What It's Like to Lead with Executing Strengths (And What Great Managers Do to Support It)

If you’ve worked with me before, you probably know I’m a big believer in CliftonStrengths®.

It’s one of my favorite tools to use with teams because it gives us language for what’s already true about how we work, lead, and relate. 

Strengths-based leadership helps us focus on what’s right with people, not just what needs fixing. It helps us unlock energy, trust, and performance by understanding how each person is wired to contribute.

Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing a series of blogs that bring these strengths to life, starting with Eli the Executor.

💪 Meet Eli the Executor

Some people walk into a room and immediately start figuring out how to get things done. That’s Eli.

Eli builds the plan, follows the plan, and finishes the plan, even when no one else is paying attention to the details.

Eli leads with Executing strengths, and your team probably has (or needs) a few Elis.

Let's talk about what often gets missed with executors:

Just because Eli’s doing the work doesn’t mean he’s thriving. In fact, executing strengths are some of the easiest to overlook, and the fastest to burn out.

What Are Executing Strengths?

According to CliftonStrengths, the Executing domain includes:

Achiever • Arranger • Belief • Consistency • Deliberative • Discipline • Focus • Responsibility • Restorative

Each of these strengths helps answer the question: “How do we turn ideas into action?”

Eli may not be the loudest voice in the room, but he’s often the one keeping everything on track. When others get distracted, he stays focused. When someone drops the ball, he quietly picks it up.

A Quick Note About Eli

While Eli leads with Executing strengths, that doesn't mean he only shows up in that domain.

Most people have themes that span across multiple areas: Influencing, Relationship Building, Strategic Thinking, and Executing. This persona just helps us better understand what motivates someone when Executing is their core driver.

🔥 What Motivates Eli

• A clear finish line
• Tangible progress
• Being trusted to execute
• Checklists, calendars, and systems that make sense
• Feeling useful and dependable

Eli doesn’t just want to stay busy - he wants to build something that matters.

🚧 What Drains Eli

• Constant change without explanation
• Ambiguity or vague direction
• Having to carry the team without recognition
• “Idea people” who don’t follow through
• Getting pulled away from the finish line to start something new

Eli might never say it out loud, but over time, this kind of friction wears him down.

✅ How to Support People Like Eli

• Be clear about priorities and follow through
• Ask what “done well” looks like to them
• Celebrate steady, behind-the-scenes work
• Give them time and space to finish
• Don’t mistake silence for satisfaction - check in

Coming Soon…

Eli’s not the only one with a unique way of leading.

In the coming months, we’ll introduce you to three more strengths-based personas:

• 📣 Isaac the Influencer – The energizer who moves ideas (and people) forward
• 💙 Rachel the Relationship Builder – The teammate who keeps connection at the center
• 🧠 Stacy the Strategic Thinker – The big-picture thinker who helps teams make smart decisions

Each one brings a different kind of brilliance to the table and each one needs something different to thrive.