“For workers who are interested in developing skills to further their career goals . . . an eye-opening look at how we use and develop our skills.” —IT Business EdgeBooks

Like StrengthsFinder 2.0 have helped leaders discover their strengths—but they stop there. The Sindells argue that focusing only on your best abilities neglects a vital development opportunity. They show how to identify hidden strengths that can be quickly elevated into full strengths with attention and focus.

Working mainly on your strengths can ultimately make you weaker, they argue—you need to continually add new skills, not rely on what you’re already good at. And while most people assume that means they should try to turn their weaknesses into usable skills, the Sindells say that it takes too much time and effort —the ROI just isn’t there. It’s in the neglected middle skills, neither strengths nor weaknesses, that the most potent development opportunities lie. They’re close enough to being strengths that putting your energy there can offer a powerful payoff.

Using assessments, exercises, and case studies, the Sindells help you identify your most promising middle skills and create a plan to turn them into strengths. In today’s work environment, not growing and stretching yourself translates into lack of innovation, stagnation, and obsolescence. Relying upon strengths is like relying upon training wheels—at a certain point you need to take them off in order to improve and grow.

“Tackl[es] the question of why it’s so tempting to focus on extremes—our strengths and weaknesses—while overlooking our capacity in the middle: our hidden strengths.” —Bill McLawhon, Head of Leadership Development, Facebook

Books like StrengthsFinder 2.0 have helped leaders discover their strengths - but they stop there. The Sindells argue that focusing only on your best abilities neglects a vital development opportunity. They show how to identify hidden strengths that can be quickly elevated into full strengths with attention and focus.

Working mainly on your strengths can ultimately make you weaker, they argue - you need to continually add new skills, not rely on what you're already good at. And while most people assume that means they should try to turn their weaknesses into usable skills, the Sindells say that it takes too much time and effort - the ROI just isn't there. It's in the neglected middle skills, neither strengths nor weaknesses, that the most potent development opportunities lie. They're close enough to being strengths that putting your energy there can offer a powerful payoff.

Using assessments, exercises, and case studies, the Sindells help you identify your most promising middle skills and create a plan to turn them into strengths. In today's work environment, not growing and stretching yourself translates into lack of innovation, stagnation, and obsolescence. Relying upon strengths is like relying upon training wheels - at a certain point you need to take them off in order to improve and grow.

“Thuy and Milo Sindell take a new angle in the strengths conversation by tackling the question of why it’s so tempting to focus on extremes—our strengths and weaknesses—while overlooking our capacity in the middle: our hidden strengths. Finding these unlocks one’s potential to transform knowledge and skills into learned strengths.“
—Bill McLawhon, Head of Leadership Development, Facebook

“This book is a great companion for any leader or anyone who wants to grow to be one.”
—Beverly Kaye, founder, Career Systems International, and coauthor of Love ’Em or Lose ’Em, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go, and Hello Stay Interviews, Goodbye Talent Loss

“This book is a very practical, step-by-step approach to moving beyond the madness of focusing on developing weaknesses and getting by on strengths to identify and leverage our hidden strengths for personal and professional success.”
—Daniel Carusi, HCS, Vice President and Chief Learning Officer, Global Talent and Learning, Deltek University

“If you are looking to add inspiration to your own learning plan for professional development or you are responsible for helping individuals, teams, and organizations optimize their talents and performance, this book outlines a way to create leadership skills at every level of the organization.”
—Kim McEachron, Chief People Officer, Genomic Health, Inc.