Strengths Worksheet: Template, Example and Tips

A strengths worksheet is a short structured exercise that helps a client name what they do well, prove it with real stories, check it against what other people see, and then plan to use those strengths more on purpose each week. Below is a free strengths worksheet written for life, career and leadership coaches, with five parts: strength-spotting prompts, peak-moment stories, feedback from others, an energy check, and a weekly strengths plan. You can copy it as it stands, adapt the bracketed fill-ins, and send it before the first session or between sessions.

We make Coachful, so this guide also shows how the worksheet runs inside it: Coachful is where the worksheet is sent to the client, completed in their branded app after the coaching agreement is signed, and stored with the client record next to their goals, check-ins and session notes. If you use another setup, the template works just as well on paper, in a Word file or in a form builder, and there is a comparison of those options further down.

Where does a strengths worksheet sit in the client journey?

Most coaches get the best results by sending the strengths worksheet after the agreement is signed and before the first full session, then returning to its weekly plan section between sessions. Sent too early, at the enquiry stage, it feels like homework from someone the client has not hired yet. Sent too late, after three sessions of problem talk, it arrives when the client has already framed coaching as fixing what is broken.

Here is the sequence that tends to work for life, career and leadership coaching:

If your clients take a formal assessment such as VIA or CliftonStrengths, the worksheet does not replace it. It turns a list of labels into evidence and behaviour. Our guides to VIA character strengths coaching and strengths-based coaching with CliftonStrengths cover how to debrief each assessment; this worksheet sits after the report and asks, "Where did this show up in your actual life, and what will you do with it on Tuesday?"

For a broader set of session prompts to pair with it, see strengths-based coaching questions with 24 prompts and an example. If you want to check how the method holds up, our piece on the strengths-based coaching assessment walks through what to measure. The approach itself grows out of positive psychology, which studies what helps people function well rather than only what goes wrong.

The free strengths worksheet template (copy and paste)

Copy everything from the title to the closing note. Replace each [bracketed] item before sending. The wording is written to the client in the second person, and it assumes a coaching relationship focused on life direction, career moves or leadership growth.

Strengths Worksheet for [Client first name]
Prepared by [Your name], [Your coaching business]
Please complete by [date, two days before our first session]. Expect about 45 minutes for parts 1 and 2, plus a week for part 3 to come back.

Why we are doing this. In our work together on [client's stated goal, for example "deciding whether to move into a people leadership role"], we will lean on what already works for you. This worksheet collects the evidence. There are no right answers and nothing here is a test. Short, honest notes beat polished paragraphs.

Part 1: Strength-spotting prompts

Answer each prompt in two or three sentences. Write the first thing that comes to mind, then one example.

1. What do colleagues, friends or family come to you for, even when it is not your job?
2. Which tasks do you finish and think, "That was easy," while others seem to find them hard?
3. When did you last lose track of time because you were absorbed in something? What were you doing?
4. What did you get praised for before the age of 18, at school, in sport, in a part-time job or at home?
5. In your current or last role at [organisation or context], what part of the week do you look forward to most?
6. What do you notice that other people tend to miss: details, moods in a room, patterns in numbers, gaps in a plan, something else?
7. When something goes wrong at work or at home, what is the first useful thing you usually do?
8. If you had to teach a one-hour workshop tomorrow with no preparation, what would it be about?
9. Which of your habits or traits have been called "too much" by someone? (For example, "too thorough," "too direct," "too curious.") Write it down; overused strengths count.
10. [Optional, if the client has an assessment report] Copy your top five results from [VIA or CliftonStrengths or another assessment]. Next to each, write "yes, that is me," "sometimes," or "not sure."

Part 2: Peak-moment stories

Describe three moments when you were at your best. Choose at least one from work and one from outside work. They do not need to be dramatic; a well-run meeting or a hard conversation that went well counts.

For each story, answer:

• Story title, in five words or fewer: [title]
• When and where: [roughly when, which role or setting]
• The situation: what was at stake, and for whom?
• What you actually did, step by step. Use verbs: "I asked," "I mapped," "I called," "I waited."
• What happened as a result?
• How you felt during it, in three words.
• Which strengths were at work? Use your own words first, then any assessment labels if you have them.

Part 3: Feedback from others

Choose two to four people who have seen you at your best in different settings: for example a manager or former manager, a peer, someone you have led or mentored, and a friend or family member. Ask their permission first, and tell them their answers will be shared only with you and your coach.

Send them this message (edit it so it sounds like you):

"Hi [name], I am working with a coach on [goal in plain words]. Would you answer three short questions by [date]? 1. Tell me about a time you saw me at my best. What was I doing? 2. What do you rely on me for? 3. What is one strength of mine you think I underuse? A few sentences each is perfect. Thank you."

When the replies arrive, summarise them here. Do not paste in full replies containing other people's private details; your own summary is enough.

• Person 1 (role or relationship only, no surname): [what they said, in your words]
• Person 2: [summary]
• Person 3: [summary]
• Person 4 (optional): [summary]
• What surprised you? What showed up in more than one reply?

Part 4: Energy check

We will complete this part together in our first session. List your five strongest candidates from parts 1 to 3. For each, score two things from 1 to 5.

• Strength: [name it in your own words]
• Performance: how well do you do this? (1 = rarely done well, 5 = consistently excellent)
• Energy: how do you feel afterwards? (1 = drained, 5 = energised)
• How many hours a week do you currently use it at [work or main context]? [hours]

Strengths that score 4 or 5 on both are your signature strengths. High performance with low energy marks a learned skill: useful, but not something to build your week around. High energy with lower performance marks a strength worth developing.

Part 5: My weekly strengths plan

Pick your top three signature strengths. For each, write one specific action for the coming week.

1. Strength: [strength]. This week I will use it by [specific action], on [day], in [setting or meeting]. I will know it happened because [observable sign].
2. Strength: [strength]. This week I will use it by [specific action], on [day], in [setting or meeting]. I will know it happened because [observable sign].
3. Strength: [strength]. This week I will use it by [specific action], on [day], in [setting or meeting]. I will know it happened because [observable sign].

One strength I tend to overuse, and what "turned down" looks like for me this week: [strength and the dial-down behaviour].

One task that drains me that I could delegate, trade, redesign or pair with a strength: [task and idea].

End-of-week reflection (we will look at this in our check-in)

• Which planned action did I complete? What happened?
• When did I use a strength without planning to?
• Energy this week, 1 to 10: [score]
• Next week I will keep, change or drop: [one line]

Closing note. This worksheet is a coaching exercise, not a psychological assessment or a diagnosis. If anything here brings up distress that feels bigger than a coaching conversation, tell me, and we will talk about whether support from a counsellor or therapist would help alongside or instead of coaching.

Strengths and values work best side by side: strengths describe what a client does well, values describe what they care about. Many coaches run the values ranking tool in the same week, then use the overlap to choose where part 5 actions should go. Our values worksheet covers that exercise in full.

What does each section do, and what should you watch for?

Each part has one job: parts 1 and 2 generate evidence, part 3 checks it from the outside, part 4 separates true strengths from learned skills, and part 5 turns the result into behaviour. The table below gives you a debrief guide for each.

The energy dimension is borrowed from a familiar idea in strengths coaching: a strength is something you do well and that gives you energy. If a client's week is full of draining tasks, pair this worksheet with the energy audit worksheet for coaches, which maps the whole week rather than individual strengths.

What must life, career and leadership coaches add?

You need to add four things before sending: a scope line, a plan for distress, a rule for third-party data, and anything your local law or a client's employer requires. The template includes a short closing note, but your own practice details belong around it.

Scope of practice. A strengths worksheet is low risk, but peak-moment stories sometimes pull up hard memories, and the "too much" prompt can touch old criticism. State plainly that this is a coaching exercise, not therapy or a psychometric assessment. If you hold an assessment certification, say which one; if you do not, avoid presenting your interpretation as an official result.

Safety and referral. Decide in advance what you will do if a client discloses something that suggests depression, trauma, burnout that affects daily functioning, or risk of harm. Keep local crisis line numbers and a short list of counsellors you trust. Coaching ethics codes, including the ICF Core Competencies, expect coaches to know the limits of coaching and to refer when needed.

Sensitive data and third parties. Part 3 involves people who never signed your agreement. Ask the client to summarise feedback rather than paste whole messages, and to identify people by role only. Store the worksheet where you store other client records, with access limited to you. If you coach in the EU or UK, the GDPR applies to these notes like any other personal data, and your privacy notice should mention worksheets.

Corporate and sponsored coaching. For leadership clients whose employer pays, state in your agreement who sees what. The default for most coaches is that the worksheet stays between coach and client, and the sponsor sees only agreed goals or progress summaries. Put that in writing; our coaching contracts page covers confidentiality clauses. Feedback from a client's team can also feel like a 360 review; if the organisation runs formal 360s, keep this lighter and clearly separate.

How do you run the strengths worksheet in Coachful?

In Coachful the worksheet becomes one step in a client journey that also handles booking, the signed agreement, check-ins, habits and payment, all in one login for you and one branded app for the client. Here is how the pieces line up, step by step.

Step 1: Intake questions on booking. When a prospect books a discovery call, your booking page can ask intake questions. For strengths work, two good ones are "What would you like to be different six months from now?" and "Have you taken a strengths assessment before? Which one?" Intake answers are stored on the client record, so you know whether to include prompt 10.

Step 2: Agreement signed before the first call. Coaching agreements with e-signature are sent before the first call and stored on the client record. This is where your confidentiality terms for part 3 and any sponsor arrangement live. The worksheet goes out after the signature, never before.

Step 3: Create the worksheet as a resource. Forms & Worksheets is one of the resource types you can create, next to courses, downloads, videos and AI tools. Paste the template sections in as questions, keeping the bracketed fill-ins as hints for yourself. If you prefer a printable version as well, add it as a download. Resources are delivered into the client's branded home and app.

Step 4: What the client sees. The client opens their coaching hub and sees their next session, their programs and documents, and any required pre-session worksheet. They complete it in the app on their phone or desktop, and the answers are stored with their record.

Step 5: Prepare for session one. The client record pulls together goals, intake answers, check-ins, habits, notes, sessions and payments. Michelle, the built-in AI assistant, can brief you before the session from that live practice data, so you walk in with the client's stories and feedback themes already in view. After the session, you can add your notes on the agreed signature strengths to the same record.

Step 6: Turn part 5 into check-ins and habits. The weekly plan is where most worksheets die in a folder. In Coachful you can use a weekly check-in to ask the end-of-week reflection questions, and turn one strengths action into a habit the client ticks off. Morning and evening check-ins, streaks and goals with progress bars are part of program delivery. The short video below shows how check-ins are set up.

Step 7: Build it into a program. If you run a multi-week strengths program, put parts 1 to 3 in week one, part 4 in week two, and part 5 as the weekly task from week three onward, with weekly goals and daily tasks around it. Group programs create cohort groups automatically on enrollment, so a leadership cohort can share part 5 wins in the community feed if you choose. Invoices are produced per transaction through your own Stripe Connect or Razorpay account, with a 0% Coachful platform fee.

If your worksheet library is already sitting in Google Docs or PDFs, you do not have to rebuild it alone. Clients, programs and content are imported for you during onboarding, and forms or worksheets are one of the things the white-glove team will build.

Why Coachful stands out: a free white-glove service. From Create, choose "We'll build it for you," describe what you want, and attach up to 8 reference links and up to 10 files, such as your current worksheet, your logo or a brand guide. The Coachful team builds it inside your own account, usually within about 24 hours. Nothing is invented: no fake credentials, testimonials or prices, and gaps are left for you to fill. One recent example: a leadership coach with a Squarespace renewal days away got one clean homepage with a repeated "talk with me" button. Read more in how the free white-glove service works.

How else can you send and store the worksheet?

You can run this worksheet with a PDF, a Word file, Google Forms or Docs, an e-signature tool or a practice management tool; the difference is how much copying, chasing and filing each option leaves to you. Prices below are as listed in October 2026.

A PDF is fine for a handful of clients, especially if you print part 4 and fill it in together on a video call. The weak point is part 5: a weekly plan only works when someone asks about it every week, and a static file does not ask. Google Forms solves the collection problem but splits answers from your session notes, and each week's reflection becomes another form response to cross-reference.

Practice tools such as CoachAccountable, which documents worksheets and action plans, Simply.Coach and Paperbell each store client documents in a portal, with their own caps on clients, contracts or programs as listed above. Practice Better is built mainly for wellness and nutrition practitioners. Coachful keeps the worksheet, the agreement, the weekly check-in and the habit in the same place as booking and payments, which is why it leads this table. For a wider view of form options, see our guide to coaching forms and questionnaires.

What does a completed strengths worksheet look like?

Here is a shortened, fictional example for a leadership client. The name, employer and every detail are invented for illustration.

Example client: Priya, 41, operations director at a mid-sized logistics company, considering a move into a head of people role. Goal stated at intake: "Decide within six months whether people leadership is where I should go next."

Part 1, selected answers (example)

• Prompt 1, what people come to me for: "Untangling messy situations between teams. When two managers are stuck, someone usually says 'ask Priya.'"
• Prompt 3, losing track of time: "Redesigning the onboarding for new warehouse leads last spring. I stayed late twice and did not notice."
• Prompt 9, called "too much": "Too patient. My last boss said I give people too many chances."
• Prompt 10, assessment labels: "Took VIA two years ago. Top five: fairness (yes), kindness (yes), perspective (sometimes), love of learning (not sure), prudence (yes)."

Part 2, one peak-moment story (example)

• Title: "The night shift turnaround."
• When and where: two years ago, when the night shift had 30% turnover in one quarter.
• What I did: "I sat in on three night shifts. I asked every lead what made them want to quit. I mapped the answers on one page and took it to the executive team with two changes, not ten."
• Result: "Rotas changed, and two of the leads who had resigned asked to stay."
• Feelings: focused, useful, calm.
• Strengths: "Listening without fixing straight away. Turning complaints into a short plan. Fairness."

Part 3, feedback summary (example)

• Former manager: "Said I am the person who makes hard conversations feel safe."
• Peer in finance: "Relies on me to translate what the floor needs into numbers the board accepts."
• Team lead I mentored: "Said I underuse my teaching. I explain things well and only do it when asked."
• What showed up twice: making difficult conversations workable. Surprise: teaching.

Part 4, energy check (example, completed in session)

The coaching insight sat in the gap: Priya's highest-energy strengths took about six hours of her week, while budget control, a learned skill that drained her, took twelve. That became the topic for sessions two to four, and it gave real evidence for the people leadership question.

Part 5, weekly plan (example)

1. Turning complaints into a short plan: "At Thursday's ops review, I will bring a one-page summary of the top three shift complaints with one proposed change each. I will know it happened because it is on the agenda."
2. Teaching: "I will run a 20-minute session for new team leads on how to read the weekly dashboard, on Tuesday. I will know it happened because it is in the calendar and people attend."
3. Hard conversations: "I will have the overdue conversation with the late-shift supervisor about attendance by Wednesday."

Overuse: "Patience. This week, turned down means one clear deadline for the supplier who has missed two."

Drain to redesign: "Ask the finance analyst to own the first draft of the monthly forecast; I review."

What mistakes make a strengths worksheet useless?

The most common failure is treating the worksheet as the outcome rather than the start of a weekly practice. Here are the common traps and how to avoid each.

• Stopping at labels. A list of five assessment themes feels insightful for a day. Without stories, outside feedback and a weekly plan, it changes very little.
• Skipping the energy question. Clients who are excellent at something they hate will list it as a strength. Part 4 exists so you do not build a career plan around a draining skill.
• Ignoring overuse. Every strength has a dial. A leadership client whose "decisiveness" flattens their team needs to see the turned-down version, not only the praise.
• Sending it with no due date. Set a date two days before the session so you can read it in advance. Without one, it is half-finished in the waiting room.
• Letting part 3 drift. Feedback requests take time. Send part 3 first, or at the same time as parts 1 and 2, so replies are back before session one.
• Vague weekly actions. "Use my creativity more" is not an action. A day, a setting and an observable sign are the minimum.
• Never revisiting it. Repeat parts 4 and 5 at the midpoint and the end. Comparing the first and second energy check is often the clearest evidence of progress a client sees.
• Storing it apart from everything else. If the worksheet lives in email and your notes live somewhere else, you will not look at it again. Keep it with the client record.

For related exercises that fit the same flow, the goal setting worksheet for coaches turns signature strengths into goals, and the appreciative inquiry positive principle gives more ways to amplify what is working. Coaches who send several forms before session one may also find the pre-session worksheet templates guide useful.

Is this worksheet legal, medical or financial advice?

No. This strengths worksheet is a coaching template, not legal, medical, psychological or financial advice. It is not a validated psychometric instrument, and it does not diagnose anything. Get a lawyer to review your coaching agreement and privacy notice if you collect feedback about third parties, coach employees on behalf of a sponsor, or work across countries with different data protection rules. Involve a licensed clinician, or refer the client, if the worksheet surfaces signs of a mental health condition, trauma or risk to safety. Coachful is not HIPAA-certified and is not built for clinical records, so clinical notes belong in a clinical system.

What is Coachful, and who is it for?

Coachful is a coaching platform where one membership covers booking, payments, contracts, program delivery with habits and check-ins, courses, a community, a website with funnels and email, and an AI assistant, with one login for the coach and one branded app for the client. It suits life coaches, career coaches and executive and leadership coaches who deliver programs rather than only sessions, solo coaches growing into a small team, and coaches replacing four to six separate tools.

What it does not do: it is not HIPAA-certified, it does not support PayPal, it has no permanent free plan, and the client app runs under the Coachful listing with your branding rather than your own App Store account. To start, take a free trial and ask the team to build your first worksheet, program or website with the free white-glove service. Current plans: Lite: $29/month for up to 5 clients; Solo: $49/month for up to 20 clients; Pro: $99/month with unlimited clients; Studio: $199/month with unlimited clients.

If your strengths worksheet becomes a signature tool, you can also package it. Our guide on how to turn a coaching worksheet into a paid digital product covers pricing and delivery.

Frequently asked questions

What is a strengths worksheet used for in coaching?

A strengths worksheet helps a client identify what they do well, back it with real stories and outside feedback, and plan to use those strengths more each week. Coaches use it early in an engagement to set a positive frame and later as a weekly practice. It works for life direction, career change and leadership growth.

Is this strengths worksheet free to use?

Yes. The template above is free to copy, adapt and use with your clients. You can rename sections and add your branding. Please do not resell it unchanged as your own product.

Do clients need to take VIA or CliftonStrengths first?

No. The worksheet works on its own through prompts, stories and feedback. If a client already has a VIA or CliftonStrengths report, prompt 10 connects those labels to their own evidence. Debriefing the full report is a separate conversation.

How long does the worksheet take to complete?

Parts 1 and 2 take most clients about 45 minutes. Part 3 needs about a week for replies to come back. Part 4 takes 15 to 20 minutes in session, and part 5 takes ten minutes to write and a few minutes each week to review.

When should I send the strengths worksheet?

Send it after the coaching agreement is signed and at least a week before the first full session, so part 3 feedback has time to arrive. Set a due date two days before the session. Revisit parts 4 and 5 at the midpoint and the end of the engagement.

How do I handle feedback that mentions other people?

Ask the client to get permission from each person, identify them by role only, and summarise rather than paste full replies. Store the worksheet with the client's record and limit access. If you coach in the EU or UK, treat these notes as personal data under the GDPR.

Can I use this worksheet with leadership teams or groups?

Yes. In a group, run parts 1 and 2 individually, then have peers give each other part 3 feedback in pairs during a session. Keep the energy check private unless the group agrees to share. Group programs in Coachful create a cohort group on enrollment, which suits sharing weekly part 5 wins.

What is Coachful's free white-glove service?

It is a build service included on every plan. You describe what you want, such as a strengths worksheet, a program, a website or an email sequence, and attach reference links and files. The Coachful team builds it inside your account, usually within about 24 hours, and leaves gaps for you rather than inventing details.

Can Coachful store a strengths worksheet with clinical notes?

No. Coachful is not HIPAA-certified and is not meant for clinical record-keeping. A strengths worksheet is a coaching document and fits on the client record. If you are also a licensed therapist, keep clinical notes in a clinical system.

How is a strengths worksheet different from an energy audit?

A strengths worksheet starts from what the client does well and asks how to use it more. An energy audit maps the whole week and shows which activities drain or restore energy. Many coaches run both, using the energy audit to find where to apply the strengths from part 5.