Now, Discover Your Strengths, Book Review (Your Natural Superpowers!)

 Who are you?  What are your inherent, natural super powers?

This is one of the best books and assessments for adults that I have come across that can be done in a short period of time.   It's a simple system---you buy the book---I would recommend New instead of Used, as the New book has a sealed online code for you to enter into the website.  You enter your code on the website and you're launched into a a test that takes about 45 minutes but at the end you come out with a personalized report on your Themes Strengths.  I started using this assessment about 6 years ago when I was looking for ways to help young adults quantify their talents in an objective way.  I could tell them what I saw in them but that had the problem of not being accurate or being biased.  The Gallup Organization (yes, that Gallup polling organization) creator Donald O. Clifton, the father of positive psychology, thought one of the motivations that people could find of use was knowing what they were good at, why and how that looks in the world.

I give this assessment to a few students, even one of my students, who adamantly refused to read anything more than a paragraph or two at a time---he sits and does the test, prints it out and he is suddenly unveiled to himself!  He took the book home and read it in one night he was enamoured and more importantly, spoken to by the text.  I knew I was on to something so I started personally buying copies and giving the assessment to as many of my students at programs, non profits, universities that I could (yeah, I have a close relationship with Amazon.com) and I saw an AMAZING increase in their self-esteem and then that translating into their ability to apply for jobs/career advancement (they use the Themes in their resume objectives); application to college; relationship balancing and discussions between themselves and partners; helping their children move through high school and into college.

This is an incredible tool to help you invigorate yourself, evaluate yourself and more importantly use the information and your Gallup Organization membership with helpful articles and chat rooms and national organizations/meetings that can help you enhance yourself to your true potential.  I even use it with children (you can use it at around age 9 to 12 years old as a start point because they have to be able to understand themselves and their perspective on other people) because it allows you to identify, as I term it to them, super powers.  Below are a list of the Themes/Strengths that when you take the test you're ranked 5 highest against.

Also a huge shout out of tremendous teaching ability to Marcus Buckingham who is a fantastic teacher and presenter and I use his work in my professional development workshops.  I'll do future posts him singularly as he has a great body of work.


Kyle Phoenix
kylephoenixshow@aol.com
http://kylephoenixsite.com/
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34 Themes/Strengths

Achiever®	People strong in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.
Activator®	People strong in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.
Adaptability®	People strong in the Adaptability theme prefer to "go with the flow." They tend to be "now" people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.
Analytical®	People strong in the Analytical theme search for reasons and causes. They have the ability to think about all the factors that might affect a situation.
ArrangerTM	People strong in the Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibility that complements this ability. They like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.
Belief®	People strong in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.
Command®	People strong in the Command theme have presence. They can take control of a situation and make decisions.
Communication®	People strong in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.
Competition®	People strong in the Competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.
Connectedness®	People strong in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links between all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has a reason.
Consistency® / FairnessTM	People strong in the Consistency theme (also called Fairness in the first StrengthsFinder assessment) are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same. They try to treat everyone in the world fairly by setting up clear rules and adhering to them.
Context®	People strong in the Context theme enjoy thinking about the past. They understand the present by researching its history.
Deliberative®	People strong in the Deliberative theme are best described by the serious care they take in making decisions or choices. They anticipate the obstacles.
Developer®	People strong in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements.
DisciplineTM	People strong in the Discipline theme enjoy routine and structure. Their world is best described by the order they create.
EmpathyTM	People strong in the Empathy theme can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others' lives or others' situations.
FocusTM	People strong in the Focus theme can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. They prioritize, then act.
Futuristic®	People strong in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be. They inspire others with their visions of the future.
Harmony®	People strong in the Harmony theme look for consensus. They don't enjoy conflict; rather, they seek areas of agreement.
Ideation®	People strong in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.
Inclusiveness® / Includer®	People strong in the Inclusiveness theme are accepting of others. They show awareness of those who feel left out, and make an effort to include them.
Individualization®	People strong in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.
Input®	People strong in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.
Intellection®	People strong in the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions.
Learner®	People strong in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
Maximizer®	People strong in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.
Positivity®	People strong in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.
Relator®	People who are strong in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
Responsibility®	People strong in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.
Restorative®	People strong in the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it.
Self-Assurance®	People strong in the Self-assurance theme feel confident in their ability to manage their own lives. They possess an inner compass that gives them confidence that their decisions are right.
Significance®	People strong in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.
StrategicTM	People strong in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.
Woo®	People strong in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.