Significance

People strong in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.

 

You can tell a person strong in Significance by these attributes (source: Dr. Hulme, APU):

  • Want to have an impact on others— making a difference in the world is important
  • Powerful contributors
  • Enjoy recognition
  • Goal-oriented and achievement- oriented
  • Independent—want to be given choices and do things their own way

More about Significance:

    • Needs on a team: To make a difference
    • As a Leader: To strive to be important
    • In Conflict: Needs to be reocgnized
    • Partner with: NONE LISTED
    • In academics: 

      – loves to make a difference – enjoys class participation – enjoys classes where they can be successful – prefers classes that are relevant to their goals and desires – enjoys independent study or creating their own assignments – appreciates feedback from profs

Where does Significance Theme rank in the population?

  • Overall, Significance ranks 32nd, occurring in around 6% of the population’s Top Five (5% of Females and 8% of Males)

32

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33

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Out of your Top 5 CliftonStrengths, it’s statistically:

  • most likely to appear with Achiever and Competition
  • least likely to be found with Empathy, Developer or Connectedness

The genius of your Significance talent begins and ends with the difference you are determined to make. You cannot stand the thought of living and dying and there being
no difference. You are bound and determined to make a difference and you want that difference to be significant. There is great energy, power, determination, and motivation within you to make a significant and lasting difference in the world. While others may consider you egotistical this is not your motive. You want to make a significant
difference because there is a lot wrong in the world and you are trying to make the world better. At the same time, you want to be recognized for the difference you make.But the difference you make is the driving force.

At your best (Balcony):

  • seeks outstanding performance, does things of importance, independent

At your worst (Basement):

  • recognition hungry, self-focused, needy

Significance may be one of your signature themes if…

  • You crave recognition from others.
  • You want to stand out from the crowd and be known by as many people as possible.
  • You want your words to be heard and your inner strengths to be appreciated.
  • You feel a need to be admired as a credible and successful professional.
  • You like others to surround yourself with others who are similarly motivated
  • You have an independent, pioneering spirit and you like to do things your own way.
  • Your life is filled with goals, achievements and qualifications that you desire.
  • You have intense yearnings and upward focus that keeps you reaching for the exceptional.

A more detailed explanation from Gallup:

You want to be very significant in the eyes of other people. In the truest sense of the word you want to be recognized. You want to be heard. You want to stand out. You want to be known. In particular, you want to be known and appreciated for the unique strengths you bring. You feel a need to be admired as credible, professional, and successful. Likewise, you want to associate with others who are credible, professional, and successful. And if they aren’t, you will push them to achieve until they are. Or you will move on. An independent spirit, you want your work to be a way of life rather than a job, and in that work you want to be given free rein, the leeway to do things your way. Your yearnings feel intense to you, and you honor those yearnings. And so your life is filled with goals, achievements, or qualifications that you crave. Whatever your focus — and each person is distinct — your Significance theme will keep pulling you upward, away from the mediocre toward the exceptional. It is the theme that keeps you reaching.

Action Items for This Theme

  • Choose jobs or positions in which you can determine your own tasks and actions. You will enjoy the exposure that comes with independence.
  • Your reputation is important to you, so decide what it should be and tend to it in the smallest detail. For example, identify and earn a designation that will add to your credibility, write an article that will give you visibility, or volunteer to speak in front of a group who will admire your achievements.
  • Make a list of the goals, achievements, and qualifications you crave and post them where you will see them every day. Use this list to inspire yourself.
  • Identify your best moment of recognition or praise. What was it for? Who gave it to you? Who was the audience? What do you have to do to recreate that moment?
  • Share your dreams and goals with your family or closest colleagues. Their expectations will keep you reaching.

Be ready to:

  • Stay focused on performance. Your strong Significance theme will drive you to claim outstanding goals. Your performance had better match these goals, or others might come to label you as only a big talker.
  • Write down your strengths and refer to them frequently. Heightened awareness of your strengths will give you the confidence you need to rebound, when, for whatever reason, your “audiences” are not giving you the feedback you need.
  • Accept that, unless you possess a strong Self-Assurance theme, you might fear failure.
  • Don’t let this fear prevent you from staking claims to excellence. Instead, use it to focus on ensuring that your performance matches your claims.
    • The Clifton StrengthsFinder and the 34 Clifton StrengthsFinder theme names are protected by copyright of Gallup Inc., 2000. All rights reserved.
For the more visually inclined:

A fantastic website with insightful discussion of Significance, including

  • Building your brand through this strengths
  • Strengthening your performance at work
  • Tips for managing someone with this strengths
  • Partnering with someone with this strength

Significance Power and Edge takes an interesting approach highlight not just what the strength is and how it shows up if you have it in your top five, but also how to navigate the world when this strengths is one of your lesser ones.

More ideas on going deeper:

THEME INSIGHTS:

  • I am (Being) ———-> interested in being seen as significant so that I can accomplish something significant
  • I will (Doing) ———-> be motivated and influenced by the perceptions of others
  • I Bring (Contribution) ———-> a desire for wanting more
  • I need (Requirement) ———-> an appreciative audience that will bring out my best
  • I love (Value) —————> associating with successful people
  • I Hate (Value) —————> being invisible to or ignored by others
  • Metaphor/Image ———-> natural performer who is comfortable with the visibility of center stage/bright lights
  • Barrier Label ———->attention hound, showboat

THEME CONTRAST:

  • Significance: I want to be admired so I must do something admirable.
  • Woo: I want to win others over so I must be winsome. .————————————————————————————————–
  • Significance: To be seen and heard is my desire.
  • Deliberative: To watch and listen is my desire
More from Gallup:
Gallup’s Called to Coach is an excellent podcast series exploring the Significance strengthsfinder theme in detail over several seasons:

 

 

 

 

 

  • Theme addicts is a series created by UnleashStrengths to highlight the massive impact the StrengthsFinder assessment through interviews and discussions.
  • Lead through your strengths features many interesting guests and Career Q and A about leverage your strengths at work.
  • Maximize Your Strengths features interviews and discussion on developing your strengths. She really drills into each of the themes by interviewing real people on how a specific theme shows up in their lives.
  • Called to Coach is a webcast resource for those who want to help others discover and use their strengths. We have Gallup experts and independent strengths coaches share tactics, insights and strategies to help coaches maximize the talent of individuals, teams and organizations around the world.
  • ISOGO TV promises a lot: So dramatically increase your energy and decrease your frustration at work, that you cannot help but take the Strengths paradigm home to your family. Fueling life-changing stories.
  • The True Strength Podcast by Ian Pettigrew (Kingfisher Coaching) features inspiring true stories of how people succeed through applying their strengths and being resilient. It often includes a Gallup StrengthsFinder profile.
  • If you are looking to identify and develop your strengths and talents, take calculated risks and make decisions, The Strengths Revolution with Steve Morgan will help your personal development, as well as helping you support your clients, employees, teams and wider organisations. Knowing your strengths will also support positive risk-taking and decision making as part of good risk management.

Sources:

 

 

 

 

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