I just finished reading How to How To Win Friends and Influence People
It’s a fantastic book. I went in thinking that maybe it wouldn’t be relevant since it came out in the 30’s and was written before emails and cell phones when cars were knew and not everyone even had a telephone. Some of the anecdotes are slightly old, they talk about things Woodrow Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt did, but they still ring relevant. The book’s style feels more modern than current motivational books. It’s almost written like a Power Point presentation because it is divided into lists and includes lots of summary. I know I mention PP and you just yawned and got sleepy. I should probably come up with a description that makes it sound more active because it is very engaging.
Here’s what’s so great about this book: each point is like a blog post (by a real blogger, not by me). Its structure is: Catchy Title, description, example, example, example, summary. About 80% of each chapter/point is practical examples of how to apply the principle. So instead of just saying “remember someone’s name” the chapter is titled “If you don’t do this you are headed for trouble” and then tells you what happens if you don’t remember. Then he tells you here’s how Andrew Carnegie did it, here’s how President Roosevelt did it and here’s how Bob Salesman of Cooperstown NY did it.
Do read if:
I think everybody should read this. It will help you in work, it will help you in friendships, it will help you buy a car. It is particularly good for sales people, and everyone is in sales.
Don’t read if:
You don’t understand English, otherwise you have no excuse.
Everyone can get something out of this book and it’s not long or hard to follow. Chapters stand alone so you can read it casually if your free time is sparse.
Steven Gangstead