The Power of 2: Applying Strengths Insights to Improve Partnerships
A partnership of two, in just about any context, can be challenging to navigate. Whether it’s in a marriage, as a coaching team, leaders in an organization, or two entrepreneurs launching a business, it’s inevitable that at some point you will butt heads. Unattended disagreements can sew frustration and discontent, and even the smallest miscommunication can grow into an unwieldy obstacle that damages the relationship.
As challenging as these duo dynamics can be, partnerships can also be extremely enriching and valuable. In order for them to remain positive, powerful relationships, though, they do require a high degree of intentionality, constant tending, and a deep understanding between the two parties.
A lesser-known way that CliftonStrengths can be deployed is by taking a closer look at those partnerships through the lens of each partner’s strengths. One of my offerings is based on Gallup’s Power of 2, a book filled with insights designed to help partners succeed. Through my Power of 2 sessions, I facilitate conversations between partners that aim to open up communication lines, identify common goals and values, squash any potential misunderstandings, and create a shared language between both people moving forward.
Earlier this year, I ran a Power of 2 session for Hannah Ubl and Lisa Walden of Good Company Consulting. A few months after our meeting, I reached out to see how their takeaways from our session were playing out in practice. This is what they had to say.
Q: First of all, why did you decide to go through the Power of 2 in the first place?
Lisa: As entrepreneurs building a new business, it’s just the two of us. We are the CEOs and the leaders and the employees and HR and IT and all of it. We’re constantly working together to move our company forward but we know that as much work as we put into the business, we need to put the same amount of effort into maintaining a healthy relationship. Also, Hannah and I both have Individualization in our top five so we’re always craving more information about each other!
Hannah: For us, this session was an opportunity learn more about how we operate as a team and why. We’ve taken the CliftonStrengths assessment before and known about our top five individually for quite some time, but we didn’t really understand how those strengths played together. This was a chance to see how our strengths are complimentary, the areas where we have some overlap, and also what we might need to focus on to continue growing and keep our partnership strong.
Q: What surprised you about the Power of 2?
Hannah: I loved that we looked at and compared all thirty-four of our strengths. It was so interesting to see that while our top five are very different, when we look at our top ten we actually share quite a few, like Intellection and Learner, which makes so much sense for a business that is hyper-focused on identifying new trends and creating fresh content! It was also super insightful to see the strengths that are down at the bottom of our list… gives us some insight for how to round out our partnership should we look to hire anyone in the future.
Lisa: For me, it was shocking how powerful it was to dive into our strengths in this smaller setting, with just the two of us and you, Keri. We were able to go much deeper, and unearth some hidden frustrations that hadn’t come to light before. And I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised by this, but I always am… learning the why behind people’s behavior always makes it so much easier to be understanding about the what.
Q: How have your learnings from our session impacted the way you work together?
Hannah: I so appreciated the opportunity to reflect on each other’s strengths and see “oh, now that we did this session, I totally understand why Lisa does xyz.” It’s another tool to help us be more empathetic to one another.
Lisa: Agreed! Restorative is my second strength, so I’m always looking to make things better… even when they’re already awesome! It’s so helpful for Hannah to know that when I suggest improvements, it isn’t necessarily because something is bad or off… but because I’m always trying to find ways to fix things even when they’re not necessarily “broken.”
Hannah: It also helps us keep each other accountable. I’m really strong in Intellection, which means that from a shadow side perspective, I can get caught up in my thoughts. Lisa knowing that this is something I’m prone to means she can spot it and call me on it if I’ve been overthinking, for example, a section of a script for too long.
Q: Having been through the Power of 2, who would you recommend take this session?
Lisa: I mean, to me this is invaluable to anyone in a duo partnership relationship, whether it’s professional or personal. Like I said earlier, understanding the why, seeing where certain behaviors are coming from… it’s so helpful when you apply it to every day interactions, but even more useful when you come up against a point of contention or disagreement.
Hannah: Absolutely. Why wouldn’t you want to know more about your partner? The third-party perspective of having you there, Keri, was also incredibly useful. You are able to give objective insight and feedback, which opens up the session to really meaningful conversations that allow for vulnerability and openness. In my opinion, why wouldn’t you want to do something like this, honestly? It only makes you and your partner stronger, and more aligned as you each move towards your goals, whatever those might be.