Relationship Equity

Investing in Relationships "I'M ABOUT AS TECHNICAL AS A PINT OF GUINNESS," says Richard Walker, who has devoted his career to developing technical talent in others. A wee bit of irony there? Get to know Richard and it all makes sense. Once a small town bricklayer in Yorkshire, he became CEO of York Solutions, a thriving national IT consulting company based in the Twin Cities - and he did it on the power of Relationship Equity. In his new book, Relationship Equity: Your Cornerstone Investment to Great Gains in Business and Life, Richard takes us along on his lifelong journey of discovery to explain this simple yet complex principle. We learn how he has applied it for both business and personal success. Along the way, he has enriched the IT talent pool, helping others get a new start in life just as others helped him. He has assisted tech professionals in advancing their careers. Relationship Equity isn't just about growing the bottom line, though. It's about strengthening families, marriages, communities. It's about helping others to build better lives by reaching out in friendship with no expectation of getting anything in return. In our authentic relationships, Richard tells us, we tap into a powerful force for good that, in the end, will profit us most of all.

RICHARD WALKER is the Chief Executive Officer of York Solutions, an IT consulting firm based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota, with locations in Westchester, Illinois, and Nashville, Tennessee. A graduate of the Leeds Beckett University in England, Walker co-founded the company in 1998. York Solutions is devoted to helping clients achieve their business and technology goals by building long-term, trusting relationships with them, not simply transactions. Walker has been front and center in growing those relationships, as well as launching the company's Think IT and Link to Leadership programs to help IT professionals develop their careers. He has led York's innovative Barriers to Entry training program, dedicated to enlarging the IT talent pool and helping brilliant men and women discover a life-changing new career path.

Introduction: "We're All Just People" - Investing in Humanity - The Relationship Equity Mindset - Foundations of a Philosophy - Links on the Links - Awakening to Oneself - Breaking Down the Barriers - "We're Doing Good Today, Thanks" - For Better and for Worse Conclusion: A Wealth of Possibility Addendum: "Nothing Short of a Miracle" Acknowledgments