"I took the CliftonStrengths assessment so long ago” (or “when I was in a different job” or “when I was a student” or “when I was in a bad mood” or “when the moon was full” etc.).  “Should I retake it?"  In all its many forms, I get asked this question all the time. 

The short answer is… No.  Probably not.

Would your results be different?  Sure, somewhat.  There are 177 items on the assessment.  None of us would answer EVERY question in EXACTLY the same way each time we took it, even if we took it twice back-to-back!  But there's a really high "test-retest reliability" to this assessment, so you'd likely find more consistency than difference.  

I think the better questions are:

"What would you do with new results?" 

“How would different results impact the way you think, feel or behave?”

“What results are you hoping to see?”

Each of these questions could open up a whole world of exploration and could lead to important insights that don’t require finding a new order for your talent themes.

In full disclosure, I've taken the CliftonStrengths assessment twice.  (It was sort of an accident, but that’s beside the point.)  I can honestly say that after the initial geek-out moment to compare what was different, it only confused me.  Which ones were REALLY my strengths?  When people ask my top five, which ones will I give?  

The wisdom from Gallup is that your first set of results are likely the most accurate in terms of measuring your raw/natural talents.  Once you know the point of any assessment, it’s hard to be completely objective when re-taking it.  We can’t help it.  We’d read a statement and think, for example, “oh, this item is about Activator vs. Achiever.”  And those kinds of thoughts impact our responses.

Rather than comparing and contrasting two sets of results, my greater opportunity for growth came from upgrading to access my "Full 34 Report."  This premier report from Gallup reveals all 34 talent themes in your unique order.  Knowing my top 10 and dominant themes was MUCH more impactful for me and served to renew my attention to developing talents into strengths.

I’ve found that a large number of people have taken the CliftonStrengths assessment (almost 30 million in the world, as of today), but most only received the “top 5” report.  There is a wealth of treasure just waiting to be uncovered!  Knowing your full strengths profile can help you better use all of your unique talents - and help you manage weaknesses.  With the CliftonStrengths 34 Upgrade, you get access to your full strengths profile and advanced personalized reports, giving you even more resources to develop your strengths to reach your goals.

Why is the “full 34 report” so powerful?  I’ll tell you more about my experience.

First, it gives me a more robust view of my talents.  Having a report that named only 5 talent themes was like having a tiny toolbox with only 5 tools in it.  Knowing my full 34 gives me a full toolbox with much more variety, and it helps me feel more confident and be successful in more tasks. 

Next, knowing my full list of talent themes in rank order helps me group my themes into three categories:  Dominant, Supporting, and Lesser Themes.  The full 34 report doesn’t group them for you, but having the full list allows me to figure out the categories for myself.  Dominant themes (usually between your top 8-15 themes) are the ones I use all the time, consistently, often without even thinking about it.  For me, my Dominant themes are 1-13. 

Supporting themes are the ones I use sometimes.  I can call on them when needed, and with a bit more intentionality, I can apply them productively toward a challenge or goal.  Those are generally the themes in the middle of the list.  I’d say that my Supporting themes are probably 14-25.  How cool for me to remember that I have at least 25 different areas of talent that I can draw from to help me find success in any given situation!

Lesser themes (often the bottom 5-10 themes) are just that – themes that I have to a lesser degree.  It doesn’t mean I have zero talent in those areas, just less.  I can use those talents, but I need to understand that it will generally require more thought, more effort, more time.  (Like signing your name with your non-dominant hand.  You can do it, but it takes more concentration… it’s less natural.)  Knowing these areas are lesser talents helps me let go of unrealistic expectations of myself in these areas and invites me to consider finding complementary partners or resources to assist me.  What freedom and opportunity I’ve found in this!  As it turns out, letting go of things I don’t do well is as much an opportunity for growth as leaning into my top strengths!

Finally, an important element of the full 34 report is the section that identifies your dominant leadership domain and shows the relative distribution of your results across the four leadership domains.  If you’re not yet familiar with the domains, they are a good starting point to examine where you have the most potential to perform with excellence and how you best contribute to a team.  It was no great surprise to me to learn that I lead with Executing themes (themes that help me get stuff done).  But it was important for me to see that my next most powerful contribution is in the area of Strategic Thinking, not in Relationship Building, which is what I’d previously thought when I only knew my top 5 talent themes.  And while I was likewise not surprised to see that the Influencing domain was lowest for me of the four domains, having the full view of my strengths profile has helped me identify and maximize the ways that I can use other themes to accomplish objectives that have to do with motivating, inspiring or influencing others.

So I return to answering your question with a question.  Should you re-take the assessment?

"What would you do with new results?" 

“How would different results impact the way you think, feel or behave?”

“What results are you hoping to see?”

What kinds of responses come up for you from these questions?  Would those needs or desires be addressed just as well or perhaps even better from an “upgrade” to a full 34 report or from some coaching to help you more deeply understand and apply what you already know about yourself?  Maybe those options are better investments than taking the assessment again.

Oh - and in case you're wondering, I decided to stick with my original results.  Sure, I've changed and developed over time - but only into more of who I already was!