You can tell a person strong in Analytical by these attributes (source: Dr. Hulme, APU):

More about Analytical:

• Needs on a team: To think critically
• As a Leader: Assess situations
• In Conflict: Can see all sides
• Partner with: 
• In academics: 

  – loves to think critically — needs to respect the expert – put them in courses where the professor is a noted authority, or is known for presenting information in a logical, credible manner – this student is often critical, especially of disorganized instructors – help them choose organized, coherent profs that encourage critical thinking – encourage them to take some of the “hard sciences” each term – this student is also often a sequential learner who wants things laid out for them step-by-step – this is the student who will appreciate creating an “action plan” or a 4-year graduation plan with the advisor!

Where does Analytical Theme rank in the population?

• Overall, Analytical ranks 15th, occurring in around 13% of the population’s Top Five (8% of Females and 21% of Males)

28	15	26	6

Out of your Top 5 CliftonStrengths, it’s statistically:

• most likely to appear with Learner and Achiever
• least likely to be found with Positivity or Woo

The genius of your Analytical talent begins with the way your mind works as it automatically formulates penetrating questions. Your questions have a common theme in that they are always “truth seeking”. Your genius analytical questions seem to drill down with question after question until the truth is uncovered. Questions of “How you know . . . ?”, “Why?”, “What evidence do you have . . .?” and “Can you prove it . . .?” are constantly in your mind. But these questions only lead to the deeper aspects of your genius Analytical talent the ultimate genius of the Analytical talent involves the quality of your decisions, problem solving and planning capabilities. Armed with the information generated through your penetrating questions, you get to the rock-bottom issues that form a basis for the highest quality of real decision making, problem solving, and strategic planning. Moreover, your questions give you the facts and information needed for excellence in decision making and planning.

At your best (Balcony):

• thinks things through, smart, logical, deep, thorough, comfortable with numbers, figures, and charts

At your worst (Basement):

• Basement: slow to move and react to change, closed-minded, lives in the past

Analytical may be one of your signature themes if…

• You challenge others to prove the validity of their claims.
• You view yourself as objective and data-oriented.
• You use data to search for patterns, connections, and conclusions.
• You love to peel back the layers of data and questioning to derive the root cause of a situation.
• You are viewed as logical, rigorous and refined.
• You use tact when sharing your analysis with others.
• Your greatest strengths are that you are: smart, thorough, comfortable with numbers, and logical.
• Your greatest weaknesses are that you can be: tough, never satisfied, and too full of questions.
  • Source: Let’s Talk Personality

A more detailed explanation from Gallup:

Your Analytical theme challenges other people: “Prove it. Show me why what you are claiming is true.” In the face of this kind of questioning some will find that their brilliant theories wither and die. For you, this is precisely the point. You do not necessarily want to destroy other people’s ideas, but you do insist that their theories be sound. You see yourself as objective and dispassionate. You like data because they are value free. They have no agenda. Armed with these data, you search for patterns and connections. You want to understand how certain patterns affect one another. How do they combine? What is their outcome? Does this outcome fit with the theory being offered or the situation being confronted? These are your questions. You peel the layers back until, gradually, the root cause or causes are revealed. Others see you as logical and rigorous. Over time they will come to you in order to expose someone’s “wishful thinking” or “clumsy thinking” to your refining mind. It is hoped that your analysis is never delivered too harshly. Otherwise, others may avoid you when that “wishful thinking” is their own.

Action Items for This Theme

• Choose work in which you are paid to analyze data, find patterns, or organize ideas. For example, you might excel at research (e.g. marketing, financial, medical), database management, editing, or risk management.
• Whatever your role, identify credible sources upon which you can rely. You are at your best when you have well-researched sources of information and numbers to support your logic. For example, determine the most helpful books, Web sites, or publications that can serve as references.
• Develop your Analytical skills by getting to know and share ideas with the outstanding analysts who specialize in your area.
• Take an academic course that will expand your Analytical strength. Specifically, study people whose logic you admire.
• Volunteer your Analytical talent. You can be particularly helpful to those who are struggling to organize large quantities of data or to bring structure to their ideas.

Be ready to:

• Partner with someone with a strong Activator theme. This person’s impatience will move you quickly through the analytical phase into the action phase.
• Listen to people with the Strategic, Belief, or Empathy themes. Their insights and intuitions are difficult to measure, but are often accurate and valuable nonetheless.
  • The Clifton StrengthsFinder and the 34 Clifton StrengthsFinder theme names are protected by copyright of Gallup Inc., 2000. All rights reserved.

For the more visually inclined:

Podcast episodes to help you understand and leverage your Analytical Strength

• Episode 1: The Logic Behind Decision-Making – “Freakonomics Radio”
• Episode 2: Data-Driven Insights – “The Data Skeptic”
• Episode 3: Analyzing Complex Problems – “TED Radio Hour”
• Episode 4: The Science of Critical Thinking – “You Are Not So Smart”
• Episode 5: Problem Solving Through Analytical Thinking – “The Jordan Harbinger Show”
• Episode 6: Women Leaders Leveraging Data and Analysis – “The Confident Woman Podcast” (Host: Sherry Parks)
• Episode 7: The Analytical Woman: Making Informed Decisions in Leadership – “Women Who Lead” (Host: Andrena Sawyer)
• Episode 8: Embracing Analytical Thinking: Perspectives from Women in Leadership – “The Female CEO” (Host: Stacey Sargison)

Listen to great Strengths Podcasts