Strengths Finder 2.0 - Initial Thoughts

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In the Strengths Finder 2.0 book by Tom Rath, Tom brings up interesting facts from decades long research done by Gallup in personal development. Not only are the insights from the research fascinating, but when they are paired with a fundamental disagreement of how most of American society views success, now I have to read it.

What is Strengths Finder?

If you're unfamiliar, the Strengths Finder is a test you can take to show you your five main strengths. The test and the strengths profiles are based on the research Gallup has done around strengths psychology and personal development. You gain access to the test from an code that is in the back of the book when you buy it.

The premise of the research, and the views in the book, are a direct challenge to the typical American notion of improving your weaknesses. The idea is that it is better for an individual to pay attention to develop the strengths one already has to become a better version of oneself.

Focusing on Your Inner Strengths

This idea is something I can immediately grab onto. As a long-time guitarist, I know I can cover the guitar duties of any project I'm in, but I am a pretty poor drummer. Rather than spend hours trying to learn drums I delegate those duties to someone who has put in the time and energy to master that aspect of music.

The idea of focusing on improving your weaknesses is something in the business world we get conflicting messages about. On the team management side, we get the annual review which is only as good as the two people putting it together and typically focuses on areas of improvement, or goals that are trackable throughout the year. Then in nearly all the productivity-hack types of content, the idea of passing off responsibilities to teammates to focus on what you're good at is hammered home with near religious fervor.

Going back to the guitar analogy, the distinction is more nuanced than learning one instrument versus another. For example, there some guitarists who are really good at playing lead guitar and playing all the "rock-god" guitar solos. Then there is the under-appreciated rhythm guitarist, who may not be as good at writing leads (solo parts), but is much better at holding down a rhythm with the bass player and drummer. The rhythm guitarist helps to lay the foundation for the lead guitarist to shine. 

From the introduction of the book (page i):

...we had discovered that people have several times more potential for growth when they invest energy in developing their strengths instead of correcting their deficiencies.

Metallica is a great example of this: James Hetfield handles vocals, songwriting, and rhythm guitar duties, while Kirk Hammett shreds some of the most memorable solos of the 80s and 90s. The two of them together in their respective duties within the band has lead to Metallica becoming one of the biggest bands in the world for the last three decades. 

The Business Case for Strengths Based Development

In the introduction, the author brings up the fact that they found workers who focus on their strengths are six times as likely to be more engaged in what they are doing and are more likely to be happier with their life.

Of course, people who aren't focused on their strengths are going to  unmotivated in their work. But, this may not be because of a lack of focus on an individual's strengths, it could also be a problem of the person's self-realization, self-determination, absentee management, or a combination of all three.

Especially, as the working world continues to get more and more specialized, building teams with members who compliment each other is going to be one of the biggest factors in the success of organizations. Crucial to this will be to have both managers and employees aware of what strengths they can bring to a team and how those strengths differentiate themselves and fit with the abilities of other team members.

Have you read Strengths Finder 2.0? What's your take on focusing on developing your strengths versus overcoming "areas of developmental opportunity"?