The Value of Pairing CliftonStrengths with Generations

The generational conversation is on fire these days, both because of its popularity, and because of the intensity of the exchange. Older generations can feel like younger employees have brought an entitled, taking-things-for-granted mentality to the workplace, whereas those younger generations think their older peers are stuck in their ways and resistant to change.

You only have to Google “Boomer” or “Millennial” to see the intensity of the back and forth, and while understanding generational differences at work can be a really powerful exercise, it’s definitely one that needs to be handled with care.

One of the hard things about using generations to learn about people at work, is that it can go negative really quickly. For whatever reason, generations opens the door to name calling and scathing commentary in a way that another diversity lens never would. Generational discussions can quickly start to feel like ageism, whether it’s aimed at the “out of touch” Boomers, the “narcissistic, lazy” Millennials, the “blunt, callous” Xers or even the latest generation to hit the workforce, the “tech-obsessed” Gen Zers.

Obviously, this can do more harm than good, especially when it digresses into negative stereotyping. That said, understanding generational differences in the workplace is extremely valuable in a whole host of ways. It’s only through recognizing the gaps between generations at work, and the areas of disconnect, that you can start bridging the divide and creating an environment for connection and collaboration.

Here’s where CliftonStrengths can really shine. People often think of strengths as a stand-alone assessment that serves its singular purpose. The truth of the matter is that when you pair strengths with another lens or assessment, it can play a powerfully complementary role, one that enhances the value of both.

When navigating the potentially murky waters of the generational topic, strengths can be an excellent (and important) addition to the mix. It helps ground the discussion in a few crucial ways that help alleviate potential frustrations, and opens the door for meaningful conversations.

Strengths is a great pairing to the generational lens because:

1. Strengths = Universal
   Where generations can unintentionally pit people against each other by segmenting them into groups defined by birth years, strengths are universal. Anyone can have achiever in their top five (and as one of the most common strengths, many people do!) Whether you’re a Traditionalist, Baby Boomer, or Gen Xer, you can all share commonalities in your top five, regardless of what year you were born.

2. Strengths = Positive
   This point can’t be made often enough… CliftonStrengths is steeped in positive psychology. This means that from the get-go, you’re not seeking for negatives or areas of disconnect, and are instead focusing on natural talents and how to develop them until they’re even better and even stronger. Using the positive language that is innate to strengths keeps the generational conversation from dipping into the negative. If you can look at generational diversity in a way that celebrates the talents and strengths that each generation brings to the table, then you can address those areas of misalignment without going into some of the more toxic, finger-pointy, “us vs. them” places.

3. Strengths = Connection
   There’s something so magical about sharing a top five strength with someone else at work. It’s such a relatable point of connection, and I love watching in workshops and trainings when people instantly form a bond discussing traits and tendencies when they realize they share a strength. “You have Woo too! No wonder we’re both first to volunteer for networking outings!” Strengths can create moments of connection that transcend age, and other lenses of diversity as well.