Business

Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance

Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance

  • Downloads：3109
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-03-08 06:54:36
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Marcus Buckingham
  • ISBN：0743261682
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Marcus Buckingham’s books have guided millions to become top performers in everything they do by focusing on their strengths。 In Go Put Your Strengths to Work， a Wall Street Journal bestseller， Buckingham will show you how to hone and apply your strengths for maximum success in your career。

Research data show that most people do not come close to making full use of their assets at work—in fact， only seventeen percent of the workforce believe they use all of their strengths on the job。 Go Put Your Strengths to Work aims to change that through a six-step， six-week experience that will reveal the hidden dimensions of your strengths。 Buckingham shows you how to seize control of your assets and rewrite your job description under the nose of your boss。 You will learn:

-Why your strengths aren't “what you are good at” and your weaknesses aren’t “what you are bad at。”
-How to use the four telltale signs to identify your strengths。
-The simple steps you can take each week to push your time at work toward those activities that strengthen you and away from those that don’t。
-How to talk to your boss and your colleagues about your strengths without sounding like you’re bragging and about your weaknesses without sounding like you’re whining。
-The fifteen-minute weekly ritual that will keep you on your strengths path your entire career。

With structured exercises that will become part of your regular workweek and proven tactics from people who have successfully applied the book's lessons， Go Put Your Strengths to Work will arm you with a radically different approach to your work life。 As part of the book's program you'll take an online Strengths Engagement Track， a focused and powerful gauge that has proven to be the best way to measure the level of engagement of your strengths or your team's strengths。 You can also download the first two segments of the renowned companion film series Trombone Player Wanted。

Go Put Your Strengths to Work will open up exciting uncharted territory for you and your organization。 Join the strengths movement and thrive。

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Reviews

Carolyn ，

I need to stop thinking that straight white cis men have advice for me。

Meagan ，

I think I would have enjoyed this read more if I'd read it closer to its original release date--namely， when SimplyStrengths。com was still an active site （it's since been replaced， with only limited functionality and resources available）。 So much of the content is dependent on and fleshed out by material presumably on the website at that time。BUT， that being said， there's still a lot to enjoy and glean from this read。 It's practical and applicable， especially if you've read the other books in th I think I would have enjoyed this read more if I'd read it closer to its original release date--namely， when SimplyStrengths。com was still an active site （it's since been replaced， with only limited functionality and resources available）。 So much of the content is dependent on and fleshed out by material presumably on the website at that time。BUT， that being said， there's still a lot to enjoy and glean from this read。 It's practical and applicable， especially if you've read the other books in the series （First， Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently and Now， Discover Your Strengths: The revolutionary Gallup program that shows you how to develop your unique talents and strengths。 This is where the rubber truly meets the road。 。。。more

Patricia N。 McLaughlin ，

The author’s annoying British accent made this audiobook difficult to listen to。 Buckingham’s thesis is simplistic: Identify your strengths and organize work activities around those strengths; delete or minimize the those activities that weaken you or feel like a waste of time and talent。

Piritta ，

3½ stars。 A truly practical approach to handling work-life-performance hiccups and larger issues。 I learned about Buckingham through Oprah， and it was quite nice to have him read this book himself， as the stresses and highlights were where they were supposed to be。 Of course， this kind of book is more practical as a hardcover copy， but the listening experience was not bad either。

Kimberly ，

Good， practical tips for playing to your strengths

J。A。R ，

The book is more for people ahead in their careers。 However， the assessments are really cool。

KT ，

Better than most books of this ilk because it didn't involve taking an online， one-time-use-code computer test （hard to do with a library book） or just assume that you're all set once you've identified your strengths。 This book focuses on what to do next--how to shape your work around those strengths （and minimizing the activities that are your weaknesses）， and even how to talk to your boss and colleagues about taking this approach。 Better than most books of this ilk because it didn't involve taking an online， one-time-use-code computer test （hard to do with a library book） or just assume that you're all set once you've identified your strengths。 This book focuses on what to do next--how to shape your work around those strengths （and minimizing the activities that are your weaknesses）， and even how to talk to your boss and colleagues about taking this approach。 。。。more

Gwendolyn Caithness Cameron ，

Retread of material published by other authors。

Amanda ，

This book is the sequel to "Now， Discover Your Strengths" and provides templates and examples for figuring out which tasks and activities represent your strengths and which represent your weaknesses。 I liked the offering of concrete steps to take， but I think I will probably need to reread and redo these steps in a few months， since many of my tasks and activities have changed due to COVID-19。 The reasoning sound， though， and I look forward to figuring out ways to play to my strengths once work This book is the sequel to "Now， Discover Your Strengths" and provides templates and examples for figuring out which tasks and activities represent your strengths and which represent your weaknesses。 I liked the offering of concrete steps to take， but I think I will probably need to reread and redo these steps in a few months， since many of my tasks and activities have changed due to COVID-19。 The reasoning sound， though， and I look forward to figuring out ways to play to my strengths once work goes back to "normal" （whatever that is！） 。。。more

Abbie Miller ，

I thought it was a well written and well laid out book。 It was easy to follow the prompts and cues。 However， for me personally， as someone who started a business using my strengths， it was tough to weed through the areas of the book that didn’t apply to me。 Normally I can still apply key concepts even if in a general sense。 This time， there were entire chapters devoted to handling co-workers and collaborating with employers to best utilize strengths and cope with weaknesses。 Overall， I appreciat I thought it was a well written and well laid out book。 It was easy to follow the prompts and cues。 However， for me personally， as someone who started a business using my strengths， it was tough to weed through the areas of the book that didn’t apply to me。 Normally I can still apply key concepts even if in a general sense。 This time， there were entire chapters devoted to handling co-workers and collaborating with employers to best utilize strengths and cope with weaknesses。 Overall， I appreciate the idea of working with strengths and outsourcing weaknesses。 I wish more people COULD do it。 This book surely could at least start the process。 If nothing else， this book has reinforced my appreciation for my strengths and the way I handle my weaknesses。 。。。more

Stefan Bruun ，

The book has a few good points， but falls a bit flat as it relies heavily on familiarity with previous books， but simultaneously doesn't want to repeat the content of those books （maybe trying to sell a few more？）。The book is heavily skewed to the perspective of an individual contributor rather than a manager。 Only half a chapter towards the end is dedicated to how to use the concepts for managers。 The book has a few good points， but falls a bit flat as it relies heavily on familiarity with previous books， but simultaneously doesn't want to repeat the content of those books （maybe trying to sell a few more？）。The book is heavily skewed to the perspective of an individual contributor rather than a manager。 Only half a chapter towards the end is dedicated to how to use the concepts for managers。 。。。more

Nathan Albright ，

As someone who is pretty fond of the Strengthsfinder test [1] and its implications， it was perhaps unsurprising that I would take to this book by one of the people involved in researching the test and would seek to ponder the way in which we can shape our lives around that which we do best。  The author comes off as being a bit whiny with his English accent， but his points are driven home with both logic and a fair amount of sarcasm and some strong analogical reasoning。  Throughout this book， ove As someone who is pretty fond of the Strengthsfinder test [1] and its implications， it was perhaps unsurprising that I would take to this book by one of the people involved in researching the test and would seek to ponder the way in which we can shape our lives around that which we do best。  The author comes off as being a bit whiny with his English accent， but his points are driven home with both logic and a fair amount of sarcasm and some strong analogical reasoning。  Throughout this book， over and over again， we see that the world as a whole doesn't care about your strengths and that it is the responsibility of people to communicate their strengths and weaknesses to others and to work to ensure that， as best as possible， they are able to manage their life to leverage their strength and to avoid their weaknesses。  That most people do not do this well is quite sad， and can even be the source of much of life's tragedy where people find that they are simply not in a place where they can do their best work， and do not always know how to find the right job that does play to their strengths in what they do day in and day out。This particular audiobook is in six discs and continually pushes the reader to act on what the author is saying。  The author refers over and over again to the Strengths finder website as well as to the various 。pdf files that are meant to encourage a practical response by the reader to discover their strengths as well as to deeply analyze their job and to think of creative ways， in cooperation with one's boss， to change the job to better capitalize on strengths and to minimize and avoid areas of weakness。  The argument the author uses， the productivity gains one has when doing what one is strong at and the losses in productivity that result in doing what weakens us， is one that is meant to resonate with employers focused on bottom line results （which is all them）， rather than to appeal to some sort of vagueish positive psychology。  The author uses his own stories as well as a few recurring examples， like a talented Hampton brand manager， to illustrate his points on how people can better work within their strengths and therefore achieve far more at work than they would otherwise， and the message the author has about making one's life better rather than seeking to leave jobs because of the frustration one has is certainly a message that will be welcome to employers and strengths-minded workers alike。Indeed， when reading this book I was struck by the way that managing any team or group effectively is rather like being an athletic coach。  Everyone has roles that they perform best in， and teams work best when people are placed where they can best succeed and then pushed to work hard within those roles。  One would stick a punter at left tackle and then berate him for not blocking well， nor would one expect a nose tackle to be a good placekicker and then be hard on him for missing field goals and extra points。  But why do we do that when it comes to the teams that work in or volunteer in， where people are told that doing what frustrates us will make us stronger or that we need to be well-rounded。  No one expects elite athletes to be well-rounded--rather we exploit the talents and strengths they have and make sure that the team as a whole is well-rounded。  Why don't we act that way when it comes to other areas of life？[1] See， for example:https://edgeinducedcohesion。blog/2017。。。https://edgeinducedcohesion。blog/2011。。。https://edgeinducedcohesion。blog/2011。。。https://edgeinducedcohesion。blog/2011。。。https://edgeinducedcohesion。blog/2011。。。 。。。more

Marianne Mullen ，

I definitely like the strength-based approach to work and how to think about strengths vs。 weaknesses。 I found the book easy to read， with concrete actions to help you discover your strengths and talk to you boss。 Good foundational book with plenty of resources for more information。

Rick ，

Not as powerful or insightful as some of his other books。 Pretty sure I wouldn't go to the extremes that he suggests。 Not as powerful or insightful as some of his other books。 Pretty sure I wouldn't go to the extremes that he suggests。 。。。more

Annie ，

I give this book 3。5 stars。 The idea makes sense - build on your strengths rather than work on your weaknesses。 This way， you go from good to great in using skills you enjoy。 Most managers focus on addressing employees' weaknesses， which just brings that particular skillset from terrible to bad。 The book expands on these steps to put your strengths to work:1。 Bust the myths （for example， you will grow by working on your weaknesses）。2。 Get clear on what your strengths are。3。 Free your strengths （ I give this book 3。5 stars。 The idea makes sense - build on your strengths rather than work on your weaknesses。 This way， you go from good to great in using skills you enjoy。 Most managers focus on addressing employees' weaknesses， which just brings that particular skillset from terrible to bad。 The book expands on these steps to put your strengths to work:1。 Bust the myths （for example， you will grow by working on your weaknesses）。2。 Get clear on what your strengths are。3。 Free your strengths （make the most of what strengthens you）。4。 Stop your weaknesses （cut out what weakens you）。5。 Speak up （let others know what your strengths are）。6。 Build strong habits （continually build on your strengths）。It's unfortunate that the book isn't better written and has better real-life examples。 Also， it uses mneomics that are forced to work， like 'SIGN' （which isn't memorable）:Success: Which activities do you do most successfully？Instinct: Which do you feel like doing most intuitively？Growth: Are you continually getting better in these activities， in an almost natural way？Needs: Do these activities matter to you， making you feel fulfilled and content？ 。。。more

Elitsa Ivanova ，

"Conventional wisdom tells us that out ideal job is far removed from our present situation， "out there" somewhere in a mythic world where we are our own boss， telecommuting from our cabin in the hills， doing what we love， making loads of money along the way， disturbed only by the whinnying of our horse and the scent of the wet trees"。 "Conventional wisdom tells us that out ideal job is far removed from our present situation， "out there" somewhere in a mythic world where we are our own boss， telecommuting from our cabin in the hills， doing what we love， making loads of money along the way， disturbed only by the whinnying of our horse and the scent of the wet trees"。 。。。more

Jeremy Vandelac ，

Im stuck between a 3 and a 4。 It has its moments， but to me it didnt quite hit my needs。 I feel that I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses。 I have put myself in place to use them as often as possible。 I think this is a great book for someone that may be looking for a life change， or isnt happy with their current situation， which would move it to that 4 spot。 Up and coming professionals should give this a try， maybe even young people that are torn about their future。 But for me， didnt do me m Im stuck between a 3 and a 4。 It has its moments， but to me it didnt quite hit my needs。 I feel that I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses。 I have put myself in place to use them as often as possible。 I think this is a great book for someone that may be looking for a life change， or isnt happy with their current situation， which would move it to that 4 spot。 Up and coming professionals should give this a try， maybe even young people that are torn about their future。 But for me， didnt do me much good。 。。。more

Cora ，

This book was okay。 I read it as part of a book club for work - the discussions we ended up having were excellent but the book itself was just okay。 It starts off sounding extremely promising and in theory most of it is very promising。 It can be very challenging to follow everything the book suggests to do but the least you can do is try and ask。 The book itself was a bit boring at times and seems like it could have been condensed。 Overall， it's a great thing to think about and consider （doing m This book was okay。 I read it as part of a book club for work - the discussions we ended up having were excellent but the book itself was just okay。 It starts off sounding extremely promising and in theory most of it is very promising。 It can be very challenging to follow everything the book suggests to do but the least you can do is try and ask。 The book itself was a bit boring at times and seems like it could have been condensed。 Overall， it's a great thing to think about and consider （doing more of what makes you strong and doing less of what makes you weak） but I'm not so sure I'd recommend this book。 Also， it mentions a SET （Strengths Engagement Track） survey but that is no longer available。。。 so all the parts of the book that talk about it are no long applicable。 。。。more

BookBec ，

A good central idea -- you'll do your best work when you feel engaged， strong， and successful -- but not very useful overall。 Why not？1。 Unsupported arguments。 The three myths in Step 1 refer lightly to some twin studies， but overall， the reasoning given against the myths （and elsewhere in the book） is largely "because I say so。"2。 Redefining ordinary terms。 Previously， this author collaborated on an assessment named the StrengthsFinder。 But now he says those aren't actually strengths， they're r A good central idea -- you'll do your best work when you feel engaged， strong， and successful -- but not very useful overall。 Why not？1。 Unsupported arguments。 The three myths in Step 1 refer lightly to some twin studies， but overall， the reasoning given against the myths （and elsewhere in the book） is largely "because I say so。"2。 Redefining ordinary terms。 Previously， this author collaborated on an assessment named the StrengthsFinder。 But now he says those aren't actually strengths， they're really talents， or "merely patterns。" For this book， he wants to redefine strengths。 His definition is very specific to your current job and your feelings。 Advice to author: If you want to talk about something different from most people's definition of strengths， then you need a new word。 Strengths is taken。 3。 Unmemorable acronyms。 The author introduces three acronyms to help you identify your strengths， move away from your weaknesses， and plan strong weeks at work。 Unfortunately， the acronyms seem to have been chosen more because he liked the final word， not because of a strong match between the ideas and the letters。 For example， the R of FREE is for Release: "Find the missed opportunities in your current role。" But release means letting go， and this step involves identifying and adapting instead。4。 Annoying examples。 If you're a 10-year-old with a stutter， then public speaking is not one of your strengths。 Perhaps you like to do it， you have a good theoretical understanding of it， and one day you'll end up good at it， but it's not a strength at that time。 And why take your competition-obsessed kid to a professional sports event？ Maybe everyone would have more fun if you participated in activities that weren't competitions！5。 Dependence on web links。 The book directs you to take a survey online， watch a video online， pay for other videos online， download special forms online， and integrate your work team's data online。 Two issues here: The website has changed （it appears to forward successfully， but I couldn't use it）， and a library copy of the book gets you zero access to this information after the first library user has entered the special code from the book jacket。 For a book to have lasting relevance， all the necessary data should be IN the book， not online。 （Or consider selling a slightly different edition for library use。） I had no motivation to do any of the later exercises in the book after being unable to do the first one online。 。。。more

Jennifer ，

I absolutely loved this book！ It provides a clear template of how to work to your strengths， instead of to your weaknesses。 Most people are conditioned to believe that we need to focus on improving our areas of weakness in order to grow， both personally and professionally。 However， the opposite is actually true。 You need to focus on where you are already strong， and continue to build upon and enhance those skills。 It is then imperative to direct your work days so that most tasks being performed I absolutely loved this book！ It provides a clear template of how to work to your strengths， instead of to your weaknesses。 Most people are conditioned to believe that we need to focus on improving our areas of weakness in order to grow， both personally and professionally。 However， the opposite is actually true。 You need to focus on where you are already strong， and continue to build upon and enhance those skills。 It is then imperative to direct your work days so that most tasks being performed are being done from one of your areas of strength。 The book provides step-by-step processes for determining your strengths and how to maximize them on the job， as well as getting buy-in from your boss and coworkers。 This is an excellent read and one I am sure I will find myself going back to again and again。 。。。more

Nuno Carola ，

https://carolapontoevirgula。blogs。sap。。。 https://carolapontoevirgula。blogs。sap。。。 。。。more

Hajar Farhat ，

6 Powerful steps to achieve outstanding performance 1: Bust the myths 2: Get clear 3: Free your strengths 4: Stop your weaknesses 5: Speak up 6: Build strong habits

Adrienne ，

I had high expectations for this one as I really found First Break All the Rules to be inspiring， however I was disappointed with the format and reiteration of concepts。

Nikhil Mahadea ，

In short， work on your strengths and not your weaknesses。 There you don't have to read the book :pHonestly， i read this book a while ago and I can't remember what this book taught me except for my first sentence about。 This tells you about how unmemorable and un-epiphanizing this book is。 In short， work on your strengths and not your weaknesses。 There you don't have to read the book :pHonestly， i read this book a while ago and I can't remember what this book taught me except for my first sentence about。 This tells you about how unmemorable and un-epiphanizing this book is。 。。。more

David ，

The book was ok。 I appreciate the topic and Marcus Buckingham's work。 The book just didn't add anything to my understanding how to work using my strengths。 I've read several other books， so I think this book overlapped what I had read before。 The book came out in 2007， so 10 years later and the website Simply Strengths that he refers the reader to several times is no longer a domain he owns。 If you are new to Strengths studies， this may be a useful book。 For me， it was just ok。 The book was ok。 I appreciate the topic and Marcus Buckingham's work。 The book just didn't add anything to my understanding how to work using my strengths。 I've read several other books， so I think this book overlapped what I had read before。 The book came out in 2007， so 10 years later and the website Simply Strengths that he refers the reader to several times is no longer a domain he owns。 If you are new to Strengths studies， this may be a useful book。 For me， it was just ok。 。。。more

Jef ，

A book to accompany the Strength Finder series。Buckingham works through solid examples here and helps the reader to understand more about how to be effective as work。At the same time getting clearer on more practical action steps would be great。Overall decent book to read

Emily ，

I read this and the other two books in this series in preparation for a workshop on Strengthsfinders。 Though these books are older （and the terminology is not the same as the more current books on this topic） the principles are still the same。 There is a fair amount of repetition among the three books。

Katie ，

Strong follow up to the Strengths Finder books。 I'll be using his strategies for myself and for coaching my team at work。 Strong follow up to the Strengths Finder books。 I'll be using his strategies for myself and for coaching my team at work。 。。。more

Frances ，

Strong resource if you are looking for ways to be successful at your job or want to know how to work with your manager to deal with problem issues in the workplace。

Angela Lam ，

A great book for those who want to go beyond concepts of strengths-use and actually apply them。 The book outlines in great detail how to identify your strengths and weaknesses， and what to do about them。 I started to try Steps 1-3 （out of the 6 steps） as I read the book。 By the end of the week， I had finished the book and drafted my first set of strengths/ weakness statements。 E。g。“I feel strong when I offer solutions， either by integrating information and ideas into an actionable form， or by po A great book for those who want to go beyond concepts of strengths-use and actually apply them。 The book outlines in great detail how to identify your strengths and weaknesses， and what to do about them。 I started to try Steps 1-3 （out of the 6 steps） as I read the book。 By the end of the week， I had finished the book and drafted my first set of strengths/ weakness statements。 E。g。“I feel strong when I offer solutions， either by integrating information and ideas into an actionable form， or by pointing to an observation/ idea/ course of action that empowers someone to move forward。”“I feel strong when I lead a team to execute a specific project outcome that I believe in， but only when I’m working with A-team players， have a clear action plan and adequate resources。”“I feel weak when I have to make small talk （with no substance） with any kind or number of people。”If you are going ， “huh”， that’s fine， because such statements are meant to be specific to the individual （i。e。 they mean the world to me and probably nothing to you）。 And that was my biggest takeaway from the book - the concept that strengths and weaknesses should be specific and activity-based。 So， rather than “I’m a good leader”， it was extremely clarifying to identify circumstances when I lead well and feel energized/ fulfilled by it （vs circumstances when I don’t）。 Obviously， refining the statements and applying them to real-life will take much more time and commitment : Steps 4-6 are meant to address those。 But it will not be an overnight fix。It’s a book that CAN be life-changing – IF you are determined to see the ideas through。 If you’re prepared to give it a go， here’s a short overview of the 6 steps: http://readingraphics。com/book-summar。。。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0