StrengthsFinder - What Role Fits for Competition Careers?

StrengthsFinder Definition - Competition

People exceptionally talented in the Competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests. Here's the full list of CliftonStrengths definitions so you can check out your other talents as well.

Gallup®, Clifton StrengthsFinder®, StrengthsFinder®, and each of the 34 Clifton StrengthsFinder theme names are trademarks of Gallup, Inc.

StrengthsFinder Competition Careers - What Work Cultures Fit?

StrengthsFinder Competition Careers - Energy Takers & Energy Makers

In the next section, you'll explore what fuels you up and what drains you. Just like gas (or petrol) in your car, you need to keep your personal tank full to be at your best. Each StrengthsFinder talent theme is energized and drained by different things. When you see the stick figure who looks strong, you can consider how these things fuel you up at work. They're your energy makers. When you see the stick figure who looks weak, consider if these things are draining you at work. They're your energy takers.

Yucks for CliftonStrengths Competition

  • 2nd place, because it feels like the 1st place loser
  • When there's no measure of success so you have no idea how you compare to others

Example yuck from client: "Our business unit had this 'best in class' mantra. They used those 3 words all the time and never gave us metrics or criteria for what made us better than the competition. It was maddening because 'best' actually meant nothing. I wanted to know: Are we faster? Is our quality higher? Are our people more caring? If you're not measuring anything, how do you know if you're good, better, best...or worst? When I asked what we're comparing against, they told me to just go with the 'spirit of it' and that was annoying."

Yays for CliftonStrengths Competition

  • Turning any mundane task into a game, metric, or challenge
  • Winning — it's fun to win personally, and it also feels good to help other people win

Example yay from client: "We had a contest to see who could make the most appointments one afternoon. The reward was getting tomorrow off to go see a movie. I crushed it. If I heard my teammate say they had landed 15, I'd change my goal to 30. Every time I heard a new number I doubled their number to get my new goal. That's the mental game I play with myself all day. It's motivating when other people help me step my game up. If no one can hang, it's boring. I like a stretch challenge. Winning those feels great."

StrengthsFinder: Building Competition Careers - You At Your Best

Most people have a good handle on "What" they bring to the workplace. Resumes, CVs, and career development conversations are filled with lists of skills and job titles that show "what" you can do. Nearly everyone misses the "How".

Your Clifton StrengthsFinder talent themes help you communicate "How" you show up. It's how you think. It's how you feel. It's how you act. These are huge differences in each person that are differentiators on the job. Consider these adjectives you might want to consciously put into your personal branding efforts.

We recommend working a "How" description into the Summary section in your LinkedIn profile (if you don't yet use that section, don't worry, most people haven't paid attention to it until now). Of course, make up adjectives or phrases that describe you at your best. Try to avoid words like "motivated, self-starter" because they're so overused that you'll blend in with everyone else. Here are some ideas to spark your thinking:

  • Winner
  • Energetic
  • Selective
  • Intense
  • Record Holder
  • Driven
  • Scorekeeper
  • Striver
  • Measurer
  • Champion
  • Challenger
  • Scrappy
  • Ratings Creator
  • Performer
  • Gamer (not necessarily like the Fortnite kind, more like "I'm always game - I'm up for a challenge")