Belief: The Power of Purpose and Values in Action

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:
[0:09] And I'm Jillian White, Gallup's Subject Matter Expert on Culture and Leadership and Lead Subject Matter Expert on CliftonStrengths.

Jim Collison:
[0:16] Today's theme is Belief. We'll explore what this theme brings, what it needs, and how it fosters collaboration. Jillian, welcome!

Jillian White:
[0:23] Thank you, Jim. I'm excited to talk about this one. This one is one I really claim in my Top 5, so it feels a bit personal, when we get to talk about those ones that are so close to us.

Jim Collison:
[0:31] Yeah, I see it in you all the time. It's actually one I really admire in you, so I'm excited to spend some time talking about this today. Why don't we back up a little bit, though? Give us a quick refresher on what this theme looks like.

Jillian White:
[0:43] Yeah, remember with Belief, at the heart of somebody who has that strong Belief talent is values and purpose. Remember, it is also an Executing theme. So individuals who are high in Belief need to feel like the way they show up and how they act is consistent with what they believe and what their values are. What you'll oftentimes find with people with high Belief is out of their strong sense of values emerges a strong sense of mission and vision and purpose in their lives. They light up when they feel like they are connected to doing something that has a strong sense of purpose or mission behind it. So the image that I think of with high Belief is something like a missionary. They've got a cause that they are passionate about, and they're willing to live their life consistent with that cause. Remember that Executing strength -- it acts in a way that is consistent with those fundamental values and beliefs. It doesn't necessarily have to have certain things that it believes, but those beliefs tend to be consistent and unchanging. Those values are something that drive how they show up in all of their lives.

Jim Collison:
[1:48] You mentioned the term "missionary." I often think of government workers who, like, it's another kind of, like, it's a job not a lot of people, necessarily, they're drawn to it or want to do, but it requires high purpose, high mission. This was a, my wife has Belief very, very high. And it was a very misunderstood, for me, for a lot of years, very misunderstood. But as you're talking about this, I see that moment in her now better, but as well, when she's locked into that. And it's almost unwavering, right? It's like, she just is there. It's solid. I could, I can -- like the sun coming up, I can count on it, right, type deal. Do you feel like, for you, do you feel like, when you're in that zone, you, are you, do you need to convince people that it's, that's the truth? Or does it just come out in the actions that you do?

Jillian White:
[2:46] I think, for me, it, you know, your sense of purpose just emerges from what you feel like is important in life. And even when I look at, for myself, how I make decisions or going back and looking at how I've made decisions in life, oftentimes they're very guided by values and principles. So if I'm going to make a decision, even subconsciously, I'm thinking about, how do I, how do I make this decision in a way that's consistent with what I say I believe, and how I want to show up in my life? So I don't think you even think about it; it's just so core to who you are.

Jillian White:
[3:20] And Jim, you and I were talking a little bit just between some of our podcasts here -- there is something, when you have that high Belief, that just unlocks when you get to do something that is in alignment with those values and you feel the strong sense of purpose and mission -- even something like doing this podcast, Jim. When I stop and think about actually doing this and helping people and I go, Wow! If somebody listens to this, and they have a stronger relationship with their manager at work, or they unlock the outcomes of someone who's on their team who they're partnering with, or they have a better marriage because they listen to this. To me, that lights me up because I feel connected to a mission and a purpose behind what we're doing. And you're going to find that is in common with a lot of people who have strong Belief.

Jim Collison:
[4:04] I love that. No, I love that indeed. We have a new section in Gallup Access that, where you can go to our Community tab in the Strengths Dashboard, and if you're sharing your CliftonStrengths with someone, you can compare yours to theirs. There's I bring and I need statements in there. If you haven't checked that out yet, check it out today. It's super cool. We're going to spend some time, as we think about Belief, thinking about what it brings and what it needs. Highlight that for us, Jillian. What does Belief bring?

Jillian White:
[4:29] Yeah, we've been talking about a few of these things, but at the heart of Belief, it brings that values orientation. If you are partnering with somebody who's high in Belief, they can be a bit of that moral compass or even an ethical compass for you, to go, Is this right? Is this wrong? Is this in alignment with what we say our values are? Jim, to what you brought up earlier, this can be that stabilizing force. Those values tend to be unchanging. And so that can bring some stability to a partnership. It oftentimes brings a service orientation as well. There's a little bit of altruism that comes with it. You're also going to find a strong sense of conviction in these partners. So if you line them up with something that is in, is right in line with their values, there's going to be some passion -- maybe even some stubbornness -- that shows up with this strength. That might be a clue to when you're tapping into a value for this person. But when you position them to do something that's in line with their values, it unlocks something that is going to be a powerful, purpose-oriented contribution to your partnership.

Jim Collison:
[5:34] OK, you're going to help my marriage here based on what you just said. So the next question, for me, What does it need? Help me out here. Let me think through this.

Jillian White:
[5:43] Yeah, two things to keep in mind if you're partnering with somebody who's strong in this Belief element. Remember how important it is to have alignment between their work and their values. So if I'm working with somebody on a team who has this, understand what that person's core beliefs are. If you work with those and give them work that aligns with it, it's going to feel so good to that person. if you ever put them in a position where they're being asked to do something that isn't in line with their values, it's going to be so hard, and you're going to meet a lot of stubbornness in that situation.

Jillian White:
[6:16] The second thing I would keep in mind when you're working with somebody who's high in this Belief -- remember what they need is a strong sense and understanding of the purpose behind something. So I even think about this, if I'm going to show up, and I know I'm partnering with somebody who has high Belief, start with what the purpose is behind the work you're asking them to partner with you on. When they feel on board with the purpose, they're going to fall in line much easier on getting in line with the work behind it.

Jim Collison:
[6:45] What are your values? That's what I heard. Is this in line with your values? That's what I, that's the question. OK, I need to memorize that question and say it often at the dinner table. We spent, did you want to add anything?

Jillian White:
[6:57] And ask what those values are, right? I mean, we can observe them over time, but you can also just ask.

Jim Collison:
[7:02] Yeah, no, right on. Just ask. Sometimes it's just as easy as asking. You need that question. In the new CliftonStrengths Top 5 report, we've added a section on Theme Dynamics. We spent some time thinking about that, how one theme might interact with another theme in a person. We're going to do that one first. In our database, What does this line up with? And talk a little bit about that in a dynamics standpoint.

Jillian White:
[7:23] Yeah, interestingly, the most common strength that this partners with is Responsibility. Both of those are strong Executing strengths. So, you know, Responsibility oftentimes feels responsible for what you say you're going to do, responsibility to a relationship, not wanting to let someone down. Partner that with Belief, you're going to get a really strong ownership of living out your values and likely not wanting to let people down, but feeling that even stronger sense of commitment to living out your values.

Jim Collison:
[7:56] In that section, we have those themes by your other four in your Top 5, and statements on how those, how those may interact with you. So make sure you're taking advantage of that, from a personal learning standpoint. We're also thinking about it in the, in the context of partnerships and collaboration. How might a team or how might this work in that kind of, in a, in a team environment?

Jillian White:
[8:18] Yeah, if you've got high Belief, thinking about that catalytic partner, so someone who's going to really bring out the best of your Belief, there's two things I would look for. So one, look for a partner that just shares a high sense of trust with you and helps you act on your beliefs. So that might be strengths like Responsibility, Achiever, Arranger -- themes that actually partner with you to build trust, but then to act on what you're passionate about, right? They can help really fulfill those values and that strong sense of purpose.

Jillian White:
[8:50] The second thing I would look for that's a catalytic partner is someone who helps you see the impact of what you're doing. Remember, it's so motivating to see that sense of purpose. This might be someone with Connectedness or Futuristic. What does Connectedness do? They can see the ripple effect of everything that you're doing. Futuristic can see how your values and your sense of purpose can take you into a better future. So those are some strengths that are going to be really fun to partner with, whether that's that high-trust partner that helps you act on your values or those partners that help you see the impact -- that's going to fuel that high Belief.

Jillian White:
[9:22] Flip side of that -- Jim, you know, I always like to talk about the complementary partner. So what's the "watch-out" with Belief? Those of us with high Belief, it can be an incredibly inspiring theme when you tap into someone's passion. It can also be a stubborn theme when you hit us around where our core beliefs are, right? So what do we need? What do we want to look for in partners? We want to look for partners that can help us bring people along, where we might have some tendency to maybe cut someone off because it's not in line with our values. So think about people with Includer or Harmony. Who's going to help make sure that if you're working with somebody who has values different than you, you're still able to work together well and find common ground, find that common mission and bring those people along with you?

Jim Collison:
[10:07] I like that you use the word "stubborn," because I think some people see that as a negative. I actually, it's very positive, because there are times we need to not move, right? Or, right, and that stubbornness keeps us there when we need to stay. So not always, not always a negative thing there. We've got some tips for leaders, teams and individuals. Let's talk about leaders first. How can leaders recognize and harness Belief in their teams and organizations?

Jillian White:
[10:32] Yeah, if you're a leader, you're looking at people on your team, how do you spot people with that high Belief? These are people who are motivated by doing something with a strong sense of mission and purpose, who are highly values-oriented, usually pretty ethical in how they show up around their work. They usually want to serve a greater good. So what do you want to keep in mind if you are leading these people? Position them to do work in line with their values. That's where they're going to light up. Make sure that you are not putting them in spots where anything feels like it could compromise their values. That's going to be incredibly hard for them to work well in those scenarios.

Jillian White:
[11:08] Remember that these are people who have an ability to bring a lot of inspiration to a team. Jim, I was thinking about, just last week, I was with a client, and there was an individual who had a strong sense of Belief. And what they were able to do with that team is they started bringing in stories of how the work of this team was impacting their customers and -- from the front lines. So think about, with people like that on your team, How can you position them to create some of those mission moments, perhaps share some of the impact or their passion or inspiration around the work, that's going to actually inspire the rest of the team with their strong sense of mission and purpose?

Jim Collison:
[11:48] What should teams know about working with someone who has high Belief?

Jillian White:
[11:52] Yeah, if I'm partnering with somebody who's got that high Belief, similar to what I said earlier on what someone needs who has high Belief, start by sharing what the purpose is behind the work that you're doing. When they're online, when they're on board with that purpose, everything else will come easier. Also, use these people as a bit of a moral compass. Remember, there's typically some high ethics that come with that. If you're unsure in a situation of, Ugh, what's the sniff test on this? Sometimes asking that person with high Belief, they can be a good partner to help you just navigate whether or not this feels like it's in line with the values you want to live with.

Jim Collison:
[12:29] What about an individual? As we think about bringing this in for a landing here, individuals with, what are some final thoughts on how they can amplify their productivity, using this theme?

Jillian White:
[12:38] Yeah, you know, I think of a couple things with this. So I remember, actually, when I went through the strengths certification course a long time ago, and I remember we did an exercise where we had to articulate and identify our values. It was actually hard to do. But what it did allow me to do was to start to put some words to what is at the core of how I think about living my life and making decisions. I would encourage anyone else who's high in Belief, help to articulate your values. It will help the people who matter the most to you to understand you better, to know what's at the core of your value system.

Jillian White:
[13:16] The second thing I would do is seek partnerships with people who share a common passion with you. That's going to just light up where you feel a strong sense of mission and purpose. The third thing I would do is look for places where you can inspire others, where you feel a strong sense of passion around something. When you share that with others, it's going to bring some natural inspiration that helps get other people on board with where you see a strong sense of purpose and a way to live out your values.

Jim Collison:
[13:44] I'm glad you said that exercise on values was difficult for you to do, because I always thought it was just me.

Jillian White:
[13:50] It actually was.

Jim Collison:
[13:52] Like, I've done that exercise dozens of times, and each time I get there, I'm like, This is really hard for me.

Jillian White:
[13:58] You know what the hardest part is, Jim? When they say, list your top 10 values, and then they say, narrow it down to 5. And you're like, No, I can't get rid of this! This is an important value!

Jim Collison:
[14:08] See, I'm the other side. I have just trouble identifying them sometimes. For me, yeah, I shift and move around, and it's what allows me to be very flexible on some things. I'm not sure -- it's been, so anyways, when you said you struggled with that, I was like, OK, phew, I always feel like that's just me in that exercise doing that. Jillian, thanks again for bringing this, and we're glad Belief is high for you and all the talent that you bring to it. Thanks for having that. Appreciate it.

Jillian White:
[14:35] You bet.

Jim Collison:
[14:36] With that, we'll remind everyone to take full advantage of all the resources we have available around or about this -- Mark will appreciate that -- in Gallup Access. Log in, go to the Resources tab, and put in Belief, and you'll see all the podcasts we've done, plus all the written content available. You can continue to learn and grow and do more as well. If you're listening to us live, stay around for a little bit of a postshow. If you're listening to the podcast, we might have another one for you. So just click Play to the next one. We'll have it there. Thanks for joining us today. With that, we'll say, Goodbye, everybody.

Jillian White's Top 5 CliftonStrengths are Achiever, Input, Learner, Belief and Responsibility.