Strengths Finder 2.0 – Well, that was interesting!

Don’t ask me why I’ve had Strengths Finder 2.0 (from Gallup) by Tom Rath for some time but had never gone online to take the test. I don’t know. So, today, I finally bit the bullet. More on that in a moment.

This little book (174 pages and the size of a larger paperback) is 34 buck-a-roos at Barnes and Noble. Yikes! Amazon (which I linked to the title in the first paragraph) has it for half that price. Me? I got it at a thrift store. You don’t want to know. Okay, a dollar. So, sue me.

The book explains everything you need to know about the Strength Finder test, which you take online. Amazingly, the  little pouch in the back of the book was still intact. In it was an access code, so I didn’t have to pay $30-something to take the test online. The cost of the book includes the cost of the test… and now I feel guilty. But not so guilty that I didn’t take it. I did. As I said already. See, now I’m babbling on-and-on, which is a sure sign of a guilty conscience. 

*nervous sideways glances*

Ahem.

It’s an extensive test, as you might imagine, and the results are pretty extensive, too. But if you’re a navel-gazer like me, you’ll love it!

I’m going to share one excerpt from the results and you’ll see that this test knows me at least as well as you guys do:

You naturally sense when a person can benefit from your support, kind words, or thoughtful deeds. Perhaps you have an ability to lift certain people’s sagging spirits by what you do or say. In the process, you might enhance some individuals’ self-confidence enough that they dare to acquire knowledge, gain new skills, or broaden their experiences. Because of your strengths, you may welcome diverse types of people into your life. Some of these people may trust you enough to share their ideas, feelings, fears, ambitions, or mistakes. Perhaps certain people sense you care about them as individuals. Driven by your talents, you are filled with awe by beauty in the world, in people, and in the cosmos. Whether you gaze upon nature’s wonders or marvel at the work of human hands, you are filled with wonder. You can suddenly stop what you are doing to watch a sunset, listen to the rustle of leaves, stand before a work of art, hear a piece of music, look through a telescope, or hold a newborn child. You experience beauty at a level many people cannot imagine. Once the moment has passed, you can still picture the scene or hear the sound in your memory. Chances are good that you bring an emotional awareness to conversations. Many times, you ease the stress of individuals when they are about to make an important decision. You can also calm those who are struggling with the uncertainty of change. You are likely to pose probing questions to direct the thinking of others. However, you refrain from telling people what they should and should not do. Instinctively, you might tune in to the feelings of people. Maybe you cheer them up when they are sad, disappointed, lonely, frustrated, or afraid.  

I mean, C’mon… c’mon… isn’t this exactly what I’m trying to accomplish with this blog?

The book is a companion to the website and specifically, the test. Sure, there’s interesting reading in there… and if you know yourself, you will benefit in just reading it. If you do NOT, however, it’s gonna be like having a street map but you don’t know where you’re supposed to go. (Wow! I’m not usually good at analogies but that was right-on!)

I’m really glad I took the time to answer the questions this morning. I didn’t keep a clock nearby but it felt like about… 20 minutes to a half-hour. Each question is timed, which can be stressful if you have learning disabilities. In fact, they offer an alternative, if you do. They thought of everything!

My results included the TOP 5 Themes and Ideas for Action… when there are actually 34 possibilities. If you want the whole kit & caboodle (I think my daughters carried make-up in theirs… you know…  in the 1990s, but I digress) it will cost you extra. You knew that was coming, yes? In that case, it takes ALL 34 and shows you where you fell in each. My report was 19 pages… I can’t imagine how long it would be with all 34!

I found the reports of the Top 5 to be thorough and pretty-darned excellent, so yeah, didn’t opt for the $$ option. If I remember correctly, it was $39. Might be worth a look sometime later.

So, as you can tell… LOVED THIS. And who knows? I may toss some extra bucks into the pot and purchase that full report one day. If I don’t? No biggie. I found enough here to keep me busy for a while. 🙂