Who's Got Your Back

May 18, 2009
Six years ago, author and management consultant Ferazzi wrote Never Eat Alone, about networking and developing empathy with clients; since then, he's founded his own company (Ferazzi Greenlight), and the challenge has taught him the value of "a group that cared about and encouraged" him, "totally infused with excitement, optimism, energy, creativity and hope." Trying to recreate the dynamic interactions that defined work at his former employer, Deloitte & Touche, Ferrazzi discovered that, in every sphere of life, fostering a "peer-to-peer collaborative process," based in interlinked support groups, creates a safe space where criticism, accountability and self-correction flourish (think Weight Watchers or Alcoholics Anonymous). This bit of understanding, Ferrazzi concludes, is something "great leaders and peak performers throughout history have always known," and his lively, anecdotal style welcomes average readers to the practice of building "lifeline relationships." Though Ferrazzi's upbeat spirit is encouraging and his lessons valuable, an over-emphasis on the ideal ("There's nothing inherently nonsupportive about today's corporate culture") fails to address many hard realities facing today's American worker.