Book Summary Preview : StrengthsFinder 2.0

The Big Idea
StrengthsFinder 2.0 is an effort to get the core message and language of its predecessor StrengthFinder to a broader audience. After the enthusiastic reception of the first book that was oriented more towards managers who discovered what their strengths were, this sequel now focuses on applying these strengths after you have discovered them. The book surveys hundreds of respondents and condenses these responses to 34 themes or key areas that can easily be translated into ideas and action.

The book also strives to be reader-friendly and tones down its vocabulary so that it can be accessible to people without any management experience. The 2.0 version gives you a talent profile so unique that you're unlikely to share even a sentence with someone else. This book helps readers apply their newly found strengths to any type of role, and gives them ideas to help them apply their talents in their daily life, no matter what kind of work they have and what their interests are.

Why You Need this Book
Work your maximum potential.  Author Tom Rath will help you discover the strengths that best pertain to you. Rath and his team have done more surveys, more interviews, and more studies in the past decades. They illustrate in this book that there's a lot more to understanding human talent than most people know. Those who are familiar with the StrengthsFinder assessment know that it is designed to uncover certain key talents -- patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior that can be productively applied.

In this new version, those thoughts, feelings and behaviors are customized to your experience by giving you the basics of working on what you have and offering practical ideas to act and make the most out of them. After figuring out the top 5 themes that pertain to you, you will receive 10 “Ideas for Action” for each theme, giving you 50 specific actions to take. In addition, a personalized assessment over the internet is made available through an access code inside a packet inserted in the book. Through this, you can explore your core strengths closely and allow you to maximize the potential for success in specific areas where you will most likely succeed.

Finding your strengths
We are raised in a society that loves underdogs, often convincing us to believe in the maxim that we can be anything we want to be if we try hard enough. While that may be a promising ideal for a lot of us, the truth remains that many of us have far greater potential for success in specific areas, and that the key for human development is building on these areas.

Research shows that people who aren’t on their “strengths zone,” or who don’t build on the strengths they possess are six times less likely to be engaged in their job. They often hate going to work, have more negative interactions with their colleagues rather than positive ones, tell their friends of how miserable their company is, and generally achieve less on a daily basis. Beyond work, negative work attitudes have serious implications in one’s health and relationships. Unproductive people are generally unfulfilled, leading to unhappiness and more stress,

As a result, popular psychology often tries to remedy these weaknesses by developing a vocabulary filled with negative depictions of human traits. Rath does the opposite by adopting Don Clifton’s brand of Strengths Psychology which focuses on building a more positive and strength-oriented vocabulary, measuring talent and ability as primary sources of strength. Rath has simplified the measurement of strength in the following formula:

TALENT        X         INVESTMENT          =          STRENGTH

Talent is your natural way of thinking, feeling or behaving, and investment is the time spent on developing your skills and building your knowledge base. The more you invest on your talent, the more you are able to harness your strength, providing consistent performance to achieve success each time.

Applying your strengths: 34 themes and ideas for action
After taking the StrengthsFinder assessment online ( www.strengthsfinder.com) , you can directly read the themes which pertains to you. Each theme describes the ability inherent in that person, what Ideas for Action they can take as well as tips on how to work with others who have strong talents in that theme.

1. Achiever

You are a driven person who constantly needs achievement whether they are small tasks in a day or big projects and achievements that are attained in the long term. Achievers need to live with constant discontent, often wanting to do and strive for more. While this may sound negative, achievers have the energy to work long hours without burning out, and are always on the look out for new challenges and conquests.

2. Activator

You are impatient for action. Once decisions are made and plans are mapped out, Activators are often quick to take on tasks and responsibilities, believing that action is the best device for learning. Activators make the best momentum for any company or team.

3. Adaptability

You are adaptable and live in the moment. While you may not have a fixed idea of what the future holds for you, you craft your future out of the choices you make right now. You are a very flexible person who can stay productive when the demands of work are pulling you in many different directions all at once. You are not shaken by changes and the unexpected.

4. Analytical

You intimidate other people easily, seeking things to be proven first before following them. While you don’t necessarily want to destroy other people’s ideas, you often insist that their ideas be sound and safe. You often see yourself as an objective person, often wanting to get into the root of things.

5. Arranger

Faced with a complex situation, you enjoy managing all the variables involved until you arrive at the most productive configuration possible. You are able to take a lot in without being frustrated by it. You aren’t afraid of chaotic circumstances, and you are not afraid to confront the bull by the horns, taking charge of the situation while others sit back and take refuge in rules and procedures.

6. Belief

You have specific core values that are enduring. Whatever personal beliefs you hold, you consistently hold out for things that are altruistic, spiritual and ethical, and look for these in everything you do. You often look for meaning in what you do, and remind people of the reason and purpose of their work and responsibilities.

7. Command

You like to take charge. You have no qualms imposing your view on others, and compel them to think and act the same way as you. You push others to take risks and confront complex situations no matter how unpleasant they are. People are often drawn towards you and trust the decisions you make for them.