“I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know.” – Psalm 139:14
CliftonStrengths (you might also hear it called StrengthsFinder) is a talent assessment hosted by Gallup. It’s designed to help people understand how they naturally think, feel, and behave at their best—and then use those patterns more intentionally at work and in life.
What it is:
- An online assessment (177 paired statements, timed)
- It identifies your top talent themes out of 34 possible strengths
- Most people focus on their Top 5 themes
What it measures:
Not skills you learned—but innate tendencies. For example:
- How you make decisions
- How you build relationships
- How you execute tasks
- How you influence others
The 34 strengths are grouped into 4 domains:
- Executing – getting things done (e.g., Achiever, Responsibility)
- Influencing – leading, persuading, being heard (e.g., Command, Woo)
- Relationship Building – connecting with people (e.g., Empathy, Relator)
- Strategic Thinking – analyzing and imagining (e.g., Strategic, Ideation)
Why people use it
- Team building and leadership development
- Career direction and role fit
- Improving collaboration (“ohhh, that’s why we clash” moments)
- Writing bios, performance reviews, or coaching language
Important nuance…CliftonStrengths doesn’t say:
- what you’re good or bad at
- or what job you should have
It does say…
- “Here’s where your energy and excellence most naturally come from.”What is it?
Top 5 or Full 34?
CliftonStrengths Top 5 and Full 34 are based on the same assessment, but they offer different levels of depth. The Top 5 report identifies the five talent themes you use most naturally and consistently. These are the strengths that show up automatically in your thinking and behavior, especially under pressure. Gallup emphasizes the Top 5 because research shows people gain the greatest performance benefits by investing in their strongest talents rather than trying to fix weaknesses.
The Full 34 report expands on this by ranking all thirty-four CliftonStrengths themes. In addition to your strongest talents, it shows secondary or supporting strengths, situational talents, and themes that are lower for you. Lower-ranked themes are not weaknesses; they simply indicate areas where you are less instinctive and may rely more on learned skills, systems, or collaboration with others.
In practice, the Top 5 is best for clarity, ease of use, and everyday application. It works well for self-awareness, team conversations, leadership bios, and development discussions without becoming overwhelming. The Full 34 is more useful for deeper coaching, leadership development, team design, and understanding friction or blind spots. Many people start with the Top 5 for focus and upgrade to the Full 34 later when they want a more complete picture of how all their talents interact.
The Unveiled Journey 