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Book Review: How Full Is Your Bucket? By Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton
Title:
“How Full Is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies for Work and Life”
Author:
Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton, PH.D.
Type of Book:
Self-help, leadership, business
Introduction of the book:
How did you feel after your last interaction with another person?
Did that person, your spouse, best friend, co-worker, or even a stranger “ fill your bucket” by making you feel more positive? Or did that person “ dip from your bucket,” leaving you more negative than before?
How Full is Your Bucket? Reveals how even the briefest interactions affect your relationships, productivity, Health, and Longevity.
Organized around a simple metaphor of a Dipper and a bucket, and grounded in 50 years of research, this book will show you how to greatly increase the positive moments in your work and your life while reducing the negative.
The summary of this theory is basically you have a bucket (The bucket or state of being) and you have a Dipper (Basically a tool that you use to either take or give) and the Dipper can be used either to take from other people's buckets and fill your own or it can be used to take from your bucket to give to others. The metaphor is pretty simple. If you are constantly taking your Dipper and using it to take from other people's buckets you are slowly draining the relationships around you for self-gain. But if you use your Dipper to fill other people's buckets then you are pouring into other people's lives and helping them to keep their buckets full.
Some details about this book:
As I was reading this book I was constantly thinking about my own interactions with others. Did I focus on my own personal needs and take from other people more than I poured in?
It also made me think of those around me that constantly take from my bucket and leave me empty. I don’t believe you should cut these people out of your life but you should put up boundaries in those relationships. Focus on developing relationships with those that pour into you and that you pour into them. That is true friendship.
Favorite part(s) of the book (quotes from the book):
Just one person can infuse positive emotions into an entire group by filling buckets more frequently. Studies show that organizational leaders who share positive emotions have workgroups with a more positive mood, enhanced job satisfaction, greater engagement, and improved group performance.
We don’t have to allow ourselves to be defined by our hardships. Positive reinforcement about our strengths can buffer us against getting overwhelmed by the negative. And understanding what we do best allows us not only to survive but grow, in the face of adversity.
Become the person known for noticing when others do a great job. Learn something new about each person you work with or interact with. Create positive interactions with acquaintances - even strangers.
Recommendations:
This was a very simple read with a very simple concept to grasp. And given the way, most of us are constantly busy it can be very difficult to find the time to read while at the same time putting into practice what we have read. So given the size of the book and the simplicity yet profound principles found within this book has earned its place on my must-read list.
I would recommend this book to anyone that finds themselves leading others, or business owners looking for a way to engage and encourage their team. Also for those that like to read but don’t have much time.
Key quotes from the book/ best takeaway:
“Recognition and praise, are two critical components for creating positive emotions in organizations.”
“I’ve been hearing a lot of good talk behind your back.”
“The #1 reason people leave their jobs: They don’t feel appreciated.”
“Where productivity is concerned, it would be better for organizations if people are overly negative stayed home.”
“Negative employees can tear through a workplace like a hurricane racing through a coastal town.”
“Most of us have grown up in a culture in which it’s much easier to tell people what they did wrong instead of praising them when they succeed.”
“The magic ratio: 5 positive interactions for every 1 negative interaction.”
“It would not hurt most of us to go on a diet consisting of more positive emotions and fewer negative emotions.”
“Recognition is most appreciated and effective when it is individualized, specific, and deserved.”
“To increase positive emotions in your life and others' lives you must make a habit of feeling buckets.”
“In your own interactions, look for opportunities to give small gifts to others out of the blue - Maybe a funny little trinket, a hug, or an offer to grab a cup of coffee.”
Other books mentioned:
First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently
by Marcus Buckingham
Check it out here: https://amzn.to/3GHClgT
Follow This Path: How the World's Greatest Organizations Drive Growth by Unleashing Human Potential – by Curt Coffman
Check it out here: https://amzn.to/3tH5Z2a
In Summary:
My rating is 1 is not worth the time to 5 being amazing and on my recommended book list and a must-read:
4 out of 5
Thanks for reading this review. Be sure and check out the Growth Talk Podcast.
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Article by Adam Gullett
Published 07 Jun 2022