How full is your bucket?

By Tom Rath And

Donald O.Clifton, Ph.D.Book Review by Yaounde Ross

Co-author of the book How Full is Your Bucket is a keynote speaker on positive leadership and is credited as being “one of the most influential authors of the last decade”. Rath, who is a Business Week and New York Times Best Seller has authored four other books on effective leadership, strength, well-being, and the importance of friendship that have all totaled 4 million copies in sells .

The author is a Global Practice Leader at Gallup, a research based management consulting firm, who presently resides with his family in Arlington, Virginia.

Courtesy of Gallup. Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/speakersbureau/18562/tom-rath.aspx

http://www.amazon.com/Tom-Rath/e/B001J8ZIN6

TOM RATH

The late Donald O. Clifton, co-wrote the manuscript on his deathbed alongside his grandson Tom Rath. As a professor of Psychology at the University of Nebraska, where Dr.Clifton was a Professor of Educational Psychology from 1950-1969; he began to wonder what would be the significance of studying what is right with people rather than looking at what is wrong. In his lifetime Dr. Clifton was a WWII Veteran, founder of the on-line Clifton Strengths School; and is most famous for starting a Human Resources company in 1988 of what is known today as Gallup. He is also the creator of the Clifton Strengths finder, an online assessment tool and the novel Now, Discover Your Strengths. One year before his death, the author was honored by the American Psychology Association with a Presidential Commendation, where he was coined as the Father of Strengths-based Psychology and the Grandfather of Positive Psychology. http://www.strengths.org/clifton.shtml

1924 - 2003Donald O. Clifton, Ph. D.Often called the “Father of Strengths Psychology” and the “Grandfather of Positive Psychology”

http://www.google.com/search?q=donald+o+clifton&hl=en&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4ADRA_enUS417US418&prmd=imvnsbo&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=-kpLUPGjNcSkrAHpsIGoBQ&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1600&bih=667

Theory

Grounded in over 50 years of research, this book was founded on the metaphoric theory of the “Dipper” and the “Bucket”, which states that each one of us has an invisible bucket and dipper. When the bucket is full we are filled with positive emotions and feel energized. However when our bucket is empty we are just the opposite; filled with negative emotions, thoughts, and emptiness.

The books purpose was to remind its reader of the importance of taking advantage of even those moments that seem insignificant. Rath and Clifton bring home the message that negativity if given power, can kill. The authors also site important statistical facts reporting that:

PURPOSE

• We encounter over 20,000 individual moments daily.

• For every negative interaction, there should be five positive interactions: the magic 5:1 ratio.

• The idea that positive emotions can lengthen ones the life-span by 10 years.

http://www.google.com/search?num=10&hl=en&rlz=1T4ADRA_enUS417US418&site=imghp

Powerful message for organizations that regular

recognition and praise can:

Increases individual productivity Increases engagement among employees Increases employee retention Increases sense of loyalty Increases customer satisfaction Have better safety records that reduces on the

job accidents.

Positivity, Negativity, Productivity

Target Audience

This book was written for everyone, regardless of socio-economic status, age, race, ethnicity and especially for those who are in roles of leadership.

Children's version

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths Insightful and provides useful

strategies that can be applied to everyday life situations in the work place and at home.

Great for those who look for principles that guide leadership practices in any business sector.

An easy read that provides basic concepts that can be applied to real life.

Can assist in strengthening and rebuilding relationships.

Weaknesses Strategies may not be practical in

everyday life situations.

Theory is “too simplistic” as reported by Psychologist Christian Perring.

Provides no true remedy of how to deal with those who are innately negative.

Dr. Donald O. Clifton, spent 50 years of his life conducting research that went into creating the “Dipper and Bucket Theory”.

• Using statistical evidence on the impact of negativity and strategies used in the Korean War by the Korean soldiers against the American soldiers by destroying their hope and breaking alliances.

• Using the evidence found in workplace polling which indicated that 65% of Americans lacked recognition for their efforts in the workplace setting, thereby decreasing productivity which is said to cost the U.S. economy between $250 and $300 billion yearly.

• Studies indicate that negative emotions can be harmful to ones health and can even shorten the lifespan.

Research to Support Evidence

High Recommendation

#1 on the New York Times and Business Week Best Sellers Lists.

The bucket filling theory is has been and can be applied to both the workplace and class-room settings.

This book is a useful tool to everyone for everyday living.

Recommedations

References

About Tom Rath. Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/speakersbureau/18562/tom-rath.aspx

“Bucket of shells”. “online image”. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4ADRA_enUS417US418&q=bucket+of+shells&ion=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&biw=1600&bih=667&wrapid=tlif134724777775110&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=pl5NUJzTDceOrQHRk4CwAg

“Donald O. Clifton”. “online image”. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_

Dr. Donald O. Clifton, Founder. Clifton Strengths School. Retrieved from http://www.strengths.org/clifton.shtml

“Lemonade”. “online image”. Retrieved fromhttps://www.google.com/search?hl=en&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4ADRA_enUS417US418&q=lemonade&ion=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&biw=1600&bih=667&wrapid=tlif134724752446110&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=p11NUP_sB5THqAGP2IC4Bg

“online image”. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/search?num=10&hl=en&rlz=1T4ADRA_enUS417US418&site=imghp

Perring, C. (2006). Book review of How Full Is Your Bucket? By Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton. Retrieved from http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?id=3153&type=book&cn=207

Rath, T. & Clifton, D. O. (2004). How Full Is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies fro Work and Life. Gallup Press: New York, NY.

“Tom Rath”. “online image”. Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/speakersbureau/18562/tom-rath.aspx

http://www.google.com/search?num=10&hl=en&rlz=1T4ADRA_enUS417US418&site=imghp