A friend recently shared his old Yale professor’s approach to efficiently tackling books, which goes something like this: read the table of contents and introduction; the first and last chapters; the index, noting and researching the most cited topics; the table of contents again; then the first and last paragraph of all the remaining chapters. Got it? The professor’s point was one can absorb nearly every important concept in a book in this time-saving manner. How many books could you read this way in a given week or month? Now, some of us are linear (and hung up) enough to read every word of a book, lest we feel like we’re cheating. However, using the professor’s approach toreread a book is pure genius, as I discovered by revisiting last month’s selection, “The Start-up of You” by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha. The reader enjoys a helpful refresher and it’s interesting to note that two of the most indexed concepts in the book are professional alliances and bridges (and not the kind that unscrupulous people are looking to sell you). This brings us to this month’s selection, “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi (with Tahl Raz). Ferrazzi’s gift is building relationships and, at the risk of being corny, bridges that enhance one’s personal and professional life.
Ferrazzi is a connector, perhaps the highest level any networking professional can hope to achieve. “I learned that real networking was about finding ways to make other people successful,” he writes. “It was about working hard to give more than you get.” This book was originally published in 2005 and yet the material is pretty fresh. Sure, the notion of giving first is likely one you’ve heard many times before, but herethe author does a good job of sharing self-deprecating tales of how hard it was for him to learn to become a subtle, valuable networker. A particularly memorable chapter is titled The Networking Jerk, and the central character is Ferrazzi himself as a young man, schmoozing his way through corporate life. If you learn well from how-not-to tales from those who’ve blundered, you’ll appreciate his style. And his advice on game-planning to get the most out of conferences and shows – including the basics on asking questions publicly that will get you noticed – is very handy for those looking to avoid another round of trade show adult trick-or-treating.