Comments on: 12 Essential Lessons to Maximize Your Personal Strengths http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/ Personal Growth and Effectiveness Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:55:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Donald Latumahina http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-94297 Donald Latumahina Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:55:19 +0000 http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-94297 Allen, Thanks for the kind words! I appreciate it. I haven't read Seligman's book so I can't compare it with Now, Discover Your Strengths. It looks interesting though. Allen,
Thanks for the kind words! I appreciate it. I haven’t read Seligman’s book so I can’t compare it with Now, Discover Your Strengths. It looks interesting though.

]]> By: Allen Baird http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-94108 Allen Baird Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:35:49 +0000 http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-94108 Donald, greetings from Northern Ireland. I've recently discovered your site while googling for articles on 'signature strengths'. I thought this was a useful summary of the Buckingham/Clifton book. It led me to enjoy many of your other blogs & articles. We intend to place your blog on the 'personal development' section of our website. Keep on running! BTW have you Seligman's stoff on 'strengths and virtues'? How do you think it compares to this one? Donald, greetings from Northern Ireland. I’ve recently discovered your site while googling for articles on ’signature strengths’. I thought this was a useful summary of the Buckingham/Clifton book. It led me to enjoy many of your other blogs & articles. We intend to place your blog on the ‘personal development’ section of our website. Keep on running! BTW have you Seligman’s stoff on ’strengths and virtues’? How do you think it compares to this one?

]]> By: Donald Latumahina http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-78156 Donald Latumahina Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:58:43 +0000 http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-78156 Nick, Your information is interesting. From what I read, Now, Discover Your Strengths is a good book. It also has good reputation. Perhaps you can show me an article that has more information about why Gallup is not reliable? Nick,
Your information is interesting. From what I read, Now, Discover Your Strengths is a good book. It also has good reputation. Perhaps you can show me an article that has more information about why Gallup is not reliable?

]]> By: Nick / www.talent-talk.com http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-77252 Nick / www.talent-talk.com Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:46:47 +0000 http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-77252 Great summary Donald but beware! Buckhingham's definition of 'talent' is misleading. A 'naturally-recurring behavior' can be positive or negative. Would you seriously, for example, advise a kleptomaniac to build his strength as a thief? Highlands (www.highlandsco.com) focuses on talents in their neutral (and natural!) sense. Their definitions are scientific. Professionally I have used Gallup's strengthfinder and the one thing I did find was their tool, and definitions, were a right bag of spanners. They were totally unscientific with no proof of how they arrived at their definitions (like 'woo' for example). We had to deal with a 'relator' who was more like Adolf Hitler then Princess Diana. Keep up the good work! Great summary Donald but beware! Buckhingham’s definition of ‘talent’ is misleading.

A ‘naturally-recurring behavior’ can be positive or negative. Would you seriously, for example, advise a kleptomaniac to build his strength as a thief?

Highlands (www.highlandsco.com) focuses on talents in their neutral (and natural!) sense. Their definitions are scientific.

Professionally I have used Gallup’s strengthfinder and the one thing I did find was their tool, and definitions, were a right bag of spanners.

They were totally unscientific with no proof of how they arrived at their definitions (like ‘woo’ for example). We had to deal with a ‘relator’ who was more like Adolf Hitler then Princess Diana.

Keep up the good work!

]]> By: The 80/20 Principle: 11 Ways to Boost Your Life | Life Optimizer http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-44327 The 80/20 Principle: 11 Ways to Boost Your Life | Life Optimizer Tue, 04 Dec 2007 17:00:54 +0000 http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-44327 [...] few skills that give you the most returns are your strengths. It’s important to identify them so that you don’t waste time working on things which give you only small return. To be [...] [...] few skills that give you the most returns are your strengths. It’s important to identify them so that you don’t waste time working on things which give you only small return. To be [...]

]]> By: Avoiding Failure: 7 Tips NOT to Try to Please Everybody | Life Optimizer http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-43455 Avoiding Failure: 7 Tips NOT to Try to Please Everybody | Life Optimizer Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:50:41 +0000 http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-43455 [...] First of all, you should identify what your strengths are. By identifying your strengths, you will know what kind of value you can provide and consequently what kind of people you should target. Read more about identifying your strengths in 12 Essential Lessons to Maximize Your Personal Strengths. [...] [...] First of all, you should identify what your strengths are. By identifying your strengths, you will know what kind of value you can provide and consequently what kind of people you should target. Read more about identifying your strengths in 12 Essential Lessons to Maximize Your Personal Strengths. [...]

]]> By: Productivity Zen - Today’s Top Blog Posts on Productivity - Powered by SocialRank http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-34993 Productivity Zen - Today’s Top Blog Posts on Productivity - Powered by SocialRank Mon, 01 Oct 2007 10:36:34 +0000 http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-34993 [...] 12 Essential Lessons to Maximize Your Personal Strengths [...] [...] 12 Essential Lessons to Maximize Your Personal Strengths [...]

]]> By: Donald Latumahina http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-34594 Donald Latumahina Thu, 27 Sep 2007 05:52:45 +0000 http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-34594 Thanks for the information, GreatManagement! Strengthsfinder 2.0 should be an exciting book. I haven't read it, but I'd love to someday. Thanks for the information, GreatManagement! Strengthsfinder 2.0 should be an exciting book. I haven’t read it, but I’d love to someday.

]]> By: GreatManagement http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-34516 GreatManagement Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:52:54 +0000 http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-34516 I am a huge fan of using your strengths, so as well as <em>Now, Discover Your Strengths </em>I would also recommend Tom Rath's book, <em>Strengthsfinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup's Now Discover Your Strengths</em>. Tom works for Gallup and I have just completed an interview with him for my article directory website. I'll be publishing it soon. I am a huge fan of using your strengths, so as well as Now, Discover Your Strengths I would also recommend Tom Rath’s book, Strengthsfinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now Discover Your Strengths.

Tom works for Gallup and I have just completed an interview with him for my article directory website. I’ll be publishing it soon.

]]> By: Donald Latumahina http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-33301 Donald Latumahina Mon, 17 Sep 2007 01:04:25 +0000 http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/09/13/12-essential-lessons-to-maximize-your-personal-strengths/#comment-33301 From Canada, It's back to the definition of strength we use in this post. Here a strength is consistent <em>near perfect </em>performance in an activity. So the word "excel" in this post is also in that context. If we are out of shape, yes, we can fix it by doing work outs. But "getting in shape" is not what the word "excel" represents here. The word "excel" and "strength" here represent something like "being one of the best athletes in the world". We can only be "one of the best athletes in the world" if we have strengths in it and maximizing them. If we don't have the strengths, we can never be one no matter how good we are at fixing our weaknesses. At best we will only be mediocre. The driver example you gave is similar. Being a "good driver" is not really in the context of strength here. It's more like being "one of the best Formula 1 drivers". We will never be "one of the best Formula 1 drivers" if we do not have the necessary talent in the first place, no matter how hard we practice. Bob, Thanks for letting me know about the project! I still don’t know whether or not I will participate, but I will definitely check it out. From Canada,
It’s back to the definition of strength we use in this post. Here a strength is consistent near perfect performance in an activity. So the word “excel” in this post is also in that context.

If we are out of shape, yes, we can fix it by doing work outs. But “getting in shape” is not what the word “excel” represents here. The word “excel” and “strength” here represent something like “being one of the best athletes in the world”. We can only be “one of the best athletes in the world” if we have strengths in it and maximizing them. If we don’t have the strengths, we can never be one no matter how good we are at fixing our weaknesses. At best we will only be mediocre.

The driver example you gave is similar. Being a “good driver” is not really in the context of strength here. It’s more like being “one of the best Formula 1 drivers”. We will never be “one of the best Formula 1 drivers” if we do not have the necessary talent in the first place, no matter how hard we practice.

Bob,
Thanks for letting me know about the project! I still don’t know whether or not I will participate, but I will definitely check it out.

]]>