In today’s rapidly changing workplace, it’s easy for learning and talent programs to focus on filling skill gaps rather than unlocking natural strengths. Marcus Buckingham’s Go Put Your Strengths to Work reframes that mindset—offering a data-driven and deeply human approach to building performance from the inside out.
Grounded in decades of Gallup and ADP research, Buckingham shows that only 17% of employees say they use their strengths every day. This book provides a six-step, six-week roadmap for changing that statistic—helping individuals, teams, and organizations align work with what people do best.
For L&D, HR, and OD leaders, this book delivers both personal and systemic insight:
- Redefine “strengths” as the intersection of energy, excellence, and engagement—not just competence.
- Equip managers with simple tools to hold meaningful, strengths-focused conversations.
- Recraft roles and workflows to connect employee talent directly to evolving business needs.
- Sustain engagement through a quick weekly reflection ritual that reinforces growth over compliance.
When integrated into leadership development, career pathing, or performance enablement strategies, Buckingham’s framework becomes a blueprint for a truly strengths-based culture—where learning feels personal, managers become talent multipliers, and business performance follows naturally.
🪜 The 6 Powerful Steps
The book outlines a practical, six-step, six-week program to help you actively "rewrite your job description" by putting your strengths to work:
- Bust the Myths: Challenge common beliefs (like "you will grow the most where you're weakest") that prevent you from focusing on strengths.
- Get Clear: Clearly define your strengths using four telltale signs (Success, Instinct, Growth, Needs - the "SIGNs").
- Free Your Strengths: Implement strategies to spend more time each week on activities that strengthen you.
- Stop Your Weaknesses: Identify and mitigate activities that drain or weaken you.
- Speak Up: Learn how to talk about your strengths and weaknesses with your boss and colleagues without bragging or whining, fostering a strengths-based team environment.
- Build Strong Habits: Establish a sustainable weekly ritual to keep you focused on your strengths throughout your career.
