Build It Before You Need It

I want to say congrats to my friend Keith Ferrazzi who just appeared on the Today show. His new book Never Eat Alone : And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time is racing up bestseller lists. It’s about building relationships with people and how those relationships can lead to both emotional and professional success. Keith is an admitted fanatic on this topic. I also happen to be reading Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point and both books deal heavily with “Connectors,” those people that know everybody and function as social nexuses, though Never Eat Alone looks more closely at Connectors from a “professional” angle. Keith offers mini-chapters on people who are/were famous connectors such as Bill Clinton, the Dalai Lama, and Benjamin Franklin, and the various ways in which they operate, as well as advice on building your own relationships and staying in touch with people. It’s a fast, pleasurable, inspirational read and I recommend it highly. The book has a fairly substantial website as well.