Friend of a Friend...

Publisher's Summary

What if the best way to grow your network isn't by introducing yourself to strangers at cocktail parties, handing out business cards, or signing up for the latest online tool, but by developing a better understanding of the existing network that's already around you?

We know that it's essential to reach out and build your network. But did you know that it's actually your weaker or former contacts who will be the most helpful to you? Or that many of our best efforts at meeting new people simply serve up the same old opportunities we already have?

In this startling new look at the art and science of networking, business school professor David Burkus digs deep to find the unexpected secrets that reveal the best ways to grow your universe.

Based upon entertaining case studies and scientific research, this practical and revelatory guide shares what the best networkers really do...and it looks a lot less like collecting business cards and making random introductions and a lot more like fostering authentic connections and seeking out diverse new voices.

Forget the outdated advice you've already heard. Learn how to make use of the hidden networks you already have.

©2018 David Burkus (P)2018 Gildan Media

Thought provoking

David has developed a masterful book that describes the social power of weak interactions. Interesting topic for me as many of the same thoughts/principles I have observed in a different topic matter - biological communication in cancer cells. I have been amazed at how often a small number of almost benign genetic mutations can lead to undesirable health outcomes.

In friend of a friend David shows that similar "weak" social interactions can lead to significant social outcomes. I have listen to it twice during my marathon training, finding it thought provoking and useful on many levels.

Thanks for a great book and the useful case studies !

Best
TPC

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Insightful and practical

This book is filled with solid research. While it's likely all examples are cherry-picked to fit perfectly with points he made, the suggestions for practical application (face-to-face and online through social media) appear legitimate. I'm in a space where I'm growing my company's influence and this book is part of my game plan.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good insights leaving me to look for methods

now I'm looking for ways to efficiently and helpfully map the network I am already in, and how to best prioritize connections.

The reality of human networks - How to Navigate, Create & Use them!

KEY Takeaways:
1- Why people cluster or hang out together
2- How to create influential networks
3- How to be everywhere and omnipresent
4- Reality of us being connected (6th degree of connection)
5- How our friends influence us and we influence them
6- Business first friendship follows or vice versa (teaser alert)?

By far the best I have read about networks. It is really raw and to the point. The author offers the main ideas and then offers you free resources to be able to execute accordingly.

Why the terrible narrator?!

I love the content. Excellent writing. This narrator couldn’t care any less about it.

I truly wish the author had narrated it.

Thoughtful, well researched and challenging

David pulls together some excellent research and makes great conclusions. The ideas in the book challenge us to think more deeply about the way our friends affect us and the effect we have on our friends. We are more dependent on each other than we'd like to believe. And the research cited in this book back it up. We don't have a network, we're part of one. And we can use that network for good or we can allow ourselves to be influenced by forces we don't understand. The choice is up to up. The author challenges us to be purposeful with our relationships and to improve our contribution so we improve our community. I'll listen to this one again.

It is all about your friends and their friends

David Burkus audiobook, Friend of a Friend, was an enlightening book for me. For decades business people have been told to go to networking events to find that spark of a business relationship. Burkus tells us that, in general, you are wasting your time.
It is better for you to focus on relationships you already have and extend yourself from there. The book was interesting, enjoyable, and most of all, pertinent to my business life. Well Done.

Reinforcing the Power of the Human Network

What I liked: Interesting stories, an appropriate amount of studies and facts, and plenty of suggestions for implementing suggestions in the book in your life. I also like the online resources that are available.
What I didn’t like: I can’t think of anything.
Quality of Narration: I didn’t care much for the narrator’s voice, but it didn’t take away from the material.

I found it interesting how much similarity there was in this book and ‘Givers and Takers’ by Adam Grant. I wouldn’t recommend them back-to-back like I listened to them. A bit of distance between the two might have helped reinforce the ideas without seeming as repetitive. I understand this was totally coincidental though.

The way relationships impact our lives is something we might all think we understand, but the stories and studies in this book reiterated how important they are. I’d recommend this book to anyone who wishes to better understand the relations between people and how you can be a better example of this.