Best $20 I've Spent: Strengths Finder

whitecrow · 09-19-2008, 07:08 PM

A recently-made friend turned me on to a book called Strengths Finder 2.0. The author is Tom Rath, and it is on the Wall Street Journal Best-Seller list. It is being marketed as a business management and motivational tool, but it is much more than that. It's a life tool of the highest magnitude, and I really recommend it to everyone, seriously!

Here how it works...the book costs $20. It consists of a series of discussions of 34 "strengths" that have been identified in people. Inside the book is a sealed envelope with a code number inside. You can't get to the code without buying the book, and only one person can use the code. I think it is one of the best uses of $20, ever.

Once you have the book and the code, you go to the website https://www.strengthsfinder.com/ and create a free account. (You can check this all out there, too). After entering your code, you then complete a survey of 172 comparisons, choosing which you prefer or which more fully describes you. These are timed...you get 20 seconds per. When you're done, you receive an individualized report that identifies your top five strengths, with the understanding that everyone is a different mix of all 34.

I know this sounds like putting people in boxes, and maybe it would be if management was using it that way. It's actually very holistic and insightful. I rarely recommend things like this. There are excellent tools out there. This is sort of a tool for becoming your own life-coach.

A young co-worker has taken the Strengths Finder survey. When I mentioned that I was about to, she said, "Oh, great! We can compare strengths!" At the time I thought that was a slightly odd thing to say. Now I understand perfectly what she meant.

For those of you who are already familiar with the survey, my top five strengths, in order, are:

Intellection
Input
Connectedness
Learner
Ideation

09-19-2008, 07:08 PM	#1
whitecrow Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: California Posts: 469	Best $20 I've Spent: Strengths Finder A recently-made friend turned me on to a book called Strengths Finder 2.0. The author is Tom Rath, and it is on the Wall Street Journal Best-Seller list. It is being marketed as a business management and motivational tool, but it is much more than that. It's a life tool of the highest magnitude, and I really recommend it to everyone, seriously! Here how it works...the book costs $20. It consists of a series of discussions of 34 "strengths" that have been identified in people. Inside the book is a sealed envelope with a code number inside. You can't get to the code without buying the book, and only one person can use the code. I think it is one of the best uses of $20, ever. Once you have the book and the code, you go to the website https://www.strengthsfinder.com/ and create a free account. (You can check this all out there, too). After entering your code, you then complete a survey of 172 comparisons, choosing which you prefer or which more fully describes you. These are timed...you get 20 seconds per. When you're done, you receive an individualized report that identifies your top five strengths, with the understanding that everyone is a different mix of all 34. I know this sounds like putting people in boxes, and maybe it would be if management was using it that way. It's actually very holistic and insightful. I rarely recommend things like this. There are excellent tools out there. This is sort of a tool for becoming your own life-coach. A young co-worker has taken the Strengths Finder survey. When I mentioned that I was about to, she said, "Oh, great! We can compare strengths!" At the time I thought that was a slightly odd thing to say. Now I understand perfectly what she meant. For those of you who are already familiar with the survey, my top five strengths, in order, are: Intellection Input Connectedness Learner Ideation