The lesson here is clear: If you want people to understand that you value their contributions and that they are important, the recognition and praise you provide must have meaning that is specific to each...

Leaders need to be thinking constantly about what they’re doing to create a basic sense of security and stability throughout an organization.

We don’t have any measures in most cases of the health of our social relationships, of what we’re giving to the community.

On average, spending time with your boss is consistently rated as the least pleasurable activity in a given day.

I think the term ‘friend’ itself has lost almost all of its exclusivity. Even the term ‘good friend’ is overused. Adding the word ‘vital’ provides a clear definition of what we mean.

What’s more, we had discovered that people have several times more potential for growth, when they invest energy in developing their strenghts instead of correcting their deficiencies.

It’s unrealistic to expect the person you go to for sage advice also to be the person you go out and have a good time with. And it’s unlikely that he or she will be...

When you ask people what affects their wellbeing most, they think of health and wealth.

If we can find short-term incentives that are consistent with our long-term objectives, it is much easier to make the right decisions in the moment.

While the things that motivate us differ greatly from one person to the next, the outcomes do not.

I always thought there were some people who were just destined to be disengaged in their jobs because that was their personality, and no matter how hard managers tried, there wasn’t much they could do...

Positive defaults align our short-term decisions with our long-term interests. And we don’t always do that.

When top scientists and psychologists talk about what’s important to our overall wellbeing and how satisfied we are with our lives, the only thing that they all agree on is that social relationships are probably...

The most successful people start with dominant talent—and then add skills, knowledge, and practice to the mix. When they do this, the raw talent actually serves as a multiplier.

‘StrengthsFinder 2.0’ is an effort to get the core message and language out to a much broader audience. We had no idea how well received the first strengths book would be by general readers –...

Even if people just change two or three things that they are able to sustain over time, it makes quite a difference eventually.

When we build on our strengths and daily successes — instead of focusing on failures — we simply learn more.

At a very basic level, people need to know that there is constancy in their jobs and, more broadly, in where the organization is headed.

For wellbeing to take hold, it’s got to be something that individual team members are getting excited about in their own lives. It can’t be something that a company is forcing top-down through hierarchical structures.

The real energy occurs in each connection between two people, which can bring about exponential returns.

Half an hour of exercise in the morning makes for better interactions all day. Then a sound night of sleep gives me energy to tackle the next day. I am a more active parent, a...

You cannot be anything you want to be – but you can be a whole lot more of who you already are.

Wanting a more positive environment isn’t enough. You need to do something, and it doesn’t require a great deal of effort or some huge change in the way you approach things at work.

Every day, I read about new ideas and research that could help someone I care about live a longer and healthier life.

Instead of celebrating what makes each child unique, most parents push their children to “fit in” so that they don’t “stick out.” This unwittingly stomps out individuality and encourages conformity, despite these parents’ good intentions

The quickest way to be a little bit happier and more engaged in your job is to spend some time thinking about developing closer friendships.

Having fewer unhealthy days and, in turn, more days when you have the energy to get things done is probably the global constant through which businesses and individuals can think about the quantifiable upside of...

Followers need to see how things will get better and what that future might look like. Leaders need to build that foundation of stability, and hope sits on top of that.

I think trust is primarily built through relationships, and it’s important because it’s the foundational currency that a leader has with his team or his followers.

What we’ve learned is that if you can make the right decision in the supermarket aisle, it’s a heck of a lot easier to make a good decision when you reach in your cupboard when...

Exercise is not enough. Working out three times a week is not enough. Being active throughout the day is what keeps you healthy.

Employees who report receiving recognition and praise within the last seven days show increased productivity, get higher scores from customers, and have better safety records. They’re just more engaged at work.

The reality is that a person who has always struggled with numbers is unlikely to be a great accountant or statistician.

I first found out I had cancer on my eye and lost an eye to this disease when I was 16, and I’ve since had cancer in my kidneys and pancreas and a host of...

Friendships are among the most fundamental of human needs.

Executives must place a priority on wellbeing if they want to attract the right people, keep their best people, and drive their company’s financial performance.

If you spend your life trying to be good at everything, you will never be great at anything.

We engineered activity out of our lives in the name of convenience. We created foods that put fried, fatty, sweet, and salty ahead of fresh, natural, and healthy. We quickly sacrifice sleep to work longer...

It’s tempting to work more than 60 hours a week and sacrifice sleep, not move, and eat bad foods as they are convenient. But this comes with a cost.

Ignoring negative things that need to be changed is destructive and does nothing to alleviate negativity. Instead, we should focus on the way we’re treating other people in our brief interactions with them.

The vast knowledge we have to prevent cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses is staggering.

I’m a researcher, so I’m realistic that there’s nothing I’m doing that’s going to prevent me from getting cancer in the future. But I can slow it down.

Clearly, there aren’t enough positive moments or interactions happening in the workplace. As a result, our economy suffers, companies suffer, and individual relationships suffer.

I’ve seen so many people – loved ones and colleagues – who jump from one diet to the next, one exercise regimen to the next . I was trying to figure out what were some...

Although individuals need not be well-rounded, teams should be.

When we look at what has the strongest statistical relationship to overall evaluation of your life, the first one is your career well-being, or the mission, purpose and meaning of what you’re doing when you...

Most people perceive their occupation as being a detriment to their overall wellbeing.

Making better choices takes work. There is a daily give and take, but it is worth the effort.

When I speak with people who love their jobs and have vital friendships at work, they always talk about how their workgroup is like a family.

I’ve spoken with a few employers who have moved away from what has to be some of the least attractive language you could use about health risk to start talking about wellbeing.