According to a recent editorial in the New York Times, almost one-half of Americans under the age of twenty-nine are unmarried, compared with just one-quarter in 1980.  This abrupt plunge in young adult marriages over the past 37 years perhaps lends support to the observation of Jim Clifton, (son of Gallup Clifton StrengthsFinder creator, Donald Clifton), as to how the American Dream has evolved.  This young country has experienced a significant shift in the fundamental aspirations of its people – from the founding cause of religious freedom, to independence, to peace, to family, and now to a good job.  In his keynote address at the 2017 Clifton Strengths Summit, Jim Clifton challenged us to explore the question, has our approach to management and leadership shifted with them?

No longer are command and control the acceptable basis for the employer/employee dynamic. Instead, coaching and development have become the formula for workplace growth and success. Formerly the mere source of a paycheck, Clifton asserts that today one’s job and profession have become the definer of one’s purpose and the source of one’s dignity, even supplanting the family. Typical of the questions asked by job-searching professionals today are: What can I become here? How will I develop? How will my job impact this company and, better still, this world?

This shift in the American Dream demands a shift in the American workplace and marketplace. The strengths-based coaching and development model of the Clifton StrengthsFinder process is one of the most researched data-driven success stories to accommodate this shift. StrengthsFinder presents a clear, navigable, growth-rendering approach to management, leadership and employee relations.  Additionally, StrengthsFinder provides a common language that cuts across all management levels and employment sectors.  And, perhaps most importantly for today’s job-seeking professionals, StrengthsFinder builds upon the proven talents and potential of individuals rather than the time-wasting futile task of fixing their weaknesses.  StrengthsFinder assists in unlocking the secret of employee engagement that ultimately drives worker satisfaction and overall business productivity.

The first step to experiencing for yourself the benefits of Clifton StrengthsFinder is a simple, low-cost, low-time effort.  Go to gallupstrengthscenter.com, take the StrengthsFinder assessment, and discover your own unique set of signature strengths. Then, contact us at Purple Ink LLC or another trusted StrengthsFinder coach to begin your journey into the strengths movement. It might just be the right moment to align your workplace culture with the evolving motivations of your workforce!