The Strategic CliftonStrengths (former StrengthsFinder) theme enables you to sort through the clutter and find the best route. It is not a skill that can be taught. It is a distinct way of thinking, a special perspective on the world at large. This perspective allows you to see patterns where others simply see complexity. Mindful of these patterns, you play out alternative scenarios, always asking, “What if this happened? Okay, well what if this happened?” This recurring question helps you see around the next corner. There you can evaluate accurately the potential obstacles. Guided by where you see each path leading, you start to make selections. You discard the paths that lead nowhere. You discard the paths that lead straight into resistance. You discard the paths that lead into a fog of confusion. You cull and make selections until you arrive at the chosen path — your strategy. Armed with your strategy, you strike forward. This is your Strategic CliftonStrengths theme at work: “What if?” Select. Strike.

The genius of Strategic talents is found in your ability to quickly weigh various alternative paths and determine the one that will work best and most efficiently. Sometimes you think backwards — visualizing the outcome you want and then generating multiple ways of reaching that goal.

The genius of your Strategic CliftonStrengths theme involves the way you think and generate alternatives. When faced with a problem or a dilemma you can quickly generate multiple alternatives to circumvent obstacles that prevent your progress. Sometimes you think in a backwards manner by first visualizing the outcome you want to produce and then generating multiple alternative paths to get to that objective. But the genius of your Strategic theme doesn’t simply begin and end with generating alternatives. The real genius of this strength is found in the way that you can quickly sort through the various alternative paths and determine the one that will work best and most efficiently.