Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi Review

I just spent the weekend at home on Long Island, visiting my parents and checking out how the neighborhood has changed, and took my usual Southwest flight (for like $100, basically what it costs for gas and the ridiculously expensive tolls between Baltimore and Long Island) which meant I needed a good book to read. I’d seen Keith Ferrazzi’s book, Never Eat Alone (there’s also a blog), recommended countless times, mostly by other blogs, and my local library carried it so I picked it up. I strongly recommend reading this book.

The underlying theme throughout the book is that business is conducted through personal connections and it explains how one can go about creating a powerful personal network. This isn’t a sleazy “how to make friends and take advantage of them for business gains” book (if you’re that type, you should read it and learn the error of your ways), it’s more like a “you make friends by helping them out, so help everyone and anyone that you can.” The book is written from the perspective of someone who was very aggressive and very ambitious but who learned that wearing your ambition on your sleeve can be a tremendous detriment. Instead of letting everyone know how much you want to achieve, instead show them how much you can help them and bring them into your network. Helping others succeed is what it’s about - an important lesson to learn.

I don’t want to give away too much because I feel that the way Ferrazzi goes about explaining these ideas is much better than mine, so if you haven’t yet read it, pick up a copy - You won’t be disappointed.