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Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow
"From the author of the long-running # 1 bestseller StrengthsFinder 2.0 comes a landmark study of great leaders, teams, and the reasons why people follow.
Nearly a decade ago, Gallup unveiled the results of a landmark 30-year research project that ignited a global conversation on the topic of strengths. More than 3 million people have since taken Gallup's StrengthsFinder assessment, which forms the core of several books on this topic, including the #1 international bestseller StrengthsFinder 2.0.
In recent years, while continuing to learn more about strengths, Gallup scientists have also been examining decades of data on the topic of leadership. They studied more than 1 million work teams, conducted more than 20,000 in-depth interviews with leaders, and even interviewed more than 10,000 followers around the world to ask exactly why they followed the most important leader in their life.
In Strengths Based Leadership, #1 New York Times bestselling author Tom Rath and renowned leadership consultant Barry Conchie reveal the results of this research. Based on their discoveries, the book identifies three keys to being a more effective leader: knowing your strengths and investing in others' strengths, getting people with the right strengths on your team, and understanding and meeting the four basic needs of those who look to you for leadership.
As you read Strengths Based Leadership, you'll hear firsthand accounts from some of the most successful organizational leaders in recent history, from the founder of Teach For America to the president of The Ritz-Carlton, as they discuss how their unique strengths have driven their success. Filled with novel research and actionable ideas, Strengths Based Leadership will give you a new road map for leading people toward a better future. "
Nearly a decade ago, Gallup unveiled the results of a landmark 30-year research project that ignited a global conversation on the topic of strengths. More than 3 million people have since taken Gallup's StrengthsFinder assessment, which forms the core of several books on this topic, including the #1 international bestseller StrengthsFinder 2.0.
In recent years, while continuing to learn more about strengths, Gallup scientists have also been examining decades of data on the topic of leadership. They studied more than 1 million work teams, conducted more than 20,000 in-depth interviews with leaders, and even interviewed more than 10,000 followers around the world to ask exactly why they followed the most important leader in their life.
In Strengths Based Leadership, #1 New York Times bestselling author Tom Rath and renowned leadership consultant Barry Conchie reveal the results of this research. Based on their discoveries, the book identifies three keys to being a more effective leader: knowing your strengths and investing in others' strengths, getting people with the right strengths on your team, and understanding and meeting the four basic needs of those who look to you for leadership.
As you read Strengths Based Leadership, you'll hear firsthand accounts from some of the most successful organizational leaders in recent history, from the founder of Teach For America to the president of The Ritz-Carlton, as they discuss how their unique strengths have driven their success. Filled with novel research and actionable ideas, Strengths Based Leadership will give you a new road map for leading people toward a better future. "
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 6, 2007
693 people are currently reading
9933 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 493 reviews
August 23, 2010
How is this a book? No, I am seriously asking. I have no problems with the material in the book. In fact it seems to be a good follow up to First Break All The Rules. The problem is tht there are about 45 pages of book and the rest is a couple of case studeis and then all about the categories. And not in an indepth way...more in a useless bulleted overview way. This book had potential but ended up feeling like a bloated magazine quiz. This never needed to be anything more than the website with quiz.
October 3, 2018
In my honest opinion, I feel like this book is worse than astrology (which I don't believe is true, but I think people can have fun with) because at least astrology isn't something that is presented as objective categories that can be applied in the workplace, so you don't end up being required to chart your astrological signs for your job and then have people examine how you fit into your workplace as an Aries with a team of a Sagittarius, a Gemini, and a Leo, or determine how to "balance" your team if you are too heavy on Virgos.
The "Strengths" categories are intensely broad, so much so that most people can find a way to fit themselves into most categories if they are determined enough to do so. In fact, I accidentally thought that one of the Strengths was mine when it wasn't: I remembered that I had two "I" strengths in Strategic Thinking, skimmed the descriptions, found one that sounded like me, thought, "oh, that's one of them," referred back to my results, and discovered that this one was was the one "I" strength in Strategic Thinking that I hadn't received. Furthermore, they are also incredibly positive, so people are likely to buy into being told that this is something that applies to them and are unlikely to look for reasons to object to applying the Strength to them; who is going to want to object to being told they are "Responsible," even if they aren't? This is good in a way, though, as if you're being required to do this for a job, your job is less likely to penalize you for anything this test spits out for you. It's not undoable (if they want someone who is "Adaptive" and you don't fit the bill, you're screwed), but this test isn't going to tell you that you're irresponsible, so yay, I guess.
Furthermore, this book is full of insistence that what good leaders should do as a moral issue is what good leaders must do in order to be successful. For example, it talks about about the value of compassion for your followers. And while I absolutely agree that this is a good and moral thing, it was a really weird thing to read because some of the most successful companies in existence are massively uncompassionate to their employees, and the company that originally forced me to read this book was known for treating its employees poorly. The disconnect was and is jarring.
I've been required to take a lot of these personality inventory things throughout my life (companies seem to love them), and they don't work, aren't stable, aren't objective, and fall out of favor quickly. My view of this one is no more positive.
Also, a good chunk of the book isn't narrative, but is lists about about dealing with the various types of leader types.
The "Strengths" categories are intensely broad, so much so that most people can find a way to fit themselves into most categories if they are determined enough to do so. In fact, I accidentally thought that one of the Strengths was mine when it wasn't: I remembered that I had two "I" strengths in Strategic Thinking, skimmed the descriptions, found one that sounded like me, thought, "oh, that's one of them," referred back to my results, and discovered that this one was was the one "I" strength in Strategic Thinking that I hadn't received. Furthermore, they are also incredibly positive, so people are likely to buy into being told that this is something that applies to them and are unlikely to look for reasons to object to applying the Strength to them; who is going to want to object to being told they are "Responsible," even if they aren't? This is good in a way, though, as if you're being required to do this for a job, your job is less likely to penalize you for anything this test spits out for you. It's not undoable (if they want someone who is "Adaptive" and you don't fit the bill, you're screwed), but this test isn't going to tell you that you're irresponsible, so yay, I guess.
Furthermore, this book is full of insistence that what good leaders should do as a moral issue is what good leaders must do in order to be successful. For example, it talks about about the value of compassion for your followers. And while I absolutely agree that this is a good and moral thing, it was a really weird thing to read because some of the most successful companies in existence are massively uncompassionate to their employees, and the company that originally forced me to read this book was known for treating its employees poorly. The disconnect was and is jarring.
I've been required to take a lot of these personality inventory things throughout my life (companies seem to love them), and they don't work, aren't stable, aren't objective, and fall out of favor quickly. My view of this one is no more positive.
Also, a good chunk of the book isn't narrative, but is lists about about dealing with the various types of leader types.
December 29, 2012
I read this books as part of a reading group at work. It is a mediocre book with highly valuable information if you are willing to dig through the business speak and find it. As such, reading it in a group worked well. At our meetings, we were able to weed out the valuable information.
The theme of this book is that people do best when they focus on their strengths. This flies in the face of much popular wisdom which says that you should work to improve in your weakest areas. Instead, the authors of this book are of the opinion that focusing on your weaknesses will, at best, bring you up to mediocre. Focusing on those areas where you have natural talent and passion will bring success. They say that successful teams are balanced, but successful individuals invest in developing their unique talents.
Strengths Finder 2.0 has the word "strength" in the title, but it is actually about talent themes. A strength is what you get when you combine a talent theme with certain skills and knowledge. Strengths change over the years but talent themes tend to be fairly stable. The book has a brief introductory section followed by a catalog of talent themes. The catalog discusses how each talent theme can be applied to leading others.
To help you determine your talent themes, this book comes with a one time use code (i.e., never buy these books used) which gives you access to an online quiz which determines your strengths. Unlike some personality tests, this one is based off of years worth of research by Gallup. The result of the quiz is your type five talent themes. If you want to know how the other 29 talent themes rank, you have to pay Gallup a whole lot of money. Annoying.
Each talent theme is highly specific and actionable. This list of the short descriptions gives some idea of their specificity, but the descriptions in the book have more information that make it clear that some talent themes fit you well and others are terrible (even though you might want to have it). My top five talent themes are, in order, Input, Intellection, Learner, Harmony, and Responsibility.
Like any program, the real value is proportional to the amount of time you are willing to put into it. The answers the books give you are just a start. I found my talent themes to be valuable starting points in figuring out how I could really apply my strengths to my job.
If you aren't a leader or are interested in exploring the talent themes in more depth, I recommend StrengthsFinder 2.0 by the same group.
(Note, when I wrote this in summary in 2010, I felt it was 1 star. I have not gone back and reevaluated the book since I took on a formal leadership position at work.)
The theme of this book is that people do best when they focus on their strengths. This flies in the face of much popular wisdom which says that you should work to improve in your weakest areas. Instead, the authors of this book are of the opinion that focusing on your weaknesses will, at best, bring you up to mediocre. Focusing on those areas where you have natural talent and passion will bring success. They say that successful teams are balanced, but successful individuals invest in developing their unique talents.
Strengths Finder 2.0 has the word "strength" in the title, but it is actually about talent themes. A strength is what you get when you combine a talent theme with certain skills and knowledge. Strengths change over the years but talent themes tend to be fairly stable. The book has a brief introductory section followed by a catalog of talent themes. The catalog discusses how each talent theme can be applied to leading others.
To help you determine your talent themes, this book comes with a one time use code (i.e., never buy these books used) which gives you access to an online quiz which determines your strengths. Unlike some personality tests, this one is based off of years worth of research by Gallup. The result of the quiz is your type five talent themes. If you want to know how the other 29 talent themes rank, you have to pay Gallup a whole lot of money. Annoying.
Each talent theme is highly specific and actionable. This list of the short descriptions gives some idea of their specificity, but the descriptions in the book have more information that make it clear that some talent themes fit you well and others are terrible (even though you might want to have it). My top five talent themes are, in order, Input, Intellection, Learner, Harmony, and Responsibility.
Like any program, the real value is proportional to the amount of time you are willing to put into it. The answers the books give you are just a start. I found my talent themes to be valuable starting points in figuring out how I could really apply my strengths to my job.
If you aren't a leader or are interested in exploring the talent themes in more depth, I recommend StrengthsFinder 2.0 by the same group.
(Note, when I wrote this in summary in 2010, I felt it was 1 star. I have not gone back and reevaluated the book since I took on a formal leadership position at work.)
May 2, 2019
This book and related quiz is probably just about as accurate as astrology. At least I'm not expected to utilize my zodiac sign at work though and talk about it at staff development seminars. If anyone wants a copy, there's a free one in my trash can.
January 30, 2016
The psych major in me is interested in personality inventories, so the StrengthsFinder assessment was intriguing to me. I can't really judge if the results were absolutely accurate for me; most of my top five "themes" fit me, but I think that I could feel that way about several of the other themes described in the book too. I like the idea of knowing your own and other people's strengths, capitalizing on them, and finding people with different strengths to round out a team. It would be easy to simply move on after taking this assessment and reading this book. I am hoping that discussion with colleagues at LCPS will contribute to a more lasting takeaway.
September 1, 2024
1.5 but rounding up to 2 bc “personality tests” are fun and silly. Skimmed through this book in one sitting. My boss gave our whole team this book to read and we’re all taking/retaking the “strengths finder” quiz to chat about our team’s strengths as they’re thinking about ANOTHER re-org structure — so that should be fun. Tbh this book gave me the ick and made me feel like I was a business bro. Can’t wait to share my thoughts at our next team meeting!
January 6, 2015
This book breaks the conventional wisdom that people should fix their weaknesses and become well-rounded.
Rather, it advocates a different approach that people should lean forward their strengths. Great leaders have the acute awareness of their strengths as well as their weaknesses. But they don't struggle to fix their weaknesses, instead they find the complements. This way, they build strong, well-rounded teams.
This book also comes with an extra book about themes of strengths, how to leverage them and even what should do if you have an subordinate gifted with those strengths.
Rather, it advocates a different approach that people should lean forward their strengths. Great leaders have the acute awareness of their strengths as well as their weaknesses. But they don't struggle to fix their weaknesses, instead they find the complements. This way, they build strong, well-rounded teams.
This book also comes with an extra book about themes of strengths, how to leverage them and even what should do if you have an subordinate gifted with those strengths.
April 2, 2019
This was powerful!! When I became a PaY advisor, I was given this book along with a code to take the Gallup Clifton Strengths test. At first I wasn't clear on what it all meant, but once I took the test and starting reading about my top five strengths, my life all of a sudden came into bright focus. NO WONDER I AM WHO I AM! Seems dumb, right? I mean really, we ALL know what we are good at and what we are not good at, but once you can "SEE" right in front of you the strengths that you possess, if pulls everything in. WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE GREAT AT EVERYTHING. AND, YOU NEVER WILL BE!!! We aren't meant to be - we are humans that need to be around and use strengths of other humans. The best leaders are those that understand their own strengths while capitalizing on the strengths of others to make their team a strong and powerful one. DUH!!! This one really helped me in the fact that I NEED to be great at my 2-3 things, BUT I need to then find and seek out help fron the others in areas that I need it:)!!!
January 1, 2025
If you’re the type of person who believes in things like Myers Briggs or personality types, this book extends that philosophy into the workplace - everyone has certain natural talents, strengths. When placed in a role that maximizes those strengths, we find personal success and bring success for our organization.
If you are the type of person who finds things like personality quizzes to be nothing more than astrology, you won’t get much out of this book.
Read this book as part of a book club at work.
If you are the type of person who finds things like personality quizzes to be nothing more than astrology, you won’t get much out of this book.
Read this book as part of a book club at work.
February 3, 2025
I appreciate strengths finder, but I don’t know that this book offered that much more than can be found elsewhere. Half of the book is a breakdown of each theme - this in particular is not a unique contribution.
December 29, 2011
My brother is in town and while we were out and about he mentioned that he read this book first within a management program at work and then again within a service group at his church. As he was talking about it, it seemed as if there were many things that would interest me that go along with the themes in the book. Obviously, from the title you can see that the book focuses on finding your personal strengths as a leader. I picked it up and read it very quickly...one night.
Debbie, you would understand...I have highlighter marks, post-its and pencil marks in the margins.
This was such a good time for me to read this book! I have no other responsibilities pulling at me right now, so I could actually spend the time reading and thinking. It affected me a few different ways and in in different applications, but all related to how I think about special education (since that is where I spend most of my leadership skills).
First, a friend and I just finished running a "Christmas Camp" for girls with mild to moderate disabilities and their siblings. If this actually turns into something that we continue with, the book would be a great discussion point for us to delineate responsibilities of running camps and activities.
Second, I'd love for my two assistants to read this book and then have the three of us talk about classroom climate and goals. While we typically think of teaching assistants in a "followers" role, the reality is, in the classroom to children, they are leaders. The two ladies I work with are quite talented and compassionate so they no doubt have leadership qualities.
Third, I'd like to e-mail the author and have some discussions on creating a strengths finder for children. The kids in my class are there based on their deficits. At the age they are, (8 and 9) they are starting to become very socially aware that they are in a "special" class. I hate this aspect of my job. I can tell them all of the strengths that I see, but they (much like adults and society) want "proof." I think a strengths finder assessment for children would be beneficial!
There is a quote in the book that struck me: "At a very basic level, it is hard to build self-confidence when we are focused on our weaknesses instead of our strengths." When I think about this in terms of a child who is living with a learning disability or an intellectual disability, it frustrates me. Our current special educational model is based upon what is impeding the child from learning rather than based upon building strengths of a child who is struggling. There's another educational researcher, Torgenson (I think), who through his research has found that the single most influential factor in future reading success is prior positive reading experiences. How do we know and understand the value of strengths based performance and positive experiences and yet we continue to operate on a deficit driven model and pounding away at weaknesses? Crazy!
Perhaps my above rant clearly shows my own inclinations towards "includer" and "maximizer," but I do find the book to be generally valuable to people who have any type of leadership role within a family, community or work environment.
Debbie, you would understand...I have highlighter marks, post-its and pencil marks in the margins.
This was such a good time for me to read this book! I have no other responsibilities pulling at me right now, so I could actually spend the time reading and thinking. It affected me a few different ways and in in different applications, but all related to how I think about special education (since that is where I spend most of my leadership skills).
First, a friend and I just finished running a "Christmas Camp" for girls with mild to moderate disabilities and their siblings. If this actually turns into something that we continue with, the book would be a great discussion point for us to delineate responsibilities of running camps and activities.
Second, I'd love for my two assistants to read this book and then have the three of us talk about classroom climate and goals. While we typically think of teaching assistants in a "followers" role, the reality is, in the classroom to children, they are leaders. The two ladies I work with are quite talented and compassionate so they no doubt have leadership qualities.
Third, I'd like to e-mail the author and have some discussions on creating a strengths finder for children. The kids in my class are there based on their deficits. At the age they are, (8 and 9) they are starting to become very socially aware that they are in a "special" class. I hate this aspect of my job. I can tell them all of the strengths that I see, but they (much like adults and society) want "proof." I think a strengths finder assessment for children would be beneficial!
There is a quote in the book that struck me: "At a very basic level, it is hard to build self-confidence when we are focused on our weaknesses instead of our strengths." When I think about this in terms of a child who is living with a learning disability or an intellectual disability, it frustrates me. Our current special educational model is based upon what is impeding the child from learning rather than based upon building strengths of a child who is struggling. There's another educational researcher, Torgenson (I think), who through his research has found that the single most influential factor in future reading success is prior positive reading experiences. How do we know and understand the value of strengths based performance and positive experiences and yet we continue to operate on a deficit driven model and pounding away at weaknesses? Crazy!
Perhaps my above rant clearly shows my own inclinations towards "includer" and "maximizer," but I do find the book to be generally valuable to people who have any type of leadership role within a family, community or work environment.
March 25, 2013
I would like to preface this review by explaining that I am moving to a leadership position at work, and my manager asked me if I had ever had any formal leadership or management training (I hadn't), and offered to send me to a seminar. As I would rather do just about anything than go to a business seminar (jargon-speak! icebreakers! introvert-torture!), I offered to read a bunch of leadership/management books on my own time and try to find a leadership mentor. This is the first attempt at part one.
The trouble with checking this book out at the library instead of buying a new copy is that mostly this book is a marketing package for the Strengthsfinder 2.0 profile. Which costs $9.99 without an unused code from the back of the book. Which I came very close to paying for. But then after reading the strengths descriptions at the back of this book, I came up with a list of strengths that I can almost guarantee would by my Top 5. (Belief, Consistency, Input, Learner, Relator). There were a few others that I felt drawn to, but mostly in the "I wish I were better at this" sense. But the majority were clearly not me.
Okay, I've already taken the VIA Signature Strengths survey, so I'm familiar with and appreciate the concept. (Of course those 34 strengths do not seem to have a 1:1 correspondence with Gallup's 34 strengths. (Seriously?! Then how did they both come up with 34?))
I don't know, this book did give me some things to think about as possible areas for future growth as a leader. And I suppose that's what I was looking for. But from the description, I was expecting more tips on assessing the strengths of your team, and what areas are missing, than the insinuation that you should pay to have them all take this test.
A mixed bag, but ultimately unfulfilling.
The trouble with checking this book out at the library instead of buying a new copy is that mostly this book is a marketing package for the Strengthsfinder 2.0 profile. Which costs $9.99 without an unused code from the back of the book. Which I came very close to paying for. But then after reading the strengths descriptions at the back of this book, I came up with a list of strengths that I can almost guarantee would by my Top 5. (Belief, Consistency, Input, Learner, Relator). There were a few others that I felt drawn to, but mostly in the "I wish I were better at this" sense. But the majority were clearly not me.
Okay, I've already taken the VIA Signature Strengths survey, so I'm familiar with and appreciate the concept. (Of course those 34 strengths do not seem to have a 1:1 correspondence with Gallup's 34 strengths. (Seriously?! Then how did they both come up with 34?))
I don't know, this book did give me some things to think about as possible areas for future growth as a leader. And I suppose that's what I was looking for. But from the description, I was expecting more tips on assessing the strengths of your team, and what areas are missing, than the insinuation that you should pay to have them all take this test.
A mixed bag, but ultimately unfulfilling.
September 4, 2014
Why follow leaders?
1. The most effective leaders are always investing in strengths.
2. The most effective leaders surround themselves with the right people and then maximize their team.
3. The most effective leaders understand their follower's needs.
2. Maximizing your team: 4 domains of leadership strength: executing, influencing, relationship building and strategic thinking
NO one is GOOD at all of these; idea is for team to be good at all.
- teams focus on results
- prioritize what's best for org and move forward
- members are committed to private lives along with work
- embrace diversity
- magnets for talent
Follower's 4 basic needs: trust, compassion, stability, and hope
2nd half of book is description of 34 themes of leadership style
effective leaders know who they are (strengths and weaknesses) and are true to that, have effective people around them and get others to follow, and see success as not only personal
1. The most effective leaders are always investing in strengths.
2. The most effective leaders surround themselves with the right people and then maximize their team.
3. The most effective leaders understand their follower's needs.
2. Maximizing your team: 4 domains of leadership strength: executing, influencing, relationship building and strategic thinking
NO one is GOOD at all of these; idea is for team to be good at all.
- teams focus on results
- prioritize what's best for org and move forward
- members are committed to private lives along with work
- embrace diversity
- magnets for talent
Follower's 4 basic needs: trust, compassion, stability, and hope
2nd half of book is description of 34 themes of leadership style
effective leaders know who they are (strengths and weaknesses) and are true to that, have effective people around them and get others to follow, and see success as not only personal
December 23, 2009
My new boss had Directors read this, with the personal self-assessment (new book purchase comes with a one-user only code to take the assessment on line - nice gimmick for sales). Basic premise is that you get more out of people in the work place if you emphasize getting them to do what they're already good at and succeed at; and the effort to correct weaknesses or strengthen vulnerabilities rarely pays off much. Very quick read for a management book (a good thing) with practical suggestions for working with, leading and following leaders with different dominant strenghts. I turned out to be very strong on strategic thinking with solid doses of achievement-orientation and relationship management skill.
July 14, 2018
I would strongly recommend taking the Strength Based Leadership Assessment BEFORE reading this book. It's a much more valuable read if you already know what your top five strengths are. This allows you to compare the leadership styles of the figures described in the book with your strengths in mind and makes for an intriguing read on how to most effectively lead organizations. Gallup has researched for decades on the specific traits that impactful leaders utilized to inspire, create, and lead. They've come up with 34 strengths that all fit into one of four different domains: Executing, Relationship Building, Influencing, and Strategic Thinking. A fantastic read for anyone looking to develop their leadership qualities!
*Read this as part of my MBA Curriculum*
*Read this as part of my MBA Curriculum*
August 12, 2015
This is a very good book. It goes along with the Clifton Strengths Finder survey (which is amazing). It gives many good insights into how to use your strengths to be a better leader and how to better lead people based on their specific strengths. Clifton identifies 34 themes/strengths, and the premise is to focus on strengths rather than on weaknesses. Try to focus on amplifying the points of your star rather than trying to be well rounded. That is the pathway to happiness and success. I need to re-read this and start putting it more into practice.
February 10, 2022
I tend to be skeptical of leadership and workplace-focused books, but this is pretty good and helpful. My employer paid for the book which came with the strengths finder test. I'm not sure that I would have thought it worth the $40 if I had paid for it myself. It reaffirmed my understanding of my own strengths, but the most helpful section in my opinion is near the end of the book where you can find how to lead individuals with certain strengths. I think this will help me to express what I need from my coworkers/supervisor.
January 16, 2015
An excellent resource. This book and results are great tools, especially when used in a leadership seminar.
April 11, 2019
Was given this book in work and told to read so we could best determine our strengths to be better leaders. Allegedly, a whole bunch of other managers in the building had already read the book and had learned from it. Unfortunately, it had to have been pretty shallow learning...
The aim of this book is not to clue you in on what the different strengths of leadership are, or how to identify them or how to apply them in your life. It is largely an abstract outline of what the different categories of strengths are bulked out by a few cherry picked case studies that are as idiosyncratic as the type of studies this books thesis is meant to disprove.
The real aim of this book is to basically sell you on the online test at the end of the book. There's a coupon for 1 taking of the test. In the copy we've been passing around work - no one has yet used the coupon for the test. It is allegedly too expensive to pay for the whole leadership team to take this test so I guess reading an ad for the test was determined to be the next best thing.
I'm going to use the coupon after I post this review and become the best leader in my workplace.
I'll update this review in 6 months if I make it to CEO...
The aim of this book is not to clue you in on what the different strengths of leadership are, or how to identify them or how to apply them in your life. It is largely an abstract outline of what the different categories of strengths are bulked out by a few cherry picked case studies that are as idiosyncratic as the type of studies this books thesis is meant to disprove.
The real aim of this book is to basically sell you on the online test at the end of the book. There's a coupon for 1 taking of the test. In the copy we've been passing around work - no one has yet used the coupon for the test. It is allegedly too expensive to pay for the whole leadership team to take this test so I guess reading an ad for the test was determined to be the next best thing.
I'm going to use the coupon after I post this review and become the best leader in my workplace.
I'll update this review in 6 months if I make it to CEO...
December 21, 2022
The book itself is only 97 pages (and the majority is centered around four case studies exemplifying the four themes: Executing, Influencing, Relationship-Building, and Strategizing), followed by an 'additional resources' section describing each of the 34 Clifton Strengths and how to lead with those strengths. This makes it a short but not particularly insightful read. I think the biggest takeaway for me is to remember that people do not have to be good at everything (ie all the stereotypical leadership characteristics) in order to be good leaders.
However, I actually love the Clifton Strengths assessment itself (this book includes an access code) and have found my own strengths extremely accurately described. So, two stars for the book, +1 because the assessment is my favorite 'personality test' / leadership assessment I've taken.
However, I actually love the Clifton Strengths assessment itself (this book includes an access code) and have found my own strengths extremely accurately described. So, two stars for the book, +1 because the assessment is my favorite 'personality test' / leadership assessment I've taken.
June 20, 2023
Had to read this for a class. Can't say I'm much of a leadership book kinda guy, but this was much better than I was expecting. Half of the book is just a narrative which is short and sweet, straight to the point, and uses a lot of data to back up the claims that they make (I appreciate that v much).
This book is coupled with an online personality test and gives you your top 5 strengths as a leader. The second half of the book explains all the 34 strengths in detail. I typically dislike personality tests bc I think they are rather reductive (enneagram 🤮🤢), but this book was pretty good - I really liked how this book focuses on strengths and not weaknesses and how that theory is backed up with data. Can't say I would've ever picked up this book if it wasn't a requisite for my class, but it was still decent.
This book is coupled with an online personality test and gives you your top 5 strengths as a leader. The second half of the book explains all the 34 strengths in detail. I typically dislike personality tests bc I think they are rather reductive (enneagram 🤮🤢), but this book was pretty good - I really liked how this book focuses on strengths and not weaknesses and how that theory is backed up with data. Can't say I would've ever picked up this book if it wasn't a requisite for my class, but it was still decent.
October 7, 2019
Thousands of people were surveyed regarding what they thought were the most important concepts of leadership. The four concepts that appeared the most were trust, compassion, stability, and hope. No matter what one's CliftonStrengths are, the focus on establishing and strengthening these four concepts have inspired more leaders. The book supplements how to be a leader with one's strengths in its appendix, and also features profiles of leaders with particular strengths in each of the four overarching themes.
I'm probably not going to be a consistent leader, but knowing about my strengths and focusing on developing myself towards leadership will definitely help me be a better person. That's the strength of this book.
I'm probably not going to be a consistent leader, but knowing about my strengths and focusing on developing myself towards leadership will definitely help me be a better person. That's the strength of this book.
August 25, 2021
I was given this book (along with the code to take the accompanying strengths test) when I started working for the public library. I really enjoyed taking and seeing the results of the test, reflecting on how my strengths manifest in my life and work. I think it is a valuable tool for team building and can be used to determine who you may delegate certain responsibilities to from a management position. That being said, the content of the book (while valuable) probably could have been condensed into a PowerPoint presentation rather than spread out into a whole book. Definitely learned from it, but at the end of the day I learned much more from taking the test than I did from reading the book.
January 13, 2023
It was actually much shorter than I assumed a nearly 300 pg book would be. The bulk of the book focuses on the StrengthsFinder/CliftonStrengths assessment and the results of said assessment, so if you haven't taken that quiz, the majority of the book won't be that helpful for you. I got the book from the library, so there wasn't a way for me to take the quiz, however, if you purchase the book, they give you an access code for it. The rest of the book focuses on some of the results of research Gallup has done on leadership and major takeaways. That was interesting and could have broader appeal.
January 20, 2025
This book was very well written and made easy to understand. I feel like some "self-help" or "leadership" books try to overcomplicate what they are trying to get across, however this one was just the opposite. It was as straight forward and honest as it could have been. Great pointers in there and tips for what a strong leader or leadership group looks like. Really enjoyed the results from the quiz too. I saw it to be pretty accurate and helpful for my individual type of leadership.
October 10, 2019
The assessment itself is interesting, but I agree with other reviewers that this book is mostly useless. It only actually has about one short article's worth of information, plus bulleted blurbs about each strength that really belong online to accompany the assessment. The hardcover book I have is a waste of dead trees.
January 7, 2023
GREAT CONTENT!!! I’m a firm believer in the message of the book. How well rounded teams are comprised of individuals with a broad spectrum of strengths. How focusing on your own strengths and developing them improves your self-confidence. While focusing on your weaknesses brings your confidence down. Love love love this book.
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September 6, 2023There is, like, a thimble full of content in this. Barely. I was mostly relieved since it was required reading for work and I was able to get it done in about 45 minutes. Since I've already had one co-worker approach me unhappy in their CliftonStrengths answers, at least after reading this I can offer some placating words/advice beyond, "Yes, it's lame."
Also, I hope the business books I select for my library have a wee bit more content (at first I was slightly worried I hadn't selected this for my library, then once I read it, incredibly relieved I hadn't wasted any money on it).
Also, I hope the business books I select for my library have a wee bit more content (at first I was slightly worried I hadn't selected this for my library, then once I read it, incredibly relieved I hadn't wasted any money on it).
November 28, 2017
Straight forward analysis of the meaning of leadership, followed by a wide range of types of leaders, this book presents the relationship between leaders and followers, the values that could help you be not only a great leader, but also a great person.
January 27, 2021
Of all the “personality” tests I’ve taken, I had the most disagreements on aspects of this one; however, in discussions with my team and reviewing the book, I found some merit in a few of my attributes. The first half of the book was very insightful and where I’ll pull the majority of my lessons.
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