You will hear from Elvis at the end of the post. Right now, picture a rowing team. Their movements are synchronized, precise, and harmonious. It is an exercise in practicality as nothing is wasted. To be sure, no one is rocking the boat. That is the type of emotional and team environment that people with a high-ranking CliftonStrengths® Harmony talent love, and love to create. If that describes you, read on to learn about this much-needed talent and at the end, I have a little “gift” for you.
People who have Harmony as a top 5 talent have a knack for finding consensus. Rather than discuss conflict, they prefer to talk about the points of agreement. In their view, defending opinions and focusing on the negative is unproductive. This makes them especially valuable for building and maintaining collaborative teams.
It is a rare occasion when someone strong in harmony will publicly seek common ground or otherwise engage parties who are in disagreement. They prefer to broker deals and find the win-win, peace behind the scenes and out of the limelight. It is entirely possible that more than a preference, harmony, or peace may be a core personal value.
Here are some words that may also describe people with high-ranking Harmony.
- Ambassador
- Peacemaker
- Tactful
- Open-minded
- Fair
- Sympathetic
Your love of collaboration and consensus also make you a great mediator and negotiator. I bet that some of you reading this are thinking, “Oh, I could never do that. I hate conflict.” Well, in a world where so many people seem to thrive on conflict, we really need those of you with the natural raw material, nature, and talent to refine it and lead us to consensus, cooperation, and some practical win-win solutions. When Harmony is in talent form it avoids conflict. When Harmony is in a strength form it addresses conflict directly by actively seeking practical solutions and common-ground.
How do you grow your Harmony talent? How do you see it showing up in your life? Consider finding resources about negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution. I look forward to reading your comments and thoughts about this essential talent. I think it bears repeating, now, more than ever we need people with Harmony to face conflict and help us find those win-win solutions. My gift is a long-distance dedication to those of you with top 5 Harmony.
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