A book that’s been getting alot of press lately is Vital Friends by Tom Rath. Rath also wrote the book, How Full Is Your Bucket: Positive Strategies for Work and Life. He’s also a researcher at the Gallup Organization, where he’s looked at the role of friendships in business. On Gallup’s survey for gauging the strength of a workplace, one question specifically asks the whether you have a best friend at work.

While I have not read the book, what intrigued me in the reviews was the idea that friends play one of eight vital roles: builder, champion, collaborator, companion, connector, energizer, mind opener and navigator. It got me thinking about who in my network plays what roles for me. And it also got me thinking about how coaches often fill some of these roles. No matter how you get these eight roles filled, my experience resonates with one of Rath’s conclusions–having vital friends, a network of support,  does lead to happiness.