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Book Review - Dale Carnegie's Masterpiece, How to Win Friends and Influence People

One of the most successful self-help books ever written was Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People. Since it was published in 1937, this book has been a best seller providing common sense advice about how to succeed by getting along with people. This critical skill was important to Dale Carnegie's success as a salesman in the 1930's, but perhaps it is even more important to workers in the 21st Century who must collaborate with others both inside their organizations and around the world. Although technologies have changed, the underlying aspects of human nature remain constant. Thus, anyone who wants to learn more about getting along with others should read this classic and learn Carnegie's core principles about successful human interaction.

In the first part of the book, Carnegie outlines some of the fundamentals of successful interaction. These basic principles are largely based on being respectful and courteous to others. Basically, the old Golden Rule applies: Treat others as you would wish to be treated. This is similar to advice your parents or grandparents would give you about getting along with others.

In part two, Carnegie goes on to discuss six ways to make people like you. Any salesperson will tell you that people like to deal with other people that they know, like, and trust. If people don't like you, they will not want to work with you, even if it is important for both parties to accomplish a common goal. If you look at the current toxic political environment, our politicians in Washington could all benefit by reading this section.

Part three provides advice on how to influence people. The principles about influence are also relevant in the modern workplace. All organizations have limited resources and there is internal competition to get what is needed to accomplish personal, team, and organizational goals. Getting the requisite resources requires that people successfully influence others to their own point of view, but it must be done in a non-confrontational way. Carnegie offers good advice on how to influence others without creating enemies in the process.

Finally, part four is about leadership. All leaders know that they must get others to do what they want, but to do it in a way that others are willing followers. As a leader, you will never get everyone to agree with you; however, if you can get most of the people to come along with you on your journey you will nevertheless be successful. Thus, Carnegie's advice is also a fundamental aspect of good leadership.

Success in the modern workplace requires collaboration. Fundamental to that success is the ability to "win friends and influence people." In fact, it is often more difficult to do this today because people deal with people from other cultures who speak different languages and have different customs. Additionally, the collaboration may be "virtual" and done without face-to-face interaction. Nevertheless, the ability to leverage our common human nature is the key to success. Dale Carnegie's timeless advice is a great place to start. Read his book and see how these principles can work for you today.

Leonard Kloeber is an author and leadership consultant. He has extensive leadership experience as business executive and as a military officer. He has been a hands-on leader in a variety of organizations large and small. Most recently he was a human resources executive for a Fortune 100 company. His book - Victory Principles, Leadership Lessons from D-Day - illustrates seven bedrock leadership principles that all successful leaders use.
By Leonard Kloeber  |  Source

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