Designing a 2026 Learning & Development Plan with CliftonStrengths at the Core
Let’s face it, most people aren’t exactly buzzing with excitement when they see “mandatory training” on their calendar.
In fact, most kinds of corporate training result in boring slide decks, dull e-learning modules and basic checkbox quizzes that fail to provide much in terms of tangible value. To be honest, most L&D training is some type of glorified webinar or lecture.
Given that L&D leaders have put leadership and development training as the most important priority going into 2026, it’s high time to reimagine what effective learning actually looks like in the workplace.That means it’s time to start investing in personal, practical and authentically designed training or coaching that offers up a true return on investment.
I never recommend launching any type of L&D training without some sort of tangible measurement of the before and after.
This is often why I recommend the CliftonStrengths assessment as one of the easiest ways to track and measure impact.
Gallup’s CliftonStrengths assessment is a powerful, science-backed way to help your people identify and build on their greatest strengths. Unlike other assessments such as Myers-Briggs test or Enneagram, the CliftonStrengths assessment is not a personality test: it’s an evidence-proven method that identifies an individual’s greatest potential to success by naming natural strengths.
CliftonStrengths is about leaning into what you naturally do best! It’s about learning how you naturally think, work, relate to others, and get things done. More than that, it’s about turning raw talent into real performance and using that insight to grow in ways that feel energizing and sustainable to each individual.
Here’s why you should design your 2026 learning & development plan with CliftonStrengths at the core.
What does it actually look like to build your L&D strategy around CliftonStrengths?
(Spoiler: It’s not about handing out assessment results and calling it a job well done!)
A CliftonStengths-based approach works best when woven into your larger learning strategy for 2026. It’s something that should never be an afterthought, and you should use the framework to build a strategy that helps people do more of what they’re best at, while still growing in meaningful ways.
What do I mean by this? Good question.
1. Set the foundation with self–awareness
Help people to get to know their top strengths! That really is the first component of a Strengths-based L&D program. Awareness for each employee's strengths only happens when it becomes part of the everyday vernacular. Sure, a one-time workshop is great, but this really is the tip of the iceberg.
Think of CliftonStrengths profiles like an onboarding exercise. It’s a “how we work best together” and “how I contribute to the team” foundation that opens the team up to conversations about what they bring to the table.
2. Align learning pathways to each person’s key Strengths
Every person has a unique mix of talents that span the four Strengths domains (Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building and Strategic Thinking).
To ensure everyone gets the most out of their Strengths-based coaching program in 2026, offer personalized learning pathways that pair well with each person’s key strengths. For example:
Strategic thinkers thrive in problem-solving, innovation or analysis tracks.
Influencers may lean into public speaking, storytelling or sales enablement.
Relationship builders could shine in mentorship, people leadership or client care.
Executors love clarity, process and getting things done (it gives them structure and responsibility!)
3. Coach your managers to spot and develop talent
Managers really are the glue that holds everything together at work. So, be sure to give them the tools to spot potential in individual contributors, and then tailor learning plans to this potential.
When managers use Strengths as a lens and in actual conversations, they’re far more likely to assign the right projects to the right contributors because they’ll align a project with how someone is naturally wired to succeed.
4. Build in reflection and real-world application
Another important component to your Strengths-based L&D plan is to ensure you help people connect the dots between Strengths as a philosophical concept and Strengths in actual application at work. This helps you name and describe strengths as a real-world impact driver for your organization.
Quarterly reflections, for example, are a great way to help employees create space and reflect on the right kinds of questions to ask, like “How did I use my Communication strength this month?” and “What challenge helped me grow my Adaptability muscle?”
This kind of reflection can move the idea of “talent themes” out of the abstract and into the day-to-day, helping individuals surface how strengths actually show up in real challenges (and wins, of course!).
The common pitfalls to avoid with Strengths-based L&D
One of the biggest missteps I see when it comes to self-guided CliftonStrengths coaching is that teams just hand out their assessments, maybe do a fun offsite workshop, and then dust their hands off and walk away from it.
I call this the “we did the assessment” trap. It’s similar to the “I saw a therapist” trap (which is when you see a therapist for one session and then decide that therapy isn’t for you).
The CliftonStrengths assessment is data. It’s data about your team, about how they work together, about how they communicate with others, and about what they’re good at so you can continue nurturing their skillsets. Like any other data your company relies on (marketing data, lead data, customer data), it should be actionable and practical in nature so it can positively shape how your team learns and grows!
The most important pitfall, however, is to ensure that someone’s strengths profile doesn’t put them in a box. Saying something along the lines of “You’re not strategic, so you shouldn’t lead this project” completely misses the point. Strengths are a springboard, not a ceiling!
Build better learning plans in 2026 (and make sure they stick!)
When you build your learning and development strategy around CliftonStrengths, you’re creating space for people to grow in ways that feel energizing and real. It’s human-to-human interaction at its finest, and it’s meeting your employees where they are and giving them the fishing rod to take what they’re good at even further.
The cherry on the cake? It creates happier, more engaged individuals who actually want to keep learning!
To learn more about how to leverage CliftonStrengths and set yourself on the path to extraordinary change, explore Reframed Coaching’s leadership coaching and CliftonStrengths consulting services here.