At my organization’s last annual company meeting, the human resources manager gave each employee a copy of StrenghtsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath, whose inside cover asks “Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?” [emphasis theirs]. This thin, 183-page career book includes an access code for the online Clifton StrengthFinder 2.0 assessment test. The first 31 pages articulate the central thesis of the book – that “you cannot be anything you want to be – but you can be a lot more of who you already are.” Instead of focusing a majority of personal self-improvement time on weakness, the book asserts that we should instead focus on developing strength. The remainder of the book describes 34 talent themes. The online assessment, which takes only about 30 minutes to complete, generates a personalized profile of your top five talents in Adobe PDF format (I keep mine on Dropbox). Not only does the assessment describe your talents, but it provides a customized action plan based on the results thousands of other people who have taken the assessment (statistical analysis, anyone?). Once you have your test results, you can finish the book quickly by only reading about your five talents. Or if you’re like me, you’ll read about the other 29 talents to see if the assessment “got it all wrong”.
I’ll share the results of my assessment in a future post so you can decide.
Used copies can be found cheaply at bookstores like Half Price Books. But beware – the access code in the back of the book can only be used once. If the seal is broken, the book isn’t worth purchasing. Thankfully, the book is relatively inexpensive from online booksellers like Amazon.
Highly Recommended.
Have you taken the Clifton StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment? What did you think of the results?
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
