Now Discover Your Strengths

Now, Discover Your Strengths Authors: Marcus Buckingham & Donald O. Clifton Publishers: The Free Press

Date Published: 2001 Report Date: October 2001

Introduction: The Strengths Revolution at Work • Personal strengths are areas in which the individual performs well and can apply this performance to their personal or societal benefit. All people feel a tremendous sense of satisfaction when performing in a role that utilizes their personal strengths. Organizations that find ways to position people to use their strengths not only have more productive employees they also have happier employees that stay with the company over the long-term. • Gallup research has shown that only 20% of employees feel they are in a role that utilizes their strengths on a daily basis. In organizations with high turnover, this number drops even further. • The world’s best managers share two beliefs about people: 1) Each person has a unique set of talents 2) Each person’s greatest room for improvement is in their area of greatest talent. • Based on the Gallup organization’s database of more than 2 million interviews, the authors have research and created 34 distinct themes or talents that are possessed by people throughout the world. Because their research is based on data gathered from around the world, these 34 talents can be found in varying degrees in all people regardless of race, gender, culture or economic background. Chapter 1: Strong Lives Strength – Consistent, near perfect performance applied to an activity that provides satisfaction 1) The person must be able to perform the activity at a near-perfect level. 2) The person must be able to perform at this level consistently 3) The person must derive satisfaction from the activity Knowledge – knowledge and facts of lessons learned Skill – efficiency at which steps in an activity are performed Talent – naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling and behavior • Knowledge, Skill and Talent combine to create personal strengths. • People that are considered to be world-class performers in their field share two common traits regardless of their field of expertise. First, they are aware of their talents. Second, they have focused themselves on improving in their area of greatest talent. Whether we are talking about Warren Buffet, Pele or Mother Teresa, everyone can see these two factors applied. Three Steps to Building a Stronger Life 1) Learn how to distinguish natural talents from things you can learn • Accept that practice doesn’t make perfect. A person must have natural talent to develop a true strength. A strength cannot exist without the corresponding talent. 2) Identify your dominant talents • There are a few activities that may provide clues to latent talent - Do you pick up a new activity quickly with little coaching? - After learning something new, do you add nuances & twists that exceed your instruction? - Do you often lose track of time doing a particular activity? 3) Spend more time in areas where your dominant talents are used • Talents are the mental equivalent of the “path of least resistance”. When operating in our areas of talent, we do not have to think step by step. This leaves us fresher for other activities. Operating in our areas of talent, also gives us a natural sense of satisfaction. Chapter 2: Strength Building • For the purposes of strength building their are two types of required knowledge and both can be learned: 1) Factual Knowledge – information often found in books, manuals & classrooms 2) Experiential Knowledge – life’s unwritten lessons

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Skills are defined to help transfer performance from one person to another. When someone does something well, there is a tendency to break down the steps they followed and train others to follow those same steps. This is a good approach to gain compliance. People without talent in a particular area can be taught how to perform an activity. However, they will never achieve near perfect performance with that activity unless they also have the required talents. Talents do not always translate directly to strengths. For a strength to exist, you must be able to combine talent, knowledge and skill. Remember, talent cannot be trained into someone but skills and knowledge can be. That makes skills/knowledge training incredibly powerful when applied to those with a latent talent. Talents, like intelligence, is completely value neutral and permanent. Talents cannot be changed. They are part of the inner fabric of our mental, emotional and physical processes. People that want to change their lives by adding a new talent are fooling themselves. The only way to change your life is by changing your values and living to your new values (topic for a different book). Talents develop as we develop into adults. Nature applies its magic and develops strong neural pathways in some areas of the brain and shuts down neural pathways in other parts of the brain. Our strongest neural pathways become our talents. People should not be concerned about the neural pathways that are shut down. Without this process of natural selection in the brain, we would be confused, inefficient and average in every respect.

Chapter 3: StrengthsFinder Three Methods of Finding Talents 1) Yearnings • Look for what the person wants to do or how they fill their free time. Yearnings, especially at a young age reveal talent. 2) Rapid Learning • The speed at which a person learns a knew skill can indicate talent especially when the skill is complex or difficult. 3) Sense of Satisfaction • Nature fixes it so when you use your strongest synaptic connections, it feels good. If you find yourself anticipating an activity, (when can I do this again?) it may be the source of a talent. Chapter 4: Thirty-Four Talents Defined • The author has dedicated a page to each talent. I have tried to summarize each in one sentence. Please refer to the book for further explanation on each talent. • There are three different types of talents: Thinking Talents – describes how a person processes information and data Analytical – focus on data and information objectively; rigorous pursuit of facts and truth Manage Analytical by: needs all info b-4 making decision; will demand accurate data; data > feelings Arranger – ability and desire to juggle many variables at one time in a successful manner Manage Arranger by: thrives on responsibility; loves complex assignments; resourceful & a juggler Context – use past events to define the meaning of today’s data; yesterday’s patterns give meaning today Manage Context by: always explain background of decisions; show when the past matches the present Discipline – instinctively use routines & structure to help process info and establish or maintain control Manage Discipline by: allow them to fix clutter & chaos; communicate deadlines clearly; no surprises Focus – goals are everything; goals = direction & empowerment; lack of goals creates frustration Manage Focus by: set goals & timelines then back out; team w/ person strong in Empathy Input – tendency to collect, consume and store data and information that meets your interest Manage Input by: position in research role; w/out Focus talent will managing to stay on track Intellection – truly enjoy thinking, reading & mental puzzles; introspective; thinking constantly Manage Intellection by: put on strategic research projects; allow time for contemplation Responsibility – first thought is always to what is right, ethical and moral; dependable & consistent Manage Responsibility by: give this person opportunity to live up to their word and produce quality

Strategic – ability to sort thru the clutter to find the best path; sense patterns that affect the future Manage Strategic by: put on strategic planning team; keep abreast of leading edge industry info Striving Talents – describes how a person is motivated Achiever – must achieve something everyday to feel good about him/herself; each days starts at zero Manage Achiever by: measure their performance and keeping low producers away from them Activator – constant desire to do something; activity may not be focused; measures by what gets done Manage Activator by: putting them in situations that require a jump start or to lead new teams Adaptibility – prefers reacting to planning; lives for the moment; enjoys all things new and different Manage Adaptibility by: place in a reactionary position; best in short term assignments; not a planner Belief – personal core values motivate your daily life; behavior is consistent; work must be meaningful Manage Belief by: tie job to person’s passion; show how org. values align w/ personal values Competition – constant comparison of performance with others; lives for contests w/ measures Manage Competition by: public comparisons motivate; measure regularly; winning is sustaining Futuristic – dreams of the future motivate and inspire today’s performance; others latch onto the hope too Manage Futuristic by: use on planning team; use to communicate big changes to others Ideation – inspiration comes from opportunities to create, initiate and change the perspective of others Manage Ideation by: great in design stage of process; bounce ideas of this person; Learner – love to learn and improve; the challenge of gaining new skills & knowledge stimulates action Manage Learner by: find a role for this person to be the expert; good in role that is growing/changing Maximizer – excellence is only acceptable measure of success; focused on making the good into great Manage Maximizer by: keep away from problem areas; natural benchmarker; good at measuring perf. Restorative – energized by handling emergencies or problems; ability to bring things back to life Manage Restorative by: put with troubled accounts or poorly operating business areas Significance – desire to be on stage or star of the team; need for recognition and admiration from others Manage Significance by: needs independence; do not over-manage; praise in public meaningfully Woo – motivated by the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over; strangers energize you Manage Woo by: good in HR role - better in sales or service; help them systemitize the info they gain Relating Talents – describes how a person forms relationships with others Command – desire and ability to take charge of groups; imposing views on others is comfortable Manage Command by: not a “yes” person; leader that doesn’t like close supervision; confront head-on Communication – brings ideas to life via written & oral presentation; every presentation is a performance Manage Communication by: invite to all social functions; listening to this person cements relationship Connectedness – belief that all things in the universe are linked; all things happen for a reason Manage Connectedness by: accept spiritual side of this person; position to build bridges w/in org. Deliberative – risks are everywhere which makes you careful & vigilant; friends are chosen carefully Manage Deliberative by: ask to identify land mines in new projects or contracts; private person Developer – there is untapped potential in everyone; ability to encourage the growth of others Manage Developer by: ask to mentor others; good at evaluating co-workers; may protect a struggler Empathy – ability to sense the emotions of others; instinctively see the world through the eyes of others Manage Empathy by: ask for pulse of org. during turbulent times; keep in positive environment Fairness – all people must be treated the same regardless of situation or politics; rules applied consistently Manage Fairness by: good at evaluating co-workers; Harmony – look for and create agreement between all parties; finding win-win situations comes easily Manage Harmony by: productive when all are in agreement; “yes” person; needs pos. reinforcement Inclusiveness – desire to “make room for more” because we are all the same; no one should be excluded Manage Inclusiveness by: good for orientation or recruiting; ask to help tear down org. politics Individualization – naturally see the unique gifts of each person which facilitates team building Manage Individualization by: use for hiring & teaming decisions; can help turnaround poor performrs Positivity – eternal optimist; celebrate every achievement; life is good and work is fun Manage Positivity by: great w/ customers; allow him/her to celebrate; keep him/her clear of cynics Relator – prefer a few close relationships to know many people; strength comes from close friends/family Manage Relator by: boss must care about his person; trust is everything; won’t like to be uprooted

Self-Assurance – extreme self-confidence may be seen as cockiness by others; difficult to persuade Manage Self-Assurance by: good at long-term, difficult projects; needs complements propel success Chapter 5: The Questions You’re Asking • In general, people will spend more time addressing their weaknesses instead of accentuating their strengths. This is based in three basic human fears: 1) fear of weakness; 2) fear of failure; and 3) fear of one’s true self. • Depending on your religious beliefs, your talents are either gifts from God or accidents of birth. You have nothing to do with the talents you have received. However, you are the only one that can turn your talents into strengths. • The fastest way to building strengths is to be consciously competent. This implies an awareness of which talents are in play and how they combine to create successful performance and/or satisfaction. • Most people have a wide variety of talents but normally five talents dominate a person’s life. A person leads with a combination of their top five talents in almost every situation. These five talents force us to act in familiar, recurring ways. Our less dominant talents fire only occasionally in specific circumstances. • Polishing one talent into a strength takes self-awareness and time. Honing all five is the work of a lifetime. Understanding your top five talents in isolation will provide one level of insight. True understanding of one’s inner self though comes from learning how your five talents interact. Weakness – anything that gets in the way of excellent performance While each of us has a vast array of non-talents, most of the time our non-talents do not affect our lives. For example, the combination of talents required for flying a plane is not held by many people. For most, it is a non-talent. This non-talent is a non-factor in our lives because we do have to fly a plane. This non-talent becomes a weakness when we are forced to fly a plane but cannot. Dealing with a Weakness 1) Determine if the weakness is related to knowledge, skill or talent 2) Address the perceived knowledge and/or skills gap first 3) If the weakness still exists, it is a weakness related to talent a) Do what you can to get better b) Design a support system c) Use your strongest talents to overwhelm your weakness d) Find a partner • Your combination of talents will not necessarily dictate a specific career path for you. Different personality types succeed in every career. While talent is a success factor in many positions, frequently it is more important for a person to understand their talents and mold their position around their talents. Chapter 6: Managing Strengths • The talent of Individualization is the most commonly held talent among corporate America’s best managers. • First and second level managers often have dominant talents that include Achiever, Focus and Fairness. A person strong in these three talents is self-motivated, sets clear expectations and doesn’t trample those around him/her. These are traits that often earn people their first promotion into management. Unfortunately, people with these talents also tend to be weak in the areas of Individualization, Relator and Maximizer. With these weaknesses, the front line manager will never be able to help his/her direct reports improve and their department will stagnate. • Employees that are strong in Responsibility and Harmony consistently earn high marks from their supervisors. Customers rate people highly that are strong in Achiever, Positivity, Command, Restorative and Learner. Chapter 7: Building a Strengths Based Organization

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Simple question posed to people at all levels in thousands of organizations worldwide: “Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best everyday”. On average 20% of the people in most organizations responded “Strongly Agree”. The top 10% of these companies had 45% of their people respond “Strongly Agree” to this question. • People responded something other than “Strongly Agree” to this question for four reasons: 1) Person feels like they lack the talent to do the job 2) Person feels organization is too bureaucratic 3) Person feels like they lack either the skill or knowledge to do the job 4) Person feels like they were promoted out of their best role • Two fundamental tenants of this book: 1) Each person’s talents are unique and enduring 2) Each person’s greatest room for growth is in their area of greatest talent To Become a Strengths Based Organization . . . . 1) Devote resources to selecting people for each position based on talents required for the position. • Incorporate into the employee selection process an objective way of defining & measuring talent • Using your best people, create a profile of the talents needed for each position • Calibrate the objective measuring instrument via the scores of your best people in each position 2) Define the desired performance outcomes. Do not legislate the “how to”. 3) Train people on how to recognize & use personal talent and strength. Focus talent into measurable performance. 4) Train people on the knowledge & skills required for their job. • Do not rigidly adhere to a talent profile for each position. Building a strong team requires a variety of talents. An army of people that think and react the same way creates obvious talent gaps and weakens the organization. To Manage a Strengths Based Organization . . . . 1) Find a way to objectively measure the desired performance. 2) Develop an individual employee balanced scorecard to measure how each employee affect the organization, its employees and its customers. 3) Ensure every manager incorporates a discussion on strengths with each employee once a year. This step alone will double the number of people that believe they are in a position to do their best everyday. • One of the best ways to develop employees is to develop a system of regular meetings with the supervisor that is focused on the career development of the direct report. Regular meetings of this type push the employee to achieve established goals, bring the manager closer to the action, and build camaraderie. • Malsow’s Hierarchy of Needs listed Esteem as a key higher order need of human beings. Once lower needs are satisfied, eventually we all want to be valued by other people. Most agree with this and understand this. However, most do not understand that there is more than one way to satisfy someone’s need for Esteem. Promotion is one method of satisfying people’s Esteem needs but it only works for a fraction of the population (remember 34 talent profiles and countless combinations thereof). Companies need to create dozens of ways to show they value their employees. • One way an organization can show they value excellence in every role is to establish levels for each general position. For example, a machine shop may levels established as Apprentice, 1st Class and Journeyman. Accounting firms have associates, seniors, managers and partners. These levels are achieved through demonstrated performance and experience. Along with advancement comes additional perks, ie. partners fly first class, a Machinist 1st Class receives 2 weeks paid vacation. • Incentive pay is also a great way to reward performance while controlling the cost of benefits. For example, bonuses paid based on completing a project on time or attaining a specified sales level in a sense pay for themselves as the company shares its financial gain with those that produced the desired

outcome. It also serves to keep the person’s base pay constant which is the basis for paid vacation, paid holidays and payroll taxes.

Rich's StrengthFinder Test Results I took the StrengthsFinder test twice. The test results showed my dominant talents list in order as: 1st Test 2nd Test 1) Analytical 1) Analytical 2) Focus 2) Strategic 3) Relator 3) Relator 4) Strategic 4) Focus 5) Learner 5) Achiever •

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As the book says, they don't want people to take the test twice because the initial reaction to the questions is very important. I was able to convince the people at StrengthsFinder that I screwed up my test and they gave me a second user number. The results however confirm their position that when a person takes the test more than once the results do not change that much. Therefore, we have proof that the test is consistent. There are two differences between the results of the first test and the results of the second test. I discussed these differences with the people at StrengthsFinder. • For my fifth most dominant talent, Achiever popped in on the second test while Learner dropped out. This means that there is probably little difference between the talent level I possess between these two strengths. This also implies that I either have four truly dominant talents or six truly dominant talents. The results have been designed to show each person's top five because 90% of the population has their behavior dominated by their top five talents. I am in the 10% of the population that is dominated by four or six talents. • The order of Strategic and Focus flip-flopped in rank from two to four. Obviously this means both themes are talents. It is just a matter of degrees which could have been affected by my mood when taking each test. I was told not to read too much into the change in rank. The person I talked to at StrengthsFinder said the Gallup Group will interpret test results further for a fee. Their analysis will discuss not only how the individual talents affect my behavior but how the different talents I possess interact. I was interested in this so I asked for an example of what this person was talking about. Off the top of her head she said something to the effect of: "The talents of Learner and Achiever aren't normally seen together because the two combine to create the talent of Input. But because of your Focus talent, you do not collect data, information or things just for the sake of collecting. You only Learn and/or Achieve in areas that are related to your goals and ambitions. Another thing that they may tell you is that your Focus and Relator talents would indicate you are not a good candidate to be a sales person unless the position was set up for relationship selling to a handful of large accounts. From a managerial standpoint, your Analytical, Strategic and Focus talents will combine to give you quick understanding of “what” to do. However you are limited in your ability to implement the “what” because you work best in small numbers of people that you care about (Relator)." I thought this was pretty insightful for someone answering a customer service phone call and probably lacking a Phd in psychology.