When the StrengthsFinder test was first offered in the book, Now, Discover Your Strengths, by the researchers at Gallup in 2001, it was hailed as a paradigm shifter. The concept of focusing on our talents (strengths) rather than our weaknesses has helped millions of people to discover more effectively focus on their strengths and apply them in their work and personal lives.

In 2007, a new edition of the assessment, program, and website, dubbed StrengthsFinder 2.0. was released and it has become one of the most widely read and recommended books in the business world. Thousands of leaders, from small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations, purchase the book in bulk quantities and often mandate that employees take the test and read the book. In fact, many of these businesses go one step beyond the self-improvement premise of the book and ask employees to share their strengths with their coworkers and managers, even going so far as to require each person’s strengths to be posted on office doors and cubicle walls.

So the question remains, is the StrengthsFinder as relevant today as it was 15 years ago? It surely is! 

The world of business and our world as a whole can only benefit from people who have more insight into themselves and others around them.

And that is exactly what the book and test does so well, it teaches you about yourself in a way that you can understand. It also addresses a major problem that has existed in our business world for too long, leaders who spend their careers trying to fit people into positions that they will never be good at or, even if they become proficient, will hate doing it everyday.

As a bookseller, I have recommended StrengthsFinder 2.0 hundreds of times and many of those purchasers have come back to buy bulk copies again and again. Is this book making the world a better place? I sure hope so. But like anything, a tool like this is only good if it is put to use. And once the book is read and the test is taken it is up to each individual to digest it, apply it and reinforce what they have learned on a daily basis for it to make the true difference that the authors intended.

Have you read StrengthsFinder 2.0? I encourage you to share your thoughts with us.

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