Effectively managing personnel--as well as one s own behavior--is an extraordinarily complex task that, not surprisingly, has been the subject of countless books touting what each claims is the true path to success. That said, Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton s Now, Discover Your Strengths does indeed propose a unique approach: focusing on enhancing people s strengths rather than eliminating their weaknesses. Following up on the coauthors popular previous book, First, Break All the Rules, it fully describes 34 positive personality themes the two have formulated (such as Achiever, Developer, Learner, and Maximizer) and explains how to build a strengths-based organization by capitalizing on the fact that such traits are already present among those within it. Most original and potentially most revealing, however, is a Web-based interactive component that allows readers to complete a questionnaire developed by the Gallup Organization and instantly discover their own top-five inborn...

#A point well taken, but... (2006-07-07) The idea of the book is to help you find your talents, build your strengths, which will in turn, improve your performance. Building your strengths is indeed somthing that is often overlooked, as most of the time we seek to improve our weaknesses- that s a point well taken- and a good reason to buy the book. However two more things also need to be mentioned. First, why can t we work on building both our strengths AND our weaknesses? In other words, why do we have to necessarily pick just one? I feel that many weaknesses can be improved upon. Se...

#Good book for managers who want to develop their people (2006-05-05) It s unconventional to be an advocate of focusing on people s strength instead of area of improvement , especially in the business world. This book gives plenty of real cases a lot of which we can relate to, very convincing. It s also a very easy read.

#Top Career Books Available (2006-03-17) Having recently been thrown into the world of executive unemployment, I highly recommend these two books for people facing reorganizations, layoffs, job changes or career redirection. . . NOW DISCOVER YOUR STRENGTHS (Buckingham) and THE BLACK BOOK OF OUTSOURCING (Brown & Wilson) Buckingham gives you a kick in the pants to get back on track. . . and Brown/Wilson will open up a whole new perspective on outsourcing - how to find a career in it, where the jobs in the US are, how to qualify, even how to open your own outsourcing firm.

#Some great ideas are present. (2006-02-23) The Author presents some great ideas, although excludes God, or any spiritual forces from any influence in who you are, or the decisions you make. Still, Christians should be able to gain value in some of the helpful ideas. Focusing on our weaknesses is the devils interest. Focusing on our strengths (God being one of them notably not mentioned in the book) is our responsability. Online questions don t let you answer a valid response. For example: a person who can excite others can often also calm them down. Saying you are neutral isn t a...

#beware of used copies (2004-07-03) An integral part of this book is the online profile. Each copy of this book comes with a unique PIN number inside the book jacket. If you buy a used copy, the PIN number may be already used, and thus will not allow you to use the online profile. However, the book is still interesting if you enjoy reading through the signature themes and guessing what your profile would have uncovered. It is also fun to read each theme and think of people you know who come to mind, and consider ways in which you can support their strengths. I would give this b...

Change can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your perspective. The message of Who Moved My Cheese? is that all can come to see it as a blessing, if they understand the nature of cheese and the role it plays in their lives. Who Moved My Cheese? is a parable that takes place in a maze. Four beings live in that maze: Sniff and Scurry are mice--nonanalytical and nonjudgmental, they just want cheese and are willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Hem and Haw are littlepeople, mouse-size humans who have an entirely different relationship with cheese. It s not just sustenance to them, it s their self-image. Their lives and belief systems are built around the cheese they ve found. Most of us reading the story will see the cheese as something related to our livelihoods--our jobs, our career paths, the industries we work in--although it can stand for anything, from health to relationships. The point of the story is that we have to be alert to changes in the cheese, and be prepared to go ...

#Entertaining Lesson (2008-10-07) A short story about 2 mice and 2 little people in a maze looking for cheese. Of course cheese is just a metaphor for what you want in life (such as money, the ideal job), and the maze represents where you are looking for what you want (such as your family, an organization). As the story goes, one of the characters (Haw) learns to deal with change successfully and writes what he has learned on the maze wall. In this way, the reader gets the main points in the book and can learn too how to deal with life s changes. A little book that is big on w...

#start a discussion on change (2008-09-28) Written with the fable of two mice, I have used this book to start the discussion on change and resistance to change. Which mouse do you most closely identify with and why? The book is a quick easy read, and provides some insight into behavior that we all identify as the other guys, not our own. Worth the money spent.

#Cheese - Intriguing Metaphor (2008-09-17) Cheese - this is the most intriguing metaphor I ve ever seen! I still have no idea why Spencer Johnson used that, but it seems to me that he used Cheese as means of social skills or flexibility. I guess we must get rid of our old cheese to adapt to any changes. Otherwise, we will be likely to be left behind or social loners. According to this book, 2 mice, Sniff and Scurry were sophisticated enough to get new Cheese. On the other hand, 2 Littlepeople, Hem and Haw got agitated because the Cheese at Cheese Station C, where they felt comforta...

#VERY amazing (2007-07-27) This book is a personal favorite, its amazing how much it helps if you have problems with relationships, work, people, personal issues, ect. Very beautiful, very well written.

#Universal (2006-12-06) This book is a quick read (I read it in about 45 minutes on a train ride home from work), but it presents ideas that can apply to many aspects of life. The lesson, to be proactive instead of reactive to change, is presented in a clever and amusing story which is entertaining and appropriate for all ages. But, the deeper meaning of the story launches the reader into reflective thought about their own life. The lesson applies to any type of life situation, from the job to personal relationships. It is one of those tools that helps you put common sense into focu...

Peopleware asserts that most software development projects fail because of failures within the team running them. This strikingly clear, direct book is written for software development team leaders and managers, but it s filled with enough common-sense wisdom to appeal to anyone working in technology. Authors Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister include plenty of illustrative, often amusing anecdotes, their writing is light, conversational, and filled with equal portions of humour and wisdom, and there is a refreshing absence of new age terms and multi-step programmes. The advice is presented straightforwardly and ranges from simple issues of prioritisation to complex ways of engendering harmony and productivity in your team. Peopleware is a short read that delivers more than many books on the subject twice its size. --Jake Bond

#Good book (2004-10-03) Good book. The only thing I ve read that impressed me more was The System by Roy Valentine. I got it here at amazon. You have to read this book.

#A must read for software leaders (2004-06-18) In his 25th Anniversary Edition of ",Mythical Man-Month",, Fred Brooks points to PeopleWare as the influential IS book of the 1980 s, and says that it was influential for the same reason MMM was: The primary challenges of software development are social, not technical. Companies that forget this are setting themselves up for failure. If you ve seen dilbert style software ",management", and want to find a better way, I can t recommend this book more strongly. If you read it, you ll want to find a way to get your superior...

#Great book, captures office politics to a tee. (2004-06-09) This book is well worth reading for both low level employees and managers. Although directed at the software development community, the book presents many ideas which would be useful in a wide range of companies. It s amazing how many of the situations described in this book are familiar, or are at least situations that I could easily imagine occurring in the office work environment. Yes, the book was written quite a while ago, but I think it s still very relevant today. Highly recommended reading, and enjoyable too. The...

#Good Overall, But Some Material Is Outdated Or Impractical (2004-04-18) This is a good book on software management, however, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. The references to the intercom paging system definitely date the book. I doubt this is really an issue anymore, but I am glad that it is not. Also, most companies are not going to allow the control over office space that is recommended in the book. This is where the book goes a little ",pie in the sky", to me. There is still a lot of good material for managers to consider. The authors make a very go...

#Total Agreement, Except on One Crucial Point (2003-10-11) This book is as essential as everyone here makes it out to be. However, the authors development of the notion of teamicide needs to be seriously questioned. While there is some truth to their characterization of incentive-based systems or tracking through testing having the ability to go haywire, the stated anti-postulate reads like an articulation of the doctrine of the soviet. No individuals performances can be acknowledged to the group? At all times it must be enforced that the only goal is the group goal? This is the on...