Review #3
Review of Now, Discover Your Strengths, Section III
Krista L. Botton
California State University, Northridge
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Abstract
Paper discusses Section III of Now, Discover Your Strengths, a text by Marcus
Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D. that considers a method of self-improvement based
on focusing on an individual’s strengths. Included are a summary of the text, analysis of the text
as it pertains to the results garnered from the StrengthsFinder Profile online test and the interplay
of the author of this article’s personal strengths. Paper also looks at management of weaknesses
and discuss of how these results may be used in the author’s continuing professional
development.
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Review of Now, Discover Your Strengths, Section III
Summary of Section III
Section III of this text was the largest of the text sections and explores the many
questions that may be troubling the minds of readers once they have identified their natural
talents and provides them with the courage to build these talents into strengths. It begins by
confronting the idea that we can only advance our personal abilities by learning to improve upon
our weaknesses, “the majority of the world’s population doesn’t think that the secret to
improvement lies in a deep understanding of our strengths” (p. 122). Since this is the training
most people have had through life there can be some insecurity by decided to focus on our
strengths instead. The text reinforces this idea with the statement that while “casting a critical
eye on our weaknesses and working hard to manage them…will only help us prevent failure. It
will not help us reach excellence” (p. 124). Excellence can only be gained through a life
centered on your natural strengths. Later in the text, there is some strategies as to how to manage
one’s talent weaknesses. “Each of these strategies—get a little better at it, design a support
system, use one of your strongest themes to overwhelm your weakness, find a partner, and just
stop doing it—can help you strive to build your life around your strengths” (p. 158). The text
then considers the fears and troubles one might have when centering on our strengths. “Society
reserves its most delighted ridicule for those who claim strengths and then fail,” (p. 125); this has
the ability to derail our train, stop us dead in our tracks, before we even begin to build a life
centered on our strengths because of a strong fear of failure.
The text continues with why we should focus on our strengths. That is to “achieve
consistent near perfect performance—performance that is both excellent and fulfilling” (p. 131).
We are reminded that these are things that we should be able to replicate over and over again
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since these are our strongest connections. A few analogies are provided, both are sports related
but true to life. These analogies emphasize the fact that improving by only a “very small number
of more appropriate choices” (p. 131), will dramatically increase our success (like the batting
average of a baseball player, or the putts of a professional golfer). We are encouraged to study
our strongest themes and figure out how they combine to create strengths. “Try not to examine
each of your themes in isolation. Instead, examine how each modifies the others. Figure out the
combination of effects,” (p. 138).
The last pieces of text give some guidance as to how strengths fall into “fields” or work
and “roles” in careers within these fields. Not too surprisingly, it was determined that strengths
have no affect on field but do have some influence on successful roles in careers chosen by those
who possess certain talents (p. 160-167). The text concludes with information on how to be a
successful manager of people with different talents and using the talents of those who work with
and around you to build an organization based on the strengths of each individual.
Analysis and Application of Section III
This section was hard for me to begin. After the strengths profile was complete I was
excited and inspired to look into my strengths and figure out how they will work together but
was instead faced with things like obstacles to building strengths, too many questions of why,
what if I don’t like my themes, will I become too narrow if I focus on themes? I definitely had
questions after finishing the profile (where does Consistency fit in? What is the order of the
remaining themes?) but none of the questions I had were addressed here. I know that the
questions they answered are important to address but I would have liked to have seen more
analysis of strength combinations, how they work together, how they compliment each other
when I was still fired up and passionate about my results.
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I did learn I have some deep soul-searching to do, to analyze each of my strengths and
figure out how they can best compliment each other and fit best in success in my chosen career
as an educator. Three of my strengths are revealed in the profile are Achiever, Analytical, and
Discipline. I can really see the three of these come together in my career everyday. As a matter
of fact, they can be hard to see separately. Just looking at my auxiliary position as swim coach
they are very apparent. I have notebooks of times (Discipline) from meets with all of teams with
which we compete from previous years’ meets. I have spreadsheets of my athletes and their best
times in each event (Analytical), I work endless hours creating and changing, and changing
again, lineups for each swim meet (Achiever). I go crazy with each athlete who surprises me
with an injury, illness or absence on the day of a meet (Discipline). I continually read and
research rules and technique. I can’t imagine using only one theme to coach these athletes, it
wouldn’t work! To create the success that each athlete has enjoyed through improvements in
their personal best time demands carefully selected races which can only be provided through
research unless it is to be left to chance. I know I have a long way to go to develop all of my
themes to create maximum success in my career but I can see an effective beginning.
The last section of this text was really a drag. I know that it is important to look at and
develop the strengths in those that you work with but I found it very difficult to struggle through
the pages on how to manage each strength and how to build a strengths-based organization. The
section began with how to be an effect manager…all things that a teacher naturally does. “Set
clear expectations,…highlight the underlying purpose of…work,…correct people when they do
something wrong,…praise people when they do something right” (p. 171). These are all things
that we do as teachers but the text continues with the fact that if these things are done you cannot
fail but you won’t succeed. You won’t succeed unless there is individualization. This is the hard
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part to apply to a classroom. I understand that each of my students are different but there no way
to manage all students individually with a 53 minute class period containing 36 students! Let
alone have the time and energy to determine each student’s strengths in addition to teaching
them what the state requires. This is definitely an area I will need to spend a considerable
amount of time contemplating.
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References
Buckingham, Marcus and Clifton, Donald O. Ph.D. (2001). Now, Discover Your Strengths.
New York: The Free Press.
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