Working Together: Why Great Partnerships Succeed

by Michael D. Eisner, Aaron R. Cohen

Dig deep and you will find the most compelling argument for working together: Happiness.

In business there are always unique individual achievers, but pull down the veil and you'll often find someone alongside them. Michael Eisner does just that in Working Together. Using his own collaboration with Frank Wells at Disney as a launching point for examining other famously successful partnerships, Eisner offers us an intimate and deeply personal look at some of the most rewarding business partnerships, uncovering what makes them tick and offering unconventional wisdom and unexpected insights. In this essential book for businesspeople everywhere, Eisner shines a light on these startlingly long-lasting and enriching partnerships, weaving together ten separate narratives—from investment gurus to entertainment impresarios, from fashion designers to big-box retailers—into a larger story about the true nature of achievement in life and in business.

Ten Stories, Ten Magical Partnerships:

Michael D. Eisner and Frank Wells (Disney)
Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger (Berkshire Hathaway)
Bill and Melinda Gates (The Gates Foundation)
Brian Grazer and Ron Howard (Imagine Entertainment)
Valentino and Giancarlo Giammetti (Valentino)
Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell (Studio 54)
Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus (The Home Depot)
Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken (restaurateurs)
Joe Torre and Don Zimmer (New York Yankees)
John Angelo and Michael Gordon (finance)

Collectively, the stories you're about to read form a blueprint for building partnerships that matter, that last, and that allow each of us to do our very best work.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Personal Development, Biography, Self Help

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 14, 2010

About the author

Retired Chair and CEO of Walt Disney: Former President, Paramount Pictures Corp: Former Head of West Coast, ABC Television Network

Reviews

[Katherine Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit, when I first heard about this book, I thought it was a joke. “Working Together”, from the man who was such a famously difficult manager? But as I read, I realized that I’d fallen prey to the same short-term-ism we are always decrying: my personal impression of Eisner was formed from my time as a media analyst, soon after Frank Wells’ tragic death. Eisner was not so awful, not so mercurial – he was grieving for his partner. For his friend. And he had to do it publicly, under great scrutiny and amidst great (and sometimes gleeful) critique. The rest of the book is interesting, but the chapter where Eisner discusses Wells is genuinely touching, a rare find in a business book.

[Dr. Tobias Christian Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good example how you can work with friends, families and colleagues together. It’s more explaining based on examples how it works rather than how you can do it. You need some translation to do but it helps us to understand how people can interact better and add a value to their collaboration.

[Brent Brockerville · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of different case studies of successful partnerships

[Mindful Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt a great sense of satisfaction when completing this book. We often hear the horror stories of business relationships, large and small. This book highlighted, again and again, that goodness is the most successful characteristic of successful partnerships. Like a timeless Disney classic, good triumphs over evil and the white knights and princesses live happily ever after. While it may sound more than trite, it is true.

Early in June, 2011 - So far, I'm in Chapter 5, I am loving this book. Eisner's findings support what we have, hopefully, known all along; successful partnerships are built on mutual respect, integrity, self awareness, and decency, and the hunger to be our best while supporting others' in their pursuit of the same.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this immediately after Bob Iger's book The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company to get a different perspective on the years running Disney before Iger came on.

Of course that story is only about 10% of the book and the rest is analyses of other legendary partnerships in business that led to the long legacies of success for each of the enterprises profiled.

In Mr. Eisner's profiles of Bill & Melinda Gates, Warren Buffett & Charlie Munger, Valentino & Giancarlo Giammetti, Bernard Marcus & Arthur Blank, etc., he identified many of the pairs represented a relationship of two people who have different skillsets and approaches, but have a shared vision and mutual respect for each other.

This was my main takeaway from the book, and I tried applying this idea to some of the relationships I see around me in my life. For instance, I feel I understand a bit better why my boss's relationship with his business partner recently fell apart, and also like the reason as to why my relationship with my fiancé has progressed so swimmingly over the last seven years has been partially demystified.

Eisner's book is a bit of an uneven read given the different natures of business covered in each profile, but it is a cumulative experience, where each analysis of the fundamental partnership builds on the characteristics highlighted in the past profile.

[Kiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Disney of my childhood is the Disney of Michael Eisner’s vision. Reading Bob Iger’s book last year, and watching the Imagineering documentary on Disney +, made me curious about Eisner. I bought two of his books and finally read this one, centering on his relationship with his number two of 11 years, Frank Wells, and then moving on to other dynamic duos he respects. The best chapter is the first which sort of serves as a prequel to Bob Iger’s book, Ride of a Lifetime. Even for those who don’t care about or even hate Disney, the corporate intrigue is simply fascinating. Both Iger and Eisner write about such things with skill, and in a way the reader can really learn about working relationships while also being entertained. My other favorite chapters were on Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger, Joe Torre and Don Zimmer, and Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. The chapter on Bill and Melinda Gates would qualify as an awkward read now in light of recent events, but it’s fascinating to consider how much can change in a lifetime. The key themes that emerge from these working relationships are radical honestly, shared goals, deference to one another’s skill sets, and friendship. It’s not the greatest book on leadership I’ve ever read but it was a fun read with some helpful insights, and a few small but pleasant doses of behind the scenes at Disney corporate offices. 283 pages of working together.

[Kenneth L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author does a great job of killing the Lone Ranger/singular brilliant hero narrative that is often perpetuated when studying successful people, ventures, or companies. It emphasizes the need to identify and accept who we are as individuals and to partner with others who complement our strengths and styles while working toward a singular goal. The style of the project, spotlighting pairs from a variety of industries, was an effective and entertaining way to spotlight complementary strengths and the many roles that can be played in partnerships.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Particularly liked the chapters on Berkshire Hathaway, Angelo Gordon, and Valentino. Hard to imagine those firms would exist if it wasn't for the strong partnerships between the founders. It is fascinating to observe that oftentimes these partners are very different but complimentary to each other. I hope we can all find a strong partner to collaborate with and rely on.

[June Ding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting stories about 10 successful partnerships in business.

[Nat Newgard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't seem to have much depth.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Made me think about the nature of partnerships and how to engage in the them.

[Mikhail Matorra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learn how to be a team player when you have partners. Great book!

[Ivan Rocha Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book!! Presents different stories of partnerships in different businesses and times.

[. .]

Partnerships that’s click

[Rob Cantrall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice study, although somewhat high level, of a variety of partnerships and collaborations from various walks of life. These include Eisner's own partnership with Frank Wells, in addition to the following:

Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger - quite interesting
Bill and Melinda Gates - absolutely fascinating. It really makes the case for them as equal partners, which is somewhat inconsistent with general perception, I think it safe to say.
Brian Grazer and Ron Howard - okay
Valentino and Giancarlo Giammetti - okay
Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager - the Studio 54 guys and it really hints at a fascinating story there
Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus - Home Depot. Pretty interesting, as it has good examples of where not partnering is harmful
Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken - another where the story behind these folks seems more compelling than the parts covered here
Joe Torre and Don Zimmer - just because I don't like the Yankees doesn't mean that this isn't the kind of view into sports that I enjoy immensely
John Angelo and Michael Gordon - the outlier in the book. Angelo is Eisner's only friend and it shows--he just isn't distanced enough from Angelo to make the story stand on its own.

[steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eisner has great access to some very high profile partnerships, and the inside access is the strength of the book.

However, the book seems to lack an overall theme - the success of the partnerships is attributed to whatever characteristics the partners possess, although they differ in each case. There is not a legitimate effort to support these cause and effect relationships with facts, as many similar partnerships have failed. Eisner acknowledges these concerns in the epilogue, but that does not make them untrue.

Overall, the generic advice given is good: behave ethically in personal and business relationships, seek to gain satisfaction more from relationships than from money, find a partner who will help to balance you and make you more successful than you would be alone. That said, the claims about how these behaviors directly correlate to success are not necessarily true.

[Traci Mckay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but like the Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands, Working Together falls somewhere between too long an arguement to be made in a magazine article, too short a point to make a book. But for a book about business it really gave me insight into my marriage. Also really interesting to learn that Micheal Eisner had a partner at Disney as does Warren Buffet. A big part of this book was about defining roles (thank you, Proclamation to the Family, done and done.)and making sure that someone is always willing to take a back seat when needed. Over all good.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

The entire book just drips with Eisner's ego. He draws no conclusions, talks to no outside experts, really doesn't seem to have done any research. It's just an exercise in "look at all the famous and successful people that will answer the phone when I call them." Highlights include: interrupting the discussion about Bill Gates to relay the story about the time Eisner had dinner with the Clintons and contextualizing Studio 54 by mentioning that Paramount never lost money on a movie while Eisner was in charge.

Worthwhile topic. Wrong author.

[Tirath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this book because of the chapter on Buffett and Munger - and there were some unknowns to be read there.
The 1st 5 chapters were good, especially the one on Valentino and Giancarlo. The book is possibly unlike most others because of its focus on what makes great partnerships work.

Interesting points about humility, the willingness to cede control, the need for integrity and the pursuit of fun.
A bit of a drag with some chapters - but all in all, a good book.

[Mike Adeleke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Eisner is the former CEO of arguably America's most storied corporation, Disney. This book goes into detail the importance of partnerships in business and in life. Not only does he go into detail on his own partnerships but also the partnerships of some of the most successful people in business and life from Charlie Munger and Warren Buffet to Joe Torre and Don Zimmer of the New York Yankees. Excellent book and a guide to finding a person you can truly build something great with.

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly interesting, I liked that he didn't try to shoehorn each of these partnerships into some overarching theory of what makes partnerships work. I wished he could have gone into some failed partnerships, especially his time with Michael Ovitz, or why he was so much less effective as a CEO after Frank Wells died.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the structure of this book. Ten stories of successful partnerships across all disciplines told with editorial commenting by Eisner. Several of the chapters (Howard/Grazer in particular) were quite interesting. Lots of good takeaways for leadership. The book ultimately didn't quite live up to its promise due to a lack of specific advice from the profiled people. Good,not great read.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to stand out and accomplish the most they can. While the writing was simple, and often repetitive, Eisner does a great job at delivering the key takeaways from each of the partnerships identified in this book. I already find myself reflecting on the principles in my day-to-day life.

[deleted d · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael D. Eisner with Aaron Cohen Working Together 4/5
a great reminder, working together is better than alone
Partnerships between the right pair of people can be hugely beneficial – some of us just work better when we collaborate with someone else. A good partnership won't just bring your company greater success, it can make you much happier too. After all, humans are social creatures.

[Ryan Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The benefits of working together are balance: if two people work their own strengths, though they may be seemingly opposing, their collaboration will be powerful. There's an important theme of agreeing to 50/50 splits.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

not literary genius-- but inspiring stories about working relationships

[Elaine W · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a book written by a guy who's famously NON-collaborative, this was full of fascinating insights. Go figure.

[DaveH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting first half of the book. Shows how duos such as Buffett and his partner, Grazer and Howard, and Bill and Melissa Gates operate together.

[Chris Ong · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's ok. Really liked the chapter with Frank Wells and Eisner. Good hearing stories of partnership (and as always, stories of Disney are always a joy). Gotta love Eisner though!

[Theodore Kinni · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting idea for a book, but the bottom line seems to be that great partnerships are more kismet than conscious effort.