What if the advice we’ve all heard about networking was wrong?
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Forget the outdated advice you’ve already heard.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.
Advanced Praise for Friend of a Friend
“David Burkus is one of the world’s most highly-regarded young business thinkers — and this book shows why. FRIEND OF A FRIEND is packed unexpected insights about networking, all build atop a solid foundation of social science. For years, we’ve all gotten same advice about making and maintaining contacts. This book offers a fresh — and human — approach.”
-Daniel H. Pink, bestselling author of DRIVE and WHEN
“David Burkus is a gifted translator of social science research. In Friend of a Friend, he shares not just tips on how to network more successfully, but also a new, research-based framework to help us cultivate more meaningful relationships. You’ll never look at networking the same way again.”
-Dorie Clark, bestselling author of STAND OUT and ENTREPRENEURIAL YOU
“In FRIEND OF A FRIEND, David Burkus moves beyond feel-good anecdotes to instead build his powerful advice on a compelling foundation of social science and network theory. It will change the way you think about networking.”
-Cal Newport, bestselling author of DEEP WORK
“David Burkus distils a set of fascinating network-building principles that are both practical and flexible, providing a welcome antidote to the one-size-fits-all advice we so often see on this topic.”
-Caroline Webb, bestselling author of HOW TO HAVE A GOOD DAY