Never Eat Alone

Last week, I had my first pivotal experience in business and social networking. It all just clicked .

A coworker came to the warehouse and asked me if I could spare a few boxes. Her roommate had put her in a difficult spot and she had little time or choice to move. Of course I agreed to help. We receive hundreds and hundreds of boxes a week, it's not like the bookstore can't spare some. Most are just recycled anyway.

Plus, having also experienced a sudden need to vacate a house (that or live without utilities for the rest of the month, eek!) and find a new place to live on short notice, I offered to put her in touch with a housing agent I had become acquainted with. Within a few minutes, I had them on the phone together and my coworker had a promising lead for a new place to live.

In the future, my coworker, who has worked in the music industry for most of her life, may become a valuable resource to my friend (want a back-stage pass to your favorite band's concert? Ask the person that knows the band!). Or vice versa, my coworker my know someone that needs a new place to live and offer to call on this housing agent.

Or, they may never talk again.

The point is to bring people together, as described in the book Never Eat Alone. Keith Ferrazzi describes his secrets of success, building it one relationship at a time. While some build their careers through Networking, Keith Ferrazzi has built his career AS a Networker. He is known as the guy who knows everyone, able to pool the right resources with the right people.

How did he achieve this?

Years ago, a bit younger and a lot less successful, Keith came to his boss and said, "I want to make it to the top. I want to be a great leader. I have what it takes. How do I make it happen?"

Keith's boss asked him to describe why he thought he had what it takes. So, Keith described all of his accomplishments. His boss listened, then gave the response that changed Keith's life.

"You've described to me all the things YOU have done. That makes you a great worker. But if you want to be a great leader, you need to build teams. You need to bring people together."

Keith took the advice to heart in what may be a controversial act, blurring the lines between friendships and business relationships. Everyone becomes a potential asset to gain from, offer to, or bridge a connection between.

Some of his ideas seem counter-intuitive, such as Pinging, a process that builds relationships one small email or phone call at a time instead of one long meeting at a time, or Managing the Gatekeeper, where he insists a secretary may be the most important person you meet.

His style, like the chapters in this book, is short and to the point, but all the more effective because of it. Thanks in part to his coauthor, Fortune Small Business editor Raz, Ferrazzi's book becomes an example of Networking in action, a well-written, anecdotal account of a style anyone can employ.