So it was inevitable. I knew sometime I would write about this. It's something I so strongly and whole-heartedly believe in that I just can't not write about it!
A couple years ago, I learned about StrengthsFinder and the book "Now Discover Your Strengths" by Marcus Buckingham, Tom Rath, and The Gallup Organization. At first I thought this might be a standard business book, but soon learned it was nothing of the sort. StrengthsFinder is a MOVEMENT. It's all about being the best YOU you can be, by realizing your strengths and using them to your advantage.
I recently read an article about Sheryl Sandberg, the COO at Facebook (former executive at Google). People like this are strong, and they're not strong because they work on their weaknesses. They're strong because they push them to the side, face forward, as she says, "lean in," and take risks. They use their strengths because they know that's what will get them to tomorrow.
The book breaks strengths into 34 themes - themes they've identified that are common threads in the most successful people they've interviewed. You can take the test when you buy the book (StrengthsFinder 2.0 is the latest version) and learn which are your top 5. I've taken the test twice, with very different focuses, and came out with the same top 5 for each (slightly different order). My top strength* was the same both times.
A couple years ago, I learned about StrengthsFinder and the book "Now Discover Your Strengths" by Marcus Buckingham, Tom Rath, and The Gallup Organization. At first I thought this might be a standard business book, but soon learned it was nothing of the sort. StrengthsFinder is a MOVEMENT. It's all about being the best YOU you can be, by realizing your strengths and using them to your advantage.
I recently read an article about Sheryl Sandberg, the COO at Facebook (former executive at Google). People like this are strong, and they're not strong because they work on their weaknesses. They're strong because they push them to the side, face forward, as she says, "lean in," and take risks. They use their strengths because they know that's what will get them to tomorrow.
The book breaks strengths into 34 themes - themes they've identified that are common threads in the most successful people they've interviewed. You can take the test when you buy the book (StrengthsFinder 2.0 is the latest version) and learn which are your top 5. I've taken the test twice, with very different focuses, and came out with the same top 5 for each (slightly different order). My top strength* was the same both times.
- Maximizer*
- Competition
- Strategic
- Futuristic
- Activator
Because there are 34 themes, it's very unlikely you'll encounter someone with your exact same top 5. This also has its advantages. YOU get to bring your strengths combination to the table - no one else has what you do. When I read more about these 5 - and there's plenty of literature out there to tell you about them - I notice how closely they hit home. These things are within me, engrained in me. It'd be impossible to avoid them, or even try to tone them down if I wanted to.
However, there are themes on the list such as Harmony, Context, and Discipline that will never ring true for me. I can try to make them a part of my day, but when I have great people around me who bring these also great themes, why should I focus my efforts there? Instead, I should be the best Maximizer I can be (redundant, right?) I should combine by Futurstic (looking over the mountain) with my Strategic (seeing around the mountain) to solve problems in the best way possible. THIS is where I will focus my efforts, forever. I can pretty much promise you this.
Those of you who have taken StrengthsFinder - what are your top 5? I'd love to hear about them. Do they ring true for you? What have you learned about yourself by doing this exercise and reading the books? I hope you've taken away as much as I have. I honestly think if we all do this, we'll just be able to work even more effectively to make the world a better place.
