Here you'll find resources that I've found helpful in my own work as a leader and manager. Check back every so often, as I'll update the list when I find new items that might be beneficial in the work of leading ourselves, our teams and our organizations. Enjoy!

Soar With Your Strengths by Donald Clifton and Paula Nelson

Written by the late Donald Clifton, dubbed the Grandfather of Positive Psychology, Soar With Your Strengths introduces a paradigm of focusing on strengths and urges us to spend our time, energy and resources developing these strengths and managing our weaknesses. Good foundational reading for strengths-based approaches.

First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman

Buckingham and Coffman from the Gallup Organization share the results of a massive survey of managers and top performers based on 12 questions they identified through their assessment process that determine the elements of a strong workplace that seem to have an impact on attracting, focusing and keeping the most talented employees. A fascinating read and one that suggests that conventional wisdom about leading and managing may not be helping us at all.

Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham & Donald Clifton

This follow-up book to First, Break All the Rules, focuses on identifying exactly what strengths-based managing looks like beginning, of course, with you! An interesting element to the text is the ability to sign on to Gallup's website and take the StrengthsFinder Profile which helps you identify your five innate strengths based on the assessment you take. There's also information about the 34 main strengths, their definitions and suggestions for managing and leading those who possess those strengths.

How Full is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies for Work and Life by Tom Rath and Donald Clifton

Rath, Clifton's grandson, uses a good combination of research and anecdotal evidence to support the notion that negative workplaces are not only damaging to individuals but also to organizations, especially in terms of resources and customers lost. Compelling to note is the research on the effects of negativity on Korean prisoners-of-war & the estimated loss of $300 billion dollars to the American economy due to negativity. It's not just about being nice!

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