On March 27, Leslie Walton, Assistant Director for Employer Development at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration, spoke to members of the PRSA Volunteer Chapter and the Association of Fundraising Professionals Great Smoky Mountain Chapter. She shared insights on how professionals can identify and leverage their CliftonStrengths to transform natural talents into impactful strengths.
In her role, Walton connects local, regional, and national organizations with students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. With nine years at UTK, she began as a career coach for communications and liberal arts students before transitioning to employer development. She also teaches professional development courses in the College of Communication and Information and the Haslam College of Business. Walton is an experienced facilitator of CliftonStrengths workshops for staff and students and integrates her strengths into her leadership and collaboration. She holds a Master’s in Higher Education Administration from Western Kentucky University and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Austin Peay State University.
The CliftonStrengths assessment, developed by Don Clifton, was designed to identify and enhance individuals’ existing talents. Partnering with Gallup, Clifton spent nearly three decades conducting two million interviews, ultimately refining his research into 34 prevalent talent themes.
CliftonStrengths operates on a fundamental equation: talent, in the form of natural abilities, combined with intentional investment, through training, practice, and application, leads to fully developed strengths. These strengths fall into four main domains: Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building, and Strategic Thinking. By understanding and utilizing their strengths, individuals and teams can increase engagement, enhance collaboration, and strengthen leadership skills.
During the session, Walton guided attendees through a discussion of their top five strengths, prompting reflection on whether their results felt surprising or accurate. She emphasized that while strengths bring valuable assets to the table, they also highlight areas where individuals may need support from others. For example, someone with the Responsibility strength is dependable and loyal but thrives best when given autonomy to take ownership of tasks. Often, a person’s strengths align under a common theme, reinforcing and complementing each other in meaningful ways.
Once strengths are identified, Walton stressed the importance of claiming them by recognizing how they manifest in daily tasks and past achievements. Understanding how strengths contribute to success can help individuals maximize their potential in their current roles.
Finally, Walton encouraged attendees to “aim” their strengths by developing strategies for continuous growth. Strength-building is an ongoing process that requires practice and refinement. By intentionally applying their strengths, individuals can unlock new opportunities for personal and professional success.
By embracing and refining their CliftonStrengths, professionals can cultivate a more fulfilling and effective career. Understanding one's unique strengths allows individuals to contribute more meaningfully to their organizations, collaborate more effectively with colleagues, and develop into stronger leaders. With a commitment to continuous growth and self-awareness, leveraging strengths can lead to both personal satisfaction and professional excellence.