StrengthsFinder 2.0 (original: 2007; edição: 2007)

Assigned to my students.

Strengths Finder is helpful. Specifically, the descriptions of the talents (aka strengths) were insightful, which is why I gave the book 3 stars.

If you purchase the book, in the back there's a code to redeem an online test that corresponds to the book. If you get the book at a library or borrow it from a friend, you'll have to purchase the code ($15) to take the online test.

However, a number of things were frustrating.
1) The online test seemed to focus on selling you things, often more than you wanted to buy. I only spent the $15, which I felt was a little more than it was worth. It consists of 171 questions that must be answered within 20 seconds. Each question paired two statements which may or may not have any relation to one another. And you have to choose which of the two fits you better. I thought the results were helpful but I have my doubts about 2 of the 5 strengths they outlined. And others I've talked to felt the same way. In other words, the testing format is frustrating and could be more accurate.
2) I was annoyed that they only gave information about your top 5. No doubt the 6th or 7th highest strengths would be notable, especially considering they may have gotten the top 5 wrong. But there was no way to gain any further information without, of course, spending more money.
3) Lastly, the follow-up information about those strengths was underwhelming. The book is short. Each strength included a half page, single paragraph description, followed by three quotes by others with the same strength. They then included about 10 action ideas for how you might develop or practice that strength (the best part of each section), and then end was three short suggestions for working with others who had that strength. The online resources were a regurgitation of the book -
really nothing added online. The videos were sad - formatted too big and lagged in loading. Overall, the feedback was disappointing.

The book is written mostly to aid in learning about group dynamics and seemed geared toward the business community - no doubt they've made a ton of money selling it to the corporate world. But it's marketed to individual self-exploration and discovery. And there's little doubt that when we take the test, our results are mostly a projection of how we already see ourselves. If I were to do it again, I'd borrow the book from the library, read the description of all the strengths, and pick out the top 10-ish I felt most described me. Then I would discuss those with friends who knew me well.

As we (in the US) grow in expecting instant gratification and individual expression, they sell it well. But I found more insight and help reading on the Enneagram and the Big 5 personality tests, which you can do for free. Here a great link for a free Enneagram test: https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test.php

Blessings! ( )

This book was required reading for a Strengths Finder class I took at work. I was actually surprised after doing the survey how much was revealed about my strengths. My top 5 strengths are: Input (I collect - knowledge and stuff), Intellection (I think about stuff), Learner (I learn from all this stuff I've collected and thought about), Analytical (well, duh, that was a no brainer Ms. Number Balancer/Data Reconciler) and Consistency (wanting everything to be FAIR).

In the class, we of course compared strengths. Learned about how people work together. The end result was that we should look for a job that plays to our strengths, not necessarily waste a lot of time trying to improve our weaknesses.

When I think of new career paths, I play around with reptile pet sitter or hazmat crime scene cleaner. I will probably continue analyzing with the financial realm, though. We'll see. ( )

Recommend for everyone, who really wants to know what you are. This is a great tool for self-assessment. Furthermore, it also recommends what you do to fully bring the best out of your potential. FYI. Facebook is applying this one. See below:

Facebook hires smart people independent of available job openings. After hiring someone it likes, engineer or business operative, Facebook will ID this person's talents with something called the Clifton StrengthsFinder, and then create a job using that information.

Read more: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-03-28/tech/31243173_1_mark-zuckerberg-s... ( )

I'm a Strategic, Learner, Intellection, Input, Responsibility ( )