What one dysfunctional relationship taught me about the limits of CliftonStrengths and the importance of having difficult conversations early. I arrived to run a CliftonStrengths workshop for a functional team. Before I arrived, someone had quietly mentioned there was “an issue” between two of…
Maximizer is one of the most deceptively simple CliftonStrengths. People often assume it’s about perfectionism. Tidiness. Gold stars. A sort of relentlessly upbeat “can’t we make this nicer?” energy. But for those high in Maximizer, it’s not cosmetic. It’s existential. For me it supercharges my other themes. It drives each of them harder. It’s the instinct…
With appreciation to Naomi Lippin and members of the AI and coaching discussion forum Psychological safety is suddenly everywhere in AI conversations — but I’m not sure we’re asking the harder questions yet. Are we really considering how AI changes power, voice, visibility and risk at work? Or are we layering…
Intellection is one of the quiet powerhouses of CliftonStrengths. It brings depth, reflection and the ability to sit with big questions long after others have moved on. Often, people with Intellection offer insights that shift conversations and help teams understand what’s really going on beneath the surface. The Jedi…
If you lead with Includer, chances are you’ve been doing this your whole life without even realising it: • You spot the person hovering at the edge. • You widen the circle so others don’t have to ask. • You notice who’s being overlooked long before anyone else clocks it. • You bring warmth, fairness, and humanity…
Reflections from Joan van den Brink’s new book Language, deficit framing, and what Wired Differently made me rethink Reading Wired Differently by Joan van den Brink set me thinking — not just about neurodiversity, but about the language we use to describe it, and…
If you’ve had your head in the sand this past week, you may have missed Mattel’s latest Barbie release: Autistic Barbie. Over the years, Mattel has expanded Barbie’s world to show she can do anything and be anything. But with every (many) evolution, controversy follows. Maybe that’s the point? Disruptive inclusion. Remember these…