Intellection. She wasn’t antisocial for eating lunch alone. She was processing. She was thinking. She was, in her own quiet way, doing her best work.
Her first reaction was relief. Then came grief.
Then Sarah from creative said, “That’s… actually good.”
“Sit down,” she said. “Let’s find out what’s right with you.” Note: The CliftonStrengths assessment is a paid tool developed by Gallup. The “free test” often refers to a shortened, non-certified version or a Top 5 reveal from certain partner sites. For the official, validated assessment, access is typically through a purchased code. This story uses the concept as a narrative device to explore self-discovery.
The search results were a swamp of BuzzFeed quizzes (“Which Office Character Are You?”) and expensive coaching sites. But one link stood out, nestled between an ad for anxiety gummies and a Medium article about burnout. It read:
Thirty seconds later, her results appeared.
One rainy Tuesday, after a particularly brutal feedback session where her boss, Kevin, suggested she “work on her executive presence,” Maya snapped. Not outwardly—she smiled, nodded, and said, “Great feedback, thank you.” But inside, a wire had broken.
