Strengths Action Plan Template

Purpose

Identifying strengths is the first step. The second — the one most development frameworks skip — is building a plan to deliberately apply and develop those strengths in the context of your actual work.

This template bridges the gap between insight and action. It’s designed to be completed collaboratively between a leader and a team member, or independently as a self-guided exercise.

Best used: After a strengths assessment (CliftonStrengths, VIA, or your own strengths spotting conversation), as a follow-on to a meaningful 1:1 discussion, or as part of a quarterly development conversation.

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Section 1: My Top Strengths

Based on your assessment, feedback, or reflection, identify 3 strengths you want to build your plan around. Use the naming conventions from the Strengths Spotting Worksheet or your own language.

Strength 1:

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One sentence: What does this strength look like when I’m at my best?

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Strength 2:

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One sentence: What does this strength look like when I’m at my best?

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Strength 3:

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One sentence: What does this strength look like when I’m at my best?

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Section 2: Current Application Audit

For each strength, assess how well your current role allows you to use it.

Strength	Current Application Level	Notes / Where it shows up
Strength 1	Low / Medium / High
Strength 2	Low / Medium / High
Strength 3	Low / Medium / High

Key question: Which of your top strengths is most underused right now? What’s getting in the way?

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Section 3: Amplification Opportunities

For each strength, identify 1–2 specific ways to use it more deliberately in the next 90 days. Be concrete about the work context.

Strength 1 — Amplification Opportunities:

1. ---

2. ---

Strength 2 — Amplification Opportunities:

1. ---

2. ---

Strength 3 — Amplification Opportunities:

1. ---

2. ---

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Section 4: Development Goals

A strength applied consistently grows. Identify one specific way you want to develop each strength to a higher level over the next 6–12 months.

Strength	Current Level	Target Level	What “Higher Level” Looks Like
Strength 1
Strength 2
Strength 3

Development activities (circle or add your own):

• Stretch assignment — a project where this strength is tested at a higher level of complexity
• Learning (reading, course, podcast) specifically focused on this strength domain
• Mentoring or coaching from someone who excels in this area
• Regular practice — identifying one specific repetition per week
• Teaching — sharing or training others in this area (accelerates your own mastery)
• Feedback loop — asking a trusted colleague for specific observations on this strength

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Section 5: Strength-Role Alignment

Sometimes a development plan isn’t primarily about building skills — it’s about aligning your role more closely with where your strengths are.

Answer these questions:

Which of your responsibilities most energize you because they play to your strengths?

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Which of your responsibilities consistently drain you, possibly because they work against your strengths?

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What changes to your role — in responsibilities, projects, or collaboration structure — would allow you to spend more time in your strength zones?

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What is one specific conversation to have with your manager about better alignment?

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Section 6: Accountability Structure

Action	By When	How I’ll Know I’ve Done It	Check-In With

Review date: _______________________________________________

(Recommended: 30-day check-in + 90-day review)

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Section 7: For Leaders — How to Support This Plan

If you’re a manager completing this with a team member, your role is to:

Remove friction. Identify what structural or workload barriers are preventing this person from using their strengths more. What can you change, delegate, or reassign?

Create visibility. Are there projects, presentations, or cross-team opportunities that would let this person’s strengths shine in a broader context? Surface them.

Give ongoing strengths feedback. Commit to naming specific strength expressions once per 1:1. Brief is fine: “That thing you did in the client call today — that’s Strength 2. I noticed it.”

Ask the coaching question. At each 1:1: “Where have you applied one of your top strengths this week?” The question keeps the plan alive between formal reviews.

Leader commitment for this plan:

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(What specifically will you do to support this person’s strengths development?)

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Quick Reference: Signs a Strength Is Being Fully Applied

• The work feels engaging rather than draining
• Time moves quickly when you’re doing it
• Others notice and comment on it
• You generate ideas or approaches naturally without forcing
• You look forward to tasks that involve this capability
• You recover quickly from setbacks in this domain

When you notice these signs, you’re in the right zone. When they’re absent, it’s a signal to revisit the alignment question.