Now, Discover Your Strengths

VERY IMPORTANT. You must buy this book new in order to take the online test. I purchased a used book through the marketplace (always and excellent experience by the way) so the code has already been used. Now I have to spend the money to buy a new one just to take the test. In this case buying used does not save you anything.


Now, Pay Up for Your Strengths   September 24, 2002
 30 out of 37 found this review helpful

Beware! The Gallup Organization considers this book an *introduction* to Strengths Based Living. It is a small part of a larger program that their consulting group administers for large organizations. It appears that this book was developed as a primer to get managers interested in using the Gallup consulting program within their own organizations. If you ask for more in-depth information or a full report on your assessment results on an individual level (which they provide for corporate clients) you will be told it is not available.

The book itself reads like an introduction to StrengthsFinder. It offers interesting and insightful background information about managing strengths, but comes up short on follow through. After you take the assessment test there is very little information on how to truly capitalize on the results. Further, you may only take the assessment test once and then you are locked out. So if you want to share the book with your family or friends be ready to shell out another $27 so they can take the test too.

Bottom line, this book is a thinly veiled money-making sham designed to maximize profit and open the door to corporate consulting contracts. Spend your money on something else.


Management, Not Psychology   February 19, 2001
 29 out of 32 found this review helpful

As a manager, perhaps one of our greatest challenges is juggling the uniqueness of our employees. It's not our job to fix them, rather it's our job to facilitate their success.

I agree with what "First, Break All the Rules" said, in that, we should seek to build the strengths of our employees rather than fix their weaknesses. But, I walked away from that book saying "ok, that was great, but how do you determine a strength or talent?"

"Now, Discover your Strengths" gives practical insights on the strengths and inate talents of people. I was impressed by this and also by the real life examples of people displaying the stregth being discussed. The disheartening thing about the test is that it only gives your top 5 strengths when it's likely that 8-10 strenths are outwardly shown (in my opinion).

Unlike other readers, I DID NOT see this and the online test as meant to be a "personality" test. Quite the contrary. I believe it accurately measures what it says it does: STRENGTHS.

I'm looking forward to applying this information to the organizations I work with.

Since my question after reading the first book (how do you determine someone's strenghts?) was answered with "Now Discover your Strenthgs", I'm guessing that if there is a third book, it will discuss what to do with your strengths now that they're discovered.


Good book, but doesn't fulfill potential.   March 4, 2001
 29 out of 33 found this review helpful

Since I didn't read their first book I thought the first half of the book was great. Their research on focusing on strengths v. improving weaknesses was really valuable. The test process and results leave much to be desired.

You get a list of 5 strengths and one page explaining each, but no guidance on what it might mean to know these things. For example, the book talks about how important it is to use your strengths to find the right role in your chosen field and then gives very little insight into mapping strengths to roles. Also, you don't get to see beyond your top 5 strengths which leaves you wondering about the others even though it says the next 2 or 3 might be important. The fact that you can't share with a family member or retake the test without buying another copy is really lame.

In general a good business / management book on why a strengths focus is important, but little in the way of understanding and applying your strengths. Guess they either took the word "discover" literally in that it means get a simple list of 5 strengths or there is another book on the way. Depending on whether you are looking for management theory or personal strengths insight it may or may not be a good buy.


Interesting insights but weak on a unifying theory   June 12, 2003
 29 out of 36 found this review helpful

This book provides some key insights, but is a bit thin in relevant content - especially for those looking to leverage strengths.

Some of the books solid points:
1 - Focusing on strengths is a contratrian idea in many companies, and it is very important for people to know that focusing on their strong spots is up to them.
2 - The online survey is a very informative tool - perhaps the most useful diagnosis I've taken. After using it, you'll say, "Wow, that makes sense!"
3 - The book should open your mind as a manager to staffing, leadership and development opportunities.

Weak spots - even if we're not supposed to focus on them :-):
1 - With the descriptions spread over so many strengths, the reader is left with a lot of fluff and unread material if they're focusing on self development.
2 - The book tends to be written as a group of large lists, with detail on each strength. A theory tying them together would be helpful for putting it into practice. The average manager is hard pressed to use such a thick catalogue.
3 - Fixating on 5 strengths seems a bit restrictive. Maybe some people have 3 or 4 or 6? It would be useful if the tool could give relative weights or scores on them as well.

In summary, the book is best used as a survey for folks interested in a self assessment. More depth (a follow-up book?) is needed to put the ideas into general practice.