Board Member, 2005-2008

“When I was 16 I started experiencing poor vision in my left eye and confronted my first big life obstacle. DNA test confirmed that I had VHL. Upon hearing this news for the first time I was shocked and nervous. But, on some level, I was surprised by how little the news dampened my spirits. From that day forward, instead of dwelling on the negative or uncontrollable aspects of this disease, my family helped me focus on what could be done. Within the first week of finding out about my condition, I immersed myself in learning how to manage and live with this disorder. The key was not viewing my prognosis as any type of curse or death sentence. Instead, I saw it as an opportunity to be proactive and stay on top of my physical health. I resolved to measure my progress with regular scans and checkups.

“Unfortunately there were more challenges ahead. In my senior year of college, an exam revealed a tumor in one of my adrenal glands. Five years later, doctors found cancerous tumors on my kidney. Later, scans revealed several new tumors on my pancreas, adrenal glands, and spinal cord.

“In each case, there was some fear and initial frustration. But my most memorable reaction was a sense of relief in knowing that these tumors were caught before they could metastasize and spread to other organs. My vigilance and awareness of the disease had paid off. Each condition could be managed with surgery.

“We are all certain to face major challenges as we progress through life. Often, we feel as if we were “dealt a bad hand” and that life is unfair. But we don’t have to allow ourselves to be defined by our hardships. Our responses to difficult events and our emotional state are much more important. Positive reinforcement about our strengths can buffer us against getting overwhelmed with the negative. And understanding what we do best allows us not only to survive, but grow, in the face of adversity.”

At Gallup, Rath is the Global Practice Leader for the organization’s hottest innovation, the Clifton StrengthsFinder, which has helped more than 1 million people around the world discover their top five strengths. In this role, he leads Gallup’s strengths management and leadership programs worldwide.

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