How To Win Friends
Listening to “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie (again). There are thousands of books on self-help and business leadership out there but this is definitely the one that matters. I like listening to the audio book version. It forces me to take in every word whereas in print form I end up reading quickly ahead.
A few insights from listening so far:
- The ability to properly deal with people is by far the biggest factor in becoming a successful leader.
- People respond more favorably to praise then criticism.
- It is far easier to make friends by being genuinely interested in others, than it is to try to get others to be genuinely interested in you.
- To get someone to pay attention to you, focus on what they care about NOT what you care about. Start from that perspective and they will be motivated to hear what you have to say.
- Fake it ’till you make it. If you smile even when you aren’t happy, you will begin to feel cheerful.
- There is only one sure way to find happiness, and that is through controlling your thoughts. It is not what you are doing that makes you happy, it is all about your mental attitude.
- Do not fear being misunderstood and do not fear your enemies – keep your mind on the great and splendid things you would like to do.
- All things come through desire, we become the things in which our hearts are fixed.
- Names are important, if you are genuinely interested in people – you’ll have an easier time remembering. People are more interested in their own name than in all the other names put together.
If you haven’t read or listened to it yet – do it!
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