I\’m reading a book that Tim Sanders recommended, Never Eat Alone. The author claims that no one succeeds alone and that the key to success in business is generosity. He says the most important thing we do in business and in life is form relationships. Which is why I can\’t understand how so many people meet so many other people and don\’t exchange business cards or contact information. The author has a Palm with 5,000 people who will all return his calls. Life is about who you know. The richness of life comes from relationships. I didn\’t figure this out until a couple years ago when I read Love is the Killer App and started thinking more about people than about how many hours of computer time I could fit in each day. After Never Eat Alone I\’m going to read the Likeability Factor by Tim Sanders. And a friend of mine has written a book on relationships as well.
Big question: how do you teach that relationships matter most? When you interview someone for a job, do you ever ask how many solid relationships they have, or what experts they know, or how they build their social network?
3 thoughts on “Never Eat Alone”
Paul, Excellent site/portal you have here. I’m in awe of the sheer volume!
I too have read both of the books mentioned and had similar thoughts on how to discover this trait in people. One of the ironic things is I think you can tell a lot about what makes someone tick by what they read. Ask people, clients, prospects, friends, associates the last 5 books they read and you may have a pretty good look at what they value. Not always, but I like asking the question anyway. Bonus Question: 5 Greatest Albums of all time.
Hi Paul,
What you posted here means a lot for a 23year old like me , just startin off my career and looking forward to startin off on my own.
Its quite hard to network when u dont really have a base of contacts.But networking websites like linkedin, and openbc are making a great difference.
Thanks a lot
regards,
jassim
Paul:
Your commentary is a breath of fresh air. I was just thinking yesterday about how EVERYONE lies/fudges the truth when they are selling something or promoting an idea or business. It is hard to trust people.
But, those you trust and who you develop relationships with seem to be those who trust you.