Leading with the Relator StrengthsFinder Talent
From new friend to deep friendship
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Of all the things that can make or break a work experience, team is probably at the top of the list. You can endure a lot if you like who you’re with, and a close-knit, collaborative team can outperform expectations.
The power of teams and relationships should be a consistent priority for any leader, but leaders with the strengthsfinder relator talent acutely feel it.
You’re someone who sees the world through the lens of relationships
When you learn to leverage your relator strength, you can trade shallow, transactional relationships for deep and meaningful ones.
Relator StrengthsFinder TL;DR
The relator StrengthsFinder talent means you’re someone who sees the world through the lens of relationships. But not just acquaintances; you’re looking for genuine friendship.
If the woo strength is about relational breadth, then the relator strength is about relational depth.
You’re unsatisfied with shallow relationships, wanting to know everyone more deeply. People with the relator strength may struggle with this limit, wondering if it’s ok to have a hierarchy of friendships with some deeper than others.
If you’re already familiar with StrengthsFinder, you can skip over the next section.
What is StrengthsFinder?
SterengthsFinder, now CliftonStrengths, is an assessment based on strengths psychology. The fundamental premise is you will get farther by maxing out your strengths rather than trying to improve your weaknesses.
I’ve seen numerous leaders grow as they identified their talents and turned them into well-developed strengths. But you don’t have to be a leader to benefit from StrengthsFinder, and you can apply it to more than just work.
Understanding your strengths and weaknesses helps you better understand and live out your unique design.
Relator is just one of the 34 different strengths measured by StengthsFinder. When you take the assessment, you will get back your top 5 strengths. You can pay for an ordered list of all 34, but I wouldn’t recommend that the first time you take the assessment.
Focus is critical to developing your strengths. Keeping just your top 5 in view helps you make meaningful growth in the areas of your life with the highest leverage and impact.
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How do you lead well with relator in your StrengthsFinder top 5?
So you’ve taken the StrengthsFinder assessment, received your results and found relator in the list. Now you’re wondering how to grow or leverage this strength in your leadership.
I would rather be at dinner with a small group of friends than at a party full of people. I've seen leaders leverage their relator strength to build powerful and influential teams.
I’ve seen leaders with the relator strength use these two strategies to build strong teams through strong relationships.
- Invest in mentorship.
- Cultivate friendship even when it's busy.
Learn to recognize behaviors when you're over-leveraging your strengths to the point that they become liabilities. And discover the path back to health.
Invest in mentorship.
Leaders with the relator strength naturally look for ways to help and guide those around them.
Investing in mentorship is one way to do this.
Mentors can provide advice, feedback, and support as you work through challenges or pursue growth opportunities. A mentor can also be a sounding board for ideas as you navigate difficult conversations or decisions.
As a leader with the relator strength, find ways to mentor those around you. Provide feedback and guidance when needed and offer new perspectives to help them reach their goals.
You can also look for opportunities to be mentored yourself; having someone who knows and understands your strengths can help you see things from different angles and find creative solutions to problems.
Cultivate friendship even when it's busy.
The relator talent means you crave genuine connection with others and look for ways to strengthen friendships, even in the busiest of times.
As a leader, this can be tricky - managing tight timelines and deadlines while trying to build relationships with your team.
Make time for meaningful conversations with your team members. Ask questions to get to know them better and find out what they care about and how they work best.
You can trade shallow, transactional relationships for deep and meaningful ones
Take the time to foster relationships - even if it’s just a few minutes here and there - to build trust and understanding among everyone on your team. These conversations are essential for developing strong bonds, fostering collaboration and creating a sense of belonging.
Not just acquaintances; you’re looking for genuine friendship
It may take time, but cultivating friendship, even in the busiest times, can help make your team more robust and productive.
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As you learn to lead using your relator strength, you can see a new friend become a deep friendship.
Leading with the relator strength means investing in mentorship and cultivating relationships even when it's busy. When you focus on these strategies, you can build strong and effective teams driven by collaboration, understanding, and connection.
If the woo strength is about relational breadth, then the relator strength is about relational depth.
When developed and applied, your relator strength can help you find a place where you’re doing work you love with people you love.
By leveraging your relator strength in leadership, you can create an environment where everyone feels valued, heard and respected – the perfect foundation for success!
Action Plan
Leaders with the strengthsfinder realtor talent can struggle with an antipattern of exclusivity, unwilling to let new people into their circle. Learning the strengths antipatterns will allow you to continue growing as a healthy, intentional leader.
You are on an extraordinary journey to living and leading from your strengths. You can explore the list below to learn about the rest of your top 5 strengths.
Frequently Asked Questions
StrengthsFinder
So do I totally ignore my weaknesses and just focus on my strengths?
Strengths-based growth doesn’t encourage you to ignore your weaknesses but not to spend too much time trying to turn them into strengths. Instead, you may need to find team members or systems to fill in your gaps.
Learn more about how StrengthsFind influences your leadership.
There are strengths I think I have; why didn’t they didn’t show up in my top 5?
For some people, their strengths ranked 5, 6 or 7 are almost even. You could also be misattributing a skill or behavior to a specific strength.
Learn more about how StrengthsFind influences your leadership.
Should I pay to see all 34 strengths?
Seeing your other 29 strengths can help give you a fuller picture. But initially, someone should focus on further developing those top 5 strengths rather than trying to give attention across the list. Once you have a good grasp on what it looks like to lead from your top 5, it can be helpful to explore the rest of the list.
Learn more about how StrengthsFind influences your leadership.
What’s the difference between a talent and a strength?
A talent is your natural way of thinking or behaving. A strength is a talent developed over time through knowledge, skills and practice.
Learn more about how StrengthsFinder influences your leadership.
