We have a very eclectic mix of people at Collective Next, each with their own passions and strengths. It is this diversity organized by a shared passion for helping people and organizations flourish that enables us to continuously strive to innovate and effectively harness the power of the collective.  One of these individuals is Hamilton Ray, who has a passion for reading and promoting continuous learning. He is always curious to hear about the latest book you are reading and able to suggest a good book if you are not reading one. The snow during this Friday’s Transcribe inspired us to think of Hamilton and the books we could pick up while hunkering down.

Ham’s latest recommendation is Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie. Rath and Conchie combine Gallup’s extensive research on strengths and the results of more than 30,000 interviews with leaders and followers to posit the keys to being an effective leader. They identify investing in strengths, maximizing the strengths of your team, and meeting the basic needs of your followers as the most important practices of effective leaders.

The book includes a link to Gallup’s StrengthsFinder assessment, StrengthsFinder 2.0. Like any other assessment, it is helpful to consider your results with a grain of salt. They are a good starting point or continuation of reflection and conversation with your colleagues regarding how to most effectively leverage your individual strengths and realize your team’s full potential.

We have been sharing our strengths here at CN and they have informed several of our strategic conversations.

My top five strengths are: Achiever, Maximizer, Individualization, Woo, and Positivity. What are yours?

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