It’s Time to Thrive

Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements

By Tom Rath and Jim Harter
(Gallup Press, 229 pp., $25.95)

Reviewed by Ann Pace

+ From ASTD Press Leadership Development Basics and Succession Planning Basics //

+ From T+D:Revitalize Your Career //

Do you frequently flock to the latest self-help books in pursuit of a better you? Or are you tired of those fluffy, out-of-touch, 10-step guides and just want some straightforward ideas for turning your good life into a great one? Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements is the solution for any self-improvement seeker.

In their classic conversational style, Jim Harter and Tom Rath—author of The Wall Street Journal bestseller StrengthsFinder 2.0—deliver a holistic view of what contributes to one’s wellbeing over a lifetime. This quick read will teach you what career, social, financial, physical, and community wellbeing look and feel like, and how to attain them.

The authors base their theories on Gallup’s 50 years of global research of the universal elements of human wellbeing that transcend countries and cultures. The study of 150 countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, included hundreds of questions about health, wealth, relationships, jobs, and communities. The book refers to people interviewed who had thriving wellbeing in each element.

Career wellbeing is arguably the most important contributing factor to your overall wellness. It answers the question, “Do you like what you do each day?” Social wellbeing is about investing in relationships: Those with thriving social wellbeing reported spending six hours a day socializing with friends, family, and co-workers. Financial wellbeing examines the role of money in your life. Research shows that spending money on experiences and other people are practical ways to buy financial wellbeing.

Every choice you make about what to eat, how often to exercise, and how many hours to sleep affects your physical wellbeing. These decisions act as either net positives that benefit your health or net negatives that derail it. The last element, community wellbeing, can be the differentiator between a good life and a great one. How are you using your strengths and passions within your community?

Like StrengthsFinder 2.0, Wellbeing offers an online self-assessment, “the Wellbeing Finder,” accessible via a unique code written in the back of each book. The Wellbeing Finder identifies your overall wellbeing as suffering, struggling, or thriving, and assigns scores for each of the wellbeing elements. It provides tools such as an action plan and daily tracker to help you improve your wellbeing over time.

I give this book four cups of green tea (a more healthful beverage choice for those seeking to bolster their physical self). And for the record: My wellbeing is currently struggling.

Ann Pace is an associate editor for T+D; apace@astd.org.

Behind the Berkshire Hathaway Curtain: Lessons From Warren Buffet’s Top Business Leaders

By Ronald W. Chan

(Wiley, 178 pp., $24.95)

Legendary investor Warren Buffet didn’t become the third wealthiest person in the world on his own. The exceptional executives and CEOs of the companies that he handpicked were integral to his infamous success. Chan shares some of the business philosophies, strategies, and mindsets learned from exclusive interviews with leaders of Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, including David Sokol of MidAmerican Energy, Cathy Baron Tamraz of Business Wire, Brad Kinstler of See’s Candies, and Marla Gottschalk of Pampered Chef. The detailed stories of these executives’ early career decisions bring to life practical lessons for personal and professional success.

How the Best Leaders Lead

By Brian Tracy

(AMACOM, 248 pp., $24.95)

All great leaders make the art of leading seem simple. But to Joe CEO, outstanding leadership isn’t so easy to achieve. Until now. Tracy gets “brilliant on the basics” by breaking business leadership into seven fundamental responsibilities essential for success: setting and achieving goals, fostering innovation, problem solving and decision making, setting priorities, setting high standards and leading by example, inspiring and motivating others, and performing and achieving results. Next, Tracy takes readers through a self-analysis to answer the question, “How well do I truly know myself and what I want in my work and life?” To top it all off, Tracy shares powerful leadership lessons from the business world, history books, military strategy, and thought leaders.

Effective Succession Planning: Ensuring Leadership Continuity and Building Power From Within Fourth Edition

By William J. Rothwell

(AMACOM, 448 pp., $65)

Succession planning is not a trendy learning industry practice that will someday dissolve. It is here to stay as a vital talent management process. This extensively updated fourth edition of Rothwell’s succession planning bible incorporates the results of two new surveys; includes a quick start guide to help readers begin immediate implementation; and contains a CD-ROM full of assessments, checklists, and customizable guides, making it a must-have succession management best-practice resource. New sections include identifying and assessing competencies and future needs; management vs. technical succession planning; ethics and conduct; and new chapters on integrating recruitment and retention strategies with succession planning programs.