Few are as beloved and respected in the business arena than Porter Gale. She has one of the best strategic minds in her field, and thankfully, will have much wider appeal by this time next year. The consummate social media insider, she helped grow the Virgin America brand into an airline powerhouse. And she was one of the driving forces in the successful and creative campaign to save the life of entrepreneur Amit Gupta. Brilliant and brainy, Porter brings it one hundred percent.
So it was not surprising that her eagerly awaited book, Your Network is Your Net Worth, has been the talk of the social media space. Favorable reviews and an awesome intro by former Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki gave it buzz. But it's structure and substance will give it tremendous staying power.
The book is a classic. Why? Because it takes historical insights about effective networking, following your passions, believing in your yourself, living your best life, and surrounding yourself with key people, and complements them with stories about entrepreneur extraordinaire Ali Brown, social good legend Mark Horvath, and tech titan Jeff Pulver, among many others. The result is a compelling, relatable book for a 21st century, information-driven, increasingly social media-centric reader.
Remember how Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In intro grabbed you from the first page with her story about being pregnant during her time at Google? Porter Gale does an equally impressive job at drawing you in at the very beginning, painting the world of her teens and twenties as "small and limited," and disclosing how she "used to hide behind a wine glass and would avoid gatherings."
By the last page of the book, you find yourself riveted by her journey, and by her courage to share her wisdom with others. Her strong words ("The world is becoming more transparent and those with integrity and honesty are now the ones who shine" or "When you live based on your passions and purpose you feel a great sense of happiness and inspiration") don't just move you, they make you believe.
Your Network is Your Net Worth is a masterful work that we will be talking about and recommending for some time. Prepare to be wowed.