The Dark Side of Input
When collecting becomes clutter (and learning becomes avoidance)
Your innate talents are things you do that are effortless. An intrinsic part of who you are and have always been. They are so much a part of you that you don’t even notice them. The truth is though, that others will have noticed. In fact, the drive you get from each of your top talents is such that the behaviours and actions you take may have been the things for which you were told off for as a child by parents or teachers.
Your top CliftonStrengths are the things that are effortless, until they aren’t, they start to define you and drive you, and if unchecked, can suddenly…. become your Achilles Heel.
If you have Input high, you already know, and so do your friends, family, and colleagues. 😉 You:
Collect, gather, store, archive, absorb ideas, facts, quotes, tools, frameworks, books, screenshots, objects, podcasts, conversations even maybe objects. These items provide a comfort blanket. But the WEIGHT of what you have collected can become a burden. The drive to find and collect can be insatiable.
With Input at 16, I do have an instinct to collect. But my recall and internal filing systems are lacking when compared to someone with Input higher. I am in awe of the capacity of people with Input in their Top5.
The Input theme is a gift in technical environments.
You’re the person who remembers that one resource that solves the problem. You often keep teams well-informed, well-prepared, and well-equipped.
In engineering and science, Input can look like:
- building a personal “library” of standards, references, methods, and models
- sourcing options quickly when problems change
- spotting patterns because you’ve seen “similar things” before
- bringing fresh thinking into the room because you’re always learning
What is a blindspot?
Like every CliftonStrength, Input has blindspots.
What makes you powerful—your hunger to gather—can also become the thing that slows you down, overwhelms you, or quietly erodes your impact.
In this post, we’ll explore:
- what Input looks like at its best
- the most common blind spots when Input overdrives
- practical strategies to stay on the Jedi side
- strengths that complement Input, so your collecting becomes contribution
Further, a useful reference on blind spots can be found here.
Understanding Input: why it’s so valuable
Input is driven by curiosity and usefulness.
You collect because you never know what might be needed later. And often—you’re right. You’re the person who finds the missing piece. You’re the one who comes prepared. You bring resources that make work easier, faster, better.
When Input is well-managed, you:
- accelerate learning curves for others
- reduce risk by finding what’s already known
- broaden options (especially under uncertainty)
- become a trusted “go-to” for resources and ideas
So where does it go wrong?
Blind spots of the Input theme
1) The “more information will make me ready” trap
Blind spot: Your Input drive confuses collecting with progress.
Example: You keep researching tools, models, or examples before starting—because you want the “best” approach. Your curiosity and fascination find it hard to call a stop to your searches.
Impact: Work stalls. Confidence drops. Deadlines tighten. You feel busy… but not effective.
Engineering translation: You’re in “requirements gathering” mode forever, even when the system needs a prototype.
2) Information overload (and cognitive fatigue)
Blind spot: Input pulls in more than your brain can comfortably process.
Example: You’re subscribed to everything. You save everything. You read halfway. You forget where you saved it.
Impact: You feel scattered, behind, or constantly “catching up.” Decision-making gets slower.
Hidden cost: Your nervous system is carrying a background load of unfinished consumption.
3) Hoarding value instead of sharing it
Blind spot: Because you’re collecting constantly, you may not convert it into something others can use.
Example: You’ve got an incredible Notion/Drive folder… but your team doesn’t know what’s in it, or how to access it.
Impact: Your contribution stays private. Others reinvent wheels. You become a bottleneck.
Sometimes it also looks like:
- “I’ll share it when it’s organised.”
- “I’ll send it once I’ve read it properly.”
- “I’ll package it up first.”
4) “Resource dumping” on people who didn’t ask
This feels (for me) like a combination of Ideation with Communication, together hindering progress and not nothing or listening to feedback signals.. And as I write this, an image of spraying ideas liberally via email or in meetings springs to my mind.
Blind spot: Input can flood others with too many links, too many options, too much context.
Example: Someone asks for help, and you send 12 resources, 4 frameworks, and a book recommendation.
Impact: The other person freezes—or ignores it all. Your helpfulness lands as overwhelm.
Key insight: What feels like generosity to you can feel like burden to someone else.
5) Avoiding the human system
Input is within the thinking domain and often co-occurs with other thinking themes. People can seem irrelevant. You can live in your head. Work on a personal interrupt to check in with others
Blind spot: Input can over-index on “more knowledge” and under-index on “more conversation.”
Example: You try to solve a team conflict by sending articles, models, or process your notes, without addressing the emotional reality in the room.
Impact: People don’t feel heard. Tension stays. Collaboration weakens.
In technical teams, this shows up a lot: trying to solve a people problem with information.
Strategies to manage your Input’s blind spots
To keep Input working for you (not against you), here are practical coaching strategies.
1) Use a “purpose filter” before you collect
Ask yourself: “What problem am I solving right now?”
If a resource doesn’t serve the current problem, park it somewhere intentionally (not your brain).
Coaching tip: Curiosity is a strength. Direction is the discipline.
2) Create a “capture → curate → convert” loop
Input thrives when it has a simple workflow:
- Capture: Save quickly (no guilt).
- Curate: Tag it with 1–2 keywords + one sentence: “This is useful for…”
- Convert: Turn it into an output: maybe a template, checklist, summary, or a 3-bullet insight for the team.
If you don’t build the “convert” step, Input becomes an archive—not an advantage.
3) Set collection boundaries (yes, even for learning)
Try one of these constraints:
- One new thing in, one old thing out (unsub, delete, or archive weekly)
- A time box: 20 minutes of research, then act
- A limit: “I only need 3 options, not 30”
This doesn’t limit your Input. It protects your effectiveness.
4) Practice “one useful thing” sharing
Instead of sending a resource list, share:
- one link + one sentence on why it matters
- one summary + one next step
- one framework + one decision question
Coaching tip: If it’s not actionable, it’s just noise.
And don’t forget the feeling you get from being useful, from sharing is two-fold:
- You feel good about sharing something useful
- The other person/people appreciate you thinking of them
5) Replace “read more” with “test sooner”
If you notice yourself collecting to feel safe, shift the goal from certainty to learning-through-action:
- build a rough draft
- prototype
- run a small experiment
- get feedback early
Question: “What’s the smallest test that gives me real information?”
That’s Input’s Jedi move: learning fast, not learning forever.
Strengths that complement Input
Input becomes extraordinary when paired with strengths that help you prioritise, decide, and deliver:
- Focus – helps you filter what matters now
- Strategic – helps you choose a path, not just gather options
- Activator – helps you start before you feel “fully ready”
- Discipline – helps you build systems that keep your library usable
- Communication – helps you translate resources into stories people remember
Maximizer – helps you refine what’s best, instead of saving everything
Spotlight: Input + Focus
Together, Input + Focus turns collecting into impact.
Here’s a simple way to frame the partnership:
| Input Challenge | How Focus Helps | Coaching Insight |
| Endless learning before starting | Focus forces a “now” priority | “What is the next action, not the next resource?” |
| Too many options | Focus reduces to a shortlist | “If we could only try one approach first, which is it?” |
| Overwhelm from saved content | Focus creates a cadence to review | “When will you process this—not just store it?” |
| Resource dumping | Focus asks “what’s the point?” | “What’s the one thing they need today?” |
Why it works: Input provides breadth. Focus provides direction. Together, you become both resourceful and decisive.
The Jedi side of Input
Input at its best is not just a collector. It’s a curator.
The Jedi version of Input:
- learns quickly and applies quickly
- shares in digestible ways
- builds a library that serves others
- knows when enough is enough
- balances knowledge with conversation and connection
Final thoughts: from collecting to contributing
Input is a strength that can quietly shape culture. In technical organisations, it can be the difference between teams that repeat mistakes and teams that learn.
But when Input becomes a hiding place, or a source of overwhelm, it’s time to recalibrate.
If you lead with Input, your growth edge isn’t “learn more.”
It’s choose more.
Ship more.
Share more simply.
And trust that you don’t need 100% certainty to make a meaningful move.
Explore coaching
👉 We’ll unpack why — and what actually helps — in our upcoming coaching seminar.
Join us here: Link
Further reading (internal links):
- CliftonStrength Focus and its blindspots
- Blind spots with Analytical
- The Dark Side of Harmony
Some further reading
- Focus and its Blindspots
A great companion piece to Harmony, especially when discussing tunnel vision and conflict avoidance.
➤ Read the blog [katalytik.co.uk] - Communication – Strength or Weakness?
Ideal for discussing how Harmony interacts with communication styles.
➤ Read about Communication [katalytik.co.uk]
Find out more about how Focus can be a powerful leadership attribute.
