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About the Book

I purchased a used book called Now Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham. It is a terrific book for anyone who wants to find out more about themselves or for people working in human resources. (If you are interested in similar Free personality tests, take a look at the Big 5 Tests and various Jung Tests on SimilarMinds.com.)

Disappointing Surprise

I really enjoyed this book and didn’t hesitate to buy it because I loved the first book co-authored by Marcus Buckingham called First, Break All the Rules. The one thing that really disappointed me though was that the Strengths Finder test can only be taken once. That meant that since the person who originally bought the book took the test, I could not take the same test! Half of the book requires that the reader take the test. Nowhere does it say, “Warning, this book is completely useless unless you take the test. Do not buy this used!” No, I found out half way through the book. To the authors and publishers of this book, STOP being so greedy. People will pay to take the test, but don’t make them purchase the entire book! Ok. Thanks for letting me get that out.

Email from LeadershipNow

I emailed leadershipnow.com and this is the response I received:

Joey,

Six of our strengths-related books include a single-use Clifton StrengthsFinder access code – part of the value to the original purchaser. But in choosing a used book, even one in “new condition,” the buyer must understand that their savings is due not only to the fact that the book has been read, but also that the single-use access code has been used and is no longer valid.

The StrengthsFinder program, assessment, and website are the product of more than four decades of research and a multimillion-dollar R&D project. To ensure the quality and consistency of the StrengthsFinder message — and for the website to be personalized around your top five themes — one access code is included with the purchase of each strengths-based book, and access codes are not sold separately. To obtain an unused code, please consider purchasing a new copy of this or another of our books which include an access code:

-   StrengthsFinder 2.0  (2007) – Our most highly recommended book, this is the newest book in the StrengthsFinder series, and the only one which provides access to the latest version of the assessment. While there are few changes to the assessment itself, you’ll receive your results in an exciting new personalized report. For more information on other advantages of StrengthsFinder 2.0, visit http://sf2.strengthsfinder.com/content/26014/Discover-2.0.aspx

-   Now, Discover Your Strengths  (2001) – The classic book that introduced the Clifton StrengthsFinder to the public. Written to help you uncover, understand and utilize your own unique talents.

-   Living Your Strengths  (2004) – Teaches you to identify and affirm your talents, as well as how to use them for growth and service. Great information for church congregations that want to help their members become more involved and engaged.

-   Teach With Your Strengths  (2005) – Helps teachers put their strengths to use and become the best teachers they can be.

-   Discover Your Sales Strengths  (2003) – By knowing and focusing on their strengths, sales professionals can excel and profit.

-   How Full is Your Bucket  (2004) – A small gem of a book that demonstrates how even the briefest interactions affect your relationships, productivity, health, and longevity.

The books are quite reasonably priced, are widely available in local bookstores and online booksellers, and represent a valuable investment in yourself. Be sure to buy a new copy, as the access code in each book provides the original purchaser a single opportunity to take the Clifton StrengthsFinder. To learn more about these books, please visit http://www.gallup.com/press/17473/Gallup-Press.aspx.

Thank you,

Jim

Gallup Client Support

My Homegrown Solution

After feeling very frustrated, I decided to take some other tests to get an idea of my personality type according to other long-standing methods such as the Big 5 and the Jung/Myers Briggs tests. After doing multiple types of personality tests, I have found that there are some “self-reporting” tests where the assumptions is that the test-taker can best decide which category they fit into instead of using testing methods to “figure out” which categories they fit into. If you’re honest with yourself, you can achieve accurate results by self-reporting. If you can’t be honest with yourself, you’ll have to get “tricked” into choosing the honest answer through traditional testing methods where they ask the same question many different ways in order to find the most accurate answer. If you can’t be honest with the way you answer the questions, then that requires you to purchase the book to take the Strengths Finder Test.

So lets assume that you can be honest with yourself and choose to do the self-reporting method. What you’ll need to do is go through the list of themes and rate yourself from 1-10 based on how much you relate to the description.

Summary of Talent Themes

Here are summarized descriptions of the 34 talent themes found on Strengthstest.com. If you need more detailed descriptions, you can find full page descriptions as well as examples in your book:

Achiever®

People strong in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.

Activator®

People strong in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.

Adaptability®

People strong in the Adaptability theme prefer to “go with the flow.” They tend to be “now” people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.

Analytical®

People strong in the Analytical theme search for reasons and causes. They have the ability to think about all the factors that might affect a situation.

Arranger^TM

People strong in the Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibility that complements this ability. They like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.

Belief®

People strong in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.

Command®

People strong in the Command theme have presence. They can take control of a situation and make decisions.

Communication®

People strong in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.

Competition®

People strong in the Competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.

Connectedness®

People strong in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links between all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has a reason.

Consistency®

People strong in the Fairness theme are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same. They try to treat everyone in the world fairly by setting up clear rules and adhering to them.

Context®

People strong in the Context theme enjoy thinking about the past. They understand the present by researching its history.

Deliberative®

People strong in the Deliberative theme are best described by the serious care they take in making decisions or choices. They anticipate the obstacles.

Developer®

People strong in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements.

Discipline^TM

People strong in the Discipline theme enjoy routine and structure. Their world is best described by the order they create.

Fairness ^TM / Empathy^TM

People strong in the Empathy theme can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others’ lives or others’ situations.

Focus^TM

People strong in the Focus theme can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. They prioritize, then act.

Futuristic®

People strong in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be. They inspire others with their visions of the future.

Harmony®

People strong in the Harmony theme look for consensus. They don’t enjoy conflict; rather, they seek areas of agreement.

Ideation®

People strong in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.

Inclusiveness® / Includer®

People strong in the Inclusiveness theme are accepting of others. They show awareness of those who feel left out, and make an effort to include them.

Individualization®

People strong in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.

Input®

People strong in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.

Intellection®

People strong in the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions.

Learner®

People strong in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.

Maximizer®

People strong in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.

Positivity®

People strong in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.

Relator®

People who are strong in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.

Responsibility®

People strong in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.

Restorative®

People strong in the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it.

Self-Assurance®

People strong in the Self-assurance theme feel confident in their ability to manage their own lives. They possess an inner compass that gives them confidence that their decisions are right.

Significance®

People strong in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.

Strategic^TM

People strong in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.

Woo®

People strong in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.

Quick Self-Reporting Test

Now that you know what the 34 themes are, you can now rate yourself based on how much you associate with each talent theme. *When rating, use at least 1 decimal place. For example, it is better to write 9.5 rather than rounding up to 10. This will help when you are trying to determine your top 5 themes since you might have more than 5 themes that score equally high. In these cases, being as precise as possible with your rating will help break ties.

Download the PDF Version of the Strengths Finder Self-Reporting Test

Download the PDF Version of the Strengths Finder Self-Reporting Test

Top 5 Talent Themes

Look at which categories you rated highest. Pick the top 5. You should now have your top 5 talent themes! Now you can read the rest of the book without being completely lost. If you lost the original code, want to retake the test, or purchased a used book like I did, you might want to re-purchase the book so you can take the test. I am not sure whether the Strengths Finder Test would yield better results than self-reporting. I don’t know, I am not a professional. But based on common sense, it seems like any relatively intelligent person could figure out which talent themes they associate with most.