Webcast Details
- CliftonStrengths Podcast Season 4, Arranger: Powerful Partnerships
- How can Arrangers, like orchestra conductors, help their partners achieve the best outcomes?
- How can their partners empower Arrangers in their arranging of talent and their efforts to bring order out of chaos?
Arranger is a CliftonStrengths theme that thrives on complexity. Arrangers have the ability to manage many moving parts and ensure everything comes together seamlessly. They coordinate people, projects and processes, adjusting as needed to optimize outcomes.
Like an orchestra conductor, Arrangers guide their partners to come in at just the right moment. An Arranger sees all the parts in motion and knows how to bring them together for the best possible outcome -- a perfect symphony of productivity. They juggle multiple elements to keep everything in sync and moving forward.
What Arranger Brings
Arranger is comfortable with moving parts and can adjust on the fly to manage complexity. Unlike rigid planners, Arrangers bring energy to chaos, handling multiple priorities with ease and enthusiasm. Their ability to quickly adapt and optimize ensures that shifting priorities and real-time strategy adjustments lead to increased efficiency and effectiveness.
In corporate and event-planning settings, Arrangers manage overlapping projects, keeping teams aligned and adjusting logistics as needed. They bring comfort in the midst of change and keep their partners moving toward the best outcomes.
What Arranger Needs to Thrive
Arrangers operate at their best in dynamic environments. Constraints can stifle Arrangers, limiting their ability to optimize workflows. They need agency -- the ability to make decisions, rearrange resources and adjust plans as needed.
In team settings, Arranger thrives when given the freedom to organize processes in a way that maximizes productivity. It doesn’t thrive under micromanagement. Instead, it flourishes in environments where creativity in structuring work is valued.
Arranger in Partnerships and Teams
Common Strengths Pairings
Arranger pairs well with strengths that help refine its focus. One of the most common such pairings in Gallup’s database is Responsibility. Together, these two strengths create a powerful combination of ownership and efficiency. While Responsibility ensures that commitments are upheld, Arranger ensures that the best possible path to success is taken.
Catalyst Partners
A catalytic partner for Arranger is someone who helps bring out its full potential. Because Arrangers love organizing and optimizing, they work well with strengths like Individualization or Maximizer, which help identify the best ways to arrange people on a team. When the focus is on structuring resources or processes, strengths like Input, Strategic or Ideation can assist in discovering new possibilities and the best way to optimize workflows.
Complementary Partners
On the other hand, Arrangers benefit from complementary partners who provide stability. Because Arrangers constantly recalibrate, their flexibility can sometimes feel overwhelming to others. Strengths like Belief, Discipline or Responsibility provide grounding, helping balance Arranger’s frequent adjustments with a steady foundation. These stabilizing partners ensure that while changes occur, there remains a consistent direction and purpose.
How Leaders Can Leverage Arranger
Leaders can tap into the power of Arranger by recognizing individuals who naturally step in to organize, coordinate and optimize. They instinctively manage priorities to keep things aligned for success. To get the most out of Arrangers, leaders should:
- Position them where they can manage complexity. Assign Arrangers to roles or projects that require coordination and the ability to adapt.
- Give them autonomy. Trusting Arrangers to independently manage resources enhances their effectiveness.
- Encourage their ability to pivot. In environments where priorities shift frequently, Arrangers can ensure that necessary adjustments are made without losing momentum.
Optimizing Arranger for Individual Success
If you have Arranger in your Top 5, you can benefit from understanding your team and the available resources for better orchestration. Optimize this strength by:
- Getting to know your team. Understanding colleagues' strengths helps in arranging teams and tasks effectively. Ask teammates about their preferences and working styles so you can set them up for success.
- Asking questions. When approaching a project, think about how things can be optimized. What’s the best way to structure this? Who should be involved at which stage?
- Lending your strength to others. In professional and personal settings, helping others organize their work, events or even personal projects can be a way to put Arranger to good use. If a friend or colleague is struggling to coordinate multiple moving pieces -- whether for a major work project or planning an event -- offering to assist with organization could be a valuable contribution.
Conclusion: Turning Chaos Into Coordinated Success
Arranger is a unique and powerful strength that brings efficiency and strategic organization to any team or project. Whether leading a team, managing responsibilities or collaborating with others, those strong in Arranger create synergy in complexity.
By coordinating and optimizing, Arrangers become invaluable leaders who have the unique talent to turn chaos into coordinated success. The key is to balance flexibility with stability, ensuring that their adjustments serve the bigger picture.
Learn more about using CliftonStrengths® to help yourself and others succeed:
Gallup®, CliftonStrengths® and each of the 34 CliftonStrengths theme names are trademarks of Gallup. Copyright © 2000 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
Jim Collison:
[0:00] Welcome to Season 4 of The CliftonStrengths Podcast, where we'll dive deep into how CliftonStrengths themes build powerful partnerships and help teams thrive. I'm Jim Collison, Gallup's CliftonStrengths Community Manager.
Jillian White:
[0:10] And I'm Jillian White, Gallup's Subject Matter Expert on Culture and Leadership and our Lead Subject Matter Expert on CliftonStrengths.
Jim Collison:
[0:17] Today's theme is Arranger. We'll explore what this theme brings, what it needs and how it fosters collaboration. And Jillian, welcome!
Jillian White:
[0:24] Thank you, Jim. This is going to be a fun one to do. It's your No. 1.
Jim Collison:
[0:26] It is. I am excited for it. But for everyone else, can you give us kind of a refresh on this theme?
Jillian White:
[0:34] Yeah, just a reminder on what Arranger is. At the heart of it, Arranger loves to, well, arrange. Arranger sees all the parts and pieces, and it likes to think about how to put all those parts and pieces together for the best possible outcome. Remember that this is an Executing strength. So this is a strength that oftentimes has flexibility with it, because it can arrange and rearrange when needed. This is also a strength when I, when I picture an image of an Arranger, the image that I get is like an orchestra conductor. So this is someone, they can see, I need this piece to come in, I need this piece to come in. They have an ability to juggle a lot of things at the same time and think about how to bring everything together and orchestrate it for the best possible outcome or the best possible symphony in that image. Jim, I know I mentioned this is No. 1 for you. What would you add, just for how that Arranger shows up, even in your own situation?
Jim Collison:
[1:27] Yeah, even for No. 1, I'm still growing into it and kind of really understanding the power of it and how I can use it. For me, I say -- I've said this on the podcast before -- I'm a firefighter, not a farmer. I want to, you know, I want to be out on the edge. I want to be in action. I want to have a thousand things happening all at the same time. We've had a busy week here at Gallup with a lot of announcements, a lot of things going on. And I remember on a call with somebody in there, everybody was kind of, like, tired. And I was like, "Guys, this charges me up! Like, I get fired up with all these different kinds of things happening." I use a phrase, kind of "tip of the spear" sometimes -- to be out on the edge. For me, now there's a lot of other themes that play into that. But for me, that's kind of how Arranger works, of liking multiple things coming at me, all at the same time. Doesn't really work for long-term projects that way. Like, I don't like 1,000 long-term projects. This is where it's maybe customized, right? I like 1,000 --
Jillian White:
[2:29] Coming out with the Arranger right there.
Jim Collison:
[2:31] Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Jillian White:
[2:32] Balancing lots of short-term things at the same time versus a lot of long-term.
Jim Collison:
[2:36] Well, and I just gave a hint to what I need in that, right? We've been spending some time this season thinking about what the theme brings and what the theme, the theme needs. For me, you know, I'm, I'm hinting that I need high-activity action. That's what I like. I thrive in that. Talk a little bit about, we've got some resources around this now available in Gallup Access, in the Compare section. So you can go up to the community, click on that. Someone you've shared the themes with, you can compare those two. And we have I bring and I need statements. What is it, what are we starting with here? What does it bring? There we go.
Jillian White:
[3:10] Yeah. And, and I want to actually point out something that you mentioned, Jim -- just a reminder for all of us who are working with strengths -- how to get clues of when someone is in that strengths zone. If you listened as Jim was talking about his Arranger, he was saying things like, "I love," or "I was thriving when there were a lot of things going on." That's clues that you are in the strengths zone. Other people might crumble under those same circumstances, but Arranger steps up, and what it brings, it brings an ability to juggle a lot of things going on at the same time. In fact, it even needs it. And we're going to talk about that in the Needs section. With that ability to juggle, because there's multiple, I almost think of it like spinning plates. And you've got a plate over here that needs some attention, a plate over here, right? You're able to juggle and spin those plates all at the same time.
Jillian White:
[3:56] Remember what that brings to a partnership. It brings an ability to orchestrate a lot of moving parts and pieces. And it also brings that flexibility that Arranger has. It can rearrange, it can move those plates around. It's comfortable with moving parts and pieces. That can be really comforting working with somebody who has Arranger, because if plans move around, they're comfortable with that and able to still keep everything moving and look for the best possible outcome of how to arrange everything that's going on.
Jim Collison:
[4:28] We use that example of spinning plates. Nobody spins plates anymore. So I like to, I like to think of a dynamic.
Jillian White:
[4:35] I don't know that I've ever seen anyone spin a plate, but it does create a mental image for you.
Jim Collison:
[4:39] It's a party trick about 150 years ago. But it, it, no, it's a good example, but I like to think of a dynamic to-do list. Like, thinking of having a whole bunch of things, and not just go from A to Z or however you want to organize that, but dynamically doing those all at the same time, based on priority. So again, as we think about, for me, I kind of need that. Why don't you talk a little bit about what's Arranger need?
Jillian White:
[5:04] Yeah, spot on. There's two things that come to mind when I think about what an Arranger needs. If I'm partnering with someone like you, Jim, who's got Arranger No. 1, you need a dynamic environment. So it's not going to feel good to an Arranger if I come in and put a lot of constraints and a lot of things that feel stifling to someone to not allow them to arrange or be flexible. That's where they thrive, right? So they need a dynamic environment where things can move around. We also know at the heart of Arranger, it needs agency. And I say that because sometimes it could look a little bit like Adaptability, where it's got an ability to respond to change well, to actually be calm in the middle of chaos, right? But the difference is, Adaptability can oftentimes respond to that change. Arranger actually needs to have some agency. They are most comfortable when they have some control or empowerment over moving the parts and pieces around. So they actually need to have that agency to adjust a situation or to adjust resources when there is change going on around them.
Jim Collison:
[6:09] Yeah, I love that it's still an Executing theme, right?
Jillian White:
[6:12] It is. It is still an Executing theme.
Jim Collison:
[6:13] Yeah. It's still doing things, moving things forward. For me, it's the only one. And so I lean, I lean heavily into it. And as we always say, you know, as I mention these things, as we say these things, they're always, of course, seen through the lens of my other themes. And so for you, this is a topic, hopefully you're having these kinds of discussions with those you're both being coached by or coaching. In the new CliftonStrengths Top 5 Report, we've had a section around Theme Dynamics, a concept we've had out there for a while. But what two themes look like when they're put together -- we talk a little bit about from an individual standpoint, and both, then, in teams. What could this, what pairs well or what in our database shows up with Arranger?
Jillian White:
[6:54] Yeah, the most common theme that shows up alongside Arranger is Responsibility. Think about how Responsibility operates. It's a theme that has a lot of strong ownership of what it does. So pair that with Arranger, and what does that start to look like? This is someone who owns not only the outcome of a situation, what they feel like they need to be delivering in a situation, but they're also going to feel really responsible for the process of how they get there. They're going to feel that sense of commitment to finding the best arrangement to get to an outcome that feels like they're delivering on what they promise.
Jim Collison:
[7:29] What about in the context of a partnership? We're spending time this season thinking about the power of this in partnerships. What could that look like?
Jillian White:
[7:38] Yeah, those of you who've been listening in with us, you know, I like to think about those partnerships on two different sides of the coin. So on one side, who's that catalytic partner, so that person that just brings out this strength in you? Let's start there with this one. If I think about what an Arranger loves, they love arranging. So what can I partner them with? Partner with, them with someone who helps them see the possibilities for the best arrangement. What that might look like is if I'm arranging people -- so let's say, I'm in an organization. I'm thinking about the best teams for a project, right? Partner with somebody that really gets people. This might be themes like Individualization or Maximizer. They're going to naturally spot talent and help you think about how to arrange people on a team. Maybe you're thinking about how to arrange resources or arrange an approach to something. In that kind of a situation, you can turn to strengths like Input or Strategic or Ideation. They may help you think about possibilities of arranging resources or things or parts of the work. So that catalytic partner is someone who helps you see that best possible arrangement.
Jillian White:
[8:45] On the flip side of this, the way I like to think of a complementary partner is, Where's the potential "watch-out" for the strength? And How can you partner with someone who's going to round you out, right? We know you don't have to be well-rounded when you take a strengths-based approach. That's why we value partnerships. That's why we value relationships is I don't have to be all things. We're stronger when we work together and someone can complement us. So in this kind of a situation, you know, if people have Arranger high, what's the potential "watch-out" with that? If I'm on a team with a leader who has a high Arranger, it might feel like they keep moving things around. And I go, "Wait! I thought this was the goal last week, and now it just moved to this this week." That constant arrangement or recalibration could be fatiguing for a team. So what do I encourage you to look for as a complementary partner? Find someone who brings some stabilizing strengths.
Jillian White:
[9:39] So what does that mean? You could find stabilizing strengths in something like Belief. We're going to talk about that strength coming up. Belief brings stability through values. You could find a stabilizing partner in someone like Discipline, who brings some structure, and that brings stability. Or even Responsibility, that brings that strong sense of commitment to what you're doing. So find that anchor partner who is going to allow you to still be able to work with moving parts and pieces, but brings that sense of stability in the midst of that recalibration.
Jim Collison:
[10:11] I love that. There's a perfect example between you and I, when we were developing the series, where we'd get together, and I would use Arranger, and then I would lean on your Responsibility -- actually, not lean on it as, probably as much as I should have, thinking back now. But I would go off a little, like I'd have a whole bunch of different things. You'd be like, "Now, Jim, we want to talk about powerful partnerships. That's a great topic." But we want to, you know, we want to stay on track. And I think it was just a great example of the two of us leaning on both of those to find success. And hopefully, as we're delivering this now, it's because of that Arranger-Responsibility Theme Dynamics.
Jillian White:
[10:49] Yeah. And I love, I'd just encourage people, go back to the Called to Coach podcast that we did on powerful partnerships, because, remember what allows partnerships to partner well? It's the common mission, right? Even in this situation, like, what brings us together? We want to serve people who are listening to this and want to know how to partner with other people better. And so that common mission allows us to say, Hey, what do you bring? What do you need? What do I bring? What do we need? And it's, it's fun when you get to each play to your strengths, because it, it frees up one person to be like, Hey, I'm not that person. Jim, you Arrange away, and let me be the Responsibility and the Belief and keep us on track with, you know, the guiding outcome of this. And that's, it's really fun to get to do that.
Jim Collison:
[11:29] Yeah. And it's comforting, because I don't worry about it. I'm like, OK, yeah, that sounds good. I don't get worried about it. Like, as long as I can keep going for it. We have tips for leaders, teams, and individuals. Let's talk about leaders first. How can leaders recognize and harness Arranger in their teams -- and maybe in their organization?
Jillian White:
[11:45] Yeah. And if you are a leader of a team inside of an organization, first of all, just look for those Arrangers on your team. These are the people, they're comfortable balancing a lot of things at the same time. They love to orchestrate. They love to facilitate resources around them. Remember that they do best when they are juggling a lot of things. So keep them appropriately busy. That's some good advice for somebody who's managing an Arranger. Position them to arrange. That is where they thrive. They might be good candidates for leading a project, leading a work stream, leading a team. They're going to see how to adjust all those parts and pieces coming together. And remember what Arranger needs: It needs agency. These are people that are not going to do well if they are micromanaged or held to a strong process. Give them some autonomy. Give them agency. Remember, they need the ability to make adjustments as they go. And that's actually a strength. So give them the freedom to be able to do that.
Jim Collison:
[12:43] It's like you know me somehow -- it's you saying these things.
Jillian White:
[12:48] Behold, of the power of strengths!
Jim Collison:
[12:49] Oh, my gosh. What should, what should teams know about working with someone who has this strength?
Jillian White:
[12:54] Yeah. The way I think about this is, you know, if you're listening in, and you're working with somebody who's high Arranger, what do you want to keep in mind when you're partnering with that person? How can you leverage that strength that they bring? We already know from what we're talking about here, they're going to bring that ability to orchestrate, you know, people, resources coming together. The simple question I would ask someone is, How would you arrange this, right? How would you think about putting these parts and pieces together? They're going to be able to contribute that ability to orchestrate and facilitate, leverage that in those partnerships.
Jim Collison:
[13:28] And then, so as we think about individuals maybe using Arranger to amplify their current partnerships that they might have, how might they maybe be able to deploy that forward for power and success?
Jillian White:
[13:42] Yeah, the way I like to think about this one is, if I'm high in Arranger, what can I bring to help serve others, using that strength? So when you're high in Arranger, you've got a real ability to pull the right people and resources in at the right time. So get better at understanding the people around you and the resources you have to work with. I would start asking people on your team, Hey, what do you feel like you do best? When are you thriving in your work? When do I know when to pull you in? That's going to let you be more effective in your arrangement of the people around you and help you actually set your partners up to play to their strengths even more.
Jillian White:
[14:20] I would also think about how you can gift that strength to others. So listen to what's important to your partners. You know, ask them how you might be able to help them arrange something for the best possible outcome. Maybe they're working on a meeting that's coming up. Maybe they're planning an event, right? Maybe they're planning a birthday party for their kid, right? And you go, "Hey, let me lend some ways to think about all the things you could orchestrate to make that be the best possible outcome in that situation."
Jim Collison:
[14:46] No, I love that. I love that "lending" idea. And I love that asking idea. I mean, this pertains to any of the themes, but "Hey, I've got a few thoughts on that. Do you want to hear them?" But I mean, before you just go blasting away with, "We should be doing this!" right, type deal. So Jillian, thanks again. Some great thoughts on Arranger.
Jillian White:
[15:05] You bet.
Jim Collison:
[15:05] With that, we'll remind everyone to take full advantage of all the resources we have available in Gallup Access. Actually, if you head out and log in and go to the Resources tab, you can put "Arranger" in there. All the past podcasts, all our resources available on it, all there for you. If you want to consume this or any other of that content, it's all there for you. Love to have that, make that available. Check it out today, my.gallup.com, and log in. And we'd love to help you out there as well. If you're listening live, we want to thank you for joining us today. If you're listening on the podcast, we probably have another one available for you right after this. Just click Next and listen. Thanks for coming out today. With that, we'll say, Goodbye, everybody.
Jillian White's Top 5 CliftonStrengths are Achiever, Input, Learner, Belief and Responsibility.
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