Gallup has measured hope with Operation HOPE for years, so it meant a lot when Jon Clifton, Gallup’s CEO, invited me onto Leading With Strengths. Gallup titled our conversation “The Strategy of Hope.”
We talked about how my top five CliftonStrengths have shaped the way I lead:
- Strategic
- Learner
- Activator
- Achiever
- Context
Those strengths are how I turned the trauma of my childhood in Compton and South Central into a movement, one that has now directed more than $5 billion into underserved communities. Mentors and role models showed me the way out. Financial literacy gave me the tools. And somewhere along the way I made a decision never to learn hate, because hate would have cost me everything I was trying to build.
Jon asked me what leadership looks like when you put all of that together. My answer: I use my Strategic strength, informed by my authenticity, to activate in you something that maybe you’ve even forgotten. Your humanity.
See the episode page at Gallup, or listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Source: Gallup, Leading With Strengths with Jon Clifton, 2026.
