Overall: 🐢🐢🐢🐢
Storyline:
Writing Style:
Personal Growth:
Enjoyment:
“Always seek information, no matter how high up you are. Never attack another’s position if you disagree. Instead, prod and poke it, elicit suggestions, listen to the defense. Be respectful of other’s opinions.”
The Ultimate Guide to Power & Influence by Robert L. Dilenschneider
The Story:
The Ultimate Guide to Power & Influence arms its readers with intellectual, technical, and moral weapons— tools you need to get and stay ahead in the increasingly competitive and ever-evolving business world. Acquiring both power and influence is crucial to advancing not only your personal interests, but also a more prosperous society at large.
Drawing from current-day lessons and the wisdom of hundreds of drivers of change in all fields of business, The Ultimate Guide to Power & Influence is Robert Dilenschneider’s latest guide to harnessing the universal principles for success. It provides anecdotes and insights on a wide range of keys to success, including how to seize opportunity amid crisis, manage your network, communicate effectively, and take full advantage of social media to bolster your image.
A leader in the sphere of public relations and the founder of The Dilenschneider Group, which provides strategic advice to Fortune 500 companies and leading figures around the world—with experience in everything from mergers and acquisitions to government affairs and international media—Robert Dilenschneider writes with experience and authority to help readers acquire and amplify their power.
For graduate students to corporate professionals alike, The Ultimate Guide to Power & Influence is an essential guide to charting the ever-changing waters of the business world with imagination, competence, and grace.
Key Elements:
Self-Help, Business, Managerial Tips, Power, Influence, Step-by-step Process, Learning, Success, Networking, Quotes, Self-Improvement
Why This Rating?
Full Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a voluntary honest review.
When getting this book I did the number one no-no in the book community, I judged the book by its cover. I saw the title and immediately went “well, that’s a bit pretentious to claim. This is going to be a read.” In some ways that made me even more intrigued to read it because of the loud claim right on the cover, The Ultimate Guide to Power & Influence: Everything You Need To Know. I’m come on, that’s a hell of a title! And I’m sure each of you did something similar when you saw that I posted a review on it. – So, if you made it to the full review, Thank you! – Then the author hit me with the first line, “You have a choice. Keep doing what you did yesterday or adapt to a world that is changing every day.” Essentially, either try to truck along and force things to stay how it was or make yourself step up and embrace the changes. Alright Dilenschneider, you got my attention. Well done sir.
I feel like I just got a chance to read a TED Talk with the way the entire story is set up. If you haven’t heard of or watched a TED Talk here’s a briefing for you. A Ted Talk is a presentation being given to a group of people about single topic, but it can be on subject matter out in the world. Generally the presenter is a very well-informed specialist on the topic. Each one is no more than 18 minutes long (unless there is something special happening) and jam packed with information. Think SparkNotes but video form. They are a lot of fun to listen/watch if you get a chance. And much like a TED Talk, the author is a well-informed specialist in this field (his business background is crazy impressive!) and he manages to keep the book pretty straightforward and short while still giving us a ton of tips.
This book kept it very professional in the tone which is very nice in these self-improvement books. Each chapter hits on a different goal/step, so you are never stuck having to read it from beginning to end. Skip around if it is something that you need to do (he provided you with an index full of keywords to skip around to). And the sources he brought in were great (there’s entire section in the back with his citations)! Plus, at the end of each chapter the author does a wonderful recap and summary of the point he was just discussing. Loved that touch!
Throughout the entire book the author has managed to incorporate a wide range of very influential business individuals in either quotes or showcasing scenarios they’ve encountered during their careers. I really liked the real world applications that the author brought to each of his chapter points. It is certainly one thing to talk about how these points will help you succeed. When you give you students (readers in this case) a real application of the steps, I feel it helps enforce the importance. The author even incorporate a fair amount of moments he was able to apply his own teachings within his life.
However, the voice in the book comes across like it is talking to those ready to take a leap into the managerial/owner positions. I think it is a great help book for people ready to take those big steps or even already in those positions. But might not make the most sense for those either working just to make money and get home or those not moving up the ladder position wise. It won’t hurt to give it a read though. You can learn a lot about what it takes to be a good manager and what your actions say about you as an owner. Also the benefits of not only networking till you are sick of talking to people, but engaging in social media. Both can make a world of a difference for companies in today’s world.
Even though I’m not necessarily in either position in my working career, I certainly learned from this book and enjoyed reading it. I learned great ideas and tips to assist me when working with other coworkers and how to use even tips for managers in my personal professionalism around the work place. My own iteration of “Fake it till you make it.” If I show them that I can be a leader, then I might make it a thing. Another thing I now understand is how moving up higher in companies might also be affected by your outside life whether you mean for it to or not. You have to dot your I’s and cross your T’s at all points because you are representing what your company means even outside of work. It isn’t fair, but it is the truth in the world of tech we are in now. This book gave me a new perspective into the world of businesses. There are some other really great points made in the book, but I’m not going to give all of the interior secrets away. These were a few that hit me a little harder than the others. I’d love to hear which ones you found were more of an influence to you!
Time to get lost in the next story!
