Tom Rath and Barry Conchie, Strengths-Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow Them. Gallup, 2009.
Prequel: Buckingham and Coffman, First, Break all the Rules
Referenced in: Strengths-Based Leadership
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This is the place to start for leaders who want to take advantage of the Strengths Finder model. It is one of several sequels to Buckingham and Coffman’s popular volume, First, Break all the Rules, which recounts research through Gallup that great managers help people discover and optimize their strengths. This can be quite valuable to overall ministry leadership effectiveness, to strengthening ministry teams, and to motivating congregational volunteers.
The Gallup research discovered a set of 34 dominant themes that indicate people’s unique talents and strengths. These were arranged into a profile that was validated on over two million participants, the Clifton Strengths Finder that helps people discover where they are among the 34 themes. Gallup has released an updated version, Strengths Finder 2.0. The newer volume gives a better explanation of the 34 themes, but Strengths-Based Leadership provides a more thorough guide into how the strengths approach improves one’s leadership. In short, Rath’s Strengths Finder 2.0 updates and explains the profile, while this volume, alongside, First, Break All the Rules and Go, Put Your Strengths to Work, develops the application for leadership and management.
There are a number of related StrengthsFinder titles one may find useful. See the list in the Ministry Resource Guide. Since each includes a code for you to take the online version of the profile, it is very important to get a NEW copy, else someone may have already activated the code.
From the Publisher
Nearly a decade ago, Gallup unveiled the results of a landmark 30-year research project that ignited a global conversation on the topic of strengths. More than 3 million people have since taken Gallup’s StrengthsFinder assessment, which forms the core of several books on this topic, including the #1 international bestseller StrengthsFinder 2.0.
In recent years, while continuing to learn more about strengths, Gallup scientists have also been examining decades of data on the topic of leadership. They studied more than one million work teams, conducted more than 20,000 in-depth interviews with leaders, and even interviewed more than 10,000 followers around the world to ask exactly why they followed the most important leader in their life.
In Strengths-Based Leadership, #1 New York Times bestselling author Tom Rath and renowned leadership consultant Barry Conchie reveal the results of this research. Based on their discoveries, the book identifies three keys to being a more effective leader: knowing your strengths and investing in others’ strengths, getting people with the right strengths on your team, and understanding and meeting the four basic needs of those who look to you for leadership.
As you read Strengths-Based Leadership, you’ll hear firsthand accounts from some of the most successful organizational leaders in recent history, from the founder of Teach For America to the president of The Ritz-Carlton, as they discuss how their unique strengths have driven their success. To help you apply your own strengths, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in a new leadership version of Gallup’s StrengthsFinder program that will provide you with specific strategies for leading with your top five strengths. Each copy of Strengths-Based Leadership includes a unique access code to take the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment. After you complete the assessment, you will receive a personalized strengths-based leadership guide. The leadership version of the program will also enable you to plot the strengths of your team based on the four domains of leadership strength revealed in the book.
Loaded with novel research, stories, and actionable ideas, Strengths—Based Leadership will give you a new roadmap for leading people toward a better future.
About the Authors
Tom Rath has written four bestsellers in the last decade, which have sold millions of copies and made more than 100 appearances on The Wall Street Journal bestseller list. He currently leads Gallup’s workplace research and leadership consulting business around the world. Tom and his family live in Washington DC.
Tom’s latest New York Times bestseller, Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements (co-authored with Jim Harter), is based on a global study of what differentiates people who are thriving from those who are not. This book also features Gallup’s new Wellbeing Finder program, enabling readers to measure, manage, and improve their Wellbeing over time.
Barry Conchie – A renowned Leadership Consultant, Gallup’s Barry Conchie is sought after by CEOs around the world to assist in aligning business and talent strategies that drive performance. As an expert in executive assessment, team diagnostics, and succession planning, he brings objective measurement and insight to these important leadership areas.Conchie was a public sector leader in the UK before joining Gallup in London. In 2002, he brought his extensive global experience to Gallup’s Washington, D.C. headquarters, where Conchie now leads Gallup’s executive leadership consulting. He and his wife, Nicola, and children, Amy and Thomas, live in Maryland.
***For additional information on this resource, including reviews, click the bookstore links. Check the reference at page top or the links below for resource guides on related topics.***
Related Areas
See Other Resources on Strengths-Based Leadership:
See Other Resources on Leadership in General:
See Resources on Over 100 Areas of Ministry Leadership: