Strengths Based Leadership Development

Helping managers build team performance, increase leadership skills and apply Clifton Strengths insight.

Our strengths-based leadership development programme helps managers understand and apply their natural talents, enabling them to lead teams with confidence.

In-person workshops | Live virtual sessions | Online learning content

Trusted by organisations investing in leadership development

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Why strengths based leadership matters

Many leaders are promoted because of experience and technical expertise. Yet leadership requires a different set of capabilities.

Leaders need to build trust, develop people, manage performance and navigate difficult conversations. Without support, even capable professionals can struggle with these responsibilities.

A strengths based leadership approach helps leaders understand how their natural talents influence the way they lead.

Using the CliftonStrengths framework, leaders gain practical insight into how they:

  • Build trust and stronger working relationships

  • Motivate and engage their teams

  • Make clearer, more confident decisions

  • Handle conflict, build relationships and influence others

  • Adapt their leadership style in different situations

  • Work effectively with colleagues who think differently

  • Approach decisions and problem-solving

  • Respond to challenge, pressure and change

When leaders apply these insights in practice, they develop a leadership style that feels authentic, confident and sustainable.

What participants gain

Participants develop:

  • Insight into their CliftonStrengths leadership profile

  • A deeper understanding of how their strengths influence leadership behaviour

  • Greater confidence in leading people and managing performance

  • Stronger communication and feedback skills

  • Better decision-making and collaboration within teams

  • Understanding of how they overplay their strengths and how to manage gaps

  • Practical tools to apply strengths in real leadership situations

Evidence based impact from strengths based development

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Higher employee engagement
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Higher performance
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Lower employee turnover
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Higher productivity

Research from Gallup shows that organisations who enable employees to understand and use their CliftonStrengths have...

The Strengths Based Leadership Programme

Our strengths based leadership development programme helps leaders understand and apply their natural talents to lead more effectively. Using the CliftonStrengths framework developed by Gallup, leaders gain practical insight into how their strengths influence their leadership style, relationships and decision making.

Organisations that invest in strengths based leadership development see improvements in engagement, collaboration and team performance.

The programme can be delivered as workshops, multi-session leadership development programmes or blended coaching and training. Below is a range of ‘pick & mix’ modules depending on the needs of your organisation and the experience of your leaders/managers. They can be delivered virtually, face to face or in a hybrid format.

Programme Modules

Contact us to find out how this programme can support your organisation.

What is strengths based leadership?

Strengths based leadership focuses on identifying and developing each leader’s natural talents rather than concentrating only on weaknesses.

Leaders learn how their strengths shape the way they communicate, solve problems and motivate others. By understanding these patterns, they can lead in ways that feel natural and sustainable.

Strengths based leadership development programmes help managers apply these insights in real organisational situations, improving both leadership capability and team performance.

Leaders also need to understand how they can overplay their strengths and how to manage their gaps and areas of weakness.

How strengths based leadership supports teams and organisational culture

Strengths based leadership development often forms part of a wider organisational culture and strengths strategy.

When leaders understand and apply their CliftonStrengths, they begin to recognise the different talents within their teams and how those strengths shape communication, decision making and collaboration.

This creates a shared language for discussing performance, contribution and development.

Over time, teams become better at using individual strengths intentionally, supporting one another’s capabilities and building an environment where people can do their best work.

For many organisations, leadership development using Clifton Strengths becomes an integral part of building culture and performance.

Flexible delivery, designed for real-world demands

Today’s leaders and managers are balancing high workloads and shifting priorities.

That’s why our Strengths-based leadership program is built to adapt to your organisation’s needs, ensuring both quality and impact.

In-person workshops

Bring people together for high-impact, practical learning in a collaborative setting. Ideal for focused discussion, shared insight, and stronger connections across teams.

Live virtual sessions

Engaging, facilitator-led sessions delivered online. Interactive, focused, and designed to encourage full participation from any location.

Online learning hub

Support learning between sessions or beyond the core programme with access to digital resources and optional modules to deepen key topics.

Leadership diagnostics

Use tools including CliftonStrengths assessments and 360 feedback to provide increased self-awareness and spark focused development conversations.

1:1 leadership coaching

Personalised coaching to embed learning, build confidence and support individual development. Delivered virtually for maximum flexibility.

Email Support

Ongoing email support from your trainer for 12 months after completing the programme for those who’d like it.

Strengths based leadership development in action

We recently delivered a strengths based leadership development programme for Hemley Fraser, an international training organisation.

Through a combination of coaching, team workshops and strengths based development, the organisation reported improvements in:

  • Engagement

  • Collaboration

  • Psychological safety

  • Productivity

You can read the full case study here: 

Strengths based leadership development case study

What senior leaders say…

The Hemsley Fraser Logo on a testimonial for Kate Jennings Coaching

"This programme has been hugely successful, really impactful and is making a real difference in our business. We can already see positive behaviour change, a better culture and improved results."

- Ria Rogers, Head of People, Hemsley Fraser

"We are hugely appreciative of Kate's work with our teams! From coaching to management development training, to Strengths-based development and professional skills, we have been delighted with the quality of Kate's preparation, delivery and ways of working."

- Nick Richards, Head of People, Royal Society of Arts

"Since our strengths-based work with you, team performance has noticeably improved, and our employee engagement scores have increased considerably."

- Vicky Garfitt, Head of Data Activation, Kingfisher plc

Focused on Real-World Leadership and Management

Our approach is practical and grounded in the realities of work.

Leaders explore real challenges such as managing performance, giving feedback, having tricky conversations, navigating change and building stronger teams.

Alongside practical leadership tools, participants gain insight into their CliftonStrengths profile and how their natural talents shape the way they lead.

How CliftonStrengths strengthens leadership development

Our programmes often use CliftonStrengths, the strengths framework developed by Gallup.

CliftonStrengths identifies an individual’s most powerful talent themes. These insights help leaders understand:

  • How they think and make decisions

  • How they build relationships

  • How they influence others

  • How they drive performance

Rather than trying to fix weaknesses alone, CliftonStrengths helps leaders focus on their most powerful capabilities and apply them intentionally in their leadership role.

When used within a leadership development programme, CliftonStrengths provides a powerful language for understanding how individuals and teams work together.

Who is this programme designed for?

Strengths based leadership development is particularly valuable for:

  • New managers stepping into leadership roles

  • Experienced leaders seeking deeper self-awareness

  • Technical experts promoted into management

  • Organisations developing leadership capability across teams

Many of our clients operate in science, research, engineering and technology organisations where analytical professionals benefit from evidence-based leadership development.

Why organisations choose Kate Jennings Coaching

Kate Jennings Coaching specialises in leadership development and CliftonStrengths for managers and leaders.

Our programmes combine:

  • Extensive experience working with nationally recognised brands

  • Practical tools leaders can use immediately

  • Proven track record using Strengths based approaches, and CliftonStrengths

  • Evidence-based leadership development

The focus is always on practical leadership development that creates meaningful change.

Ready to explore strengths based leadership development?

If you are considering strengths based leadership development for your organisation, we would be happy to discuss your goals.

Contact us, send a message below or schedule a 15 min call to explore how this approach could support your leaders and teams.

Kate Jennings Executive Coaching

Frequently Asked Questions