A Salute to the Command-ers

At a gathering of Strengths Coaches, one Strengths Coach asks all the Strengths Coaches in the room: What do you get when a woman with Command marries a man with Command? From around the room, coaches mull their answers before shouting out their responses: A marriage that's dynamite? A power couple!  A coach with high Deliberative mutters to himself, Trouble?

Command, that rarest of themes, is powerful. Potent. The theme of presence, Command is about that ability to push back when pushed. To take control of a situation and bring clarity. It's about influence. It's about wading into conflict and engaging the conflict.  

Interesting to contemplate this potent theme residing in both a husband and wife. I've seen it first-hand in a couple that is, indeed, a power couple: Each enjoys great professional success, their talents complement one another in their marriage, and together they are people of powerful influence in their community and beyond. He is an entrepreneur and consultant who specializes in making things happen quickly, strategically, and with great order. She is a leader in the social sector who has held long tenures in institutions, bringing a capacity to develop and implement new models that take root and grow mightily while inspiring imitation by other institutions. While he and she have some overlapping talent themes in addition to Command, their Strengths profiles differ, giving us an opportunity to explore through the lens of their experiences the interplay of talent themes with Command.  There is no one shade of any theme, including Command, as their stories illustrate.

Moving from arena to arena as a consultant and leader of entrepreneurial endeavors, his Command gives him presence from the get-go. Willing and able to be fearlessly frank, he brings clarity to situations where clarity is needed. Intensifying that Command, his Activator gives him the ability to catalyze change quickly. Backed up with solid organization and planning, his Discipline complements his Command so that he becomes an imposing, persuasive organizer. His Command doesn't run willy-nilly, as his Responsibility imbues him with a deep sense of ownership and commitment, while his Strategic, Ideation and Futuristic themes give him the ability to see innovative, best routes forward into the future. He is a Master Commander.

Her arena of operation is quite different. She effectuates change over the long haul in social sector institutions, creating innovative models that deliver entirely new strategies, alliances, and products. Like her husband, she relies on her Strategic and Futuristic themes to imagine and create what hasn't existed before. Her Achiever and Focus drive her to work tirelessly and relentlessly to get to specific outcomes. Her Individualization gives her the ability to be a casting director who brilliantly places and develops talent in roles where staff and volunteers then thrive, and, with her Relator, not surprisingly many of the people with whom she works enjoy deep and lasting relationships with her. But inside that velvet glove of Relator and Individualization is an iron fist of Command. When pushed, she will push back, challenging assumptions, persuading and advocating for necessary change, and using her strong will to bring about big results. She, too, is a Master Commander.

One of the lesser known aspects of Command is that people with Command respect people who will push back when pushed.  In this marriage, that is the case.  Rather than butting heads unproductively, these two Commanders respect one another.  The power and presence of their Command is never destructive in their marriage; instead, it fuels a mutual respect and creates a balance of power.

I salute these Master Commanders, who are using their particular formulations of talent so very effectively.

For more information on Gallup's approach to Strengths, or to take the Clifton StrengthsFinder™ online, go to https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/