How Full is Your Bucket? Notes

I have just finished the book How Full is Your Bucket by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton. The website with more information is found at http://www.bucketbook.com. I thought The Theory of the Dipper and the Bucket was very powerful!

Here are some notes and quotes from the book

• “Everyone has an invisible bucket. We are at our best when our buckets are overflowing-and at our worst when they are empty. Everyone also has an invisible dipper. In each interaction, we can use our dipper either to fill or to dip from others’ buckets. Whenever we choose to fill others’ buckets, we in turn fill our own.” (Chapter 1)
• “The most enjoyable part of spreading positivity for Ken is to ‘watch the energy move through the network’ once he sets it in motion.” (Chapter 2)
• “According to the US Department of Labor, the number-one reason people leave their jobs is because they ‘do not feel appreciated.’” (Chapter 2)
• “9 out of 10 people say they are more productive when they’re around positive people.” (Chapter 3)
• “…negative emotions can be harmful to your health and might even shorten your life span.” (Chapter 3)
• “The magic ratio: 5 positive interactions for every 1 negative interaction” (Chapter 3)
• “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 individual.” (Chapter 5)
• “Five strategies for Increasing Positive Emotions: Prevent bucket dipping, Shine a light on what is right, Make best friends, Give unexpectedly, Reverse the Golden Rule.” (Chapter 6)
• “…try to catch yourself in the act of bucket dipping – then stop it.” (strategy 1)
• “Each interaction gives us a chance to shine a light on what’s right – and fill a bucket.” (strategy 2)
• “…your best approach is to fill a person’s bucket in your very first interaction.” (strategy 3)
• “Expected gifts do fill our buckets, but for some reason, receiving things unexpectedly fills our buckets just a little more.” (strategy 4)
• “…bucket filling must be specific to the individual.” (strategy 5)

It was truly a wonderful book and I would highly recommend that every teacher read it. I can see this helping in the classroom with how we deal with students. By filling their buckets, we can make a difference in students’ lives as well as our own.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).