TOM RATH

There's a conventional wisdom that says that strategic thinking is much more important than relationship building, which doesn't seem to be nearly as highly valued as it should be, based on what some of the leaders that I've spoken with have said to me.

When I was in kindergarten, I entered a competition and read 52 books in a week.

The reality is that a person who has always struggled with numbers is unlikely to be a great accountant or statistician.

Even if people just change two or three things that they are able to sustain over time, it makes quite a difference eventually.

The quickest way to be a little bit happier and more engaged in your job is to spend some time thinking about developing closer friendships.

Even though people spend more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else, people underestimate how work influences their overall wellbeing and daily experience.

Team members care about one another, listen, share secrets, talk about the latest news, have heated arguments, are sometimes jealous of each other, and even cry together.

'StrengthsFinder 2.0' is an effort to get the core message and language out to a much broader audience. We had no idea how well received the first strengths book would be by general readers - it was oriented more toward managers - or that the energy and excitement would continue to grow.

If my colleagues stop eating donuts and are more active, it saves me money on next year's insurance premium, and I get to work with people who have more energy and creativity each day. Yet most organizations fail to make health a cultural priority. Instead, they treat healthcare like any other expense.

There is certainly some predisposition to wellbeing, based on the research I've looked at. There are people who have a lot more natural discipline. But for most of us, it takes a lot more in terms of social expectations, where, say, we tell people we're going to run a 5K.

The real energy occurs in each connection between two people, which can bring about exponential returns.

Exercise is not enough. Working out three times a week is not enough. Being active throughout the day is what keeps you healthy.

Clearly, there aren't enough positive moments or interactions happening in the workplace. As a result, our economy suffers, companies suffer, and individual relationships suffer.

I think the term 'friend' itself has lost almost all of its exclusivity. Even the term 'good friend' is overused. Adding the word 'vital' provides a clear definition of what we mean.

People who say they have a best friend at work are seven times as likely to be engaged in what they're doing. And if they don't have a best friend at work, the odds of being engaged are just 1 in 12.

The vast knowledge we have to prevent cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses is staggering.

For wellbeing to take hold, it's got to be something that individual team members are getting excited about in their own lives. It can't be something that a company is forcing top-down through hierarchical structures.

I think trust is primarily built through relationships, and it's important because it's the foundational currency that a leader has with his team or his followers.

Figure out what you really love doing and use your strengths on a daily basis.

We don't have any measures in most cases of the health of our social relationships, of what we're giving to the community.

If a school makes an effort to provide kids the right foods and help them to be more active, this benefits the student and the family's health. If you embark on a program to improve your health with a church or community group, you are more likely to stick with it over time.

The right choices over time greatly improve your odds of a long and healthy life.

You would think that when someone accepts a position with a company, they would assume that their life will be better off because they have that job rather than a different one.

Every day, I read about new ideas and research that could help someone I care about live a longer and healthier life.

I would absolutely recommend against excessive positivity and optimism. Any positive emotion that you're infusing into a workplace needs to be grounded in reality. If it's not realistic, sincere, meaningful, and individualized, it won't do much good.