A Look Back at the Historic 2016 CliftonStrengths Summit

"What will happen when we think about what is right with people rather than fixating on what is wrong with them?" -- Don Clifton

It was this notion that brought 900 eager professionals to the inaugural CliftonStrengths Summit in July 2016. The movement of coaching had already started, but bringing individuals from all over the world to one location amplified the coaches' momentum as they sought to empower people to change the world through their talents.

Over three days of intensive learning and collaboration, coaches learned how to develop themselves, deploy strengths effectively in organizations, and build and grow their coaching business. They also had an opportunity to learn more about CliftonStrengths alongside Gallup's most senior coaches.

At the summit, what impacted me most as a coach were moments that reflected the depth of Gallup's philosophical approach to understanding what is right with people and knowing how to inspire others to make a difference through their strengths. These stories reminded me that coaching is not just about living my own passion -- it is about continuing the strengths movement into the next century to touch the lives of billions.

Recall the moment you first recognized your calling to be a coach and visualize the times your energy for coaching was recharged, perhaps through moments similar to those I experienced at the CliftonStrengths Summit. The experiences created for the 900 individuals who attended are what Gallup seeks to generate again and again at the 2017 summit as coaches from around the world come together to grow and drive the energy of CliftonStrengths to an all-time high.

So what's next? Well, Don Clifton wrote, "Relationship is the process of investing in another person by doing things for that person's good without consideration of self-reward. Ultimately, it is the sum of our responses to another human being." Gallup is maximizing all efforts to reach a billion people through a million coaches. In 2017, coaches from all over the world will reconnect July 17-19 for three engaging days about the impact and transformation of strengths coaching. Join fellow coaches and Gallup influencers on our stampede to take the CliftonStrengths movement global and change the lives of millions.