StandOut 2.0: Assess Your Strengths, Find Your Edge, Win at Work

If you are a follower of Gallup Strength based leadership this is a must read. It takes it one step further. Where the "old" strength finder falls short is in the top 5-10, boxed in a type of stereotyping. This book helps you to put the Strength Finder into a human perspective. Where a normal person is not one or two Strength, we are a mix of Strength and that complexity brings demands a new perspective. This book helps you in understanding that. Well worth reading!

StandOut 2.0 started a phenomenal line of communication between me and my manager. It took the discussion to a whole new level. Once we shared which category each fell into, the way we approached monthly meetings changed and I’ve been able to fast track my career progression. I highly recommend this book!

The review is less about the book, more about the test the book is designed around. I'm reading this book and completing the online exam for a course offered through my employer. This isn't the first or most well known "business personality test" out there, the other I've done and recommended to my team is StrengthsFinder 2.0. The author was involved in designing both tests, StandOut and StrengthsFinder. I found that the results of this one sort of surprised me, where StrengthsFinder really hit home very well. Of course the first page of the results of StandOut says this might not be how you see yourself but how others perceive you.... so there, you can't argue with the results now because they specifically tell you that it's not designed to match your own self image... When you finish the 34 question exam, the website generates a PDF that tells you your top 2 roles out of 9 possible roles. I found that the descriptions of the roles were fine, I dont know if I totally agreed with my 2nd role, but if there are 9 role outcomes and you're going to profile my top 2, there are only 72 possible combos of "top 2 roles". If I'm the one writing this book or forming this test, it might be worth profiling those 72 combos, naming each combo something awesome and then giving the feedback based on the two roles combined. But the results don't really do that. For the majority of the resulting info they provide, its for Role #1 - do this, and Role #2 do that. The feedback doesn't conflict but there was a lost opportunity to create a more comprehensive set of feedback based on the 72 possible combos. So I answered 34 questions, you profiled me very particularly, and then give me a bunch of generic answers that arguably 1 in 9 people will get. There are 2 pages of results that do attempt to combine your top 2 roles into a single "you" ("Phrases to describe yourself" and "Your ideal career") but for the most part, you get your feedback for how to win, what to watch out for based on those individual roles, not one that considers the intersection of those two roles in one person. The book follows the same formula, 9 sections on the 9 roles, not 72 sections of the intersection of your top 2. Other feedback common of these types of tests - of my 9 roles, roles 2 through 4 were all fairly close to each other in the resulting bar graph. So I feel like if I did this all over again in 3 months when I totally forget the questions, and if I answer some of the ones I really had to think about for a while a little differently, I might wind up with a totally different outcome for role 2. Lastly, a lot of the feedback on what to do is written as if I'm in sales. Ok maybe that's the target audience for the book. But I'm not in sales and now I have to bend the results and feedback into a very un-sales career. So that isn't too much fun. If you've already taken StrengthsFinder, this is probably worth the $15-20 to see how it turns out, and to learn something about yourself even if it's "how others perceive you" kinda feedback. So its not really your strengths, it what others THINK your strengths are based on your actions. If you haven't taken StrengthsFinder yet, and only have $20 to spend, do that one first. Then come back to this a year later after you've taken the time to digest SF and it's feedback. Again the author had a hand in both books so I don't think its unfair to provide this comparison.

Bought copies for my younger relatives because we did this assessment at a large corporation and it was spot on for everyone! It is a very useful analysis, and I wish I had this information when I was at the beginning of my career. Make sure you buy new, because you can take the assessment online and each book contains a code that is only good for one online assessment.

Note for those with the ebook or who (like me) got a physical copy that didn't include a code, go to the website and contact them. They can send you a new code with proof of purchase (such as a screenshot of an invoice). One of the big reasons I was interested in this book was the stated purpose of linking strengths and roles to careers. But the career advice given only talks about sales and customer service. While I know they can't include every possible field and it's possible to take a wide view of those (almost every career can have some aspect of customer service, for example) it was rather disappointing. Each role contains a section on sales and a section on customer service (for example, certain roles would prefer a sales role where you worked with a single customer vs constantly bringing in new customers). For me at least, suggesting different fields for different roles would have been much more valuable.

Very helpful companion to the regular Strengthsfinder assessments by Gallup. I actually found it more useful than the regular Strengthsfinder approach, because it gave me immediate insight into what roles I should actively seek to place myself in in the workplace. Only nine roles to memorize in order to be able to sense others' natural roles; much simpler than the 34 strengths that I end up needing to know to take full advantage of Strengthsfinder. I took a certification course that used both the Strengthsfinder AND Standout 2.0 assessments, and it was interesting to learn that the Standout 2.0 was based on natural clusters of strengthst that tend to appear in people when they take the Strengthsfinder assessment, and that those natural clusters correspond to natural workplace roles like Pioneer, Advisor, Teacher, etc..

Had to do .this for an interview and have found it a very nice compliment to Myers Briggs et al. I thought the book was great, but found the test sight kinda rudimentary. The final report was also very well put together, giving some great insights that were largely expected, but even then I felt I gained new personal insights by the end of the process.

I'm a retired Pastoral Care minister who has "taken a bunch" of profiles starting with Taylor/Johnson. We used T/J in the '70's and '80's. StandOut 2.0 is the best, most useful profile I have seen to date. It's user-friendly and the printed information is practical and useful for resumes, team building, etc. Thanks, Marcus, for an excellent product!

StandOut 2.0 is not just a book—it’s a personal coaching session, career roadmap, and leadership development toolkit all rolled into one. Marcus Buckingham has once again delivered a powerful, practical guide to discovering and maximizing your unique strengths. The StandOut Assessment that comes with the book is a revelation. Unlike other personality tests that box you in, this one gives you laser-sharp insight into how you naturally add the most value. It’s short, accurate, and immediately useful. My top two roles were spot-on and helped me understand not just what I’m good at—but how to leverage those talents to lead, influence, and perform better at work. The real magic of StandOut 2.0 lies in how actionable it is. The personalized report gives you daily, weekly, and monthly tips tailored to your top roles. I’ve already used them to redesign parts of my workflow, improve my team meetings, and even steer my career conversations in a more aligned direction. Whether you’re a team leader, entrepreneur, coach, or just someone seeking clarity and edge in your career—this book is a must-have. It’s fresh, intelligent, and empowering. You’ll walk away feeling seen, equipped, and energized. Highly recommend this for anyone who wants to stop blending in and start truly standing out!

Tried out the test but the results were completely the opposite of what I was expecting (I was horrified by the results). This is basically personality tests or horoscopes for "business use."

Bom livro para fazer refletir sobre os pontos fortes no trabalho. Espere saber com boa precisão seu perfil e pontos fortes que podem ser trabalhados no dia a dia (mas o como fica por sua conta).Não espere um guia para as mais diversas situações desafiadoras com um passo a passo do que fazer. O livro abre um bom ponto para reflexão, em especial para perfeccionistas que não costumam pensar sobre suas qualidades.

Good book to learn how people can work with you. It's an electronic book so it was in good qualit :) In the book, there is a link for a free test to learn about yourself.

I use this assessment with my corporate clients. They find great value in it.