Tom Rath

For persons of a similar name, see Thomas Rath (disambiguation).

Tom Rath
Born	Thomas Rath 1975 (age 49–50) Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.
Occupation	Author researcher speaker
Language	English
Education	M.S. Psychology (University of Pennsylvania); B.A. Psychology (University of Michigan)
Genre	Nonfiction
Subject	Business health wellbeing
Notable works	Strengths Based Leadership, StrengthsFinder 2.0, How Full Is Your Bucket?, Wellbeing
Website
tomrath.org

Tom Rath (born 1975) is an American author and a consultant on employee engagement, strengths, and well-being. He is best known for his studies on strength-based leadership and well-being and for synthesizing research findings in a series of bestselling books. ^{[1] [2]} His books have sold more than five million copies and have been translated into 16 languages. ^[3]

Biography

Rath was born in 1975 in Lincoln, Nebraska. ^[4] He holds a B.A. in Psychology degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and an M.S. in Psychology degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. ^[5]

After graduating from Penn, Rath started working at Gallup, Inc., where he participates as a senior scientist, consultant, and advisor. He served as vice chairman of the VHL cancer research organization and is a regular guest lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania.

Work

Writing career

Rath’s first book, How Full Is Your Bucket?, coauthored with his grandfather, Donald O. Clifton, during Clifton's final year of life, became a New York Times bestseller in 2004. The book aims to teach children the value of "filling your bucket" and that people should also value every moment. ^[6]

Strengths Based Leadership (2009), co-authored with Barry Conchie, ^[7] is based on Rath’s and Gallup's research on leadership and on what followers expect from their leaders (trust, compassion, stability, and hope). Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements (2010), a New York Times bestseller, coauthored with Jim Harter, is based on Gallup’s research on wellbeing. The book lists five elements of well-being: career well-being, social well-being, financial well-being, community well-being, and physical well-being. ^{[8] [9]}

Rath’s most well-known book, StrengthsFinder 2.0 (2007), a #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller, was listed as the top worldwide business bestseller by The Economist in 2011. ^[10] It suggests that employees and employers should develop their unique skills rather than spend time improving their weaknesses. ^[11]

Eat Move Sleep

At the age of 16, Rath was diagnosed with VHL disease, a rare genetic disorder which causes cancer cells to appear in various parts of the body. Since the diagnosis, he has researched and experimented with different ways of slowing down the growth of tumors in his kidneys, adrenal glands, pancreas, and spine. ^[12]

In 2012, he took a sabbatical from his full-time position in Gallup to focus on writing a new book, titled Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes which became a New York Times bestseller ^[13] upon its publication in October 2013. Eat Move Sleep was recognized as one of the best nonfiction books of 2013 by iTunes. It describes the impact of eating, moving, and sleeping on health and everyday energy offering practical ideas on how to make better health choices. The book emphasizes the interrelatedness of eating, moving, and sleeping encouraging that there be focus on all three activities in any health improvement program.

Publications, a selection

• 2004 How Full Is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies for Work and Life, ISBN   978-1-59562-003-3
• 2006 Vital Friends: The People You Can't Afford to Live Without, ISBN   978-1-59562-007-1
• 2007 How Full Is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies for Work and Life. Educator's Edition, ISBN   978-1-59562-001-9
• 2007 StrengthsFinder 2.0, ISBN   978-1-59562-015-6
• 2009 How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids, ISBN   978-1-59562-027-9
• 2009 Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow, ISBN   978-1-59562-025-5
• 2010 Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements, ISBN   978-1-59562-040-8
• 2013 Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes, ISBN   978-1-939714-00-8
• 2020 Life's Great Question: Discover How You Contribute to the World, ISBN   978-1939714176

References

1. Flynn, Paul. "Leadership: From Above And Below". T+D Magazine. ASTD. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
2. Wolgemuth, Liz (July 23, 2010). "How Your Boss Can Ruin Your Health". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
3. Poinier, Jake (March 2011). "Leverage From Your Core". Speaker. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
4. Rath, Tom (December 26, 2019). It’s Not About You: A Brief Guide To A Meaningful Life (Audiobook). Amazon Original Stories. ASIN   B07YXSLVX7.
5. Brotherton, Phaedra. "Tom Rath". T+D Magazine. ASTD. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
6. Reckmeyer, Mary; Rath, Tom (2020-06-16). How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   978-1-59562-240-2.
7. Kaifi, Belal (January 2010). "Strengths Based Leadership". Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship. 15: 139–141 – via ABI/INFORM.
8. WSJ (May 14, 2010). "Best-Selling Books". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
9. La Fon, Holly. "Live Well". Success. Success. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
10. The Economist (June 30, 2011). "Worldwide business bestsellers". The Economist. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
11. "SuperSummary". SuperSummary. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
12. Kashino, Marisa (May 2, 2013). "Finding Strength: Researcher Tom Rath's Next Project May Be His Most Important Yet". Washingtonian. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
13. New York Times (27 October 2013). "Best Sellers". New York Times. Retrieved 28 January 2014.