I was listening to the Dan Fagan Show on AM KBYR/TV KTBY, a local talk/TV show, last week while he had a business coach on as a guest. She was talking about utilizing each employee to the fullest by determining what their personal strengths are, and then tapping into those strengths.
She referred to the book StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath and the associated Clifton StrengthsFinder 2.0 personality test. The test is around 170 questions and takes about 30 minutes to take. At the end of the test you are given a report with your results.
The 18 page report lists your 5 primary strengths and then explains the traits for each strength. It goes on to help you determine an action plan to highlight your skills and then on to show you feedback from others who share your top 5 themes/strengths.
I really like the idea of the entire book/test. I am in the process of having some assistant coaches take the test so that I can have some greater insight when working with them. My hope is that I can make the team more successful by using the staff's talents to their fullest. I am considering having my entire staff take the test and maybe even prospective employees.
The StrengthsFinder 2.0 book contains all the information for each of the strengths/themes identified in the test. The online test requires an access code which is only available in the back of each book, and it is only good for one use. This means a book for each staff person. It would be nice to be able to just purchase additional access codes for the test, but this is the only negative I have regarding the book and test.
StrengthsFinder 2.0 is available at Amazon.com for around $14 in hardcover or $13 for the Kindle version. If you scroll through the carousel widget at the top of this post for the most recent Amazon prices.
Strengths Finder is a life-changing questionnaire and the answer to "who am I and what should I do" all wrapped into one resource. The book describes 37 strength "themes" that outline in great detail 37 types of strengths.
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