Sanford D. Greenberg Ph.D. M.B.A., Elliot K. Fishman M.D., Linda C. Chu M.D., Steven P. Rowe M.D. Ph.D.
Friendships are vitally important to work-place productivity, engagement, and satisfaction. The Gallop employee engagement survey specifically asks, “Do you have a best friend at work?” [1]. This question is asked because of the direct correlation between individuals at work having someone they consider a best friend and the amount of effort they are willing to put into their work [1]. In the era of the so-called “Great Resignation” [2,3], in which a large proportion of healthcare workers have either left their jobs or contemplated doing so [3], the need for friends at work has never been more acute.
Everyone will face challenges at work and in life. However, not everyone will have the gifts that come from remarkable friends and loved ones who give of themselves with no expectation of receiving anything in return. Dr. Sanford Greenberg, a noted author, recently set down and spoke with our institution about the role of friendship in helping him through challenges, such as becoming blind during college, to his triumphs as a philanthropist and scholar. This manuscript is written predominantly in the first-person to preserve the impact of Dr. Greenberg's experience.