The Art of Influence: Persuading Others Begins With You

Easy to read story with a couple of key take-away most people can use and learn from.

Read THE ART OF INFLUENCE by Chris Widener . . . it is a short
but powerful parable about a recent college graduate who learns valuable
lessons from one of the country's wealthiest men.

What made it so good was the fact that I really cared about the
characters . . . they were believable, and their stories were
interesting too.

I also liked how the author revealed each of the four key principles via
discussions that seemed as if they actually happened . . . such as this
one, involving a successful baseball manager, who advises:

* Don't forget the power we have to influence ourselves. When you make
a mistake you should never start telling yourself negative things.
Those negative words produce negative thoughts and actions. For us, it
is a player who strikes out and then tells himself he can't hit in the clutch.
Guess what happens? From that point on, he can't hit in the clutch. For your
situation it may be a person who botches a presentation and then tells herself
that she can't speak in front of others. She'll never move up because she
can't lead from the front of the room. Negative words produce results. So
I teach people how to take control of their minds and thoughts and the words
they say to themselves."

Then there was this equally significant tidbit about how one of the character's
daughters increased her income by just applying another of the principles:

* "For the first few weeks she was bringing home about twenty-five dollars
a day in tips. But then all of a sudden her tips jumped significantly, up
to nearly seventy-five dollars on many days. Obviously, I wanted to know
what was going on. She said, 'I finally figured people out.' Well, I wanted to
know what the new insight was. 'Dad,' she said, 'people love to talk about
themselves! I used to just make their coffee and not say much. Now I ask
them all kinds of questions about themselves.' That was it. By getting
people to talk to her about their lives she was subconsciously influencing
them to tip her more."

And, lastly, I liked this bit of advice that was given that all employees
should take to heart:

* "Excellence is something we practice in even the smallest details.
You know, when I am walking through one of my properties, if I see
a small scrap of paper on the floor, I personally stop and pick it up.
I don't go to the manager and have him or her get someone to do it.
I do it myself. And do you know what happens?"

"What?"

"My staff sees that even the small details matters to me. They get it. They
see that I lead by example. It inspires them to pay attention to even the
smallest details too. Excellence in everything we do is what makes guys
like Bobby and me so influential."

As you can see, none of the above is particularly profound . . . but it
all makes sense--a lot of sense.

By the way, in case you're wondering, here are the four principles
to increase influence:

Live a life of undivided integrity.

Always demonstrate a positive attitude.

Consider other people's interests as more important than your own.

Don't settle for anything less than excellence.

Read the book, and you'll find a lot more about each one . . . you'll
be glad that you did.

This is an easy-read book and depicits a very foundational direction for everything you do in your life, and what to look for in the people you surround yourself with. It's warm and insightful

I really enjoyed the book. It was very helpful and very true. WAY to go!

The Art of Influence was a fabulous book book written in story form. I printed out his four points and have the posted next to my desk at work. The principals behind this book are timeless. I would read another Chris Widener book based on this experience.