Rating: 
Summary: "Soar" Bores
Review: A coemployee recommended this book, because quite frankly, I am a heavy-handed manager who sqaushes my employees' strengths like cockroaches, while demanding they get better at what they are incompentent at. As simple as it is, I have always thought "The Little Engine That Could" taught the essence of success. Now, after reading "Soar With Your Strengths", I'm sure 'Little Engine' teaches the essence of success. Yeah, let's just blame everyone else for what we stink at and make ourselves feel better by only doing the couple things we're good at. This does happen to be real life, and the losers will be the commune hippies who toke doob and tell each other just how strong they are. Well, you weaklings just keep on talking to yourself in the mirror, as the rest of the world passes you by.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding guide for success
Review: Donald Clifton and Paula Nelson tap an important principle: Focus on strength and manage weakness. They offer a step by step process to identify personal and corporate strengths and discuss how doing more of what you do well launches you into super achievement mode. This is a quick and excellent read for anyone interested in personal or business success.Another book that takes a more analytical approach to the principles outlined in this book is "The 80/20 Principle" by Richard Koch. Reading both books together will convince you beyond any doubt that there is power and purpose to the success foundations found in these pages.
Rating: 
Summary: An early effort on Strengths-based organizations...
Review: Donald O. Clifton is more recently the co-author of "Now Discover your Strengths." Soar with your strengths is obviously an earlier version of that book without the web-based testing or defined "themes". "Soar" has the stories and suggestions behind the data found in "Now Discover". Nothing new here, but the stories may help those who struggle with the concepts in "Now Discover". I particularly liked the rabbit story at the beginning (which I empathized with) and the suggestions at the end of the book about imagining your goals and dreams. Again, nothing new here, but some really nice illustrations of material found in other books.
Rating:
Summary: A cornerstone to a better future.
Review: Dr. Clifton's "Soar With Your Strengths" has helped me to identify why my carreer has not taken off to this point. I can see now that I have a tendency to focus on my weaknesses, while at the same time making the mistake of overlooking my strengths and ultimate potential. This book challenges the absurdity of this common mistake and enlightens the reader to a strengths approach as it relates to carreer planning, interpersal relations, etc. I would encourage anyone unhappy in their current carreer, anyone who wants success to come easy to them, or anyone who has a hand in managing the lifes, or carreers of others to read this book. Lastly I would like to commend the author on his writting style. This book is truly a joy to read, and to the point. Thank you Dr. Clifton for sharing this book with the world.
Rating:
Summary: A cornerstone to a better future.
Review: Dr. Clifton's "Soar With Your Strengths" has helped me to identify why my carreer has not taken off to this point. I can see now that I have a tendency to focus on my weaknesses, while at the same time making the mistake of overlooking my strengths and ultimate potential. This book challenges the absurdity of this common mistake and enlightens the reader to a strengths approach as it relates to carreer planning, interpersal relations, etc. I would encourage anyone unhappy in their current carreer, anyone who wants success to come easy to them, or anyone who has a hand in managing the lifes, or carreers of others to read this book. Lastly I would like to commend the author on his writting style. This book is truly a joy to read, and to the point. Thank you Dr. Clifton for sharing this book with the world.
Rating:
Summary: Preview to better books ahead
Review: It takes too many years between this book and "Now, Discover Your Strengths" that I failed to see the connection initially. This book is good as an introduction to a more fruitful organizational culture. In a workplace, if we are not working hard at creating a fruitful culture, the organization will deteriorate (entropy) into a dysfunctional one. "Now, Discover . ." is a much more polished book than this. Better get that one. But you also need to read "First, Break All the Rules" to understand where "Now, Discover . ." is coming from. Having said that, if you read "First" and "Now", you can skip "Soar" - really.
Rating:
Summary: Preview to better books ahead
Review: It takes too many years between this book and "Now, Discover Your Strengths" that I failed to see the connection initially. This book is good as an introduction to a more fruitful organizational culture. In a workplace, if we are not working hard at creating a fruitful culture, the organization will deteriorate (entropy) into a dysfunctional one. "Now, Discover . ." is a much more polished book than this. Better get that one. But you also need to read "First, Break All the Rules" to understand where "Now, Discover . ." is coming from. Having said that, if you read "First" and "Now", you can skip "Soar" - really.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommend
Review: The truths in this book seem so obvious when you read it, yet it's the opposite of what's been taught and praciticed for so many years. Don't waste time trying to perfect what you don't do well, you'll never make a weakness into a strength. Find out what you do well and become so good at it that what you don't do well won't matter. Unfortunately, I recognized all too well all of the clues that indicate operating in a weakness rather than a strength. The good news is that I can stop trying to perfect my weaknesses and start enjoying my strengths. A must read for managers, coaches, career counselors and especially young people trying to figure out what it is they want to do with their lives.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommend
Review: The truths in this book seem so obvious when you read it, yet it's the opposite of what's been taught and praciticed for so many years. Don't waste time trying to perfect what you don't do well, you'll never make a weakness into a strength. Find out what you do well and become so good at it that what you don't do well won't matter. Unfortunately, I recognized all too well all of the clues that indicate operating in a weakness rather than a strength. The good news is that I can stop trying to perfect my weaknesses and start enjoying my strengths. A must read for managers, coaches, career counselors and especially young people trying to figure out what it is they want to do with their lives.
Rating:
Summary: Humanistic
Review: This book has revolutionized my coaching practice and career counseling. The authors' theory of concentrating on your strengths and what you were meant to do makes perfect sense, now that they've said it. It's one of those books where you'll read it and say, "I knew that!" An obvious no-brainer for the young adult starting a career, I've found it exceptionally helpful for people in mid-life transition. Yes, it would've been good to have read it earlier, but at mid-life you've discovered through experience what does and doesn't work for you. This motivates change, and the changes you'll make after having read this, can be drastic. I find many mid-life clients unsatisfied with their work, yet unsure what to do about it, because they've come to know only their weaknesses. They yearn to do what they love, but aren't sure how to shape that. This book and the StrengthFinder (tm) profile jump-start the quest. I call this "humanistic," because once you know your strengths and are living them (and this applies to personal life as well as professional life), you soar. It's "deeply soul-satisfying," "a relief," and "the best thing I ever did," to quote some of my clients.
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