Vital Friends The People You Can't Afford to Live Without

by Rath, Tom

• ISBN13: 9781595620071
• ISBN10: 1595620079
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-08-01
• Publisher: Gallup Press

Summary

What's the quickest way to ruin a friendship? Do great friendships have anything in common? Are close friendships in the workplace such a bad thing? These are just a few of the questions that #1New York Timesbestselling author Tom Rath asked when he embarked on a massive study about the impact of friendships. Along with several leading researchers, Rath pored through the literature, conducted several experiments, and analyzed more than 8 million interviews from The Gallup Organization's worldwide database. His team's discoveries producedVital Friends, a book that challenges long-held assumptions people have about their relationships. And the team's landmark discovery - that people who have a "best friend at work" are seven times as likely to be engaged in their job - is sure to rattle the structure of organizations around the world. Drawing on research and case studies from topics as diverse as management, marriage, and architecture,Vital Friendsreveals what's common to all truly essential friendships: a regular focus on what each person is contributing to the friendship - rather than the all-too-common approach of expecting one person to be everything. The book includes a unique ID code that provides access to the Vital Friends Assessment and website. This groundbreaking test reveals which friends play each of the eight vital friendship roles in your work and life. Tom Rath's fast-paced and inviting storytelling takes a mountain of important research and makes it remarkably accessible and applicable. By the time you finish readingVital Friends, you'll see your coworkers, family, friends, and significant other in a whole new light.

Author Biography

Tom Rath is coauthor of the #1 New York Times and #1 BusinessWeek bestseller, How Full Is Your Bucket? With more than 500,000 copies in print within its first year of publication, his book has spent 15 months on the domestic bestseller list. Now available in more than 10 languages, Rath's book has also been an international bestseller.

After 12 years with The Gallup Organization, Rath now leads Gallup's Workplace Research and Leadership Consulting worldwide. He also serves on the board of VHL.org, an organization dedicated to cancer research and patient support.

Rath earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Michigan. He is currently pursuing graduate degrees at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Table of Contents

Something's Missing	p. 1
Friends in Life	p. 3
Who Expects You to Be Somebody?	p. 5
The Energy Between	p. 15
Better Than Prozac?	p. 21
The Silver Lining in a Marriage	p. 27
The Rounding Error	p. 33
Does Work Balance Life?	p. 39
Friends at Work	p. 45
The Three-Friend Threshold	p. 47
Can You Be Friends With Your Boss?	p. 59
Getting Engaged at Work	p. 65
Developing Vital Friendships	p. 73
Sharpening Each Relationship	p. 75
The Eight Vital Roles	p. 85
Builder	p. 87
Champion	p. 93
Collaborator	p. 99
Companion	p. 105
Connector	p. 111
Energizer	p. 117
Mind Opener	p. 123
Navigator	p. 129
Building Vital Friendships at Work	p. 135
Family Ties	p. 137
The Water Cooler Effect	p. 141
Plugging In	p. 147
Parting Thoughts	p. 153
Appendixes and References	p. 157
Your Questions	p. 159
A Case Study: Can Leaders Set the Tone?	p. 171
Development of the Vital Friends Assessment: A Technical Report	p. 179
Gallup Research on Friendships	p. 193
Notes	p. 201
Suggested Reading	p. 211
Acknowledgements	p. 213
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