Building Teams with Complementary Strengths

One of the most powerful applications of the CliftonStrengths framework is in team development. High-performing teams are not made up of people who all think and act the same. Instead, they are composed of individuals with complementary strengths—people whose talents differ but work in harmony. By understanding and leveraging each person’s unique talents, teams can increase engagement, enhance innovation, and achieve better outcomes together than any one member could alone.

What Are Complementary Strengths?

Complementary strengths are strengths that differ in form but support one another in function. For example, one person may excel in long-term vision (Futuristic), while another thrives in practical execution (Achiever). When paired intentionally, these differences create synergy. Instead of clashing, the strengths combine to form a more balanced, capable, and resilient team unit.

The key is not to seek uniformity, but rather strategic diversity. Diversity in strengths means a team is better equipped to handle complex challenges, adapt to change, and approach tasks from multiple perspectives. Understanding your teammates’ unique talents helps reduce conflict, increase collaboration, and align contributions toward shared goals.

Why Strengths-Based Teams Outperform Others

Research from Gallup shows that strengths-based teams are more productive, more engaged, and less likely to experience turnover. Team members who understand and apply their own strengths—and those of their colleagues—report higher satisfaction, better communication, and greater cohesion.

Increased engagement: People feel seen and valued when they get to do what they do best.
Improved trust: Knowing how others operate reduces misunderstandings and builds mutual respect.
Better collaboration: Complementary partnerships mean fewer gaps and more synergy in execution.
Stronger outcomes: Diverse thought processes lead to more innovative problem-solving.

Four Strength Domains in Teams

Each member’s talents can be grouped into one or more of the four CliftonStrengths domains: Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building, and Strategic Thinking. Effective teams include a mix of these domains to ensure ideas are created, shared, nurtured, and acted upon.

Executing: People who turn plans into action and ensure tasks are completed.
Influencing: Individuals who inspire, promote, and advocate for ideas or people.
Relationship Building: Teammates who focus on connecting, supporting, and uniting others.
Strategic Thinking: People who analyze, plan, and imagine what could be.

When building a team, consider how each domain is represented. If a team lacks Relationship Builders, for instance, collaboration may suffer. Without Influencers, visibility and advocacy may be limited. The goal is not to force balance, but to recognize and address any potential blind spots through strengths-based collaboration or hiring.

Identifying Complementary Partnerships

Complementary partnerships are built on the idea that no one has to be good at everything. When teammates bring different talents to the table, they can help one another cover weaknesses and elevate performance. Here are a few examples of powerful strengths pairings:

Strategic + Achiever: One sets the vision; the other drives the execution.
Empathy + Command: Emotional intelligence balances direct communication.
Analytical + Woo: Precision meets persuasion.
Input + Arranger: Collects resources and organizes them effectively.
Focus + Adaptability: Keeps the team on course while adjusting to change.

The goal is not just to complement skills, but to amplify one another’s strengths. A partnership where both individuals feel energized, trusted, and respected is more resilient and productive over time.

Creating a Strengths-Based Team Culture

Building teams with complementary strengths isn’t a one-time event—it’s a mindset and ongoing practice. To embed strengths thinking into your team culture, follow these steps:

1. Start with Awareness

Ensure each team member completes a strengths assessment and has access to their results. Encourage everyone to read about their top themes and reflect on how those show up in their work.

2. Share and Discuss

Hold a team session where members share their top strengths. Use tools like StrengthsFinder team grids or domain charts to visualize collective talents. Normalize strengths-based language in meetings and feedback.

3. Assign Roles Based on Strengths

Align tasks and projects with individuals’ dominant themes. For instance, assign someone high in Responsibility to manage key deadlines, or let someone with high Communication lead presentations.

4. Encourage Partnership Building

Help individuals identify who they can partner with to complement their weaker domains. Promote cross-functional collaboration based on natural strengths rather than hierarchy or function alone.

5. Review and Reflect

Make strengths a recurring topic in 1-on-1s and team retrospectives. Reflect on what’s working, where support is needed, and how different strengths contributed to recent successes.

Real-World Example: A Balanced Marketing Team

Consider a marketing team building a new product campaign:

Jordan (Strategic Thinking): Generates the campaign vision using Futuristic and Ideation.
Riley (Executing): Builds the timeline and drives execution with Discipline and Focus.
Avery (Influencing): Promotes the campaign externally through Communication and Woo.
Casey (Relationship Building): Keeps the team cohesive and engaged with Positivity and Empathy.

Individually, each team member shines in their area. Together, they form a balanced, dynamic team that moves from vision to execution while maintaining energy and trust throughout the process.

Overcoming Common Challenges

Working with complementary strengths requires intentional communication and mutual respect. Without it, differences can become sources of friction rather than force multipliers.

Challenge: Executors may see thinkers as “stuck in ideas.”
Solution: Define deliverables early and pair strategic input with clear timelines.
Challenge: Influencers may dominate conversations.
Solution: Facilitate turn-taking and invite input from Relationship Builders and Thinkers.
Challenge: Relationship Builders may avoid conflict.
Solution: Use structured feedback tools and affirm the value of candor.

Final Thoughts

Great teams don’t happen by accident—they’re built with intention. By embracing the diversity of strengths in your team, you create a culture of respect, collaboration, and shared success. Complementary talents don’t just fill gaps; they unlock new possibilities.

Start by identifying the strengths already present. Encourage your team to lean into what they do best—and support one another in doing the same. With a shared strengths language and mindset, your team can go further, faster, and together.