Tom Rath

Tom Rath (born 1975) is an American consultant on employee engagement, strengths, and well-being, and author. He is best known for his studies on strengths based leadership and wellbeing and synthesizing research findings in a series of bestselling books. His books have sold more than 5 million copies and have been translated into sixteen languages.

Rath holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Michigan, and a M.S. in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.

After his studies Rath started working at Gallup, Inc., where he participates as senior scientist, consultant and advisor. He served as vice chairman of the VHL cancer research organization and is a regular guest lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania.

Writing career

Rath’s first book, How Full Is Your Bucket?, coauthored with his grandfather, Donald O. Clifton during his final year of life, became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller upon its publication in 2004. The book was also #1 on the BusinessWeek Best-Seller List.

Strengths Based Leadership (2009), a Wall Street Journal bestseller coauthored with Barry Conchie, is based on Rath’s and Gallup's research on leadership and on what followers expect from their leaders (trust, compassion, stability, hope).

Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements (2010), a New York Times bestseller, coauthored with Jim Harter, is based on Gallup’s research on wellbeing. The book lists five elements of wellbeing as: career wellbeing, social wellbeing, financial wellbeing, community wellbeing and physical wellbeing.

Rath’s most well known book, StrengthsFinder 2.0 (2007), #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller, was listed as the top worldwide business bestseller by The Economist in 2011.

Rath’s books made over 300 appearances on the WSJ bestseller list.

Eat Move Sleep

At the age of 16, Rath was diagnosed with VHL disease, a rare genetic disorder that causes cancer cells to appear in various part of the body. Since the time of the diagnosis, Rath has been researching and experimenting with various ways of slowing down growth of tumors in his kidneys, adrenal glands, pancreas and spine.

In 2012, he took sabbatical from his full time position in Gallup to focus on writing a new book, titled Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes which became a New York Times bestseller upon its publication in October 2013. Eat Move Sleep was also recognized as one of the best nonfiction books of 2013 by Apple iTunes. It describes the impact of eating, moving and sleeping on health and everyday energy and offers practical ideas on how to make better health choices. The book emphasizes the interrelatedness of eating, moving and sleeping and encourages focusing on all three in any health improvement program.

• 2004 How Full Is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies for Work and Life, ISBN 978-1-59562-003-3
• 2006 Vital Friends: The People You Can't Afford to Live Without, ISBN 978-1-59562-007-1
• 2007 How Full Is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies for Work and Life. Educator's Edition, ISBN 978-1-59562-001-9
• 2007 StrengthsFinder 2.0, ISBN 978-1-59562-015-6
• 2009 How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids, ISBN 978-1-59562-027-9
• 2009 Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow, ISBN 978-1-59562-025-5
• 2010 Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements, ISBN 978-1-59562-040-8
• 2013 Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes, ISBN 978-1-939714-00-8