For some people, good enough is not good enough. If that describes your outlook, it is possible that you have the CliftonStrengths® Talent Theme of Maximizer in your top 5 talents. People with Maximizer in their top 5 are very focused on going from good to great. They want to see excellence in themselves and others. Maximizers tend to be great at refining and perfecting projects, processes, and even teams. Read more about this powerful talent in my latest blog post…
A Maximizer’s standard is excellence. I used to work with a Maximizer who hated, and I mean hated the expression, “If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly.” In fact, this person used the term “excellence” in her email signature. When I want to get feedback on something I am doing or creating I look for one of my friends who is strong in Maximizer. Granted, it is so easy for them to see ways to really make things great that I can feel a little silly, but that is what they are designed to do and they love doing it!
It is no surprise that Maximizers also tend to be drawn to excellence. It is not uncommon for Maximizers to have very high standards for themselves and others. As such, they like to work with teams that are high-performing and producing quality work, even if the quantity is lower.
You Maximizers see your talents and those of others as diamonds in the rough. You polish and shape those diamond talents until they shine brilliantly. Maximizers intuitively know what research has revealed: people and teams get their best results when they focus on their talents. In its strongest form, Maximizer is about bringing out the best in others and teams by turning Talents into Strengths.
Here are some words that also describe Maximizers:
- Discriminating
- Perfectionist
- Refiner
- Strengths-Oriented
- Efficient
If you are a Maximizer, or have one on your team, look for projects that are good, not broken, and turn those projects, processes, and people, into something great. Remember, to a Maximizer fixing is draining and refining is energizing. There are other Talent Themes that are better for fixing things.
As I’ve mentioned in other posts, your talents are always working together and influencing each other. The Maximizer talent intensifies your top talents, almost as if your talents are on steroids. Use Maximizer as an adjective with your other top talents. Ask yourself, “what does Maximized [Empathy®/Strategic®/Harmony®, etc.] look like in me”? You might enjoy researching best practices in your industry or seeking out and meeting peers who are excellent at what they do. As always, look for ways to add knowledge, skills, and use them over time in order to turn your Talents into Strengths.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you leave a comment about your experience with the Maximizer Talent or something you are doing to grow this Talent.
**A Maximizer that I coached found this very helpful: beware of being a “lazy perfectionist” or letting perfection get in the way of progress. It is possible that if something is likely to have a less than excellent result a Maximizer will not finish, or sometimes not attempt certain things.
(When researchers have Maximizer in their top 5 CiftonStrengths Talents…)
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