Book Review: StrengthsFinder 2.0

As a career coach, I have reviewed many different assessments to use with my clients. My favorite is StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath. This assessment is quick and easy to use, but more importantly I find the results critical in helping clients to uncover where they should go with their careers.

Once you take the test, a pdf is emailed to you that lists your top 5 strengths – there are 34 possible strengths – and brief explanations of what these strengths are about. These top 5 strengths are your core strengths and drive you in everything you do. Be it personal time, hobbies, family, friends, work, civic and religious volunteer time, etc. You may not know it, but what we gravitate to and how we go about doing it stems from our strengths.

My strengths are: Positivity, Connectedness, Woo, Communication, and Maximizer. What do these mean?

• Positivity: I seek for the good in everyone and every situation. I’m not “Polly Anna”, but I do like to laugh and have a good time. People tell me I’m fun to be around.
• Connectedness: I know that everything is connected and things happen for a reason. I seek to understand how people know each other and will probably ask you about where you live, grew up, your professional background, companies you’ve worked for, etc… all to categorize you in my mind and the web of “connections”.
• Woo: I’m the person that talks to total strangers in the elevator. I have no fear to walk up to people and introduce myself, which is why I’m a master networker at conferences and meetings. If you meet me, we’re like instant friends, but that doesn’t mean I want to spend a lot of time talking to you at that event. Better to give me your card and a promise to talk more later (that’s when Connectedness and Maximizer will be satisfied).
• Communication: I don’t like to talk just for the sake of talking. I like to have my valid and helpful opinions heard and read. Thank goodness that I live in an era with social media, blogging and podcasts. All of these venues give me a forum for sharing my thoughts and helping others.
• Maximizer: I love to put my resources to good use. I am impatient and won’t take the time to figure something out if I know that I can get help from another expert. Which is why I love my accountant, image consultant, and business coach. I also seek to know more about your services so that if I can make an introduction, I will… and it’ll be a genuine desire to help you and the other person (that’s when my Connectedness is put to work).

I highly recommend taking the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment. If you’re struggling to apply the results, that’s where I come into the picture. I help my coaching clients understand the results and apply to their careers. It’s amazing how much more successful my clients are when they operate from a place of strength (my Positivity loves it!).