Tom Rath Quotes

19 Sourced Quotes

Hector had always been known as a great shoemaker. In fact, customers from such far-off places as France claimed that Hector made the best shoes in the world. Yet for years, he had been frustrated with his small shoemaking business. Although Hector knew he was capable of making hundreds of shoes per week, he was averaging just 30 pairs. When a friend asked him why, Hector explained that while he was great at producing shoes, he was a poor salesman — and terrible when it came to collecting payments. Yet he spent most of his time working in these areas of weakness.

Tom Rath
Making better choices takes work. There is a daily give and take, but it is worth the effort.

Tom Rath
Don't worry about breaks every 20 minutes ruining your focus on a task. Contrary to what I might have guessed, taking regular breaks from mental tasks actually improves your creativity and productivity. Skipping breaks, on the other hand, leads to stress and fatigue.

Tom Rath
When we can see an immediate payoff, we are more likely to change our behavior in the moment. This aligns our daily actions with our long-term interests.

Tom Rath
When we get at least six hours of daily social time, it increases our wellbeing and minimizes stress and worry. The six hours includes time at work, at home, on the telephone, talking to friends, sending e-mail, and other communication.

Tom Rath
The pursuit of meaning, not happiness, is what makes life worthwhile.

Tom Rath
Spending on oneself does not boost wellbeing. However, spending money on others does -- and it appears to be as important to people's happiness as the total amount of money they make.

Tom Rath
People who have at least three or four very close friendships are healthier, have higher wellbeing, and are more engaged in their jobs. But the absence of any close friendships can lead to boredom, loneliness, and depression.

Tom Rath
Followers have a very clear picture of what they want and need from the most influential leaders in their lives: trust, compassion, stability, and hope.

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

Tom Rath
Perhaps the ultimate test of a leader is not what you are able to do in the here and now - but instead what continues to grow long after you're gone.

Tom Rath
Instead of celebrating what makes each child unique, most parents push their children to "fit in" so that they don't "stick out."

Tom Rath
At its fundamentally flawed core, the aim of almost any learning program is to help us become who we are not... From the cradle to the cubicle, we devote more time to our shortcomings than to our strengths.

Tom Rath
If you spend your life trying to be good at everything, you will never be great at anything.

Tom Rath
Well-being is about the combination of our love for what we do each day, the quality of our relationships, the security of our finances, the vibrancy of our physical health, and the pride we take in what we have contributed to our communities. Most importantly, it's about how these five elements interact.

Tom Rath
Although individuals need not be well-rounded, teams should be.

Tom Rath
Overcoming deficits is an essential part of the fabric of our culture. Our books, movies, and folklore are filled with stories of the underdog who beats one-in-a-million odds. And this leads us to celebrate those who triumph over their lack of natural ability even more than we recognize those who capitalize on their innate talents. As a result, millions of people see these heroes as being the epitome of the American Dream and set their sights on conquering major challenges. Unfortunately, this is taking the path of most resistance.

Tom Rath
If you want people to understand that you value their contributions and that they are important, the recognition and praise you provide must have meaning that is specific to each individual.

Tom Rath
The reality is that a person who has always struggled with numbers is unlikely to be a great accountant or statistician... This might sound like a heretical point of view for those of us who grew up believing the essential American myth that we could become anything we wanted. it's clear from [our] research that each person has greater potential for success in specific areas, and the key to human development is building on who you already are.

Tom Rath