Career Assessments: Choosing the Right Tool for Growth
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The future of leadership is human. Experiential. Strategic.
There’s a moment in every professional journey when you realize you want to grow, but on your terms. Mirroring someone, a mentor, a peer, a superior, can teach us something, but it’s rarely sustainable. What feels natural to them may not feel natural to us.
We want to understand how we achieve results in a way that aligns with our natural talents and then use that knowledge intentionally to move forward with direction and confidence.
That shift has been life-changing in my career and in the careers of the clients I serve.
That’s where the right assessments come in.
Not as a label. Not as a personality box. But as a framework for clarity, language, and strategic alignment, especially in times of growth, transition, or decision-making.
This article walks you through the two assessments we use most in our work with professionals and teams, and how you can use them to activate your next move.
The Role of Assessments in Career and Leadership Growth
The right assessment gives you language for what’s working, what’s missing, and what’s possible.
It should help you:
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See patterns and blind spots with clarity
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Validate what you already know intuitively
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Discover new ways to lead, communicate, and grow
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Shift from overthinking to informed action
Great assessments don’t give you answers. They give you the right questions and a way to move from self-awareness to strategy.
Our Go-To Tools: Strengths and Energy
At Unlock Your Brilliance, we use two assessments consistently:
1. CliftonStrengths® (StrengthsFinder)
Learn more about the science behind it
What it reveals:
Your top talents, how you naturally think, feel, and operate at your best.
Why it matters:
Most professionals focus on fixing weaknesses. This assessment helps you leverage what’s already strong and apply it to leadership, communication, visibility, and decision-making.
Ideal for:
Career transitions, personal branding, leadership development, and team alignment.
Bonus:
When you take the assessment with us, it includes a debrief session where we help you map your strengths to your current goals and challenges.
Why it works:
Research consistently shows that using your strengths daily leads to higher engagement and wellbeing. Gallup has studied this extensively, but what makes the difference is how you apply those insights with intention.
That’s why we pair the CliftonStrengths results with a strategic debrief session tailored to your goals and even the Unlock Your Brilliance Game.
Learn more: StrengthsFinder Assessment
2. Energy Leadership Index™ (ELI)
What it reveals:
Your energetic patterns, how you show up under stress and how you lead in day-to-day situations.
Why it matters:
This assessment is like an x-ray for mindset. It doesn’t measure personality. It shows how you lead, react, recharge, and shift perspective especially under pressure.
Ideal for:
Leaders navigating change, professionals in burnout recovery, and teams needing alignment and emotional intelligence.
Bonus:
Comes with a 90-minute coaching session where we translate your results into practical leadership strategies.
Why it works:
Most professionals know what they do under pressure, but few understand why. The ELI reveals your internal response patterns and shows where your energy is helping or hindering your performance. It creates awareness without judgment, giving you a clear map to lead more intentionally, even in high-stress situations.
That’s why we pair it with a guided debrief session so you can transform those insights into real shifts in how you lead, communicate, and decide.
When to Use an Assessment
Assessments aren’t just tools. They’re timing-sensitive catalysts.
Here are some of the best moments to integrate them:
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You’re exploring a new career direction, but lack clarity
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You’re preparing for a leadership role or promotion
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You’re feeling stuck, drained, or out of alignment
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You want to improve how you communicate and lead
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You’re building a team and want to understand collective dynamics
They’re also great to gift. Clarity is one of the most valuable things you can offer someone dealing with any type of professional change.
How UYB Uses Assessments Across Products
We don’t treat assessments as stand-alone experiences. We integrate them into programs, tools, and coaching journeys so the insight leads somewhere tangible.
For example:
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In the Clarity to Evolve program, CliftonStrengths anchors the first phase of exploration
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In leadership offsites, the ELI becomes a powerful mirror before group work begins
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Our Gift a Shift collection includes assessment options for professionals navigating change
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Both assessments are also available as curated 1:1 sessions with personalized debriefs
You won’t leave with just a report. You’ll leave with a plan.
Start With the One That Matches Your Moment
Here’s a quick way to choose:
Go with CliftonStrengths if you want to:
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Understand what makes you unique and how to use it
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Elevate your personal brand or leadership presence
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Build confidence before a transition or new role
Go with the ELI if you want to:
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Better manage energy, pressure, and mindset
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Shift from stress to strategy
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Strengthen emotional intelligence as a leader
Or start with a conversation, and we’ll guide you.
Explore the options:
The future of leadership is human. Experiential. Strategic.
And it starts with knowing what drives you.
With brilliance, ✨
Lu