This week I read the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It was originally published in 1936, but its words are as true today as they were back then. In some ways they may have even more weight now, as many of the lessons he teaches, and techniques he talks about, are long forgotten in the 21st century.
This isn’t a book about manipulating and controlling people, it is about truly winning friends and working together with them to get the best results in our personal and business lives.
I first read How to Win Friends and Influence People about 4 years ago. Since then I have re-read the book a handful of times, and each time it is as powerful as it was the first time. Dale Carnegie does a great job of reminding us what is truly important, and how we should treat people if we want them to like us.
So why should you read How to Win Friends and Influence People? Because each and every one of us need friends, and we need to have influence in our lives. I am not talking about influence so that you can get people to do what you want, but influence that helps you to create teamwork and cooperation to get things done.
There is so much packed into this book. In it he teaches you:
- The 3 fundamental techniques in handling people
- The 6 ways to make people like you
- The 12 ways to win people to your way of thinking
- The 9 ways to change people without arousing resentment
I review the techniques, and tips, that Mr. Carnegie gives in this book as often as I can. In fact every time I review them I see areas where I am falling short.
They are a great reminder about the ways that we should treat people, and how we should act in our interactions with others.
As powerful as all these techniques and ways of acting are, the stories that Dale Carnegie uses to illustrate them are even more powerful. He creates realistic situations that allow you to see how to implement these techniques into our daily lives.
The ideas in this book are very simplistic, but they hold so much power. In todays world it is easy for us to forget to do much of what this book talks about. I highly recommend that you give this book a read, and re-read it often just as I do so that these topics stay on top of your mind when you are interacting with others.
