's Subject Matter Expert on Culture and Leadership, and our Lead Subject Matter Expert for CliftonStrengths.
Jim Collison:
[0:18] Today's theme is Achiever. We'll explore this theme, what it brings, what it needs, how to foster collaboration. Jillian, welcome!
Jillian White:
[0:26] Thank you, Jim. It's always great to partner with you. Let's get started.
Jim Collison:
[0:28] Yeah, let's dive in here. Can you introduce the theme, what it looks like in action, how it might show up at work, some of those kinds of things?
Jillian White:
[0:36] Yeah, this is a personal one. Anyone listening in who's got Achiever, we likely have a lot of you out there. Achiever is the most common strength in our database. Jim, as you know, it's my No. 1 strength. So you're going to hear this come out today. When I think about Achievers, just a refresher on what that strength is. It brings a lot of stamina. It brings a lot of drive. It loves being busy. It loves being productive. This is a strength -- the image that I have for this is somebody who's running a marathon, and they're that person at the end of the marathon. They cross the finish line with their arms in the air, and there is something about an Achiever that is just driven for that moment of completion. So oftentimes for us Achievers, you see a trail of accomplishments that are a part of your life. You love to do. It's an Executing strength. So it loves that sense of completion, and it has a strong work ethic as a result.
Jim Collison:
[1:33] It is your No. 1. I think sometimes the example we use of Achiever is checking off boxes, right? And I also think we think people who have high Achiever have been great Achievers their whole life. I want to ask this question, since it's No. 1 for you: What have you learned about your Achiever in the last year or two? What, what is, what's come out -- how's that learning worked? And what have you learned about yourself?
Jillian White:
[1:55] Jim, you and I were chatting just before this about how our strengths show up in our own lives -- outside of work, inside of work, right? And for me, my Achiever was on overdrive this past year. So just even personal example with this -- I shared on our kickoff episode, I got married this past year. I bought a house and moved this past year. I joined a family. I cohosted the summit, was doing things for clients. So believe it when you say this past year was a lot of checklists. And I think for me, one of the biggest things I've had to learn as an Achiever and for other Achievers who are listening in, it's so easy for us Achievers to have our to-do list define our priorities. And something I really focused on this past year is, How do I, as an Achiever, make sure that my priorities are informing my to-do list?
Jillian White:
[2:49] So I'm getting ready for a wedding. I'm getting ready for the summit. And I say, What's actually important to me? I want to make sure, yes, that I'm ready for these things. But I've got to hack the system as an Achiever. I've got to think about how to make it an accomplishment to stay connected to my friends and family during that time and not get lost in the to-do lists and the to-dos, right? So I think that's something I've learned as an Achiever is just really thinking about making sure that I am finding accomplishment in the things that are actually most important to me in life.
Jim Collison:
[3:20] Yeah, I love that. We are going to spend some time this season talking about partnerships in that. And I appreciate your partnership in this. You said "Yes" to this as well -- in the midst of all of that, you said, "Sure! I'll record 34 episodes of the CliftonStrengths Podcast in 2025, why not?"
Jillian White:
[3:38] You know us Achievers. I mean, Achievers love a challenge, right? They love the opportunity to step up to something. And it's, it's actually energizing. It's energizing to take on a challenge in something that you love.
Jim Collison:
[3:49] Well, I win with your Achiever, and so does the community as well. So thanks for saying "Yes" to that. We're spending some time looking at this new section inside of Gallup Access, new-ish in the last 6 months, been made available to individuals. If you go to your Community tab in the Strengths Dashboard, you can share your themes with, you can share your reports with other people. There's a Compare tab in there. And those, when you compare yourself to someone else -- which, generally, we don't recommend all the time, that you compare yourself to people -- in this case, it's good because it's directed. We have an I bring and I need set of statements there based on the themes of you and someone else. We're going to spend some time this season looking at those. So when we look at Achiever, let's get started with, What does it bring? What, what could we expect to learn in that section?
Jillian White:
[4:33] Yeah, and I love your setup with this, Jim. That's exactly why we brought in that piece of the technology is to make it easier for people to have these kinds of conversations. And so, you know, anybody partnering with an Achiever in an organization, anybody who has Achiever, and you're thinking about what to bring in any partnership, even outside of life, right? What do you bring? What do you need from the people who you're working with? When I think about what Achievers bring, the first thing that comes to mind is they are the pacesetters. Go back to that image that I shared earlier. If you've got somebody running in a race, they're running toward that finish line, and they're pushing hard. Imagine you're running in that race with a group of people. That Achiever is just pushing a step ahead of you. They become the pacesetter. And what you tend to find is the person next to them steps up their game a little bit, too, because they go, Oh, they're pushing hard. I should push hard. So there's an element of when they step up to the challenge, it really raises the bar for others to do the same. And you see that on a team. You see that ability to set the pace.
Jillian White:
[5:31] I think the second thing that comes to mind when you look at what Achievers bring in a partnership and a collaboration and a team, they're individuals who are really good at operationalizing things. So oftentimes, you may have a big concept, you have a big idea, right? But what do you actually do to make it happen? They are the people who can say, "All right, let's take that big idea. Let's operationalize it. Let's make it into a to-do list. What's the things we need to do, the milestones we need to complete, to make progress toward that?" So that's two things you can lean into. If you have Achiever, be that pacesetter. Help operationalize. Come up with a to-do list. If you're working with an Achiever, you know, meet them at where their pace is at and leverage their ability to take something that's a big concept and actually put a road map behind it.
Jim Collison:
[6:21] For most, for most of this season, we're going to be talking about these two ideas -- I think "I bring" is easy. I think "I need" is a little bit harder. What do they need? What do Achievers need?
Jillian White:
[6:33] Yeah. And Jim, the way I'd like to think about this is almost like, what do they need to feel good about their partnership? And then, you know, what do they need to help them? So, and we'll look at this when we think about great partners for an Achiever too. To feel good about a partnership, an Achiever needs somebody else to work hard too. They value accomplishment, right? I even think of this image of, let's just imagine you're going to go have a meeting with an Achiever. What do they need from you, right? They need to know that there's something productive behind that conversation, that there's a reason, there's something you're going to accomplish together. So working hard, feeling like you're accomplishing something together, that's what Achievers need from their partnerships. Oftentimes they even build relationships through doing something together. So work hard with an Achiever.
Jillian White:
[7:21] When I also think about what an Achiever needs, so maybe more of those complementary side of things, us Achievers, we love accomplishing things, but we're not always thinking about the most important things to accomplish. So what they need from other partners is people who help them prioritize and say, What are the most important things for you to aim all that hardworking energy at? Right. So they need help prioritizing. What else do we know about Achievers? Us Achievers, we like to go, go, go. It's not really a reward that you get done with something, and you just sit and rest, unless that's on your to-do list, right? So you like to get into the next thing. There's an element of helping Achievers stop and pause and see accomplishments, and even celebrate and say, "Hey, let's stop for a moment and just look at what we did and what we accomplished." So those are things that an Achiever needs from the partners that it's working with.
Jim Collison:
[8:18] Sometimes when we go through this Bring and Need exercise, we think it's only for the workplace. It can be, it's dynamic, right? It can be used outside of that, as we think of relationships, maybe outside of work. What does that look like?
Jillian White:
[8:31] Jim, you and I chatted about this. I mean, just sharing that this was the year I got married. I had to laugh because before this was even a tool in Gallup Access, when my husband and I were dating, I actually pulled up and made a PowerPoint slide, believe it or not, with his strengths all down one side, my strengths down the other side, looking at how the two of them plotted together. And then I wrote a slide on what we each brought and what we each needed from that relationship. And so that, to me, yes, it's kind of a fun personal example. But I think about even who's listening in on this. And, you know, as humans, you'll hear me reference this a lot, just that it's humans in business, right? And so business by nature is relational, because we as humans are relational. And so we're going to see this show up in workplaces. But we know people are also listening in, thinking about relationships outside of work. And I think these things can be really, really helpful concepts for any partnership or collaboration, no matter where that's showing up.
Jim Collison:
[9:33] You and I have spent, as we prep for this, we spent a lot of time with our own Top 5, thinking about that as well. So pretty great. In the new CliftonStrengths Top 5 report, we've added a section there called Theme Dynamics. If you haven't looked at that report, you may want to log in and bring it back. It's just the new Top 5 report. Honestly, from a community standpoint, the most fascinating -- people want to talk about these Theme Dynamics all the time. What's a common strength that pairs with Achiever?
Jillian White:
[9:58] Yeah, the most common strength that pairs with Achiever is Learner. So it's another common one in our database of over, over 34 million people who've taken StrengthsFinder. And Jim, I was just working with a group the other day who was pulling up, they have access to the Full 34 report, but they were pulling up that Top 5 report for exactly what you're referencing. And it's the power of getting to look at those strengths together. So let's think about that one for just a minute -- Achiever plus Learner. What does that start to look like in someone in how they're partnering, what they're bringing to a team? Achievers love to accomplish. Learners love to learn, at its most foundational level. Put those two things together. You get someone who is willing to pioneer and step up to a challenge, even if they don't know everything about how to do it, because they know they can learn it. Right? So there's almost this fuel that that Learner brings to the Achiever that's like, bring it on! Because I can learn it, right? And so that's a fun combination to think about. And you're going to run into that in partnerships. Be willing to let those people be the person that raises the bar in areas that might be a bit pioneering.
Jim Collison:
[11:04] We talk about it from an individual standpoint. Theme Dynamics can have a team collaboration. We are talking about that this season. What could that look like in, in collaboration?
Jillian White:
[11:16] Yeah, we've had some fun. Last recording, we tested a couple names for different types of partners. So this may evolve throughout the season; we'll see what we land on. I was playing around with this idea of, when you think about what you need in a partnership and what complements you, what I love about a strengths-based approach is, you know, we don't do it all. We need other people. It's what makes us well-rounded -- the other person makes us well-rounded. And so oftentimes, you look for someone who's a partner who I like to call, they're an accelerant to your strengths. Maybe the word we land on, I tried "fuel partner" last time. Maybe this time I'll try like "catalyst partner." So think of somebody who catalyzes your strengths.
Jillian White:
[11:58] Think about that with an Achiever, right? What do Achievers value? They value getting things done. Someone who catalyzes that strength is going to be someone who helps you get more done. That is oftentimes a partner that might even share Achiever. Achievers like working with other Achievers, because guess what? You accomplish a lot together. There's something that's even fun in that sense of accomplishment. Oftentimes, for an Achiever, they actually build relationships through doing with someone else. So look for that partner, whether it's an Achiever, you know, whether it is somebody that has those strong Executing strengths that also just comes alongside of you and just fuels that ability to accomplish something, right?
Jillian White:
[12:43] On the flip side of that, I like to think of, Who is a partner that complements you? They're different from you, but you need them because they bring something you don't have, and they help aim that strength. So go back to what we said that strength needs. Maybe this is that complementary partner. Last week I tried “foil partner,” and people are like, "Like tin foil? What is this?" Right? So no, complementary partnership. There's two things that I can think of for an Achiever to look for in a complementary partnership. The first one, go back to what we know Achievers need help with: efficiency and prioritization. Achiever on its own, do, do, do, do, right? Accomplish, accomplish, accomplish, right? They need someone to help them accomplish smarter. So what that might look like, maybe it's efficiency of Discipline. Maybe it is prioritization help that comes with something like Focus or Strategic or even Belief, helping to prioritize things based on values. Something that helps prioritize that to-do list, right?
Jillian White:
[13:44] The second kind of complementary partner that I think could show up -- and Jim, this is the fun part; it's the art side of this, right? We take the science, we use everything we know, and we play with it. We think about, you know, what are those great partnerships like? The second thing I would encourage anyone who's high in Achiever to look for is a bit of a disruptive partner. Because a danger with Achiever is you get working on that to-do list and you go, "OK, what's the next thing on it? What's the next thing on it?" And having somebody who can come in and just blow it up, right? And somebody, maybe it's Ideation. Maybe it's Adaptability that's willing to shift directions or Command that's willing to challenge something on your list, right? But being open to someone who goes, "Could we look at that different?" -- a bit disruptive. So look for that complementary efficiency-prioritization partner and be open to those places where you need to have a little disruption of that achievement.
Jim Collison:
[14:41] I love the intentionality in that, and of even sitting down with an individual and saying, "Hey, I'm really good at this, but I really need some of this." And not just in action, but even claiming those themes and saying, "We're going to intentionally do this and talk about it." So I love that aspect of it. I'm glad we're talking about it here in this season. Let's talk about tips for leaders and teams and, and, and even individuals. Let's start with the leaders. How can leaders recognize and harness, you know, Achiever in their teams and organizations?
Jillian White:
[15:11] Yeah. First of all, if you're a leader listening in, here's what to think of for spotting an Achiever on your team: Look for the people who are coming in early, leaving late, who have the trail of accomplishments behind them, who are the ones that step up when you give them a challenge. That's some signs of the Achievers on your team. And things they're going to value from you as a leader -- they're going to value when you recognize their accomplishments. Make sure you're stopping and doing that. Help them see their progress, right? They are going to value and learn and grow when you give them a challenge. Remember, for an Achiever, it's not really energizing to just stop. They actually like to look to the next challenge. So keep them challenged. Give them the next thing to raise the bar on or to look to.
Jillian White:
[15:58] Think about the powerful partnerships. If you are leading an Achiever, help them prioritize their work. I would even say, because Achievers tend to lean toward where they're doing something, help make sure that you're talking about their overall wellbeing. And -- go back to my own personal example at the beginning of this episode -- think about how to hack the system with that individual. Help them come up with things to accomplish that are good for their work, but also their overall wellbeing and relationships with people on the team.
Jim Collison:
[16:27] What should teams know about working with someone with Achiever? How can they hack it -- using your term -- how can they hack this Achiever?
Jillian White:
[16:35] Yeah, it's a fun question. I mean, first of all, you're working with an Achiever. Just know they're going to appreciate when you step up your game, right? When you meet them where they're at, and they're like, "Hey, let's jump in, let's go." And you're like, "I'm ready." That's a good feeling when you're partnering with somebody who's an Achiever. Remember, they do like checklists. A really good thing that you can ask an Achiever when you're working with them is say, "Hey, what's on your checklist, right? Is there something I can help you with?" Or if you're going to have a connection with them, have some things that you're going to feel like are productive and that you accomplish at the end of your time together. Think about your partnership. What are your most important combined to-dos or things that you're working on? Remember, relationships are often built through doing with an Achiever. So think about what you are working on together and how you can find some milestones and times to celebrate and see the progress in what you're accomplishing together.
Jim Collison:
[17:31] This may be my favorite question of the season: For individuals with Achiever, what are your final thoughts on how to amplify this theme in your current partnership or teams that you might be on?
Jillian White:
[17:41] Yeah, Jim, I want to bring all of this together as we talk about Achiever. So remember, Achievers love working hard. Achievers love accomplishing something. They love doing that with other people. That's oftentimes how they build those relationships. Remember the challenge that we said with Achievers is do, do, do. So make sure if you are an individual contributor with Achiever, if you're just a human with Achiever, think about the people who are around you. Think about what's most important to them and what's most important to you. The one thing I would encourage for great partnerships with an Achiever: Find that common thing that you want to accomplish with your partners. That will energize you, and that will give you something that gives that feeling of a sense of accomplishment in those partnerships and will allow you to feel like you're making a contribution. So find your combined to-do to have your checklist be something that actually helps make you be great partners.
Jim Collison:
[18:41] Jillian, thank you -- I'll recognize you. Thank you for using your Achiever today to get this done. Ironic, this is the first one we're recording in the series, but it took a lot to get us there. Thanks for doing everything that you needed to do to get this done today. I appreciate it.
Jillian White:
[18:53] Yeah, grateful for you too, Jim. Thanks.
Jim Collison:
[18:54] Yeah. With that, we'll remind everyone to take full advantage of all the resources we have available in Gallup Access. If you go to the Resource tab and put in your theme -- like, in this case, Achiever -- well, all the resources that we have available for you, including 9 seasons of a podcast like this, and maybe even this one will be there by the time you get there, available to you for learning and growing. Lots of information. If you're Achiever, you don't have to listen to them all at once. You can take your time, work through them, but you're going to do them all, right? You're going to get them done. Like, Subscribe, Follow -- whatever it takes on whatever social network you're on or social channels you're on -- if you want more on CliftonStrengths, just search "CliftonStrengths" on any, in any of the social channels, and chances are we are there as well. For those listening live, thanks for staying around. We'll do a little bit of a midshow. With that, we'll say, Goodbye, everybody.
Jillian White's Top 5 CliftonStrengths are Achiever, Input, Learner, Belief and Responsibility.