"It naturally
follows that because last month I focused on Marcus Buckingham's book
"First, Break all the Rules" I should this month focus on
Buckingham's "Now, Discover Your Strengths".
And I will.
Of all the tools I
use to help those in organizations, for and not for profit, this book and the
test are the most useful.
From the
introduction, "Guided by the belief that good is the opposite of bad,
mankind has for centuries pursued it's fixation with fault and failing. Doctors
have studied disease in order to learn about health. Psychologists have
investigated sadness in order to learn about joy. Therapists have looked into
the causes of divorce in order to learn about happy marriage. And in schools and
the workplaces around the world, each one of us has been encouraged to
identify, analyze, and correct our weaknesses to become strong.
This advice is well
intended but misguided. Faults and failings deserve study, but they reveal
little about strengths. Strengths have their own patterns."
This focus on strengths
is the result of over thirty years of study from the Gallup Organization and
involved over two million interviews.
The result is this
excellent tool.
In order to use
this tool it is helpful to understand some of the patterns of strengths and
that is what Buckingham does in this book's fine linear organization. Each
chapter is a building block leading us to the test and the application of
managing those with clearly defined strengths.
From looking at
"The Anatomy of a Strength" to "Discovering the Source of Your
Strengths" and through "Put Strengths to Work" this excellent
book leads us to a revolutionary approach to helping people get better at what
they do.
And it's
entertaining, with wonderfully illustrative references to, Tiger Woods, Bill
Gates, Cole Porter, The Investor, The Director, The Skin Doctor and The Editor
to mention a few.
Gallop has
identified thirty-four strengths and has provided a test where a person can
identify their five top strengths.
You buy the book and
in the dustcover's spine is a series of letters and numbers which are a key you
can use to take the test on the internet.
Chapter four
identifies each strength with a descriptive paragraph and follows with
clarifying examples which show what that strength "Sounds Like".
For those of us
dedicated to helping the leadership team of a company become more effective the
strongest tool in the book begins on page 176 the second part of Chapter 6
"Managing Strengths" . This
powerful section is called 'One by One' and what it does is to answer the
question, "How do I manage a person strong in ... (one of the 34)?"
Wow! Practical,
useful and it works.
If you are or know
a person who would like to improve in helping others this is a wonderful book.
In fact, if you
discover your five strengths you could learn how to better manage yourself.
What a concept.
Here are my five
top strengths.
- · Maximizer
- · Strategic
- · WOO
- · Self-Assurance
- · Ideation
If you read this
book you might learn how to better manage me. (Debby's note: Now that would be a miracle!)
