Why Take the StrengthsFinder Test?
If you're wondering why you should take the StrengthsFinder test then consider what we've all been told throughout our lives about our strengths and weaknesses.
We're always being told to identify our weaknesses and improve on them, which seems like good advice on the face of it.
However doesn't that lead to a nation of mediocre individuals who are a Jack of all trades, but a master of none?
How about a different approach where we identify our natural strengths and work on improving those instead.
That's the philosophy of the StrengthsFinder test and it allows us to excel at the things we're naturally good at.
As for our weaknesses, we can quite easily take care of those by teaming up with someone who is strong in the areas we're weak in. Those possessing a good business mindset will already be familiar with this important principle.
What Exactly is the StrengthsFinder Test?
After having the StrengthsFinder test highly recommended to me I finally took the test myself to see what all the fuss was about. Here's how it works.
The latest version of the StrengthsFinder test is StrengthsFinder 2.0 which is based on the original Gallup StrengthsFinder test.
It's basically in three parts: the book, the online test and the results.
The book explains how the process works and comes with a unique access code which allows you to take the online test. It also contains details of the thirty four different strengths (or themes as the book calls them) which you might possess, with actions you can take for each of them.
The online test is quite easy and only takes around half an hour. Firstly you use the unique access code from the book to register on the StrengthsFinder website. After that you can take the test.
You have a twenty second time limit on each question. This is because your first intuitive answer is usually the most useful for the test and thinking too much might affect the accuracy of the results.
Your StrengthsFinder Test Results
After the test your individual results are calculated. The most important part of the results is your top five strengths. When I took the test my top five were:
Focus
Futuristic
Analytical
Individualisation
Achiever
These might not mean a lot to you until you read more about them in the book. The test also generates some PDFs giving a more individual description of your strengths as well as action plans to make the most of each of them.
I can honestly say that the individual descriptions it gives of my strengths are spot on. The only real surprise to me was Individualisation but as I read about it I realised it is actually one of my strengths, but one I'd not really though much of before.
In conclusion I learned quite a lot about myself after taking the StrengthsFinder test, I also confirmed some strengths which I suspected I might have.
After taking the test yourself you can then concentrate on playing only to your strengths, whether it's in business or your personal life. Capitalising on your strengths is also a positive move in developing your business mindset.
Just remember that the access code for the online StrengthsFinder test is unique and can only be used by one person, so don't buy a second hand book else you won't be able to do much with it.
Jason is a freelance Software Engineer who is a keen blogger, has run a number of online businesses and is also in the property letting business. His interests include researching and teaching the business mindset, his goal being to learn all there is to know about how to be a successful entrepreneur and to pass this information on to others. For more information visit: http://www.businessmindsetexpert.com/ or follow him at http://Twitter.com/JRKtm
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