aashtech's Full Review: Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton - Now, Dis...
The Gallup International Research and Education Center has studied people for more than 25 years. The results of this multi-million dollar project are outlined in a pair of books. Now, Discover Your Strengths follows on the original First, Break All the Rules, and is the topic of my current review. This exhaustive study proposes that humans are naturally inclined to favor certain patterns of behavior. Referred to as “talents” or “strengths,” this is the focus of the book. Well organized into three sections and supported by an Internet tool, everyone can gain tremendous insights into their own patterns of behavior and learn how to appreciate and maximize their own strengths.
Section One introduces the concepts of talents and strengths as used throughout the book, and illustrates with some excellent examples. Two Chapters and about fifty pages provide solid introduction to the idea that nature has shaped us to prefer our own perceptions. We meet Warren Buffet, Tiger Woods, Colin Powell, Bill Gates, and Cole Porter, among many others, to gain an understanding of the process. One thing to note is that the entire book is a very easy and fast read. I am a slow reader, generally, and wanted to finish this book by the end of the month. So, with twenty days left and 245 pages in the book (not counting the Appendix) I planned on a pace of thirteen pages per day. The first day I only managed eleven. However, four days later I had finished it all. You can certainly handle this quickly, too.
Despite being a quick read, it is still informative and complete. Some of the anecdotes, such as Colin Powell’s competence as a speaker, will stay with you for a long time. This section sets you up to understand what a strength is and why focusing on it is so important in creating our own successful lives.
In the golf world, Tiger Woods is a dominant figure. Non-golfers recognize him and golfers are amazed at his talent. Few people realize how mediocre (for a professional golfer) he is in the area of “sand saves.” This is the ability to get out of a greenside sand trap and into the hole in two strokes. Tiger is 61st in the PGA rankings (as of the book’s writing date.) Conventional wisdom advises people to focus on correcting their weaknesses. This book, however, dispels that concept. If Tiger Woods strictly focused on getting out of sand traps, he might be able to move to the top forty or thirty in this area after lots of work. But his true talent lies in the ability to crush a drive off the tee or putt accurately. He practices well enough in the sand traps so that this part of the game won’t hurt him, but acknowledges that significant improvement here won’t move him up the money list. By focusing his efforts on his talents, however, he has become the dominant player in the sport.
That is a winning strategy for everyone.
Section Two is the heart of the book and the most valuable component. This section answers the question: “what are my strengths?”
Each book is personalized with a “code” that allows you to take a StrengthsFinder test online. This is a terrific tool that uncovers your own personal talents. I won’t go into too much detail as to how the test is designed or what physiological basis there is for it (the book does that very well) but will let you know that the test is quick (intentionally) and relies on your own intuition. It is a very good approximation of your own abilities. Each question gives you two choices. These are not opposites and may at first glance appear similar in some cases. For each question you have a five-point scale. Very Much Choice One; Somewhat Choice One; Neutral or Neither; Somewhat Choice Two; and Very Much Choice Two. You will find this easier when you see it than to read it here. You can start and stop online, but it is a once-only test.
The book defines thirty-four dominant themes and describes each one. There are millions of combinations, but this test boils your strengths down to five. I can attest that my five were perfectly accurate and enlightening. Each of the thirty-four is fully described and includes a few real-world examples of people with those attributes.
Section Three starts to leverage them. First of all, any new information, especially as radical as this, generates many questions. The first chapter in this section addresses many of the most common questions. This entire section serves as a reference area, and leads to my “CON” comment above. As noted, this book is very easy to read. Additionally the test is quick and accurate. These two elements set you up for instant gratification. Optimizing your strengths takes a lifetime, however, so the true power of this book lies in using the final section as a recurrent reference area. For people that manage others, understanding their strengths in combination with yours is where the true power of the information is realized. This is the target market for the book and I considered setting that up front. Few of us live in a cave, though, so dealing with others is important and the more you understand these themes (and recognize them) the more you can appreciate their wisdom.
For now, though, simply turn your attention to your own strengths. Maximize them in your daily life. If you do manage others, have them take the same test and discuss their talents. Your life will certainly improve.
Just the facts
Publication year: 2001
ISBN: 0-7432-0114-0
Section: Employee Motivation / Management
Author Marcus Buckingham (also First, Break All the Rules) and Donald O. Clifton, Ph. D (also )
Outlines a program developed by Gallup experts and based on a study of more than two million people to help readers discover their distinct talents an...More at Staples
Most of us fail to build our lives around individual strengths and talents -- instead, misguided by parents, teachers, managers, and psychology's fasc...More at HotBookSale
From the Publisher:Unfortunately, most of us have little sense of our talents and strengths, much less the ability to build our lives around them. Ins...More at Buy.com
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