Strengths 2.0 Book - Susan Bratton Shares Her 5 Strengths
I recently bought Strengths 2.0, a book by Tom Rath. First you go online and take a survey which assesses your top strengths, then you can learn more about those strengths and how to utilize them both individually and together.
My top five strengths are:
- strategic
- woo
- positivity
- communication
- relator
Hmmm… for a living I have my own start up and sit on boards of early stage companies where I help them bring products to market through my ability to positively articulate their value proposition and connect them to the right people with whom their story would resonate (both customers and press). I am known as a “super connector” and I host a weekly podcast where I interview famous people in media, marketing and the Internet to bring out the best in them and share their knowledge and talents with my listeners.
Not only did I agree with the book’s outcome, but it further solidified my confidence that I’m using my skills wisely for optimal potential.
My life’s purpose is to notice and celebrate the unique talents of my friends and family.
If you buy this book and take the survey, will you share your outcomes with us? I’d like to know if you found this as on target as I did and if you are utilizing your strengths in your life and work.
Tom Webster said,
May 26, 2008 @ 1:56 pm
Here were mine:
Ideation
Strategic
Intellection
Relator
Futuristic
So, I quit the monastery.
-Tom
Susan said,
May 26, 2008 @ 2:10 pm
What’s “Intellection?”
bmassey said,
May 26, 2008 @ 3:33 pm
I had a similar “aha” from StrengthsFinder, Susan. It was the first test that noticed that “Connecting” isn’t necessarily about networking, but involves sensing that we’re all in it together. It’s a more spiritual component, I think.
Here’s me:
Adaptable
Ideation
Futurist
Connectedness
Strategic
The last “aha” test that gave me permission to be me was the Kolbe Index-A (www.kolbe.com). It measures your tendencies when you are in action, which is where I like to be.
So, what is “Woo”?
Susan said,
May 26, 2008 @ 4:06 pm
Brian,
Thanks for sharing your StrengthsFinder results. You asked about “Woo.”
Here’s what the book says:
Woo stands for winning others over. You enjoy the challenge of meeting new people and getting them to like you.
Strangers are rarely intimidating to you. On the contrary, strangers can be energizing. You are drawn to them. You want to learn their names, ask them questions and find areas of common interest so you can strike up a conversation and build rapport….
The description continues and ends with this wonderful concept:
“In your world, there are no strangers, only friends you haven’t met yet.”
Brian,
I love that last line. It’s exactly how I feel! That’s why I Chaired ad:tech for so many years. Why I am on the founding board of the IAB and now the ADM. Why I do a weekly show called DishyMix where I get to ask questions of interesting people.
I can see your strengths in what you are doing with your consulting, your blogging and your new conference.
Neat, huh?
Love,
Suz
Tom Webster said,
May 26, 2008 @ 4:31 pm
P. 129: “You like to think. You like mental activity.”
I think it also means that I dislike madeup words like “intellection” and “ideation.” But that could also be the Webster in me. This book nailed me, I have to say. Luckily I am in exactly the right job.
Tom Webster said,
May 26, 2008 @ 4:33 pm
Also, Susan, I truly envy your “woo” abilities. That one is right on for you, and a skill I never really mastered, and didn’t appreciate fully until later in life.