StrengthsFinder is now CliftonStrengths
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StrengthsFinder is now CliftonStrengths 〰️
CliftonStrengths Coaching for Engineering and Technical Teams
Let’s Build Your Communication Operating System
so your team is aligned, leverages their strengths, and delivers better results
“Working with Sarah helped our remote team turn communication friction into real collaboration. We learned how each person processes information and where their strengths show up best, which changed how we delegate and work together. Now our projects move forward because the right people are handling the right parts of the work.”
-Danielle Bundrock, Cooperative Housing Director
NeighborWorks Montana
When teams struggle, it’s rarely a talent problem
Most teams don’t struggle because people lack skill or motivation.
One person wants detailed instructions.
Another prefers big-picture direction.
Some team members process out loud, while others need time to think before responding.
And holding people accountable may feel like conflict rather than teamwork to some.
The result?
Good people working hard… but not always working well together.
Without a shared understanding of how people work best, small miscommunications can lead to slowdowns, frustration, missed opportunities, and lost revenue.
Often, leadership senses something isn’t quite working, but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly why.
And as companies grow, the challenge becomes even bigger.
Leaders worry that bringing in new people will disrupt the culture they worked so hard to build, and that their top performers may leave as a result.
This is where strengths-based coaching comes in.
A Better Way to Help Teams Work Together
Teams don’t need more rules, more meetings, or more processes.
They need a better understanding of how people think, communicate, and contribute.
That’s exactly what I help teams uncover.
As a Gallup-certified CliftonStrengths coach, I help teams understand their natural strengths. I use a Strengths + Story framework to uncover each person’s communication operating system—the unique way they process information, contribute ideas, and work with others.
The result: clearer communication, stronger collaboration, and better results.
Here’s what teams experience when we work together.
What Teams Gain from Strengths-Based Coaching
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Every team member completes the CliftonStrengths assessment and meets with me one-on-one to understand their natural talents and how those strengths influence their approach to projects, communication, and decision-making.
Benefit:
Each person gains clarity about how they think, contribute, and communicate, and how to describe their talents to others. Leaders gain insight into how to better support and develop each person on the team.This creates a foundation for stronger collaboration across the entire team.
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The team gathers for an interactive workshop where we explore how each person’s talents influence the dynamics, communication patterns, and overall success of the group. They’ll learn how to productively address conflict and customize their communication for team members.
Benefit:
Teams develop a shared language for understanding one another, reducing misunderstandings and building trust more quickly. -
New team members take the assessment, meet individually with a coach, and participate in a conversation with their manager to establish clear expectations for communication and collaboration.
Benefit:
New hires integrate faster and feel supported from day one, helping protect the culture leaders worked hard to build. -
Teams meet periodically to revisit strengths insights, sustain the shared language, and apply the principles to meetings, delegation, and project planning.
Benefit:
Strengths become part of the team’s everyday operations, improving communication, productivity, and long-term team performance. -
Team members make their strengths visible, and materials and agendas are created and distributed with individual talents in mind.
Benefit:
The right voices are heard at the right time, creating more productive discussions, better decisions, and stronger results. -
Teams learn how to communicate complex ideas in a way that resonates with non-technical stakeholders, clients, and cross-functional partners.
Benefit:
Engineers and technical professionals can clearly articulate their thinking, reducing miscommunication, speeding up decision-making, and increasing their influence across the organization. -
High-performing team members gain a deeper understanding of their strengths and how they show up in their work, communication, and leadership.
Benefit:
Top performers naturally attract and influence other high performers, strengthening team culture, supporting retention, and making recruitment easier through authentic advocacy.
The Business Impact of Strengths-Based Coaching
Reduce costly miscommunication that slows projects and creates unnecessary rework
Improve team productivity by aligning responsibilities with each person’s natural strengths
Increase employee retention by helping people feel understood, valued, and supported
Strengthen collaboration across teams with a shared language for communication and feedback
Accelerate onboarding for new hires so they integrate faster and contribute sooner
Develop stronger leaders and managers who understand how to motivate and support their teams
Protect and scale your company culture as your organization grows
Improve cross-functional communication between technical and non-technical teams, leading to clearer alignment and faster decision-making
Strengthen your employer brand by creating a team culture where top performers attract and retain other high performers
Is Strengths-Based Coaching Right for Your Team?
My CliftonStrengths coaching program is a strong fit for organizations that:
Want to improve communication and collaboration across teams
Are experiencing friction among different working styles or personalities
Want to delegate more strategically so the right people are handling the right work while continuing to provide challenges that are productive and encourage growth
Are growing or scaling and want to protect the culture they’ve worked hard to build
Want to develop stronger leaders and managers who understand how their teams work best
Value self-awareness, reflection, and continuous improvement within their organization
Want practical tools their teams can apply immediately in meetings, projects, and daily collaboration
When This Work May Not Be the Right Fit
My StrengthsFinder coaching program may not be the best fit for organizations that:
Are looking for a quick team-building activity rather than meaningful change
Want a one-time workshop without ongoing application or integration
Are unwilling to invest time in individual reflection and team conversations
Prefer rigid systems that force everyone to work the same way
Are not open to exploring how communication styles and strengths influence team dynamics
Strengths-based coaching works best when teams are willing to learn, reflect, and apply the insights together over time.
“Sarah has become an essential part of our onboarding process. Every new employee completes a CliftonStrengths assessment with her, followed by a one-on-one session where she walks them through their results and helps them understand how they fit within our team. She also provides insights to their manager, making it easier to support each person in a truly impactful way.
Working with Sarah is always seamless. She’s responsive, flexible, and consistently delivers professional materials on time. More importantly, her work has been invaluable to our team. She helps each person see how their unique strengths contribute to the bigger picture, while also identifying blind spots that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Sarah is both professional and passionate about what she does, which makes working with her not only effective but genuinely enjoyable. Our expectations have been exceeded every time.
”
Bring Strengths-Based Coaching to Your Team
If you’re ready to help your team better understand how people think, communicate, and contribute, CliftonStrengths coaching can create lasting change for your organization.
Let’s start with a conversation about your team, your goals, and what success would look like for your organization.
Schedule a discovery conversation to explore how strengths-based coaching could support your team.
CliftonStrengths Coaching for Individuals and Couples
Looking to better understand your own strengths or how your strengths interact within your relationship?
In addition to team coaching, I offer focused CliftonStrengths sessions for individuals and couples who want deeper insight into how they think, communicate, and navigate life together.
These sessions are ideal for professionals preparing for interviews, individuals seeking a deeper understanding of their strengths, or couples seeking to improve communication and better understand how their strengths show up in everyday life — and how to support each other in embracing and living within their strengths.
Explore the available coaching options to find the session that’s right for you.
Meet Sarah Elkins, Your CliftonStrengths Coach
Sarah is a storytelling and public speaking coach, professional musician, mother, spouse, dog mom, avid traveler, angler, hiker… and so much more.
As a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach, she specializes in bringing this tool to full application to build and improve company culture in small to medium sized startups.
Spare Change @ On Broadway, Helena, Montana
Storytelling for Professionals
Every professional benefits when they can share a story to demonstrate their talents, skills, values, and character.
Elkins Consulting provides professional development workshops to ensure your employees know how to share their stories of success and obstacles, to be the best possible ambassadors for your organization and for their careers.
If you have to tell people you’re an expert, you’re probably not doing it right.