Now, Discover Your Strengths looks at why most employee development is wrong. Organisations focus on weaknesses and offer training to overcome these. Development should promote and increase natural talents aiming to get the most out of individuals and teams.
With the nation’s skills shortage being debated is it not vital that we understand our skills and strengths? Marcus Buckingham and Donald O.Clifton wrote this book;
“To start a revolution, the strengths revolution. The great organisation must not only accommodate the fact each employee is different, it must capitalise on these differences.”
This book offers a practical guide about “How you can build a strength-based organisation”, proposing staff selection models, theme inventories of the organisation and linking talents to performance. I didn’t read this book with organisational development in mind, however it was interesting to discover how this model could be used towards business objectives.
I discovered my most prominent themes are:
- Developer
- Positivity
- Learner
- Includes
- Activator
Has this surprised me…? Not really, I work in training, am passionate about development and am keen to encourage organisations and individuals to grow.
I am proud that positivity and includer are mentioned meaning I am accepting of everyone and can use my enthusiasm to get others excited about ideas.
The Activator theme explains why I get so impatient and aways want to ‘crack on’ with a project.
“You may concede that analysis has its uses or that debate and discussion can occasionally yield some valuable insights, but deep down you know that only action is real. Only action can make things happen. Only action leads to performance. Once a decision is made, you cannot not act.”
I can now focus on my strengths and develop these themes to become my strongest assets.
One thing the book has confirmed… the tagline for this blog is accurate for me!
Focus 'n Develop 