From the Inside Flap
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 #1 New York Times bestselling 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 produced Vital 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 Friends reveals 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 reading Vital Friends, you’ll see your coworkers, family, friends, and significant other in a whole new light.
From the Back Cover
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 #1 "New York Times" bestselling 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 produced "Vital 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 Friends" reveals 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 reading "Vital Friends," you'll see your coworkers, family, friends, and significant other in a whole new light.
About the Author
Tom Rath
Tom Rath is one of the most influential authors of his generation. His #1 international bestsellers have sold more than 5 million copies and made over 250 appearances on the Wall Street Journal's bestseller list.
Tom's new book, EAT MOVE SLEEP: WHY SMALL CHOICES MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE is already receiving critical acclaim as his next "blockbuster book," a "transformative work," and being described as the new "operating code for human health." To learn more, read an exclusive preview of Eat Move Sleep, or request and Advance Copy, visit: tomrath.org
Tom serves as a Senior Scientist and Advisor to Gallup, where he previously spent 13 years leading the organization's work on employee engagement, strengths, and wellbeing. Tom also served as Vice Chairman of the VHL cancer research organization. He earned degrees from the University of Michigan and University of Pennsylvania, where he is now a guest lecturer. Tom and his wife, Ashley, and their two children live in Arlington, Virginia.
