Customer Reviews

Strengths-Based Leadership

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Rath and Conchie have provided us with a helpful tool for fine-tuning our own leadership capacity. Using statistical factor analysis of data in Gallup's database, the authors detail how balanced leadership teams have strengths within four Leadership Domains: Strategic Thinking, Relationship Building, Influencing, and Executing. The authors relate that while individuals are rarely balanced, teams always should be. Leadership Teams operating in these four domains work both to serve the four primary needs of their constituencies and to execute their primary organizational responsibilities.

Using a recent Gallup review of data from 10,000 followers, the authors also report that followers report surprising agreement on four of their primary needs: trust, compassion, stability, and hope.

Leaders who use the code that comes with the book to take the online Strengthsfinder assessment (www.strengthsfinder.com) to determine their Top 5 Strengths are provided with a customized Strengths-Based Leadership report that help them understand their Top 5 Strengths and a Strengths-Based Leadership Guide that provides detailed advice on how to use each of their Top 5 Strengths to meet the four primary needs.

Leaders who read this book will have a deepened appreciation of both their own leadership abilities and of the degree to which they lead best when they work in team. The four Leadership Domains and the four primary needs of followers provide leaders with a rich paradigm for considering new approaches in attacking organizational priorities.

Highly recommended.

`Strengths' is the new currency. The Gallup group began isolating and understanding people from the talent perspective over a decade ago. Names like Marcus Buckingham, Donald O. Clifton and Tom Rath have brought to light a powerful medium for understanding what excites us and these insights make better work places and happier lives. For business it is about productivity and employee engagement; for employees it is about feeling good about your choice in where and what you do almost every day. Both are big! Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie takes strengths application to the next level: Leadership and for me, inherently part of this is great management. This work further develops the strengths of teams into four leadership domains. They are: Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building and Strategic Thinking. I found this distilling of a team's strengths into these domains a way to conceptually simplify very important areas of focus and understand where each member might excel in their performance. This seemed especially relevant to the achievement of an organization's strategic plan. Knowing which key individuals bring the most energy to the different aspects of moving an organization forward is not only critical to success, but even more so to keeping a competitive edge.
The second theme in this work is identifying the "Followers Four Basic Needs": Trust, Compassion, Stability and Hope. This is also a compelling framework for supporting a work environment that helps people act at their best.
This book will be very helpful if you are interested in strength based applications and not deficit or weakness improvement approaches. I suggest some foundation in strengths based work before utilizing this book, like Strengths Finder 2.0 and Now Discover Your Strengths, to get greater depth on its offering.

I found the on-line test interesting, and at least for me, seemingly accurate. However, the book consists of about 30 pages describing the theory behind the test and a few ideas on considering strengths while leading. The remainder of the book is just descriptions of each of the strengths. The book leaves me wondering how to best use my strengths as well as those of others I'm leading.

The on-line portion includes a worthless "Leadership Guide" report which is comprised of all too obvious advice including: "When making decisions, discuss options candidly and thoroughly;" "Be aware of your own biases;" "Take time to study the strategies employed by effective leaders you respect or admire." Not only are the statements obvious, they aren't really related to my particular strengths.

The "Leadership Report" is full of vague statements like: "It's very likely that you might have extra energy to work hard when you are acquiring information to broaden your knowledge base;" "Perhaps you want to deepen your understanding of certain topics;" "It's very likely that you now and then have moments when you are keenly aware of things around you." Are these written by the same person that writes horoscopes?

The test is worth taking. However, neither the book nor the website provide any really direction on how to best use your skills or lead by them. It is very likely that might enjoy taking the test now and then. But I doubt you'll get much out of the book.

As a corporate human resources director, I enjoyed StrengthsFinder 2.0. This new book is an inspiring read also. It contains a large amount of data and information especially from the Gallup scientists.

For many years, they studied more than 1 million work teams and conducted more than thousands of interviews with leaders and followers to ask exactly why they followed their leader.

Based on the authors' discoveries, the book focuses on three keys to being a great leader:

1. Knowing your strengths.
2. Getting people with the right strengths on your team.
3. Meeting the four basic needs of followers.

Combined with the research are quite a few actionable ideas that you will be able to implement immediately or at least in the near future.

As a criticism I would point out that eliminating or minimizing our weaknesses is just as important. I realize the book may disagree with this viewpoint but since entering management in 1975, I have seen many strong leaders fail because they couldn't or wouldn't control their; ego, sexual impulses, greed, etc., etc.

I hope you find this review helpful.

Michael L. Gooch, SPHR - Author of Cowboy Wisdom for Today's Business Leaders.

I read this book with great interest. Most leadership books are part of the cult of personality celebrating some charismatic big ego while neglecting the team it took to realize the vision. The emphasis here on followers and teams is commendable. There are heartwarming stories of leadership who brought people together to achieve BIG things--e.g., Martin Luther King, Jr.

But I had to think about the focus on strengths aspect. Strengths are important, but leaders' weaknesses can kill a company, economy, and nation. There has been a lot of ballyhoo about "play to strengths" the last few years, and an equally raucous bantering about how "fixing weaknesses is a waste of time." But what about $18.5 Billion in Wall St. bonuses subsidized by government bailouts; the derailments of Prince at Citi, Fuld at Lehman, and then Thain and O'Neal at Merrill; the 600,000 lost jobs as of January 2009; or 401(k)'s down the drain? The current global financial crisis seems like a line extension of this line of thought.

The relentless strengths, strengths, strengths mantra is like betting the farm on upside potential without considering downside risk. Strengths are compelling, but weaknesses can be lethal. In politics, one need look no further than George W. Bush in the U.S. or Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe. In business, Morgan McCall and Mike Lombardo studied how executives run down companies and get fired back in the 1980s. They found that so-called "derailed" managers had plenty of strengths. But these strengths were mitigated by very real and dangerous weaknesses. These weaknesses took two forms: (1) a lack of ability or aptitude and (2) a strength used to the point of excess (e.g., when Gallup StrengthsFinder Command themes become micro-management; when Gallup StrengthsFinder Self-assurance themes become arrogance).

Several modern management researchers have extended the seminal work of McCall and Lombardo to further reveal the perils of accentuating the positive (see resources at www.hoganpress.com), and the case seems pretty compelling: a single-minded focus on strengths might not be the silver bullet to fixing our current crisis of leadership in business, government, and politics.

It is curious that none of this other research is cited, refuted, or even acknowledged in any of the Gallup and Buckingham work on strengths. Perhaps they are only self-referential and pay no attention to what other people have learned about leadership. The reference list to Strengths Based Development, for instance, is larded with Gallup internal publications, but precious little that has been peer-reviewed. It starts to look suspicious.

While Strengths Based Development has some interesting ideas and lots of feel-good stories, definitely be sure to see the other side of the argument. A one-sided perspective will get you one-sided results, and that tips the scale down, down, down--kind of like the Dow and S&P right now.

A solid book. Of particular interest was the section that describes the Four Domains of Leadership Strength (executing, influencing, relationship building, strategic thinking). My fellow strengths fans should know that the book includes an access code to the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment and customized Leadership Guide. You can use this code to take the StrengthsFinder 2.0. After you take it, you get the strengths report and your customized leadership guide. Or, if you took StrengthsFinder in the past, you can simply apply your previous StrengthsFinder results to get immediate access to your customized leadership guide. Overall, a good read and assessment for anyone interested in leadership and strengths.

This book brought together the most critical factors of running a business, appplying talents to lead an organization. Great science supporting what is considered a soft subject.

I'm a university teacher of 17 years. I have received seven full days of Strengths Training from Gallup, the source of the Strengths philosophy and the many books written. I have also designed strengths-based curriculum for a graduate program, have used Strengths-philosophy in the classroom. A big part of my daily work also involves coaching and facilitating student teams. I am also part of a Strengths Advisory Committee meant to integrate Strengths philosophy into an entire graduate school.

I have read this book twice now over a three-month period and have thought deeply about it, and discussed its contents with others.

The book starts by discussing the importance of the Strengths philosophy for personal effectiveness and engagement within organizations. It also describes the four domains in which personal strengths tend to fall - Strategic Thinking, Relationship Building, Influencing and Executing. It then profiles the achievements of four leaders who had strengths primarily within certain domains, and how they achieved great things with their strengths. It also describes how truly effective leaders create achievements that perpetuate themselves after the leader leaves the organization. It then describes the four needs of followers -- Trust, Compassion, Hope and Stability. Over half the book is dedicated to listing each of the Gallup Strengths held by leaders, and making suggestions about how to create Trust, Compassion, Stability and Hope using these strengths, and generally how to lead with them, and mitigate any negative side-effects that come from these strengths.

In terms of positives, I think the book adds to our knowledge of leadership. The book does a good job of convincing the reader that Trust, Compassion, Hope and Stability are widely sought-after by people receiving leadership. The large sample size from which Gallup drew the research lends a lot of credibility to a framework that otherwise, might sound like it was invented from the authors' experience or imagination. While Trust, and to some extent, Hope, are not new to existing thought on leadership, Compassion and Stability added new dimensions to my arsenal of leadership thought.

The book also describes the four domains in which most people's strengths reside -- Strategic Thinking, Relationship Building, Influencing, and Executing. I found both the needs of followers and the four domains also created a new framework for understanding the internal dynamics of teams, although team facilitation wasn't covered specifically in the book.
On the weak side, I did find myself struggling to understand how to apply my own strengths to build Compassion, Hope, Trust and Compassion from the authors' suggestions. On this note, the book seems to depart from findings drawn from established research, resorting to mere opinion and suggestion. Often, I found myself struggling to see how their suggestions would actually meet the need they were suggesting -- in spite of the training I've received in individual strengths awareness and application.

However, there were a few suggestions that resonated with me, and that I could take away as actionable items in the future. I concluded that the reader will have to brainstorm their own methods to come away with a complete approach to improving their leadership style. And these methods have to come from within -- consistent with their own, unique brand of strengths.

Also, I shared the idea building Trust, Compassion, Stability and Hope with three senior executives, one of which was retired. There was NOT immediate buy-in that these soft values should be the aim of conscious leadership efforts. Comments ranged from "these needs are too airy-fairy"...to "No, it's all about execution", or a flat statement that these things simply aren't important to many people. There was also a comment that if I shared the leadership framework with people in our organization as part of a Strengths-based change, it would kill the change. There was the comment that "it's all about building shareholder wealth", not about Strengths. So, anyone trying to sell a strengths-based leadership program might find it a hard-sell to senior management without providing some evidence it will have a positive impact on business results.

While not a weakness, I think it's wise to point out something for people sourcing the book without the access code (used, or from the library, for example). This book is for someone who is already familiar with the Strengths philosophy and their personal strengths. For example, the 34 individual Strengths themes weren't described early in the book -- they are simply listed in the last half of the book and under the discussion of domains. Yet understanding the overall philosophy is important for buying into the whole Strengths-based leadership concept. On the other hand, if you buy the book new, with an access code, you can take the Gallup Strengths finder so you can learn about your own personal themes and build awareness.

The book I received was from the library, so someone had already used the code, so I can't comment firsthand on the quality of the online materials you receive after taking the assessment.

However, page 99 of the book says this:

"In the back of the book, you will find a packet with a unique access code that will enable you to take the latest version (2.0) of the Strengths finder. Upon completion of the assessment, you will receive a highly customized Strengths-Based Leadership Guide that lists your top five themes of strength as well as several suggestions for leading with each theme of strength and illustration of each theme in action. (If you have already taken the Strengths finder, you can log on to the website using this new code, follow the instructions to receive the new leadership guide based on your existing results.)...While the guide you will receive online will be more customized to your strengths, the section that follows can be used as a reference for building on the strengths of your team and the people around you."

In conclusion, I think this book adds a number of new insights to the body of thinking about leadership. Online access to the Strengths Finder and the Action Guide alone is worthwhile for the price alone. I think people who value the softer side of management will think very highly of this book, however, the reader may well find it necessary to do some serious introspection to determine how to apply its ideas.

As a Strengths coach who has studied Leadership for years, I am thrilled to see Gallup come out with a book specific to utilizing Strengths in leadership roles. I can say that this resource is invaluable for anyone who intends to lead others in any situation. The 34 Strengths have not changed, but what this book adds that others don't is a sense of leadership-specific actions that you can take to grow in your Strengths and become the best leader you can possibly be.

Strengths-based leadership is different from other leadership concepts because Gallup assumes that there is no expert who can tell you how to lead better than you can lead from your own strengths; they also assume that there is no expert better than those you lead to tell you what is the most important part of good leadership. Instead of trying each new fad leadership concept, this book encourages you to develop your Strengths and learn how you can best lead from yourself... the expert in you.

-Rebecca (Input, Connectedness, Communication, Ideation, Learner)

"While the best leaders are not well-rounded, the best teams are." That's the big idea in the latest book in the "StrengthsFinder" series, Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams and Why People Follow. This is a keeper--and expertly expands the value of focusing on strengths. Gratefully, it's not a rehash--it adds to the knowledge base.

And wow! Gallup conducted 20,000 in-depth interviews with senior leaders, then another 10,000 interviews with followers. They have the data! Millions, from more than 50 countries, have taken the online StrengthsFinder assessment. The research-based insights and recommendations plow new ground. For example, "the most effective leaders are always investing in strengths." They write, "The odds of an employee being engaged are a dismal 1 in 11 (9%). But when an organization's leadership focuses on the strengths of its employees, the odds soar to almost 3 in 4 (73%).

Leadership is nothing without followers and this new book describes the four basic needs of followers: trust, compassion, stability and hope. "The chances of employees being engaged at work when they do not trust the company's leaders are just 1 in 12."

This is not dry, academic stuff. Four leaders--and their extremely diverse strengths--are profiled, using what they call the four domains of leadership strength: Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building and Strategic Thinking. Example: Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America, leverages her Executing strengths (Achiever and Responsibility). Her budget, after just 20 years, is $120 million. She knows the Top-5 Strengths of her key people--and how to leverage those strengths.

Other profiles include the CEO of The Ritz-Carlton (Influencing), the chairman of Standard Chartered Bank (Relationship Building), and the CEO of Best Buy (Strategic Thinking). The core idea for all four very different CEOs: it's all about leveraging the strengths of their team members. "While the best leaders are not well-rounded, the best teams are."

The research also delivers five findings on what strong teams have in common, such as "Conflict doesn't destroy strong teams because strong teams focus on results." Like the two predecessor books from Gallup (StrengthsFinder 2.0 and Now, Discover Your Strengths), this one also includes a unique access code so you can take the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment online. However, the new-and-improved upgrade delivers your strengths back to you (via email) with new insights on the four domains of leadership strength (Executing, etc.). The book also includes a three-page commentary on each strength and how to address your followers' four basic needs using your Top-5 strengths.

I encourage each CEO I coach to know and leverage the Top-5 strengths of their direct reports and their board chairs. Understanding strengths is not an option, I insist. Instead, it's one of the 20 critical core competencies in the Team Bucket, one of the 20 buckets in my book, Mastering the Management Buckets. Mastering The Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Non-profit