Leading with Self-Awareness – Providing Purpose with the Significance Theme

By Brandon Miller

CEO – 34 Strong, Inc.

Gallup Certified Strengths Coach

Are you Self-Aware? Self Awareness is a powerful skill for unlocking your maximum potential. This is part of the Leading with Self-Awareness Series where we spotlight all 34 StrengthsFinder ? talent themes and the 4 domains of Strength.Weekly, we provide a fresh 3 part perspective on the descriptions for each theme, along with their powerful go-to and watchout characteristics. In this post, Brandon focuses on the description of the Significance theme. Does this sound like how you build intention and gain commitment? 

Significance ? – People exceptionally talented in the Significance theme want to be very important in others’ eyes. They are independent and want to be recognized.

The Significance theme is in the Influencing leadership domain. Leaders with themes in the Influencing domain put the why into the mission, and that makes all the difference.

Leaders dominant in the Significance theme are the ultimate providers of purpose. Their life is filled with goals and qualifications that they want to obtain. Their search for importance is rooted in their need to be perceived as credible and successful, and the Significance leader will achieve ever-increasing levels of excellence because of this need.

When their focus is placed correctly, leaders who possess this talent have the impact of all impacts. Their yearning for greatness inspires others to yearn for greatness. Significance leaders want to leave a lasting legacy, and activities with this great of an impact take great momentum. The Significance leader provides this momentum.

They want to be seen as genuine and authentic. And they want to be seen as successful. They know that people form judgments about others on the basis of how one performs in life. No matter the arena – in the office, the classroom, the sports field, and the hair salon – these leaders know that they live in front of an ever-present audience. Leaders with high Significance help us realize we can shape this audience’s perception.

For these leaders, perception is reality. Significance leaders know that when we genuinely play to our best and highest levels, we can shape and transform how people see “us.” And “us” can be a duo, the team, the organization, or the mission.

Leaders high in Significance are incredibly independent. They don’t require external motivation to perform at their best. Purpose drives them and they drive toward purpose.

They are always aware of their standing in terms of social status, recognition, customer perception, and the vision of what others can see. In their pursuit of excellence, these leaders drive teams forward with an intensity. They will call from their team members a perspective of working toward ever increasing levels of excellence. They will push hard to perform at their best. And because this leader serves at his best, he is a role model who inspires others to serve at their best.

When I paint a picture of successful Significance, when his motive is in the right place – this leader is a standout. He is exceptional. Unique. One-of-a-kind. He will not accept the common-place, and is ever considering where his attention will make the biggest difference.

Do you know your Top Five? Take the StrengthsFinder ? HERE.

Brandon Miller is the CEO of 34 Strong Inc. a leader in StrengthsFinder ? training and organizational development. 34 Strong works with organizations across the United States in developing teams around talent to optimize performance and maximize results. Brandon is a Gallup Certified StrengthsFinder ? Coach and specializes in working with organizations on developing sustainable strengths-based organizational culture. Brandon’s top five strengths are: Maximizer, Achiever, Activator, Strategic, and Arranger.

Sources: Clifton StrengthsFinder?, StrengthsFinder?, and each of the 34 Clifton StrengthsFinder theme are trademarks of Gallup, Inc. 34 Strong is not affiliated with Gallup, Inc. or its subsidiaries.