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Must Read

Vital Friends

May 4, 2007

Posted by leah.jones

On my way to New York on Wednesday morning, I stopped into the airport bookstore to pick up something to read on the plane. Don't tell my boss, but I was looking for The Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. It wasn't available and none of the other books really piqued my interest.

After I picked up the Economist a book finally caught my eye. I picked up Vital Friends by Tom Rath and decided that it would be my plane brain munchie. By the time I landed at JFK I had finished the book. This isn't because the content was lacking, but because the content was engrossing.

Instead of focusing on the crowd (those people) or the individual (me, me, me), Rath focuses on the relationships between two people. How long has it been since you took checked the ROI on your friendships?

How long since you said, "This person is good for me, I am good for this person. But that person, not so much." "I need a friend who can help me navigate life's challenges or someone to energize me when I'm feeling down."

Rath and his team poured through studies and worked with Gallup to survey individuals on their relationships. If you have a best friend at work, you are significantly more likely to engage your customers, innovate and share ideas, and be more productive.

The first half focuses on personal relationships and workplace relationships. Both significantly effect the other and neither should be sacrificed. The second half helps the reader decide what roles her friends play in her life.

Who are your builders, collaborators, connectors, mind openers, champions, energizers, and navigators? Who expects you to be somebody?

posted by leah.jones

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