For several decades, there’s been an increasing trend of personality and skills tests used either in the hiring process or in team building workshops for many corporations. In my 20-year career, I’ve been asked to participate in several different tests – most of which showed the same type of data like my communication style, my level of introverted preference, or my analytical behaviors. Personally, I love these tests because they do show me something new about myself each time. So, when I was asked to read this book by my new team, I jumped right in. What I wasn’t expecting was that I’d be learning not only how to play to my strengths, but how to interact with the rest of my team in a new way.
Strengthsfinder 2.0 from Gallup comes with a unique code giving readers access to the accompanying online assessment. While there are a few chapters ahead of the assessment that help you understand the reasoning and science behind the test, the majority of the book is an in depth look at each of the 34 strength themes, so this is pretty quick read. This book is really about focusing in on your strengths, not your weaknesses, and learning to leverage them for better connections with those around you.
I give Strengthsfinder 2.0 4 out of 5 stars. The only real detractor this book had for me was the style, and I can’t really hold that against a book like this. It is its nature to feel like a textbook, but this was a very enjoyable textbook for me. I appreciate how easy and informative the survey and results were to navigate. It didn’t take me long to read the introductory chapters and knock out the quiz. I also appreciate having all 34 themes available to review at your fingertips. The quiz will show your top five themes – I quickly marked mine in the book for future reference. This really isn’t a one-hit-wonder book – I’ll be referring back to this book as I learn about my new teammates, too, so I can learn how to coordinate with them more effectively in the future.
This is a book meant for anyone in a leadership or teamwork position, weather you are the team leader, or just a member. I would recommend this especially for new leaders or those struggling with the dynamics on their team. This is a great continuing education opportunity for corporate environments in part because it has a self-development aspect, as well as a team portion.
As I mentioned, Strengthsfinder 2.0 was required reading for my new team at my corporate job. I worked through this book in just a few hours one morning during my Reading Retreat, but I’ve revisited it several times since then. That might have been a few weeks back, but I wanted to share it with you as my February Non-Fiction read. You will probably see a lot more business and management books in this category this year on the site. I am looking to improve my skills and continue my own learning as I gain experience as a manager. Do you have a favorite management or business book you think would help me? Drop it in the comments!
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: Between, Georgia, Joshilyn Jackson
- Current audio book: tbd
- Book I’m most looking forward to: Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert
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