Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Apr 01, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version
Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Tuesday, Apr 01, 2008 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version |
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Variety
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Books Columns - Say Cheek Talent X investment = strength When you are not in the strengths zone “you are six times less likely to be engaged in your job.” D. Murali Stop working on your weaknesses and, instead, start looking at your pluses, says Tom Rath in StrengthsFinder 2.0 ( www.landmarkonthenet.com). “From the cradle to the cubicle, we devote more time to our shortcomings than to our strengths,” he rues. This is quite apparent in the way we create icons out of people who struggle to overcome a lack of natural talent, observes Rath. “Our books, movies, and folklore are filled with stories of the underdog who beats one-in-a-million odds.” As a result, we set our sights on conquering major challenges, which unfortunately, is taking the path of ‘most’ resistance, the author frets. Citing Gallup’s research, Rath says that each person has greater potential for success in specific areas, and the key to human development is building on who you really are. Therefore, he suggests that the maxim can be rewritten as: “You cannot be anything you want to be – but you can be a lot more of who you already are.” And it is essential to work from the strengths zone, because when you are not in the strengths zone ‘you are six times less likely to be engaged in your job,’ the book notes. Symptoms of disengagement do show in the form of: dread going to work, more negative than positive interactions with colleagues, poor treatment of customers, reduced productivity, and complaining to friends ‘what a miserable company you work for.’ The simple formula for ‘strength’ (the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance), according to the book, is ‘talent’ (a natural way of thinking, feeling, or behaving) multiplied by ‘investment’ (time spent practising, developing your skills, and building your knowledge base). While it is easier to add knowledge and skills to your repertoire, adding a talent where little exists may not be the best use of your time, advises Rath. However, describing our natural talents can be a struggle. To overcome this, the book offers a list 34 themes such as achiever, analytical, communication, discipline, empathy, futuristic, ideation, input, learner, maximiser, relator, strategic, and woo. For example, if you fit the ‘input’ theme, you are a collector – of things, information and so on that interest you. “You really don’t feel comfortable throwing anything away. So you keep acquiring and compiling and filing stuff away… It keeps your mind fresh.” Addressed to each theme are ‘ideas for action’. To the ‘input’ people, for instance, the advice is to share information. For, “Input without output can lead to stagnation,” as Rath notes. Apart from identifying your talents, you should also know the areas of lesser talent, to avoid major roadblocks, counsels Rath. “Once you’re able to acknowledge, for example, that you are not great at managing details, it opens several doors for working around that lesser talent.” Empowering read. http://BookPeek.blogspot.com More Stories on : Books | Say Cheek | Human Resources
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