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Executive Times |
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2005 Book Reviews |
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How Full
Is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies For Work and Life by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton |
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Rating: ••• (Recommended) |
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Click on
title or picture to buy from amazon.com |
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Overflowing Tom Rath wrote How Full
Is Your Bucket? with his grandfather, the late Donald
O. Clifton, the Gallup Organization guru who co-wrote Now,
Discover Your Strengths (a five-star rating from us in 2001). This
short book presents positive psychology in its best light, using anecdotes
and personal examples to enhance the message. Here’s an excerpt, all of the
chapter titled, “Strategy Two: Shine a Light on What
Is Right,” pp. 91-94: Each interaction gives us
the chance to shine a light on what’s right — and fill a bucket. A friend of ours recently
discovered the power of focusing on what is right. Unhappy in her
marriage, she had been after her husband for weeks to make changes. He didn’t
seem interested in spending much time with her, and when she complained, he
got defensive. So she drew even more attention to the things that upset her,
hoping he would notice. Instead, she found that things seemed to get worse. Realizing that telling
her husband how much he disappointed her wasn’t working, she tried an experiment:
She began to draw attention to the things he did well and what she liked
about him. She was skeptical, but she had nothing to lose. What do you think
happened? After several days, her husband was happier when he came home and
more engaged in the relationship. Eventually, his attentiveness and warmth
began to fill her bucket — just
as her positive outlook toward him had filled his. But the most unexpected
thing was that she felt happier, on her own, by focusing on the positive rather
than dwelling on the negative. And this, in turn, caused her to be much more
positive in her interactions with other people. After a few weeks, both she
and her husband were passing this newfound energy along to friends and
coworkers. Never underestimate the
long-term influence of filling others’ buckets. Dr. Barbara Fredrickson says
that positive emotions create “chains of interpersonal events,” the
far-reaching results of which you may or may not get to see in person. But
they are there and happening. Every time you fill a
bucket, you’re setting something in motion. Consider this: If you
fill two buckets a day, and the owners of those two
buckets go on to fill two new buckets, more than a thousand buckets will have
been filled at the end of 10 days. If each of those same people filled five
buckets instead of two, more than 19 million buckets would be filled
in just 10 days! So continue the chain:
When someone fills your bucket, accept it — never just brush it off and diminish
what that person is doing. Fill their bucket in return by saying “thank you,”
letting them know that you appreciate the compliment or recognition. In
turn, you are more likely to share your renewed positive energy with others. Do you want to see how
much bucket filling you do compared to others? On our Web site, you’ll find a
15-question Positive Impact Test designed with just that purpose in mind.
(The questions are listed on the next page.) The test was created to help you
determine if you are filling buckets on a regular basis. We encourage you to
complete this assessment right away so you have an initial score that
indicates whether you have low impact, some impact, or high impact on
your environment. You will also be able to see how your score compares to others,
based on results from a Gallup Poll. Don’t be concerned if
your score is low at first. This assessment was designed to provide you with
a measure for continuous improvement. The questions evaluate key areas of
your progress. To be even more intentional about your progress in bucket
filling, consider printing the list of questions from the Web site, and use
them as a guide for improvement. Send the link to friends
if you want to see how your score compares to theirs. It might be interesting
to identify the best bucket fillers in your workgroup, circle of friends, or
family. Try it out now, and again in a few months. See if your score
improved. Positive Impact Test Questions 1. I
have helped someone in the last 24 hours. 2. I
am an exceptionally courteous person. 3. I
like being around positive people. 4. I
have praised someone in the last 24 hours. 5. I
have developed a knack for making other people feel good. 6. I am more productive when I am around positive people. 7. In
the last 24 hours, I have told someone that I cared about her or him. 8. I
make it a point to become
acquainted with people wherever I go. 9. When
I receive recognition, it makes me want to give recognition to someone else. 10. In the last week, I have listened to someone talk through
his or her goals and ambitions. 11. I
make unhappy people laugh. 12. I
make it a point to call each of my associates by the name she or he likes to
be called. 13. I
notice what my colleagues do at a level of excellence. 14. I
always smile at the people I meet. 15. I
feel good about giving praise whenever I see good behavior. Readers will come away from How Full
Is Your Bucket with positive thoughts, and ideas
on how to make more personal interactions positive and mutually beneficial. Steve Hopkins,
December 20, 2004 |
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ă 2005 Hopkins and Company, LLC The recommendation rating for
this book appeared in the January 2005
issue of Executive Times URL for this review: http://www.hopkinsandcompany.com/Books/How
Full Is Your Bucket.htm For Reprint Permission,
Contact: Hopkins & Company, LLC • E-mail: books@hopkinsandcompany.com |
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