The Strengths Profile Book
The
The Strengths Profile Book
Strengths
Strengths help you be your authentic best self by understanding
what you can do + love to do.
Years of research, thousands of interviews and consulting with
hundreds of companies globally make Capp The Strengths Experts.
Profile
We know that using your strengths helps you achieve a happier,
productive and more rewarding life.
E
The Strengths Profile Book reveals all 60 strengths from our online
strengths tool. We take you on a journey to discover your strengths,
and give you the language to talk about and share them.
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With insights and practical suggestions, we help you develop and
ALEX LINLEY TRUDY BATEMAN
apply your strengths in practice.
Understand and use your strengths to achieve your goals and get
Book
results. Wake up every day excited about what you will achieve.
If you want to get the best out of life, or if you’re a coach, manager
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or parent wanting to get the best from your clients, team or
children, The Strengths Profile Book shows you how.
www.strengthsprofile.com
www.capp.co
SA Finding What You
Can Do + Love To Do
And Why It Matters
Capp
ALEX ALEX
LINLEY
LINLEY TRUDY BATEMAN
TRUDY BATEMAN
Contents
Authors’ preface.........................................................................................4
Part 1: Introducing Strengths..................................................13
Introduction..............................................................................................14
What is a strength?...................................................................................16
Part 2: The 60 Strengths..........................................................21
Action........................................................................................................22
Adaptable..................................................................................................24
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Adherence.................................................................................................26
Adventure..................................................................................................28
Authenticity...............................................................................................30
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Bounceback...............................................................................................32
Catalyst.......................................................................................................34
Centred......................................................................................................36
Change Agent...........................................................................................38
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Compassion..............................................................................................40
Competitive...............................................................................................42
Connector.................................................................................................44
Counterpoint............................................................................................46
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Courage......................................................................................................48
Creativity...................................................................................................50
Curiosity....................................................................................................52
Detail..........................................................................................................54
Drive..........................................................................................................56
Emotional Awareness.............................................................................58
Empathic...................................................................................................60
Enabler......................................................................................................62
Equality......................................................................................................64
The Strengths Profile Book 9
Esteem Builder.........................................................................................66
Explainer...................................................................................................68
Feedback...................................................................................................70
Gratitude...................................................................................................72
Growth......................................................................................................74
Humility.....................................................................................................76
Humour.....................................................................................................78
Improver...................................................................................................80
Incubator...................................................................................................82
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Innovation.................................................................................................84
Judgement.................................................................................................86
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Legacy........................................................................................................88
Listener......................................................................................................90
Mission.......................................................................................................92
Moral Compass........................................................................................94
Narrator.....................................................................................................96
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Optimism..................................................................................................98
Organiser.................................................................................................100
Persistence..............................................................................................102
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Personal Responsibility.........................................................................104
Personalisation.......................................................................................106
Persuasion...............................................................................................108
Planner.....................................................................................................110
Prevention...............................................................................................112
Pride.........................................................................................................114
Rapport Builder......................................................................................116
Relationship Deepener..........................................................................118
Resilience.................................................................................................120
10 The Strengths Profile Book
Resolver...................................................................................................122
Self-awareness........................................................................................124
Self-belief................................................................................................126
Service......................................................................................................128
Spotlight..................................................................................................130
Strategic Awareness...............................................................................132
Time Optimiser......................................................................................134
Unconditionality....................................................................................136
Work Ethic.............................................................................................138
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Writer.......................................................................................................140
Part 3: Developing and Applying Strengths..........................143
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Strengthspotting.....................................................................................144
Strengths in your context.....................................................................146
The Strengths Profile Model of Development.................................151
Strengths overplayed.............................................................................164
Do strengths change over time?..........................................................166
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Be Your Best SELF...............................................................................168
Strengths in summary – 8 easy steps for success.............................177
Part 4: Strengths Science and Other References...................179
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The strengths science............................................................................180
Scientific sources....................................................................................183
References...............................................................................................186
Strengths Profile symbols.....................................................................188
About the authors..................................................................................197
Other books by the authors.................................................................198
Where next?............................................................................................199
The Strengths Profile Book 11
Introduction
Strengths Profile is a product developed by Capp.
Capp was founded in 2005 by Alex Linley and Nicky Garcea
with a clear purpose of Strengthening the World, enabled through
our vision of Matching the world to their perfect job. Our Capp staff
are proud to contribute daily to the difference we make through
strengths.
We’ve become The Strengths Experts through our hundreds of
research papers and thousands of hours working on the
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application of strengths. Whilst we pride ourselves on our
background in research and data, we’ve also listened and
watched extensively for strengths in people in all areas of their
lives. We are humbled to work in advising people and
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organisations across all professions and backgrounds to identify
and develop their strengths. We know a strength from a mile off!
We started our journey in 2005 with ‘Strengthspotting’, a way of
learning to identify, classify, and measure strengths through
conversations. Through these conversations with individuals and
organisations, we have over 200 validated strengths we work
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with to support our assessment, development and
transformation interventions.
We work in the real world with people, managers, and
organisations who want to know more about themselves from a
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holistic view. People who want to understand what they are good
at, what they love to do, and what they have the potential to be
good at in the future. There are also questions about things they
are good at but didn’t enjoy and yes, that question, “What are my
weaknesses then?”.
To help with all of this, we developed an online strengths
assessment, launched in 2009, that could identify and help
people to develop their strengths, and could also address the
other questions. We chose 60 of the most prevalent strengths
from our bank of validated strengths and our thousands of
interviews to develop what is now Strengths Profile (formerly
Realise2 and R2 Strengths Profiler).
14 The Strengths Profile Book
This book is all about the 60 strengths featured in Strengths
Profile. Most of us don’t have a clear understanding of what our
strengths are, the things we can do + love to do. Through this
book, and the Strengths Profile assessment, we’ll show you how
to develop these strengths so that you can become your best self.
If you have completed the assessment and already have your
Strengths Profile, use the book to gain deeper knowledge of your
own strengths and those of others too.
If you don’t have a Strengths Profile, you can complete one at
www.strengthsprofile.com or try these questions to get you
thinking more about the strengths you have, in preparation for
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the next chapter.
•
PL What do your friends and family know you for?
• Ask a friend to describe you at your best to a stranger –
what do they say?
• When are you at your best inside of work?
• What do you enjoy most outside of work?
• What does a ‘great’ day look like for you?
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• When did you last go home energised from work? Why
was that?
• What tasks or activities do you find easy?
• What skills, through work or school, did you learn
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quickly?
• When did you last achieve something you were proud of?
• What made you feel this way?
The Strengths Profile Book 15
What is a strength?
Research has shown that only one in three people can say what
their strengths are. Unfortunately, of these people, most will still
get it wrong.
When people talk about strengths, most people think about ‘the
things that I’m good at’. This is probably something ingrained
from education. Hopefully, we will have been recognised and
appreciated throughout our life for the tasks we do well.
And that’s right, to an extent, but there is much more. Through
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the thousands of hours Strengthspotting, and reading all the
research reports, books, conference abstracts and opinion pieces,
we define a strength as consisting of:
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Performance Energy Use
How well you perform How energised you are by How often you use these
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when using these strengths using these strengths strengths
You can read more about this thinking in the book Average to
A+: Realising Strengths in Yourself and Others by Alex Linley.
Performance
Performance is likely to be the one thing you have already
recognised in yourself through your education and school. You
might be good at, say, motivating the football team forward,
writing essays, or coming up with new ways of doing things. For
it to be a strength, you do need to be good at it. It’s no good
enjoying singing without any performance in it – unless you want
to keep it as a hobby.
16 The Strengths Profile Book
Energy
Let’s look at the most critical element: energy. When you are
using a strength, you feel energised. You get a buzz. You feel like
it’s the ‘real you’ coming through. You feel like you could use the
strength all day. It’s the activity that has you leaping out of bed in
the morning earlier than usual. It’s the work assignment that has
you screeching to a halt, leaving tyre marks in the office car park,
because you can’t get to your desk fast enough. It’s that sense of
‘This is what I was born to do’. Strengths are deeply fulfilling to
us – and they should be. They are about our unique selves, what
we love to do and who we are at our best.
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The science tells us that people perform better at work when
using their strengths – and are a lot more engaged with what they
are doing. People are happier when using their strengths, as well
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as feeling more capable and more confident in what they can
achieve. Performance and energy contribute to this.
People grow, learn, and develop best in the areas of their
strengths, despite the common mistake that our ‘areas for
development’ should be our weaknesses. You can read more
about the science of strengths on page 180.
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In contrast, when you are good at something but don’t have the
energy in the task, we call this a learned behaviour. Whilst a
valuable skill and resource, it is not a strength.
This is where people are often mistaken. They think that because
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they are good at doing something, it must be a strength. But for
it to be a strength, you have to be good at it and energised by it.
If you’re just good at it but you don’t enjoy it, then it’s a learned
behaviour. This realisation has been a lightbulb moment for
thousands of people through our work.
Learned behaviours form part of our Strengths Profile Model of
Development, which can be found on page 151.
The Strengths Profile Book 17
Use
The third element of our strengths definition is use. If a strength
isn’t being used, we think this is something that needs some
attention. If you perform well at something and enjoy it, but
don’t use it, you could be sitting on a potential talent to be
utilised.
In Strengths Profile, we call these unrealised strengths.
In contrast, realised strengths are the things that you perform
well at, find energising, and do frequently. We already use them
to achieve good performance results.
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Unrealised strengths may be new to us because we don’t have
the situation or opportunity to use them as much. This
distinction between realised strengths and unrealised strengths is
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a powerful one. Quite simply, our areas of greatest potential for
development exist in our unrealised strengths.
If you have a Strengths Profile, you will be familiar with your
realised and unrealised strengths. If you are using this book on
its own, as you go through the strengths and tick off the ones
you have, pay attention to how often you use them currently.
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Give them a score out of 10 on use and mark any under 6 as an
unrealised strength, with 7 and over being your realised
strengths.
You can learn more about developing and applying your
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strengths in Part 3 of this book, starting on page 143.
18 The Strengths Profile Book
Adventure
Understand me
I relish the risk of the unusual or the untried. I look forward to
experiences that are on the edge of, or outside, my comfort zone.
New and challenging scenarios provide ways for me to test
myself and to understand what I can and can’t do. Above all, I
love to push the boundaries and see what life will throw at me.
Describe me
“I love to travel to different places that people wouldn’t
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normally associate with going on holiday.”
“I find myself thinking about how I would react to new and
difficult situations. It helps give me a deeper understanding of
myself.”
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“I find it exciting to do something that scares me and that carries
a real risk – something that takes me to the edge.”
“I really enjoy experiencing new and challenging situations, and
even more so if it is with others.”
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“I find that I am at ease with being uncomfortable to the point
when I’m not. I look for ways to be challenged.”
People like me
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Bear Grylls – British adventurer, writer, and television
presenter. He is widely known for his television series Man vs.
Wild.
Prince Harry – British Prince. He and a group of military
veterans reached the South Pole after a gruelling 200-mile-long
(335 kilometres) trek in treacherous weather conditions across
Antarctica for charity.
Valentina Tereshkova – Soviet cosmonaut. As the pilot of
Vostok 6 in June 1963, she was the first woman to go into space.
28 The Strengths Profile Book
Develop me
Coach yourself
What’s the biggest risk you have taken? How did you benefit
from it?
What gives you that buzz when you are at the edge of your
comfort zone?
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What impact does your sense of Adventure have on you or
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others around you?
Apply yourself
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Is there a task or project you would love to do right now but
have put off? What one thing could you do to get closer to
this?
Create a list of questions when considering a new approach,
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to weigh up the benefits of choosing a riskier or consistent
approach. Share the results with others to gain trust.
Think through the impact of risk on others as you embark on
another exciting Adventure. Consider ways to demonstrate
your considered care and attention to their wellbeing.
Watch out for yourself
Don’t become an adrenaline junkie. If overplayed, you could
find yourself never settling with anything for any length of
time. It could also impact negatively on your wellbeing and
see you becoming bored in relationships. Learn to balance
your need for Adventure with more routine activity.
The Strengths Profile Book 29
Improver
Understand me
I get a thrill from seeing how I can make things more effective. I
love looking for ways to do things better, even when I’m not
asked to! I have an innate sense of how to improve on any way
of doing things.
Describe me
“I believe that anything can be done better, you just need to
review something with fresh eyes and have done your research.”
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“I have a reputation for being good with processes. Technology
is constantly changing, so there are always new ways to approach
a task.”
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“I love to take something that isn’t working as well as it could
and make it simpler, clearer, more logical, more efficient or
simply better.”
“I never have to be told when to improve something – even if it
isn’t something I am working on. I just naturally do it.”
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“It’s been hard to learn that sometimes things don’t need
improving and that the way they are is good enough.”
People like me
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Mary Anderson – Inventor of the windscreen wiper. She was
awarded a US patent in 1903, thereby improving the driving
experience and safety of millions.
Elizabeth Fry – English humanitarian. She was known for her
activism for prison reform. From 2001 to 2016 she was depicted
on the Bank of England £5 note.
Jack Welch – Former CEO of GE plc. He was renowned for
always striving for greater efficiency and higher profits, with his
time at GE increasing the company’s value by 4000%.
80 The Strengths Profile Book
Develop me
Coach yourself
What drives you to look for better ways of doing things?
When have you used your Improver strength to achieve an
outcome that you are proud of?
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How do you judge when it’s suitable to leave things as they
are?
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Apply yourself
Surround yourself with a role or hobby that allows you to
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learn, grow, and develop new and improved ways of working.
You may feel stifled if you don’t.
Measure the success of your improvements before moving
on to the next thing. Use this as the business case for your
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next idea.
Be the gatekeeper of ideas on a new project to ensure that
you make considered recommendations. Collate all the
suggestions and record both the short and long-term
benefits.
Watch out for yourself
Know when to leave well alone. Your strength in suggesting
and making improvements can, if overplayed, mean you
never rest or accept that things are satisfactory. Learn to spot
when something does not need refining or improving, but
can safely be left as-is – and then relax!
The Strengths Profile Book 81
Organiser
Understand me
I love to be exceptionally well-organised. Everything has its
place, both in my work and my personal life. My order and
organisation mean that I’m able to be as effective as possible in
everything I do. I always know where things are, what to do
when, and why something is important.
Describe me
“I firmly believe that everything has its place. When it doesn’t,
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nothing delights me more than to find a place for it.”
“In all areas of my life, I like things to be organised. It helps me
focus on what I need to do, knowing where everything is.”
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“I get really excited when I am asked to organise something that
is a complete mess. It is so satisfying to see the end result.”
“My friends often rely on me for events and socials, as I think of
everything and everyone to make it successful.”
“I have learnt not everyone loves to be organised, so I try to help
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where I can without taking over, however hard this is!”
People like me
David Beckham OBE – Former British footballer and
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businessman. He has shared in interviews his need for order,
reportedly with a colour coded fridge and even number of
drinks.
A.A. Milne – Author of Winnie the Pooh. He is quoted as saying
“Organising is what you do before you do something, so that
when you do it, it is not all mixed up”.
Abraham Ortelius – Flemish cartographer. He is generally
recognised as the creator of the first modern atlas.
100 The Strengths Profile Book
Develop me
Coach yourself
How does your strength in Organiser reveal itself in your
life?
How does being organised help you achieve your daily tasks
at home and at work?
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In what situation has your Organiser strength been the most
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effective?
Apply yourself
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Communicate your desire for order rather than inflexibility.
Let people know you work more efficiently with deadlines,
priorities and structure, and how to approach this with you.
What routines can you create at home or at work that will
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ease any frustrations? Make order easily accessible for others
so they can join in.
Remember, others may reach success in a different way.
Learn to give tips, help along structure, share your best
templates and then take a step back.
Watch out for yourself
Know when to allow disorder. Your strength in having a
place for everything can, if overplayed, come across as overly
constraining to others. Not everyone enjoys structure and
order. Be prepared to relax your focus to engage others – and
be open to new information or ideas.
The Strengths Profile Book 101
Spotlight
Understand me
I enjoy being the centre of attention. Whether in a meeting or in
a social gathering, I naturally speak up and hold the floor. I like
holding people’s interest and focus. I can get people to listen to
me and keep their attention – whatever else might be going on.
Describe me
“Performing and talking is what I am all about. I just love being
the centre of attention and having people looking at me.”
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“I get a real buzz from being listened to. I try to do this in an
engaging way, so others enjoy what I have to say.”
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“Any opportunity I get, I entertain people and make them laugh
through stories, experiences, and jokes.”
“I am often more comfortable with public speaking or speaking
in large groups, than I am with a one-to-one conversation.”
“I’m conscious not to take over and steal the limelight as other
people need to share their views, although this can be difficult!”
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People like me
Sir Richard Branson – Founder of Virgin Group. He has
attempted many world records and events, including the fastest
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crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by both boat and hot air balloon,
the fastest crossing of the Pacific Ocean by hot air balloon, and
the fastest crossing of the English Channel in an amphibious
vehicle.
Madonna – American singer. She has been recognised as the
best-selling female recording artist of all time by the Guinness
Book of World Records and is reported to have sold over 300
million albums.
Oscar Wilde – Irish playwright and poet. He wrote numerous
short stories and one novel, being famous for his biting wit. He
was one of the greatest celebrities of his day.
130 The Strengths Profile Book
Develop me
Coach yourself
What underpins your desire to put yourself in the Spotlight?
What do you enjoy about speaking up in front of others?
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How do you use your Spotlight strength to achieve your
objectives?
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Apply yourself
Presenting doesn’t come naturally to most people. Find ways
to partner with others, where they come up with the ideas
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and strategies and you deliver them or co-present.
Attend to your audience and adapt your presentation style.
Rely on a range of tools like stories, videos and other
presenters, rather than having it as just you speaking.
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As well as how you say it, know what to say when. Ensure
your contributions are relevant and timely, and your content
is well-informed.
Watch out for yourself
Allow others their time in the Spotlight as well. Your
strength in speaking up can, if overplayed, be at the expense
of others. Encourage others to contribute their thoughts,
views and ideas. Inclusion is critical in a team or
organisational context.
The Strengths Profile Book 131
About the authors
Dr. Alex Linley is a world authority on
positive psychology and its applications,
particularly strengths approaches. He is
the Founder and CEO of Capp, where
he leads the company purpose of
Strengthening the World and vision of
Matching the world to their perfect job. In his
former academic career, Alex has
written, co-written, or edited more than
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130 research papers and book chapters,
and eight books, including Positive Psychology in Practice (Wiley,
2004), Average to A+: Realising Strengths in Yourself and Others (Capp
Press, 2008), and the Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology and
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Work (Oxford University Press, 2009), all of which he now
appreciates as a result of the combination of his Legacy and
Writer strengths. As well as working on strengths, Alex listens to
The Cure, supports Nottingham Forest Football Club and plays
with the family dachshunds, Buddy and Dash. Alex lives in the
West Midlands with his wife and four children.
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Trudy Bateman is an expert in strengths
and their applications and as Head of
Strengths Profile is responsible for
implementing the successful product
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strategy and delivery of the tool. Having
been with Capp since 2009, she has
delivered thousands of strengths
solutions through coaching, facilitating,
and consulting. Trudy now applies her
expertise and top strength of Legacy to
deliver her passion in helping people and organisations to be
their best. This focuses on the development of accessible tools
to build strengths-based cultures and lives that are sustaining and
rewarding. Trudy is a key speaker and resident expert in
strengths and their applications. Trudy lives in Warwickshire
with her husband, two children and two dogs, where she loves to
overplay her Humour strength.
The Strengths Profile Book 197
The Strengths Profile Book
The
The Strengths Profile Book
Strengths
Strengths help you be your authentic best self by understanding
what you can do + love to do.
Years of research, thousands of interviews and consulting with
hundreds of companies globally make Capp The Strengths Experts.
Profile
We know that using your strengths helps you achieve a happier,
productive and more rewarding life.
E
The Strengths Profile Book reveals all 60 strengths from our online
strengths tool. We take you on a journey to discover your strengths,
and give you the language to talk about and share them.
PL
With insights and practical suggestions, we help you develop and
ALEX LINLEY TRUDY BATEMAN
apply your strengths in practice.
Understand and use your strengths to achieve your goals and get
Book
results. Wake up every day excited about what you will achieve.
If you want to get the best out of life, or if you’re a coach, manager
M
or parent wanting to get the best from your clients, team or
children, The Strengths Profile Book shows you how.
SA
www.strengthsprofile.com
www.capp.co
Finding What You
Can Do + Love To Do
And Why It Matters
Capp
ALEX ALEX
LINLEY
LINLEY TRUDY BATEMAN
TRUDY BATEMAN
