When my two boys were young, one of their favourite TV programs on Cartoon Network was Ben 10. It was about a boy, Ben Tennyson, who discovers the Omnitrix — a high-tech, extraterrestrial watch-looking device. This ‘watch’ contained the DNA of various alien species which allowed Ben to transform into them at will. One of the Aliens of the 10 was called Heatblast; he was a pyrokinetic, and he had the ability to generate and manipulate intense heat and fire from his body. He could form fire into any shape he wanted, producing fireballs in his hands.
When young Ben first came into the Heatblast form and learned he had this fire superpower, he got into all sorts of trouble, accidentally setting fire to a forest, cars and buildings. He was randomly throwing fireballs around and couldn’t control it. Eventually, with practice, he learned to control the superpower he had and use it for good like fighting the bad guy and lighting the BBQ at home.
As a coach working with individuals, Managers and Teams within organisations, I see a persons superpowers all the time. Many lay dormant, and some get the individual into trouble; I will save that one for another post.
All Strengths are neutral, there is not one talent theme that is better than another. As coaches, we learn to love all 34 of the different Gallup CliftonStrengths. However there is one CliftonStrengths talent theme I see lying dormant and underutilised the most.
Harmony
“People exceptionally talented in the Harmony theme look for consensus. They don’t enjoy conflict; rather, they seek areas of agreement.”
Many individuals read this line in their report and agree, “That’s me; I don’t like conflict” They shy away from it, stick their heads in the sand and pretend it’s not there. Their desire to “keep the peace” may cause them to remain silent when they disagree with someone or see a disagreement between others.
This talent theme however has amazing power to it. The brilliance of the Harmony theme lies in its natural practicality and preference for emotional balance. By reducing friction, people exceptionally talented in the Harmony theme can enhance collaboration. These individuals can actually avert many contentious interactions before they even start and quickly help others find a resolution.
They can help a team work toward a common goal or shared vision with their willingness to find a compromise. They can play the role of team moderator, they can help steer others toward a solution. They don’t necessarily have to solve problems or resolve subjects under debate (unless they have high Restorative too and then they might enjoy this), but they can help team members find other areas where they agree, a platform from which to START, these areas of common ground can be the starting point for working productively together again.
Other words that may be used to describe Harmony include Mediator, Pragmatist, Peacemaker, Tactful, Diplomatic, Similarity Spotter, Consensus Finder, Intuitive, Referee, Connector or Builder.
Harmony can see the areas of agreement that hold true, like a shared value or one shared agreement, a shared view of where we’re going, and what’s important; they can help bring other people into agreement and move forward.
I recall working with a CEO of an investment firm in New Zealand, as well as being an amazing leader he used his Harmony talent in negotiation with local mauri tribes. Another Manager shared how she used her harmony to seek new ideas and ways of working. She disagreed with the comment about avoiding conflict. She shared that not all conflict is bad. There is a good conflict that can lead us to positive outcomes, finding innovative and creative solutions to problems. It can actually help us improve.
Conflict arises when humans see things differently. That is the key essence of CliftonStrengths, we all think, feel and behave differently. Be it how we react to situations, engage with others or manage our workloads, we see the world through our talent filter. We all have our own experiences, beliefs and values. To work together as a team we need to try and see things through the eyes of others too.
The best teams feel safe to challenge and disagree with each other. They take time to build trust and get to know each other. Harmony is a Relationship theme and has amazing power to help others build trusted connections with their natural ability to sense.
Harmony has a dark side to it, too, if not moderated or used as a strength. It can appear passive-aggressive. This might look like agreeing in a meeting, nodding and smiling, but the moment they walk out, they moan to others and disagree in the corridor. I once worked in an organization where Harmony was amongst the top 5 talent themes of the whole company of 400+. The culture on the surface appeared very ‘nice’. Everyone was very polite, and nobody would really challenged or questioned leaders. Meetings were lots of people staying silent and nodding. It was not the done thing to challenge or question a leader. This can lead to groupthink and a lack of innovation and new ideas. In a world of change and competition we need to be innovating and finding new ways to work.
One of my favourite books is Atomic Habits by James Clear. James introduced me to the 1% rule, building tiny habits. I challenge participants in workshops to develop this rule in developing their talents into strengths. Not great bit goals but little tiny ones.
So what if those of you with the CliftonStrengths talent theme of Harmony use it 1% more than you are? Instead of shying away from conflict or staying silent, asked one question to bring a little more clarity. To say things like, “I see we agree on these 2 items, it’s just this one we need to work out. What ideas do we have to resolve that?”
Ask Questions like
- What are your suggestions for a compromise?
- What aspects of this negotiation are most important to you?
- What specific provisions are significant?
In the next meeting, you have to make it a point to invite 1 more person to speak their mind. The more voices you hear, the better chance you have of finding common ground among the group.
You have amazing powers within you. You just have to harness them and practice using them.
