About Us

What Would Happen if we studied what was right with people?

At the Clifton Strengths Institute, we aim to answer this question by identifying the strengths of pre-kindergarteners to college students, as well as the strengths of the parents and educators who teach and love them. Our educational initiatives helps people make the most of their strengths, and our research efforts examine how doing what you do best everyday leads to the outcomes that matter—both in school and in life. And, every other year, our $250,000 Clifton Strengths Prize honors significant advances in strengths-based education and practice.

For those of you who have already identified your strengths and now wonder how to make them come to life, we will help you answer the critical question: “Now what?” And, if you have ever wondered if focusing on your strengths really makes a difference in your life, we will answer the common question: “So what?”

We would like you to join us in pursuit of these big goals:

• Tap into the hearts and minds of American students to determine what drives their well-being and achievement.
• Share a strengths-based education curriculum with America’s educators and counselors/advisors through continuing education and a certification program.
• Demystify the strengths development process through ongoing online and field research.

We will further the work of Donald O. Clifton, the primary developer of the Clifton StrengthsFinder and the Clifton Youth StrengthsExplorer, and build on the successes of every parent, teacher, counselor, advisor, mentor, and professor that saw something positive in a young person and tried to make them feel like they mattered.