Tom Rath wrote a book “Strengths Finder 2.0” to guide people in identifying their personal strengths and capabilities. The main objective of writing the book was to assist people regarding their internal strengths and ways to sharp their skills. The background for writing this book was that most of the people in the United States are not aware of their strengths and capabilities. I have read the book that is interesting and attractive for developing personal skills and knowledge. The ideas presented in the book are new, and the communication style adopted by the author is attractive. The entire book is beneficial for me as I have experienced that my strengths are unique and I did not know. I have learnt one should assess his/her strengths to prepare strategies and plan for future.
I have found several ideas in the book related to finding personal strengths and ways to incorporate in the personality to achieve the desired goals and objectives. The three big ideas that I found related to self-assessment are an identification of unique strength, identification of weaknesses, and finding ways to apply identified unique strengths. The main idea among three big ideas is the identification of unique strengths. Every individual has unique strengths that differentiate him/her from others (Rath 17).
Unique strengths are helpful in career development as it enables a person to show his capabilities. The identification of these unique strengths is critical as a person may not understand his personal strengths. However, self-assessment is the way to identify personal strengths. An individual should focus on doing the work, in which he is the best to bring perfection.
There is a popular proverb “One can be the jack of all, not the master of all”. Therefore, an individual should focus on those tasks, which he can do better than others regardless its importance. The major requirement of identification of strengths is to prepare a framework to select the activity that is different from others’ work.
Another big idea in the book is an identification of weaknesses. An individual should have knowledge that he has various weaknesses. Also, it is difficult to identify such weaknesses as a person may not find his weak points (Rath 118). The assessment is crucial in analyzing that if some skills were applied to the assigned tasks, the objectives of the task were obtained efficiently or not. The identification of weaknesses is also helpful to bring improvements in the work. The application of identified unique strengths is also important to assess whether it is beneficial or not. A person should find the ways to apply those strengths to achieve his/her prepared goals and objectives.
I have prepared the process of identifying my strengths to bring perfection in work. My plan comprises of different steps. First, I will make a list of daily activities to identify routine tasks. Then, I will divide those activities into two different categories named strengths and weaknesses. The division of strengths and weaknesses will depend on the efficiency and accuracy of achieving the desired objectives and goals.
The next step would be highlighting the unique strength that resulted in the accomplishment of a specific task within time. Finally, I will search for the ways to apply my strengths either by working individually or with others. The selection of suitable and relevant procedure to apply unique strength will depend on the opportunities and risks associated with the method. The entire process will take sufficient time for identification and application of unique strengths, but I will be able to realize my skills and abilities and select the most suitable path to carry on it.
I have prepared the strategy or plan for identifying strengths and weaknesses on my own. The main reason is that one should use his/her knowledge and expertise to a framework to follow. However, help is needed in the process that can be taken from books. My experience was good in reviewing the book that can help a person in career development or plan. I will recommend the book of Tom Rath to other students. Therefore, they would be able to bring perfection in their work and achieve their desired goals and objectives.
The core question that I developed from my experience is that “Is it easier to identify personal strengths and weaknesses by own?” People usually ask others to guide them regarding their strengths and weaknesses. There is a psychological phenomenon that a person does not want to identify his weaknesses as he may not accept it. Others who have negatively impacted by such action or behavior notify the weaknesses. However, the important part is the identification of unique strengths that will emerge out by following the procedure mentioned in the paper. The procedure or framework is prepared individually as self-assessment is the main requirement to apply these ideas. In short, a person should consider the unique strengths and carry on to bring improvement in it as uniqueness depends on perfection.
Works Cited
Rath, Tom. StrengthsFinder 2.0. Gallup Press, 2013.
