Strength Based Leadership

As I was browsing the shelves at a Waldons Bookstore recently, I saw the book Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author. I remembered that I had a copy of that book in my office and decided to take a look at it again. I was also interested because the Alexandria Technical College in my area is currently offering NAVIGATE Your Talents – Strength-Based Leadership using these resources. Check it out at www.alextech.edu/CustomizedTraining.

The premise in a nutshell is the idea that by developing our "strengths" rather than focusing on our weaknesses we are more productive, engaged and positive people.

Using studies by Gallup, Tom’s team created a language of the 34 most common talents and developed the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment to help people discover and describe their talents. Check out the website for more information and how to take the assessment at www.strengthsfinder.com.

Gallup has surveyed more than 10 million people in the past decade on the topic of employee engagement and only 1/3 agreed that at work they have the opportunity to do what they do best everyday. He goes on to say that in contrast, studies show that people who do have the opportunity to focus on their strengths are 6 times more likely to be engaged in their jobs and more than 3 times as likely to report they having an excellent quality of life.

Could this be the tool your organization is looking for in 2010 to help your organization thrive?

Holly Witt
NRS, Alexandria Charter