How To Win Friends and Influence People
From Amazon…
This grandfather of all people-skills books was first published in 1937. It was an overnight hit, eventually selling 15 million copies. How to Win Friends and Influence People is just as useful today as it was when it was first published, because Dale Carnegie had an understanding of human nature that will never be outdated. Financial success, Carnegie believed, is due 15 percent to professional knowledge and 85 percent to “the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm among people.” He teaches these skills through underlying principles of dealing with people so that they feel important and appreciated. He also emphasizes fundamental techniques for handling people without making them feel manipulated. Carnegie says you can make someone want to do what you want them to by seeing the situation from the other person’s point of view and “arousing in the other person an eager want.” You learn how to make people like you, win people over to your way of thinking, and change people without causing offense or arousing resentment. For instance, “let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers,” and “talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.” Carnegie illustrates his points with anecdotes of historical figures, leaders of the business world, and everyday folks. –Joan Price
I like to think that I’m a people person, that people just naturally like me. Don’t we all think that way? After reading Carnegie’s book, I realized I was only 30% there, if that. Carnegie’s book is a classic, and yet it is still just as valuable today, as it was when first published over 70 years ago. Similar to Malcolm Gladwell, Carnegie tells amazing stories to highlight the strategies he teaches in his book. The stories themselves are worth the read. But more importantly, the value you gain in understanding how people think is simply amazing. This book has made me completely rethink how I deal with people, and I’m already finding that it’s much easier to connect with people when using the techniques taught in this book. Highly recommend!
