Now, Discover Your Strengths: How To Develop Your Talents And Those Of The People You Manage by Marcus Buckingham, Donald O. Clifton

Now, Discover Your Strengths: How To Develop Your Talents And Those Of The People You Manage by Marcus Buckingham is a special book on how to identify and cultivate individual talents. Buckingham, who has already authored several bestselling books on finding your talents, delves into his ‘Strengths-Based Method’ which is designed to assist individuals, and the people they manage, to cultivate and hone their natural abilities.

The book begins with Buckingham encouraging the reader to identify their ‘Signature Strengths.’ These strengths are identified by answering a series of questions, such as ‘What do you naturally and spontaneously do?’ In all, there are twenty-four strengths, ranging from ‘achiever’ to ‘restorative,’ ‘learner’ to ‘positivity.’ Once identified, Buckingham gives specific advice on how to recognize opportunities to apply these strengths and overcome mental blocks which hold them back.

The importance of good leadership is considered in depth in the middle section of the book. Buckingham stresses the importance of selecting individuals ‘with the right things to work on’ and gives specific tips on how to achieve this. He encourages the reader to have candid conversations with team members in order to identify their strengths, and thus use the same Strengths-Based Method used to define ‘Signature Strengths’ on an individual level.

From this point, Buckingham encourages the reader to improve their management style, focusing on building positive relationships with the people they manage – after all, according to Buckingham, talent is useless unless it is managed properly. The reader is encouraged to use techniques like asking back-ended questions, which will result in richer conversations that uncover hidden potential.

The book ends with ‘The Leadership Imperative’ – Buckingham’s advice on how to be an effective leader. He encourages the reader to let their natural talents play to their advantage, and understand that there will be ‘bad’ moments as well as ‘good’. He encourages the reader to be self-aware in times of adversity and strive for progressive improvement in their management skills, for the sake of their own advancement and that of their team.

Now, Discover Your Strengths: How To Develop Your Talents and Those Of The People You Manage is an encouraging and engaging book written by an experienced author on the subject. This book offers tools and advice to find and hone one’s own strengths, and those of the people they manage, offering guidance on how to use these strengths to advantage. It is an important read for anyone interested in improving their management skills.