Take this Strengths Test to Improve Team Collaboration

My husband Avram’s sense of direction has never exactly been legendary. Back when it was just the two of us, one of our favorite activities was driving around and taking pictures together.

During one of those weekend drives, I was behind the wheel, he was navigating, and let’s just say we missed more than a few turns. His last-minute directions had me making sharp lefts and eyeing him sideways. What started as a chill drive got tense fast.

Later, we laughed about it, and I realized he should have been the one driving instead of me. But it revealed something bigger: how easily miscommunication happens when roles aren’t clear. That small moment reflected a larger pattern we’d seen in both life and business: unclear expectations leading to unnecessary tension.

That’s what led us to a strengths-based development tool that helped us uncover how we’re wired, what we each do best, and how to improve team collaboration. That clarity reshaped how we communicate and collaborate as partners and leaders.

If you’ve ever dealt with mixed signals, weaknesses dragging down team performance, or duplicated effort in your team, this post is for you. I’ll share how we created role clarity and how you can too.

Why Clarity in Roles Matters More Than You Think

Unclear roles in a team take an invisible toll. They lead to missed tasks, simmering resentments, and endless assumptions about who’s responsible for what. When team members don’t understand their roles or feel comfortable communicating about them, it’s almost impossible to achieve high performance as a group.

Even the strongest collaborative team will experience friction when the wrong person is in the wrong seat.

I saw this firsthand in our organization. Avram and I used to assign tasks based on abilities. Something needed to get done, so we handed it off to whoever could do it, even if that task absolutely drained the other team member.

When we started assigning tasks based on energy, not just skills, everything began to shift. A clear example? That frustrating drive. Once we intentionally swapped roles and Avram took the wheel while I handled navigation, everything felt easier. It wasn’t just a smoother way to travel. It turned the rest of the trip into something fun and stress-free.

What the CliftonStrengths Assessment Showed Us

Take the CliftonStrengths test, created by the Gallup Organization, to help you understand and maximize your unique talents. It’s a timed, instinct-based assessment that measures 34 individual strengths across categories like Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building, and Strategic Thinking.

The test explains your top 5–10 talents. These areas you naturally excel in and where your energy flows most easily. This personalized report gives you the in-depth insight needed to focus on your top talents rather than trying to fix yourself to fit a different mold.

Personalized Results: Our Strengths Side by Side

Here’s what the CliftonStrengths assessment revealed about our skill sets:

• Me (Rachel): High follow-through, list-maker, executor. I thrive on checking boxes, staying organized, and moving tasks forward.
• Avram: Visionary, strategist, low execution. He’s brilliant at strategic thinking, decision making, and generating new ideas, but struggles with smaller, actionable steps.

The results were eye-opening, but not surprising. What stood out most was how we judged each other for lacking strengths we personally excelled at. The things he loves drain me, and the things I love drain him.

This new understanding helped us stop blaming each other for being “different” and instead start valuing our differences as complementary skill sets.

From Resentment to Respect: Reassigning Roles With Intent

Subtle signs of role friction are often easy to ignore until they’re too big to dismiss. Procrastination, repeated mistakes, or avoidance around certain tasks are clear indicators that teams might be misaligned.

Here’s what we discovered about ourselves (and our team): Just because someone is capable of a task doesn’t mean they’re the best person to do it. Energy alignment is key.

By reassigning tasks based on joy and energy, we experienced real team collaboration. For example:

• Avram: Took over strategy and vision planning, areas where he thrived.
• Me (Rachel): Focused on actionable tasks and execution, where my skills shone.

We became stronger because we weren’t working against our natural inclinations anymore. Collaborative teams thrive when each member is empowered to lead with their strengths.

Why This Applies to More Than Just Business

Many entrepreneurs, like us, are life partners. Others work within teams where personal dynamics deeply affect professional outcomes.

When you understand and value the strengths of the people around you, the ripple effects go far beyond business. Your company, marriage, parenting roles, and even friendships improve.

Seeing someone’s full potential reduces assumptions and encourages employees to show up fully. And when you start using tools like CliftonStrengths in hiring or team building, you prevent mismatched expectations before they lead to friction.

Even in multiple teams or different backgrounds, shared goal setting and a common language around talents can boost trust and productivity.

How to Use Strengths-Based Tools in Your Team

Run the Test Before Hiring or Delegating

Before filling a new role or assigning responsibilities, have team members (or new hires) take the CliftonStrengths talent assessment. This simple step improves team performance, prevents role confusion, and helps create clearer job descriptions, better onboarding, and happier employees.

Keep the Conversation Open

Understanding strengths isn’t a one-and-done activity. Create space for honest conversations about what’s working and what isn’t. Hold regular team meetings to check in on energy levels, task alignment, and individual and team performance.

Ask questions like:

• “What tasks drain you the most?”
• “What excites you right now?”
• “What do you need to thrive in this role?”

Creating a positive work environment means helping team members feel heard, seen, and supported.

Build a Team Where Strengths Lead the Way

Teamwork doesn’t mean doing everything together. It means doing the right things together.

When you encourage collaboration and lean into strengths-based development, everyone wins. No one needs to carry what isn’t theirs, and the entire team performs better.

Whether you’re working alongside your spouse, leading your company, or managing different teams, tools like the StrengthsFinder test are a useful tool to improve workplace collaboration and tap into the significant benefits of role clarity.

We talk more about how this played out in our own organization and marriage in Episode 85 of The Babies & Business Podcast. Tune in to hear the full story and learn how to build a stronger team dynamic from the inside out.