Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Strengths Finder

Last week I read a book by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton entitled "Now, Discover Your Strengths, How to Develop Your Talents and Those of the People You Manage". This book is based on a Gallup's study on excellence on the workplace. The study finds that the world's best managers have two basic assumptions that guide them:
  1. Each person's talent are enduring and unique (NOT that each person can learn to be competent in almost anything)
  2. Each person's greatest room for growth is in the area of his or her greatest strength (NOT that each person's greatest room for growth is in his or her areas of greatest weakness)
It is therefore more important to discover and develop your strengths instead of working on your weaknesses.

Focusing on your weaknesses often makes you feel frustrated because no matter how hard you work at it, the result is still ordinary. You also tend to lose self-confidence when you realise that you can't be really good at it.

On the other hand, focusing on your strengths will help you increase your self-confidence because you know that you are good at what you do. It will make you happier because you do what you love to do. It will also help you to achieve your goals because you know what really motivates you.

If you want to be extraordinary, focus on your strengths!

If you are interested in finding your strengths, buy any one of the Gallup strengths publications, each of which provide an ID code that will allow you to take Clifton StrengthsFinder, and will help you think about how to best leverage your talents.

This is an example of a summary version of my StrengthsFinder Profile.

MY SIGNATURE THEMES:

  • Significance: People strong in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.
  • Competition: People strong in the Competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.
  • Belief: People strong in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.
  • Focus: People strong in the Focus theme can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. They prioritize, then act.
  • Activator: People strong in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.
Lessons:
1. Start discovering your strengths today!
2. Focus on your strengths by managing your life around your strengths!
3. Strive to be the best in what you love to do.

Learn and Grow!

1 comment:

Death Spiral said...

Glad you read the book...I believe it changed the way I looked at my life ever after. The first few days are vital to how much you use it. We share 3 of the 5 top themes. Infact, I did not know until I found strengthfinder, Impatience (Activator) is an incredible strength. Instead of trying to fix it just use it to get things done.