Now, Discover Your Strengths

This book was also the first book that I've read that included an on-line component. The on-line test took me about 30 min to complete and gave me my top 5 strengths. After reading the detailed descriptions in the book, I believe the test correctly hit 4 out of 5 with the 5th one a close runner-up.

STRENGTHS: The book is easy to read and full of examples. I found the concepts and content very well thought out and very effective at changing my thinking.

WEAKNESSES: I note some weaknesses, but they were at most annoying and not significant enough to prevent me from enjoying or highly recommending the book. First, as in the "First" book, no index. Second, while the book has lots of examples, a number seemed to be thrown in to touch popular or emotional topics rather than being solid support for the specific topic being discussed.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK: The book is probably best suited to professionals and knowledge workers with an interest in better understanding themselves and those around them. If you're interested in increasing your own effectiveness and the effectiveness of your relationships with others this book is for you.

ALSO CONSIDER: Of course, "First Break All the Rules" by Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman [either before or after this book]. "The Effective Executive" by Peter F. Drucker.


Now, Discover Your Strengths   October 27, 2004
 44 out of 49 found this review helpful

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK USED!!!!
DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK USED!!!!
There is a code in this book that is needed to take a test and understand more than half of this book and how it applies to you personally. This code is used at a website to find out your strengths and is only valid for a one time use. If you purchase this book used your chances of that code already being used are very high. You will then need to get a new copy of the book if you want to take the test. WHAT A WASTE!


Frankly, Not Worth Your Time   January 22, 2001
 41 out of 54 found this review helpful

The strengths survey was interesting but didn't really tell me anything about myself that I didn't already know. Most of us know ourselves well enough to figure out what our strengths are. I suggest sitting down with a good glass of wine and give this some thought rather than wasting a little money and a bit more time sitting through this book.

Bottom line, I wouldn't bother wasting your time with this book. The basic premise is sound, focus on your strengths. The book basically spends page after page rehashing this theme but not much more.

So, think about your strengths. Are you compassionate, a competitor, a thinker, empathetic, etc.? Look for work that will utilize these strengths. Live a happier and more productive life.

There you have it.


Book defective--no review possible--UPDATE   November 23, 2003
 36 out of 53 found this review helpful

This is a follow-on to "First, Break All The Rules"

I paid for the new book, but it arrived without the code required to conduct that partnered web profile. Amazon initially said I would have to contact the publisher for resolution, although from the generic nature of the reply I doubt my customer service request was even read by a human.

Eventually, a real person contacted me and sent a replacement/exchange.

This book did not have the same systematic rigor as its predecessor. There was no clear relationship between the many strengths that were listed. It would have been very useful if there was some kind of comparison table or a taxonomic tree/flow chart that relates the strengths. It was also unclear how the ?talents? of the first book related to the ?strengths? of this book.

All that said, these two books represent the ONLY business study I would consider scientific. I do not know of another study that looked at average or poor performers and compared them with the top performers to find the real differences.


A timely guide to job satisfaction   July 1, 2001
 32 out of 36 found this review helpful

This is not only a co-written book, it is backed up by the Gallup Organisation and a survey of over two million people over a thirty year period. Although it is written with career and team management in mind, it is worth reading simply for personal development. The first learning point of the book is an understanding of how everyone's brain is wired in a unique way to give each person a unique combination of talents. This is fascinating information. A hundred billion neurons in the brain each with fifteen thousand synapse connections by the age of three. But by the age of sixteen, half of those synapse connections have disappeared to create a unique pattern for each of us in what we find difficult and, crucially, what we can perform with consummate and consistent ease. The second learning point is to understand that success and excellence do not come from fixing our weaknesses, but from developing our strengths. For years, employers have made the mistake of directing staff training to the improvement of weak areas while taking strengths for granted. The misguided aim is to produce a well rounded performer. But, as the book shows, the real performers are those who concentrate almost exclusively on their natural talents. The unique strength of this book is that each copy comes with a unique reference number for the reader to get access to the StrengthsFinder Profile, a dedicated website questionnaire of 180 questions designed to identify your own top five talents, taken from a list of 34 "themes". It is the identification of those themes, and the kind of questions needed to elicit them, which has emerged from the exhaustive survey of over 2 million people. Your profile will not necessarily tell you that you are in the right or the wrong job. It may point you to a more effective role you could be taking within that job. Undoubtedly it will help you to identify how you can improve your performance and job satisfaction by playing to your strengths more of the time. The book is particularly good at explaining how a different balance of strengths can produce excellent job performance even in the same type of job, because there are any number of ways to do an excellent job in the same field of work. It also provides practical damage limitation strategies for managing your weaknesses. If you are a manager or work within a team, the remainder of the book will help you determine the strengths of your team and the best way to approach each type of person. Having taken the StrengthsFinder profile, you can repeat it at any time and there is ongoing support in the form of email advice on how to make the most of your own strengths. The information offered through this book and the StrengthsFinder profile will provide a great deal of insight into your present circumstances and challenges, and prove an invaluable resource for contemplating any future career development.