For decades, Gallup scientists have researched the topic of leadership. They’ve surveyed a million work teams, conducted more than 50,000 in-depth interviews with leaders, and even interviewed 20,000 followers to ask what they admired in the most important leader in their life. The results of that research are unveiled in Strengths-Based Leadership. Using Gallup’s discoveries, authors Tom Rath and Barry Conchie identify three keys to being an effective leader and use firsthand accounts from highly successful leaders — including the founder of Teach for America and the president of The Ritz-Carlton — to show how each person’s unique talents can drive their success. A new version of Gallup’s popular StrengthsFinder assessment helps readers discover their own special gifts, and specific strategies show them how to lead with their top five talents. Loaded with novel research, inspiring stories, and actionable ideas, Strengths-Based Leadership offers a new roadmap for leading people toward a better future.

Those who lead get to live on.
Think for a moment about all the people — whether they are global leaders, mentors, or parents — who continue to live on because of the way they shaped your thoughts and beliefs. Even though you may not notice it in the moment, the extent to which leaders alter the course of our lives would be hard to overestimate.
Chances are, you will have countless opportunities to lead during your own lifetime. If you are able to seize these opportunities, your influence on the world may still be in its infancy the day you pass on. Perhaps this is why, for centuries, we have put an emotional, financial, and historical premium on those who lead.
From the Roman Empire to the modern corporation, societies and organizations have always placed great value on their leaders. While giving one’s life for a leader is much less common in modern times, Secret Service agents still vow to sacrifice their own lives to protect another’s, which is presumed to be of such value that it’s worthy of the sacrifice. And as is the case with many wars, one leader makes decisions that dictate whether thousands live or die. When a leader passes away — as evidenced by the monuments created for Lincoln, Jefferson, and Washington, just to name a few — our society quite literally puts them on a pedestal.
A more subtle illustration is apparent in the business world. In most companies, the more people you lead, the higher your pay or social status. Of course, the intangible value of leading other people often provides greater motivation than the financial payoff. The most successful leaders are not in it for the money; they are driven by a desire to have a positive impact on the lives of others.
Maybe this is why so many of us aspire to lead. In a recent Gallup Poll, we asked people how they would rate their own leadership ability. Out of more than 1,000 people randomly surveyed, 97% rated their leadership ability as being at or above average. And when we speak with large audiences, very rarely does anyone raises a hand when asked if they “do not lead other people.” So whether you are taking charge in a boardroom, on a construction site, or even in your home, chances are that you will find yourself leading at some point in your life.
So what are the keys to being a more effective leader? To answer this question, we reviewed decades of Gallup data on this topic, which included more than 50,000 in-depth interviews with senior leaders, studies of more than one million work teams, and 50 years of Gallup Polls about the world’s most admired leaders. Our team then initiated a massive global study of more than 20,000 followers around the world, in which we asked them exactly why they follow the most influential leader in their life (in their own words).
Three key findings emerged from this research:
• When faced with a critical opportunity, the leaders who bet their careers on their strengths were the ones who created exponential growth. Leaders who spent all their time trying to overcome their weak points ended up living a life of mediocrity.
• While leaders need not be well-rounded, they do need a team with the right balance of talents. Our research found that top-performing teams had talent in each of these key domains: Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building, and Strategic Thinking.
• Followers know exactly what they need from a leader. When we ask their opinions, they describe these four basic needs with remarkable clarity: Trust, Compassion, Stability, and Hope.
In the chapters that follow, we will explore the findings of this research and reveal the implications for you, your team, and others who look to you for leadership. As you will learn from some of the most effective leaders in recent history, the path to great leadership starts with a deep understanding of the talents you bring to the table.