Its Not Just Who You Know, Tommy Spaulding
Its Not Just Who You Know, Tommy Spaulding
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It's Not Just Who You Know
Transform Your Life (and Your Organization) by Turning Colleagues and Contacts into Lasting, Genuine Relationships

Author: Tommy Spaulding, Ken Blanchard

Narrator: Dustin Rubin

Unabridged: 8 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/10/2010


Synopsis

In It’s Not Just Who You Know, Tommy Spaulding—the former CEO of Up With People—has written the new How to Win Friends and Influence People for the twenty-fist century. Success—in business and in life—is all about relationships.  In this powerful guide to reaching out to others, Spaulding takes Dale Carnegie’s classic philosophy to the next level—how to create lasting relationships that go well beyond mere superficial contacts and “second floor” relationships.
 
Tommy Spaulding learned at a very young age that he was not destined to be an academic star. He may have gotten a 4.0, but only if he added his high school and college GPAs together. The reason he found academics so challenging, he discovered later, is that Tommy is dyslexic. But his dyslexia didn’t hold him back—in fact, it helped him to develop the talents he did have.  For Tommy is a natural leader; he realized early on that he had a unique ability to connect with others, whatever their age or background.  As a teenager, he was given a copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People by his father, and it quickly became his bible.  He became a national finalist for the DECA Entrepreneurial Business competition in high school, and ran successfully for senior class president.  He went on to become the CEO of Up With People, one of the largest nonprofit international leadership organizations in the world.
 
At every step, Tommy learned that the secret to getting ahead was reaching out for the support and insight and influence of others. None of us achieve great success alone. We need the help of other people.
 
In this candid, revealing book, Tommy expands upon the principles that Dale Carnegie outlined 75 years ago, and shows us how to take them one step further to accomplish the impossible in our lives and careers.  To invite others to be genuine partners in our lives and success, Tommy explains, you have to first be interested in other people.  It’s not just who you know, or what they can do for you, but what you can do for them. Motives matter. Establishing a deeper connection is about authenticity, not manipulation.  Reciprocity, not selfishness. Every relationship is a two-way street; we never know when a chance encounter can change the direction of our life. 
 
In the bestselling tradition of Dale Carnegie’s classic, It’s Not Just Who You Know shows how each and every one of us can use the power of netgiving—of helping others—to expand our world and achieve our goals, and make a difference in our job, our career, and our community.

About The Author

TOMMY SPAULDING founded the Leader’s Challenge (the largest high school civic and leadership program in Colorado) and was the CEO of Up With People, one of the largest leadership nonprofit organizations in the world. He is the founder and CEO of Spaulding Companies, a consulting firm based out of Denver. He lives in the Denver metropolitan area with his wife and family.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Samantha on October 12, 2018

In 2010, Tommy Spaulding published his first nonfiction novel, It’s Not Just Who You Know. He writes in first person to expose his personal stories from his upbringing with informative lessons that challenge you to revaluate the kinds of relationships you develop and how to build upon those relation......more

Goodreads review by Dylan on August 04, 2023

I listened to this on Audible. I think the punchline is simply that life is about serving others, not serving yourself. Relationships are the bedrock of a fulfilling life and often provide what we were after in the first place. Building strong, healthy relationships ("Penthouse relationships") is wor......more

Goodreads review by Chris on January 16, 2018

I listened to the audio book and it is awesome! The story about Tommy and the bar tender and the Rotary scholarship was enough to give this a 4-5 star rating and make the book worth it. I will not ruin the story by re-telling here, I will only say it is a great story and the book is full of other st......more

Goodreads review by Yongzheng on December 23, 2024

Tommy Spaulding’s It’s Not Just Who You Know offers a refreshing and practical perspective on building genuine, meaningful relationships that go far beyond surface-level networking. The concept of “netgiving”—focusing on what you can give to others instead of what you can gain—was especially eye-ope......more

Goodreads review by Kristi on January 22, 2020

I really enjoyed this book. Lots of endearing and motivating stories but to be honest it was Avery long book that didn’t really teach a lot. I thought the book was a bit redundant but I enjoyed hearing about his leadership journey and the people he has been able to rub shoulders with. I struggle wit......more


Quotes

“a valuable, reader-friendly guidebook for both business and personal living”
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Tommy masterfully illustrates case by case, person by person, that we're all in this together."
--Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets