
Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner reveals why partnerships - not lone heroes - drive extraordinary success. Featuring Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and others, this insider's look at legendary duos proves that humility, trust, and complementary strengths create magic that solo brilliance never could.
Michael Dammann Eisner, author of Working Together: Why Great Partnerships Succeed, is a visionary media executive and leadership strategist renowned for transforming The Walt Disney Company into a global entertainment powerhouse.
Drawing from his decades-long career as Disney’s CEO and prior leadership roles at Paramount Pictures and ABC, Eisner explores the mechanics of successful collaborations in this business leadership classic. His insights are rooted in landmark achievements, including revitalizing Disney Animation with films like The Lion King, acquiring ABC/ESPN, and expanding theme parks worldwide.
Eisner’s other works, such as the bestselling memoir Work in Progress and Camp, blend professional wisdom with personal anecdotes, cementing his status as a thought leader in organizational innovation.
A Denison University graduate and founder of The Eisner Foundation, his strategies are taught in management programs and cited by Fortune 500 executives. Working Together has been embraced by business leaders for its actionable frameworks on partnership-driven growth.
Working Together explores the dynamics of successful business partnerships through case studies like Michael Eisner’s collaboration with Frank Wells at Disney, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger at Berkshire Hathaway, and Bill and Melinda Gates’ philanthropic work. Eisner identifies trust, complementary skills, and shared vision as core ingredients for enduring partnerships, blending personal anecdotes with broader business insights.
This book is ideal for entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and anyone interested in collaborative success. It offers actionable lessons for building trust, resolving conflicts, and leveraging complementary strengths—making it valuable for teams, co-founders, or professionals seeking to enhance workplace relationships.
Eisner emphasizes shared vision, mutual respect, and role clarity as foundational. Partnerships thrive when individuals prioritize the organization’s goals over personal egos, communicate transparently, and divide responsibilities based on strengths (e.g., Eisner’s creative focus vs. Frank Wells’ operational expertise).
Eisner defines success as partnerships built on unwavering trust and humility. For example, he credits Disney’s resurgence to his collaborative dynamic with Wells, where disagreements were resolved privately, and credit was shared publicly. The book stresses avoiding “scorekeeping” and fostering a “business-first” mentality.
The book dissects 10 iconic duos, including:
Key takeaways include:
While both books stress communication, Working Together focuses on empirical examples of successful pairs, whereas The Partnership Charter provides a structured framework for drafting partnership agreements. Eisner’s work is more narrative-driven, ideal for readers seeking inspirational case studies.
Some readers note the book prioritizes high-profile corporate partnerships over smaller-scale collaborations. Additionally, it offers fewer practical tools for resolving conflicts compared to guides like Crucial Conversations, leaning more on storytelling than actionable steps.
Eisner’s emphasis on trust-building and role clarity resonates in hybrid work environments. For example, aligning on shared objectives via virtual check-ins and respecting time zones/delivery styles can mirror the Disney leadership’s daily alignment rituals.
In an era of solo-founder hype, Eisner’s research reaffirms that collaboration drives innovation. Partnerships mitigate blind spots, accelerate decision-making, and create resilience—critical for navigating 2025’s fast-paced, AI-augmented business landscape.
Eisner credits Disney’s 1980s–1990s revival to his partnership with Wells, who managed finances and operations while Eisner focused on creative projects. Their “no daylight” policy—presenting a united front—prevented internal politicization and stabilized leadership.
저자의 목소리로 책을 느껴보세요
지식을 흥미롭고 예시가 풍부한 인사이트로 전환
핵심 아이디어를 빠르게 캡처하여 신속하게 학습
재미있고 매력적인 방식으로 책을 즐기세요
I tap-dance to work every day.
Enough mountains ahead to scale at Disney.
I would have had a lot of fun, but not nearly as much fun without Charlie.
One plus one with Charlie and me certainly adds up to more than two.
Working Together의 핵심 아이디어를 이해하기 쉬운 포인트로 분해하여 혁신적인 팀이 어떻게 창조하고, 협력하고, 성장하는지 이해합니다.
Working Together을 빠른 기억 단서로 압축하여 솔직함, 팀워크, 창의적 회복력의 핵심 원칙을 강조합니다.

생생한 스토리텔링을 통해 Working Together을 경험하고, 혁신 교훈을 기억에 남고 적용할 수 있는 순간으로 바꿉니다.
무엇이든 물어보고, 목소리를 선택하고, 진정으로 공감되는 인사이트를 함께 만들어보세요.

샌프란시스코에서 컬럼비아 대학교 동문들이 만들었습니다
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
샌프란시스코에서 컬럼비아 대학교 동문들이 만들었습니다

Working Together 요약을 무료 PDF 또는 EPUB으로 받으세요. 인쇄하거나 오프라인에서 언제든 읽을 수 있습니다.
Warren Buffett once confessed to Oprah that he "tap-dances to work every day" at age 80. What drives such joy? The answer lies not in wealth or power, but in something far simpler: partnership. When Michael Eisner received that fateful call in 2008 asking him to write about partnerships, he hesitated. His most successful collaboration-a decade alongside Frank Wells at Disney-had ended tragically in 1994 when Wells died in a helicopter crash. Yet as Eisner began exploring ten remarkable partnerships across industries, a pattern emerged that surprised him. These duos didn't just achieve extraordinary success; they genuinely loved working together. In an era when business scandals dominate headlines and solo entrepreneurs are celebrated as heroes, partnerships offer something radical: built-in accountability, complementary strengths, and genuine happiness. What if the secret to both professional success and personal fulfillment isn't climbing alone-it's choosing the right climbing partner?