Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham, Donald O. Clifton
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Book Reviews of Now, Discover Your Strengths
Book Review: Excellent tool for work and life
Summary: 5 Stars
A family member bought me this book, having found it helpful for themself - and I've also found it a winner. Very, very helpful. A major step up from Myers Briggs, and other personality tests which I've done before - much more precise and accurate.
The idea is that people should look to build on their strengths and manage around their weaknesses - the internet questionnaire helps you to identify those strengths.
I've recently gone through some life changes, and the book & questionaire provided me with very useful insights into the way I 'operate'. I've already changed work habits with pleasing results.
My wife and I both got copies, and the questionnaire seemed to identify our strengths pretty well. Explained why my wife knows everyone in our neighbourhood, and always checks the mileometer, whilst I prefer to stay at home reading biographies!! We both agree that it's also helped us understand each other a lot more, so good for our relationship.
Yes you have to buy the book for each user, but personally I think it's well worth the investment (and it's a lot cheaper than some lesser courses). I've happily bought copies for other people since then.
Much recommended.
Book Review: Not very deep, but empowering
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are used to reading about complex topics, you will have no trouble reading this book in two hours--it is not exactly intellectually thoroughgoing, and indeed some of its sidelines, such as the one on neurology, are so shallow that they could just as well have been left out. But apart from that criticism (or is it a criticism that a book can be read in two hours?) I only can recommend this book for its simple, but important and empowering insights.
Firstly, there is the observation that much of our vocabulary to describe personal differences is about weaknesses and defects and that it is high time to talk about strengths as well. Secondly, we have the insight that in order to develop what corporate strategists would call competitive advantage it is more efficient to develop strengths than to eliminate weaknesses. Both insights are quite common-sensical once you've read them, but utterly lacking in our culture. These two insights alone well justify the purchase price of the book. Together with the code for an online personality profiling of your strengths, the purchase price, the two hours it takes to read the book, and the 30 minutes to take the test will be an excellent investment for almost anyone.
Book Review: Work from your stregths
Summary: 5 Stars
Now Discover Your Strengths will get you started down the right path to filling the full measure of your creation. If you wan to reach your potential, start with your strengths. If you want to do what you do best every day, start with your strengths. Many of us are in jobs where we can do little of what we do best. Imagine what it would be like if your career brought out your best strengths? Would you be in the top 25%?
We all admire those who rise to the top but never really figure out why we haven't gotten there yet. Maybe it's because we are in a job that doesn't' use our strengths. Maybe we don't know what our strengths are. How can anyone rise to the top of their profession if they don't use their strengths? You need to find out what your strengths are and how to develop them to the fullest. "Now Discover Your Strengths" will help you. Take the online assessment and find out your dominant strengths. Then learn how to develop them. If you can't use your strengths to the fullest in your current job, quit! Find an employer that will engage your strengths. Those people who have found success often are working from their strengths. Buy this book and get started working from YOUR strengths!
Book Review: Nw, Discover Your Strengths
Summary: 5 Stars
A follow-up to "First, Break All The Rules", this book brings home how little emphasis our culture gives to our natural strengths and aptitudes. Based on the findings of a Gallup study of nearly two million people, the authors share how much more successful organizations are when they design programs that will enhance an employee's strengths rather than try to overcome weaknesses.The authors define a weakness as "...anything that gets in the way of excellent performance." P.148. They make distinctions among a skills weakness, a knowledge weakness and a talent weakness. Skills and knowledge weaknesses can be overcome. It is the talent weakness that takes tremendous resources, focus and energy with little result. One of their prescriptions for a talent weakness is to focus on your strengths to overwhelm the weakness. Another is to find a partner who complements your talents and weaknesses.
Thirty-four talent themes are defined as a result of the Gallup study. Purchasers of the book are given a passcode that enables them to take an on-line assessment test that will surface their top five themes. With these in mind, the authors then offer tips on how to best utilize your strengths.
Book Review: Forget Your Concept of 'Book'
Summary: 5 Stars
The naysayers apparently are missing the truly revolutionary aspects of this publication. The 'book' is really a 'ticket' to a personal assessment (yes, everyone has to buy their own...can you take your friends and family to the movies without paying for each of them?).And yes, as another reviewer said, this will likely confirm some things you probably already knew about yourself, but there's more. Even as a writer, I could never have encapsulated the perspectives they provided me, the way that they did. Perhaps if the book had been based on 20 years of research rather than 30, I could have used the results to better posture my career progress for the past 10 years (if only it had been released 10 years ago).
In addition, the assessment acts as a 3rd-party validation of 'who you are'. I took the 'management perspective' comments from the back of the book and represented them in a single page (edited to remove value'less' phrases or repeated concepts across strengths) that I now include with my resume when applying for jobs (or related activities). The statements represent the value I can bring to a team from a perspective other than me 'selling myself'.